Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: Acts 17 and Psalm 85

The mission to Thessalonica was very successful. Having preached the Gospel of Jesus convincingly to the members of the local synagogue on three Sabbath days, we read: ” ⁴ Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.” But this success led to jealousy among those synagogue members who did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah; and rather than applying their minds rigorously in pursuit of the truth as the Bereans would later do (v.11), they opposed the truth by stirring up a violent mob.

This mob made a very dangerous public accusation against Paul and Silas, saying, ‘They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.’ This accusation elicited an immediate reaction from the city officials because to claim there was a king other than Caesar was treason against the Empire. They needed to deal with this claim harshly, or they would be severely dealt with by Rome!

Now, although the mob made this accusation purely manipulatively, they inadvertently got to the heart of the call to discipleship. There is indeed another king, one called Jesus. And this king, Jesus, does have a higher claim on those who follow Him than any earthly king will ever have. But this does not mean that Jesus will stir up His followers to stage a coup against their earthly rulers. It means instead that our King, Jesus, will transform us from the inside out and empower us to be light in the darkness as we live to serve the highest best of our neighbours. From from being a threat, Jesus will actually use us as “salt of the earth” to transform the surrounding society for the better and make it a healthier, more life-giving place for all.

Life application: Be intentional about your surrender to the Lordship of Jesus and about establishing the “salt and light” influence of His Kingdom wherever you find yourself today. This may be through actions of obedience as varied as extending kindness and generosity to those in need, forgiving someone who harms you, or witnessing to the Lordship of Jesus verbally to those around you. Let’s spread the Kingdom today!