Now the Bereans…were of more noble character…for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
The Bereans listened to Paul’s message about Jesus. But they did much more. They investigated the claims he was making.
If they had blindly accepted the Good News, they would have been - Irresponsible. If they had rejected the Message out of hand because it was new, they could be called - Prejudiced. Because they searched the Scriptures to see if it was true, God calls them - Noble.
The Bereans opened the Old Testament prophecies to see if Paul’s message about Jesus was true. Did Jesus life, death and resurrection measure up to the predictions found there about the Savior who was to come?
Their conclusion after thorough investigation:
Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
The citizen’s of Berea serve as a classic example for students of Jesus everywhere. For them, God’s written Word was the source of authority for direction in life. For this reason, they searched the Scriptures.
The text also says they searched the Scriptures with eagerness! Their receptivity to the message is understandable. Who wouldn't be hopeful about forgiveness of sin and a future resurrection from the dead?
And while they no doubt lived very busy lives – as everyone does – they set aside some time to read and study God’s Word. It was excitement about knowing Jesus' new way for their lives that motivated them to re-arrange their priorities to make time for Bible study.
Scripture was for them both authoritative and exciting. So much so, that it is recorded - they examined the Scriptures every day!
It was a long time ago, but their attitudes and actions still describe every serious student of Jesus today. Daily Reading!
This is a great example for those of us who are struggling and fumbling to be daily seekers!
ReplyDelete