In today's Passage we hear about
Paul and Silas proclaiming about Jesus in two different communities namely
Thessalonica and Berea and both were Jewish communities. They received two different responses from
both the communities. Some happily listened to the word of God and believed it
but some did not. They also experienced danger to their life but good believers
helped them to escape. Whatever may be they never got tired of what they were
doing and even with more enthusiasm and energy they moved to another place as
per the command of their master, Jesus.
Whenever the Truth is proclaimed
there is always opposition and rejection because the evil cannot bear the Truth
and this truth is nothing other than Jesus Christ. In this passage we see, to
chase away Paul and Silas the Jews were taking the support of criminals called
ruffians. This pattern is seen always whether to kill Jesus Christ or in the
Old Testament the evil kings joining together to destroy the good or even in
the history of the world that we live in now also we come across this pattern.
What these people forget is that the Truth can't be destroyed. The Truth always
sets people free. Jesus set the people from the slavery of sin, death and evil.
He shed his blood for humanity.
Let us be like the Jews in Berea who eagerly welcomed the message of salvation and always read the Word of God.
There is a solution to most of our problems in the word of God but at the same
time let us read the Word of God not to find solutions to our daily problems
but rather to strengthen our trust and faith in Christ Jesus.
Reflection on Acts 17: 1-15 by Fr. George Joseph SVD
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