Title: Generous Bereans (Acts 17:10-15)
Contents
After experiencing unspeakable hardship in Philippi, Paul preached as a prison guard, and went through Amphipolis and Apollonia, where the Roman highway (Via Egnatia) is located, to Thessalonica, the capital of the Macedonian region. There are no remains of Paul's time in Thessaloniki, which is now the second city of Greece. There are only a few statues of Alexander and the Cathedral of St. Dimetrius, built on the site of the martyrdom where Emperor Constantine gave his life for his faith before the official recognition of Christianity. It is a very prosperous and beautiful port city. Paul stayed there for about six months, preaching the gospel mainly in the Jewish synagogue. However, the Jews are in a commotion, and with the help of those around them, they leave for Berea at night.
Berea is a small town about 80 km southwest of Thessalonica. It didn't get much attention because it wasn't that important geographically or politically. However, the people here were more generous than the Thessalonians, so they accepted the gospel Paul preached well, and they were zealous enough to study the Bible every day. However, when wicked Jews came from Thessalonica to Berea and hampered Paul's preaching, they left for Athens. Let's take a look at the Bereas, who were unknown believers, but who gave us a great lesson today.
faith and character
In general, believers are good-natured. It is not easy to answer the question, “Is it because my personality changed because I liked my faith, or did I become a believer because I had a good personality?” However, the text says, “The people in Berea were more generous than those in Thessalonica, and they received the word with eagerness of heart, and they searched the Scriptures daily to see if this was the case” (verse 11). It means that the Berea people were more generous than the hard-hearted Jews or people from other regions, who did not readily accept the Word despite zealous preaching of the gospel, so they received the Word with earnest heart. The word 'generous' originally meant 'noble family or origin,' but here it is used to mean good character. After all, good character means good faith. In particular, the expression ‘generous’ is to emphasize the broad minds of the Berea people who abandoned their prejudices against the truth and accepted the gospel with an objective attitude.
The Jews, on the other hand, were overly intolerant. Because of his superior sense of choice, he treated Gentiles exclusively, and because he was too obsessed with the law, he blasphemed with the thought that he was unconditionally preaching the heresy of Nazareth without even thinking seriously about the gospel Paul preached. Prejudice is the enemy of faith. It is the main cause of breaking human relationships. Broad thinking is impossible for a person with prejudice. Don't be like a frog in a well, 井底之蛙 (Jeong Jiewa) or 坐井 天 (Jwajeonggwancheon). Only those who can acknowledge and accept what they see, that is, that there are true truths that they have not yet realized beyond their own perception, are truly humble and generous people.
Jesus also said, “Every good tree bears good fruit, and a bad tree bears bad fruit” (Matthew 7:17). He also said, “When a seed falls on good soil, it bears fruit 30, 60, and 100 times.” If there is no change even if you believe in Jesus, and if your heart only hardens like a rock as the years of religious life get longer, you need to realize that there is a big problem in the person's character or personality and look back on yourself. If you have a good character or character, you can lead a good life of faith. Please recognize that faith and character are inseparable.
earnest heart
Then in verse 11, it says, “I received the word with all earnestness.” A earnest heart means ‘a prepared heart’. It means that the people of Berea prepared wholeheartedly to receive the Word, and they did all their zeal. The religious life should not be moderate. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). At that time, Berea was not a very important place either geographically or politically, but the Holy Spirit worked so strongly that this amazing thing happened. A heart hardened by prejudice, self-will, and evil instinctively rejects the gospel, but if God opens his heart with grace, he will accept the gospel.
God's grace from above can only bear abundant fruit in the field of obedience and faith. For reference, after the Berea mission, I went to Athens to preach the gospel, but there were no good results. The reason is that the hearts of the Athenians were full of worldly knowledge and resulting pride. The spiritual things in heaven are difficult to understand with human reason. Therefore, without faith to acknowledge human limitations and humbly accept God's revelation, we cannot understand the Word even if we hear it. This is what it means to say that God gives grace to the humble.
The famous evangelist, Mr. Moody, was a poorly educated person. So, even when preaching the Word, they often make grammatical errors. Rather than hearing Moody's sermons and receiving grace, a proud person pointed out that "there were a few mistakes in today's sermon." I have heard that there is such an elder in any church nearby. Such a person cannot receive grace even after a lifetime. Faith cannot be matured. Even to say that I am not humble is a luxury. It is because such a person is not properly equipped. You must have good character and character.
always close to the word
Faith and obedience are important, but if you do not know the sure object of your faith and take the wrong direction, you will become blind. If you do not know who the object of belief is, why you believe it, how you believe it, and what the meaning of that belief is, it is just a superstition. However, Christian faith is not like hitting the air or catching the wind, but has a clear object, purpose, and meaning.
It was not for the sake of arguing or criticizing the Bereas who searched the Bible daily. The word ‘contemplated’ means ‘to sift through’ or ‘to search for’. It means that the words written in the Bible and the gospel preached by Paul coincide with each other, and whether the words are the truth or not. The gospel Paul preached was the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Therefore, they wanted to see if it was in line with what the Old Testament prophets had prophesied about the Messiah. We acted as the saying goes, “Learn and abide in the things you are convinced of.” He also said that the Word of God should not be interpreted with human wisdom and knowledge, but with the Word of God (2 Peter 3:16). When you do this, the root of your faith becomes strong and sure.
From an early age, the Israelites thoroughly practiced religious education through the Bible. I always kept the Word close to me and meditated on it. We, too, should not use the Word only for worship in the church. There is an old saying, ‘Your tongue will grow even if you don’t read for just one day.
A child was celebrating her seventh birthday, and as soon as she woke up early in the morning, she was standing in front of the mirror and smirking at herself. When I asked why, he said it was because he was seven years old, so he thought he would be tall enough to make his pajamas smaller overnight. So, at my grandmother's birthday party, she said, "If you want to be really tall, you have to eat a good balance of fish, vegetables, and even the foods you don't like."
Just as growing children need to eat a well-balanced diet to receive sufficient nutrients to grow well, the Word is an essential element for becoming a mature Christian. Recognize the relationship between faith and character, which are two sides of the same coin, and strive to have good character. These days, there are people who eat only two meals a day without properly eating three meals a day. Just as regular eating is important, for spiritual health and maturity, like the people of Berea, I pray that you will prepare and receive the Word with a longing heart, and I pray that you will make every effort to live a life of faith centered on the Word of truth by always pondering it. .