Weekly Verse - May 21st

Today I would like to draw your attention to one of the verses in our readings in Acts last week. Here we see a group of people whom the author of Acts, Luke, calls “noble”. I would like to dive deeper with you into what made these people noble in his eyes and how we can apply that to our lives.

The Comparison

We see in verses ten and twelve (of Acts seventeen) that the group described as noble in verse eleven are Bereans, both Jews and Greeks. This group is being compared to the unbelieving Jews in Thessalonica who “set all the city on an uproar” (verse five) because of envy towards Paul and Silas. In verse seven we see that this envious group was even twisting their words in order to turn the city against them. After leaving Thessalonica, Paul and Silas immediately went to Berea, and more specifically, to the synagogue there to teach.

The Mindset

Luke gives us two reasons as to why he calls these Bereans “noble”. The first is “that they received the word with all readiness of mind”. Unlike the Thessalonian unbelievers who wanted to find fault with Paul’s teachings, these Bereans readily listened to the gospel, allowing it to truly enter into their minds. They wanted to know what Paul had to teach them. They wanted to learn.

The Search

The second reason Luke gives as to why he calls the Bereans noble is that they “searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”. They did not just receive the word blindly, but they compared Paul’s teachings against what they knew to be true already. And not only that, but they did this daily. Each day Paul would teach them more, and each day they would compare those teachings to what the Scriptures said. There is no higher standard than the Word of God, and that is what they used to judge the facts laid before them.

There is a lot of information in the world, and a lot of teaching going on. All throughout our lives we will be confronted with ideas and opinions. We must be ready to receive the truth, and we can tell whether something is truth or not by comparing it to the Bible’s teachings. God cannot lie, and thus, if some teaching comes in direct conflict with God’s Word, then it cannot be true. This week, be noble like the Bereans, and receive the Word and search the Scriptures to find the truth.

In Christ,