I appreciate Ben Witherington’s work, which helps us understand the social setting when Paul and Silas went to Thessalonica. Though it was a free city, it depended heavily on the emperor’s network of patronage. In return, the people showed him honor and loyalty.
Coins bearing the emperor’s image called him a universal savior, whose help should be proclaimed as good news throughout the region.
The early church faced opposition on many sides. Some Jews refused to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. Gentiles were devoted to their own gods, while merchants feared Christianity would hurt their income. Demonic forces were working behind it all.
In Philippi, opposition came from merchants who lost a profitable business after Paul freed a slave girl from demon oppression. In Thessalonica, it came from Jews who refused to believe that Jesus was God’s Messiah.
“But the Jews became jealous, and with the help of some ruffians in the marketplaces they formed a mob and set the city in an uproar. While they were searching for Paul and Silas to bring them out to the assembly, they attacked Jason’s house.” (Acts 17:5)
Who Was Jason?
The authorities could not find Paul and Silas, so they took the next best option: Jason. Who was Jason? There are a few important things to note about him and people like him.
First, the early church needed a place to meet. They most likely gathered in the home of someone like Jason, just as they had earlier in Philippi at Lydia’s home.
Paul did not have a sponsor paying his expenses during his missionary journeys. When he stayed in different cities, he worked as a tentmaker. Jason was probably a tentmaker too.
People could visit while they sewed tents and talk about God as the men worked. This allowed for long days of conversation, giving people exposure to many truths of the gospel. That is very different from hearing only a 30-minute sermon once a week at church today.
The Official Complaint
Although they could not find Paul and Silas, they arrested Jason and some other Christians in the city instead. The first charge against them ended up being a compliment: they were turning the world upside down.
“When they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some brothers and sisters before the city authorities, shouting, ‘These people who have been turning the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has entertained them as guests.'” (Acts 17:6-7a)
Christianity’s opponents were right about one thing: there is something disturbing in the Christian message. Jesus speaks about freedom from greed, revenge, and everything that makes life harsh and difficult.
That freedom can challenge ideologies, power, and even war. The good news is that when this freedom reaches everyone, life gets better. The bad news is that people still oppose it.
The second accusation was likely taken more seriously than the first. The city owed its wealth and status to the emperor’s support. The emperor was believed to be a god who brought blessings to the Roman Empire.
“They are all acting contrary to the decrees of the emperor, saying that there is another king named Jesus.” (Acts 17:7b)
Claiming that there was another king besides the emperor was a crime punishable by death.
Kingdoms in Conflict
The Roman Empire was deeply religious. Religious symbols appeared almost everywhere across the empire. Even coins with the emperor’s image were considered religious objects.
The Roman Empire was religious, but that did not make it moral. People did not usually look to its religions for morality. Instead, they turned to philosophers, Jewish beliefs, and Christianity when seeking moral guidance and ethical values.
Imagine someone bringing the message of the Sermon on the Mount into an immoral system like the many Roman religions.
Think about the two basic commands Jesus gave his followers: love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. Imagine preaching that message in a religious system built on greed, power, control, oppression, and war.
What happened in Roman colonies during the first century looks a lot like what is happening in our world today. Business and political leaders often want to wrap themselves in the American flag and cover themselves with religion. But the real question is not what they claim. It is what they do.
The Christian message will always challenge those driven by prestige, power, manipulation, and greed. These values stand against the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus’ two great commands to love.
As Christians, we need to understand what Jesus truly values and support it in politics and business where we can. More importantly, we must live out those values every day, regardless of our politics.
YouTube Discussion
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