We continue our journey in Acts 17 with Paul and Silas departing Thessaloniki by night due to the uprising against them. They walked about 50 miles over a few days to Berea, modern-day Vergina. As was typical, their first stop was the Jewish synagogue. The Jews in Berea are described as more noble than those in Thessaloniki. How so? They received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of them believed, including a few prominent Greek women and some men. 

Lesson 1: We should receive God’s Word with eagerness. I appreciate Christians who claim to love God’s Word and then back that up by making Bible class a priority. Rather than say they’re too tired, too busy, or that Bible class is not mandatory, they just go. Same with the Bereans—they were eager to study Scripture. 

Lesson 2: We, too, should examine the Scriptures daily to ensure the preaching/teaching that we hear is true. We shouldn’t rely on our local preacher to do our Bible studying for us.

Unfortunately, trouble seemed to follow Paul wherever he went. When the Jews from Thessaloniki learned that the word of God was being proclaimed by Paul at Berea, they went there, agitating and stirring up the crowds. The Brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained behind. 

Lesson 3: When you proclaim God’s Word in any context, expect either hostility, persecution, or indifference. People generally want to call their own shots in life and not be limited in any way by God’s Word. When you put yourself out there as a Christian, and speak biblical truths, expect pushback, even hatred, just like many hated Jesus.  

I know I’m beginning to sound like a broken record, but Berea is yet another beautiful city on our tour—Greece’s “Little Jerusalem”. Our first stop was in the center of town, near the Clock Square, at a place called the “Step of Apostle Paul”. The Bema (podium) of Paul is a significant historical site where scholars believe Paul preached. The original 1st-century steps where the Apostle stood, taken from the 1^st Century synagogue, are preserved there.

Following in Paul’s footsteps, our very own Brett Watson shared some devotional thoughts. He mentioned how power and wealth tend to go hand in hand. Alexander the Great, like other world leaders, was all about conquering nations, gaining power, and accumulating wealth. In Ancient Greece, the lion statue, which we’ve encountered in a number of places on our journey, symbolized power, authority, and divine protection. As we’ve already seen on this trip, whoever was in power controlled the treasury and could even determine whether a building would be a mosque or a church. The reason the Jews in Thessaloniki ran Paul and Silas out of town was because they were afraid of them—the men threatened their power and thus their wealth.

Jesus offered a sharp contrast—a wildly different approach. He was born in a manger to a peasant woman and lived in obscurity for 30 years. He never owned a home, held office, went to college, or traveled to a big city. He came not as a lion but as a sacrificial lamb. He threw all convention aside. 

Brett wondered if Paul might have asked the assembled Bereans, “Where is your King Philip II? Where is your Alexander the Great? They’re dead in a tomb. But not Jesus. He arose. He still reigns today. True power lies not in earthly treasures or material wealth but in humbling yourself so that you one day may be exalted. 

In Romans 1:16, Paul writes, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” The people in Berea, like the people in your town and mine, needed to know that their kings and leaders and other wealthy, elite members of society were all destined for the grave. In contrast, our King—Jesus Christ—reigns forever. 

Lesson 4: True power comes from accepting the gospel message, responding in obedience to it, and humbly serving those around you. That’s the path to one day being lifted up. In short, the story of God’s redemptive power is not just for the wealthy but for everyone! 

On our break, I secured yet another Americano and sat down on a bench next to an elderly woman with a dog. I said, “Hello, how are you?” She replied, “Guten tag.” Ah, a German! Having spent more than five years of my life in Germany, I was excited to converse with a German woman in Berea. In my thickest German accident, I said, in English, “Do you live in Berea?” She pointed to her dog and answered, “Jenny”. I smiled, petted her dog, and that was the end of our cultural exchange.

On November 8, 1977, Dr. Manolis Andronikos made his greatest archaeological discovery when he found a cluster of royal tombs in the modern city of Vergina, which was ancient Aigai, the original capital of Macedonia. One of those tombs belonged to Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great. Philip II was assassinated by one of his bodyguards in the theater at Aigai in 336 BC. His tomb contained considerable bling, which, along with his remains, lie in the Museum of Royal Tombs in Aigai (Vergina). Our group toured the museum, saw the tombs of Philip II and others, and marveled at the various items of gold, silver, bronze, and ivory.

While I enjoy looking at ancient tombs and other historical relics, I always come back to, “So what? Why should I care about Philip II, Alexander the Great, or any other dead kings? What’s the significance for me—especially for my faith?”

Lesson 5: Kenneth Mills answers those questions this way… “When Alexander the Great was spreading Greek culture, customs, and language, he did so to broaden his kingdom and for self-glory. Depending on the source, he named somewhere between 20 and 70 cities after himself… Although he was conquering Greece for himself, what he achieved served to advance another kingdom—the Kingdom of God… At the time of the birth of Jesus, the Greek language was common throughout much of the world. The New Testament was written in Greek. People could read the word of God.”

At this point in Paul’s journey, he sailed to Athens, but we continued by bus toward Delphi. Along the way, our guide pointed out that we were driving by Thermopylae, and that got me pretty stoked. In 480 BC, at the Battle of Thermopylae, King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans, alongside other Greeks, made a famous last stand against Xerxes’ massive Persian army, delaying them. I wanted to interrupt our guide, stand up on the bus, and shout, “Spartans! Prepare for glory!” but thought better of it. 

Later, we stopped at a gas station that was raising a dozen peacocks out back—I kid you not. It also had a commode with no seat—just the rim. I was more excited about the peacocks—likely descendants of peacocks that were bred and eaten during the nearby Battle of Thermopylae—than I was about the rimless toilet seats, which require a level of flexibility I have not reached.

Final observation: I apparently need a lot of help to get through the daily grind of life. My dear wife, Janet, instructs me on matters ranging from chewing too loudly, to having leftover toothpaste on my mouth, to how to drive (turning, braking, etc.)… I call her “my little helper”.

On this trip, Janet’s direction is not enough. Our guide gave us handsets–“whisperers”–where she gives me instructions on when to go, when to stop, what relics not to touch, what to pay attention to, etc. She’s my second “little helper,” instructing me throughout the day.

Still, that is apparently not enough. So, our next stop is the Oracle of Delphi on the slopes of Mount Parnassus where, for well over a millenium, women… oracles… little helpers… gave advice and told fortunes on matters big and small, on behalf of Apollo.

If the combination of spouse, whisperer, and oracle can’t keep me in line–can’t help me not chew my food so loudly–there’s no hope for me!

Onward…