What does Acts 17:12 mean?
Paul and Silas are in Berea, a city filled with exceptionally thoughtful people. Instead of responding to the message about Jesus with jealousy, they study the Scriptures to see if Paul's message is true. Do the Jewish prophets say the Messiah would have to die and rise again? What happened at the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth? Is Jesus the Messiah? After daily study, a large number determine yes, Jesus is the Messiah and He offers salvation and forgiveness of sins (Acts 17:10–11).In the history of the early church—as in the experience of the modern church—women were very important. Women in Macedonia enjoyed an unusual degree of freedom. The church in Philippi thrived in part because of Lydia—the first convert to Christianity in Europe (Acts 16:13–15). The "women of high standing" in Pisidian Antioch fell victim to the jealous Jews and worked to expel Barnabas and Paul (Acts 13:50). But the women in Berea follow the more thoughtful Jews into following Christ.
We only have two of Paul's sermons: one before the Stoics and Epicureans in Athens (Acts 17:22–31) and one in the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:16–41). Since the message in Athens is an outlier, we can assume that the message in Antioch is typical of Paul's speeches in the synagogues. His message doesn't change. In each synagogue are Jews as well as Gentiles who follow the Jewish God. His audience demographics don't change. Who will accept Paul's message and who won't is dependent on if a person will value Jesus' offer of salvation over personal ease and influence. Many are willing to make this sacrifice. Those who aren't generally fall under two categories: Jews who are jealous because Paul is taking away their position in society (Matthew 27:18; Acts 13:45; 17:5) and Gentiles who have money to lose (Acts 16:19; 19:23–27).
Acts 17:10–15 introduces a church which becomes an example for all of Christianity: the Bereans. The jealous Jews of Thessalonica have driven Paul and Silas out of town by threatening the church members. Not willing to face more persecution than necessary, the church send the two to Berea. When the evangelists explain how Jesus fulfills the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah, the Bereans respond with a form of cautious skepticism. They study those prophecies, checking Paul's message for accuracy, and find he's right. Unfortunately, the Jews from Thessalonica follow and cause such problems that the new Berean church sends Paul away to Athens.
Acts 17 describes how Paul's ministry travels down the coast of Greece. In Thessalonica, some Jews and God-fearing Gentiles believe while other Jews start a riot (Acts 17:1–9). The Bereans study the veracity of Paul's statements—until the Thessalonian Jews arrive and threaten to start another riot (Acts 17:10–15). Paul flees to Athens where the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers accept Paul's argument when he uses Greek poets to introduce God as the creator of the world, but lose interest when he mentions the resurrection from the dead (Acts 17:16–34).
