Acts 17:5-9\u00a0<\/b>–\u00a0But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city.\u00a0They rushed to Jason\u2019s\u00a0house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.\u00a06\u00a0But when they did not find them, they dragged\u00a0Jason and some other believers\u00a0before the city officials, shouting: \u201cThese men who have caused trouble all over the world\u00a0have now come here,\u00a07\u00a0and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar\u2019s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.\u201d\u00a08\u00a0When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil.\u00a09\u00a0Then they made Jason\u00a0and the others post bond and let them go.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cBut other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0 Some Jews were jealous of Paul and company.\u00a0 The original word can mean that the jealous Jews were either boiling with envy, hatred, and anger or the word can mean that they were passionately aroused, they were zealous in the pursuit of good.\u00a0 Perhaps some may argue that the Jews were not intending to do bad, but actually, in their error of rejecting Jesus, were thinking that they were doing good.\u00a0 However the context surrounding the word certainly points to the fact that they were aroused with envy and hatred.\u00a0 They meant to do harm and were insincere liars who meant to arouse disreputable people to be on their side.\u00a0 The riled up these \u201cbad characters<\/i>\u201d into a mob.\u00a0 This brings to mind too many old westerns where some disreputable persons wants to lynch a suspect in jail and so they rile up a mob in an attempt to kidnap the suspect from the sheriff\u2019s control and hang him.\u00a0 The problem was, that often, the suspect had not yet had a fair trial and in fact, was innocent.\u00a0 Shameful.<\/p>\n
These Jews and the mob started a riot in the city.\u00a0 That is still a tactic that works today.\u00a0 Do something wrong, maybe criminal, and then when the evil deed is about to be uncovered blame another so to divert the attention away from what oneself has done.\u00a0 Old tactic that is still, unfortunately, very effective today.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey rushed to Jason\u2019s\u00a0house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.\u00a0 6\u00a0But when they did not find them, they dragged\u00a0Jason and some other believers\u00a0before the city officials, shouting: \u201cThese men who have caused trouble all over the world\u00a0have now come here,\u00a07\u00a0and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar\u2019s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.\u201d<\/i>\u201d\u00a0 It was known that Paul and Silas were staying at Jason\u2019s house so the mob rushed to his house to take Paul and Silas by force.\u00a0 Family, unfortunately this is another thing that is still done today.\u00a0\u00a0 Rile up a mob, divide people, and use the mob to be complicit in the seizing, and harming, or innocent people. \u00a0Clearly it is done in the world, easily seen in politics, but let us not deceive ourselves because it is also done in the Church throughout the world.\u00a0 In the Word the people who do this are named as \u201cdivisive\u201d people (Titus 3:10-11, Romans 16:17-19<\/b>).\u00a0 Beware of those who stir up trouble.\u00a0 They make their judgements, or perhaps they say observations, to people to stir them up and cause them to become a part of their divisive group.\u00a0 Often this group goes only on the word of the divisive person and does not do their due diligence to find out the facts.\u00a0 In fact, what we should always do is tell such people that they should first go to the person they complain about and try to get the matter settled \u201cone on one.\u201d\u00a0 Then, if necessary, to raise the level and bring someone with them to reason with the person. \u00a0We should do as Jesus said we should do in\u00a0Matthew 18:15-17<\/b>.\u00a0 Beware divisive people.\u00a0 Beware rabble-rousers.\u00a0 Correct gossipers.\u00a0\u00a0 Find out facts.\u00a0 By doing so it will strengthen peace in the church and the community.<\/p>\n
They lied, but they mixed the truth with a lie, just as the devil does.\u00a0 They said that Paul and Silas have and are causing trouble throughout the whole world.\u00a0 Well the Gospel that Paul and Silas were preaching is, as the KJV states \u201cturned the world upside down.\u201d Let\u2019s remember that when Adam and Eve sinned the world got turned upside down.\u00a0 Before their sin they had perfect harmony with God, they spoke and communed with Him and they had all the food they wanted and they had only to pick and eat it. \u00a0They had peace, they were friends with all the animals and enjoyed the serene, lovely, and perfect Garden of Eden.\u00a0 After they sinned the world turned upside down as they (and therefore us) did not have peace and fellowship with God, they had to work hard for their food, their relationships were no longer easy, they began to kill animals and had to beware lest animals kill them. We, under the curse brought on by the disobedience of Adam and Eve, live in an upside down world.\u00a0 A world that opposes God and His rightful control.\u00a0 So, when the Gospel entered the world, and changed the spirits of people, yes, they turned the current world upside down, which is in fact not right side up.\u00a0 So the Gospel does indeed turn the upside down world right side up.\u00a0 Isn\u2019t God so wonderful!<\/p>\n
Yes, Jason had welcomed his brothers into his house.\u00a0 They couldn\u2019t find Paul and Silas so they had to feed someone to the mob and Jason would do.\u00a0 They dragged him off to be put on trial. \u00a0Beware those who spread lies about others, they will spread lies about you if you refuse to believe their lies.\u00a0 In fact, they may be lying about others now, but soon they will lie about you if they can contrive a reason to do.<\/p>\n
The ones who were jealous of Paul and Silas again mix lies with some truth, which means they have lied.\u00a0 The accusers say that the missionaries were speaking of having another king called Jesus.\u00a0 That is true.\u00a0 All those who love Jesus say that Jesus alone is the High King from heaven and that none other rival Him (Revelation 1:5, 17:14, 19:16<\/b>).\u00a0 But Jesus made it clear that He was not here to overtake the governments of the world as they were no rival to Him (Matthew 26:52-53, John 19:8-11<\/b>).\u00a0 In fact, Paul taught to obey civil authority that God had allowed to be in place (Romans 13:1-7<\/b>) and Jesus Himself expressed the same (Mark 12:17<\/b>).\u00a0\u00a0 So yes, all Christians are to have Jesus as their King above and before all worldly authority, but still God allows governments to be in place.\u00a0 For the Jews, they rejected God as their King and wanted instead a man as their King, and so they have ever since been ruled by men, Jew or otherwise (1 Samuel 8:6-22<\/b>).\u00a0 So we see that, like the father of lies, the accusers twisted truth with a lying implication.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil.\u00a09\u00a0Then they made Jason\u00a0and the others post bond and let them go.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0 As we have previously seen, the accusation that could cause city officials to recoil is to say that someone was causing an uprising against Caesar.\u00a0 If only the officials had done their due diligence they would have uncovered that the only reason the accusers had made their claim is that they could not say \u201cWe are mad at these people because we don\u2019t agree with what they say.\u00a0 And worse, the people are not believing them and turning from what we have taught them.\u00a0 They are more popular than us and we are jealous because the people now come to them to hear about God and not to us.\u201d\u00a0 They did not tell the truth or they would have not been taken seriously, maybe ridiculed.\u00a0 So they lied.<\/p>\n
The city officials should have done due diligence and these charges could have been dropped, but at least they were more judicious than other city officials.\u00a0 They did not beat Jason but made him post bond with the instructions to have Paul and Silas leave their city and not make trouble.\u00a0 It is thought that Jason agreed to this for the safety of Paul and Silas.<\/p>\n
Family, if we are standing up and standing out for Jesus, we will be attacked.\u00a0 Some will hear the Word and respond favorably, and others will dislike what we share and disassociate themselves from us, or worse.\u00a0 This should not surprise us.\u00a0 I have lost the association of some family because of writing about Jesus.\u00a0 That grieves me, but does not deter me.\u00a0 If we have the approval of Jesus, but not the approval of the world, we have all the approval we need.\u00a0 What we are is not apparent to the world, but the day of our revealing is coming with Jesus (1 John 3:2<\/b>).\u00a0 Then all the worries and problems this world will no longer be remembered as we live in His presence. \u00a0How sure our victory through Jesus! \u00a0Praise God!\u00a0 Oh that wonderful day!\u00a0 Praise God!<\/p>\n
Psalm 150:6<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.\u00a0 Praise the Lord!<\/i><\/p>\n
Micah 7:7<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0But as for me, I watch\u00a0in hope\u00a0for the\u00a0Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear\u00a0me.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n
Micah 6:8<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0He has shown You, O man, what\u00a0is\u00a0good; And what does the\u00a0Lord\u00a0require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Numbers 6:24-26<\/b>\u00a0\u201cThe\u00a0Lord\u00a0bless you and keep you; 25\u00a0the\u00a0Lord\u00a0make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26\u00a0the\u00a0Lord\u00a0turn His face\u00a0toward you and give you peace.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Acts 17:5-9\u00a0–\u00a0But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city.\u00a0They rushed to Jason\u2019s\u00a0house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.\u00a06\u00a0But when they did not find them, they dragged\u00a0Jason and some other…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[82,100,93,101,94,1874,17,711,10,2187,105],"class_list":["post-1852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-inspirations","tag-acts","tag-john","tag-mark","tag-matthew","tag-micah","tag-numbers","tag-psalm","tag-revelation","tag-romans","tag-samuel","tag-titus"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1852","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1852"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1852\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1853,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1852\/revisions\/1853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}