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Acts 17:1-15
Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” 4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. 5 But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. 6 And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, 7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” 8 And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. 9 And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.
10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. 12 Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. 13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds. 14 Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there. 15 Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.
I’m in the midst of learning about Kairos.edu, a consortium of colleges and seminaries of which – as I understand it – the Luther House of Study is a part. Don’t quote me on this, because I’m still learning, but it seems to be an innovative and creative way in which seminary education may be well provided – contextually. Here’s a quote from one of the White Papers they provide to perspective Faculty Mentors:
While the various components of a story are important, it is the wider narrative provided by the story as a whole that reveals the true meaning. Professor Snape when viewed through the wider story of Harry Potter is much different than Professor Snape when viewed through an early book in the series. The life, death, resurrection, and reign of Jesus described in the gospels carry meaning within each book but that meaning is enriched when the wider story of God’s people and the promise to Abram in Genesis 12:1-3 can be seen.
This is so true in regard to this snippet of Paul and Silas’ encounter with the people of Berea and Thessalonica. There is a little win in the conversion of the people of Berea and their more noble character which turned them toward Scripture and ultimately to faith in Jesus. It was a big win for those who were brought to faith.
But that big win is only part of the story of God. And even Jesus’ life, suffering, death, and resurrection is only part of the story of God. Most obvious you might think is Jesus’ second coming. And that is surely a major part of God’s story. But don’t forget the beginning. And although Genesis begins with In the beginning, there is also the witness of Ephesians 1:3-4, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”
The story of God starts before the foundation of time and goes on through eternity in the life of the world to come. Paul and Silas are very important parts of that story, for they bear witness to Jesus Christ – the center of it all. And because of their witness, the message of Jesus has gone on to the ends of the earth.
There will be squirmishes, battles, troubles, and hardships along the way. Those are part of the story as well. But they will come to nothing – unlike the witness of Paul and Silas. You and I are also part of that story. Our prayers, acts of kindness, love, grace, and mercy bear witness to the truth of the Good News of Jesus. They are the fruit that will last through eternity (cf. John 15:16). Sometimes we may even have the opportunity to declare this Good News explicitly. That itself is a part of the story of God.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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