Monday Devo
Scripture:
Acts 17
Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people. 3 He explained the prophecies and proved that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead. He said, “This Jesus I’m telling you about is the Messiah.” 4 Some of the Jews who listened were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with many God-fearing Greek men and quite a few prominent women.
Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people. 3 He explained the prophecies and proved that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead. He said, “This Jesus I’m telling you about is the Messiah.” 4 Some of the Jews who listened were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with many God-fearing Greek men and quite a few prominent women.
Commentary:
17:1 Philippi, Amphipolis, Apollonia, and Thessalonica were all cities on the main east-west Roman highway called the “Egnatian Way.” These cities were separated from each other by about a day’s journey by foot.
17:2 The reference to Paul preaching on three Sabbath days gives the impression of a brief stay in Thessalonica, but this was only the period of his synagogue preaching. Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians reflects a longer ministry (see 1 Thess. 2:9; 5:12; also Phil. 4:16).
17:3 necessary for the Christ to suffer. The Jews resisted the idea that the Messiah had to suffer, even though this is found in the OT (Psalm 22; Isaiah 53; Zech. 12:10; 13:7).
17:4 In the Greco-Roman world women often held prominent positions (see 13:50; 17:12). Some of them were among the devout Greeks (God-fearers) who attended the synagogues.
17:2 The reference to Paul preaching on three Sabbath days gives the impression of a brief stay in Thessalonica, but this was only the period of his synagogue preaching. Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians reflects a longer ministry (see 1 Thess. 2:9; 5:12; also Phil. 4:16).
17:3 necessary for the Christ to suffer. The Jews resisted the idea that the Messiah had to suffer, even though this is found in the OT (Psalm 22; Isaiah 53; Zech. 12:10; 13:7).
17:4 In the Greco-Roman world women often held prominent positions (see 13:50; 17:12). Some of them were among the devout Greeks (God-fearers) who attended the synagogues.
Questions:
- In Acts 17, Paul and Silas are once again on the move, and Paul is sticking with his custom of first going to the synagogue to preach the gospel. As Paul said in Romans 1, the gospel is first for the Jew and then for the Gentile so that the Jew could be a light for the nations. But the majority of Jews missed the Messiah and misunderstood the Law and prophets. So, in a sense, Paul is correcting their error regarding the Law, prophets and Messiah. He's going into the synagogue and saying, "Listen my Jewish brothers! You've missed the whole point!" Jews saw the Law as a way to get to God if you kept its regulations, like it was a ladder. Instead, the Law was meant to be a mirror that shows us how sinful we are and how hopeless we are to ever be completely right with God on our own. The MIRROR reveals the need for a MESSIAH. We might not be Jewish, but how often do we try to earn God's acceptance, love and forgiveness by trying harder, like climbing a ladder? Why do you think religious striving is our default, and how do we protect ourselves from drifting down this path?
- Paul was basically explaining, using the Old Testament Scriptures, how Jesus fulfilled everything written in the Law and prophets. He was reasoning with them with real, historical evidence. He wasn't asking them to take some blind leap of faith. He was giving reasonable evidence proving that Jesus is who He said He was. Even the disciples didn't truly believe until they saw Him alive. How amazing is it that our faith in Jesus isn't just based on believing a fairy tale? What does it do to your faith to know it's based on actual, historical evidence of Jesus' resurrection from the dead?
Prayer Topics:
- That you wouldn't be tempted to do better or try harder, but rest in the freedom you have in Jesus.
- That your faith would be personal, rock-solid and based on reasonable evidence.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
6. Is the Bible God’s Word? Jesus proved He is God by rising from the dead and said the Old Testament was God’s Word and gave authority to the Apostles to write the words of the New Testament, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so that all the words of the Bible are God’s Word.
(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
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