THURSDAY August 31, 2023
Inciting a Mob
And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas. But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.
Acts 17:4-5
The Scriptures had opened the hearts of many in the synagogue in Thessalonica to receive Christ. After their hearts were pricked by the Holy Spirit, they became converted. Leading women and some men who were devout Greeks came to Christ and joined themselves to Paul and Silas. They wanted to learn more about Christ.
However, the moment Paul opened his mouth to preach the Gospel, he always ran into opposition. There were those who were persuaded to come to Christ and others, among the Jews, who were not convinced. In this audience, there were two distinct camps; those who believed and those who did not believe, persons who made peace with God and others who decided to make trouble. They opposed the Gospel and stood against God’s apostles—those sent by Him.
Those Jews who heard the Gospel and rejected it became very hostile. They had become envious of Paul’s influence among the multitudes of people. Trouble started when they decided to hire a mob—thieves and robbers—lowlifes who started a riot. There was such an uproar within the city.
All the Jews’ anger and fury were directed toward one home—the house of Jason, a believer in Christ. Their intent was to drag the apostle from his home. In the hands of an unrestrained, frenzied rabble, Paul and Silas surely would have been in danger of being beaten or killed!
Persecution is one of the natural consequences of living the Christian life. It is to the Christian what “growing pains” are to the growing child. No pain, no development. No suffering, no glory. No struggle, no victory. No persecution, no reward.
~Billy Graham~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
