Paul & Silas in Thessalonica; Acts 17:1 – 9 – Part 5

Church History: Date: A.D. 49-52
When they could not get the apostles into their hands (whom they would have punished as vagabonds, and incensed the people against them, they turned upon an honest citizen of their own. A man who entertained the apostles in his house, his name was Jason, a converted Jew. They drew him out with some others of the brethren to the rulers of the city. They accused and represented them as dangerous persons, not fit to be tolerated; the crime charged upon Jason was receiving and harboring the apostles, supporting them and promoting their interest. And considering the apostles' crime, it should be no less than treason to give them lodging?

Because they persuaded people to turn from vice to virtue, from idols to the living and true God, from malice and envy to love and peace, they are charged with turning the world upside down, when it was only the kingdom of the devil in the world that they overturned. Their enemies set the city in an uproar, and then laid the blame upon them; as Nero set Rome on fire, and then blamed the Christians.

It was troubling to the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. They didn’t have a bad opinion of the apostles or their doctrine. They could not conceive that they were any danger to the state, and therefore were willing to release them; but, if they were represented to them by the prosecutors as enemies to Cesar, they would be obliged to take cognizance of them, and to suppress them, for fear of the government. This was what troubled them. Claudius, who then held the reins of government, is represented by Suetonius as a man very jealous of the least commotion and turmoil to say the least. This obligated the rulers under him to be watchful of everything that looked dangerous, or gave the least cause of suspicion; and therefore it troubled them to be brought under a necessity of disturbing good men.

The magistrates had no intentions of prosecuting the Christians. Care was taken to secure the safety for the apostles; they fled, without being seen and apprehended. There was nothing, at this point, to be done but to discharge Jason and his friends upon posting bail. The magistrates here were not as easily incensed against the apostles as the magistrates at Philippi were, but were more considerate and understanding.