The beloved physician Luke shared when Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke himself shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with the people in Thessalonica, “some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few. But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people”, and in chapter seventeen and verse six of the book of Acts Luke shared how the Jews said, “these that have turned the world upside down are come here also” where we read:
And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city,
crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come here also;
The verse begins, “And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, ...” Luke began with the words, “and when they found them not” which means “and at the time and moment the envious Jewish people did not discover or discern where Paul and Silas were”, “they drew Jason” or “the envious Jewish people dragged Jason whose name means one who will heal and was a Thessalonians who entertained Paul and Silas, and maybe a cousin of Paul” “and certain brethren” which means “and a particular fellow believers who were united to each other by the bond of affection” “unto the rulers of the city” or “to the magistrates, commanders and leaders belonging to the dwelling place, habitation and abode”. Luke shared how the envious “Jews” dragged “Jason” and other fellow believers in Jesus to the “commanders and leaders” of the city of “Thessalonica”.
The verse goes on to say, “... crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come here also;” Luke continued with the word, “crying” or “speaking with a loud and strong voice”, “these that have turned the world upside down” which means “these, Jason and the fellow believers, who have stirred up, exited and made an uproar within the inhabited earth”, “are come here also” or “are even so and indeed entered into the city of Thessalonica”. Luke shared how the “envious Jews” began to shout and tell the “magistrates” how “Paul, Silas, Jason and the fellow believers in Jesus” had “stirred up” the entire “world” with their words and now they entered their city as well.
When we consider Luke's words in this verse, we learn how powerful and effective the words of “Paul and Silas” were as they shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with people. The words and understanding of the arresting envious Jews was that the “whole world” was “turned upside down” by their teaching. God desires to share His “good news of salvation” with everyone, and when they submit to His Son Jesus as their personal “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive their sins and grant them everlasting life with Him. Let all who read these words allow them to “turn their world upside down” as they trust and believe in Jesus who is the Messiah, Son of God and Savior of the world.
Next time Luke shares how, “these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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