Luke and Timothy remain in Philippi, overseeing the work beginning there. Paul and Silas travel the Via Egnatia about 100 miles to Thessalonica. The trip today takes a little over three hours to navigate. Paul would have easily taken three to four days to make the journey with over-night stops in Amphipolis and Apollonia. Paul follows his custom and begins speaking to the Jewish crowds at the synagogue. He presented his arguments there for three Sabbaths.
1 Thessalonians 1:8 provides a commentary on his success there. Thessalonica becomes a strategic center for the spread of the gospel into both Macedonia and Greece (Achaia). Paul’s methods and approach to presenting the gospel provides the pointe in Thessalonica.
Reasoning on Common Ground
First Paul reasoned with the Jews based on what they knew and could agree upon. The Jewish faithful looked for the Messiah with an earnest anticipation. Their expectations were for a political and spiritual ruler, one who would serve as a King. He would follow in the shadows of David or Solomon. Paul built his case to the Jews that this Messiah was also required to suffer, die and rise from the dead. The Old Testament Scriptures had spoken of this for centuries.
We are not told the content of Paul’s messages on the three Sabbaths in Thessalonica. If other sermons recorded in Acts are an indicator, the Old Testament Scriptures of Psalm 2:1-7; Psalm 16:8-11; Psalm 110:1; Psalm 118:22; Isaiah 52:13-15; Isaiah 53:4-11; and Deuteronomy 21:22-23 may well have formed the heart of Paul’s reasoning.
From the Psalms
The thrust of Psalm 2 is the supremacy of God and His Messiah. If there would be a confrontation between God and people, there is no question about the outcome of such an event. God and His Messiah would stand overwhelmingly victorious. Though humans have not had the audacity to stand face-to-face with God and demand a fight, they have deceived themselves into thinking they can do things behind God’s back. They will rage and plot, but alas such struggle is done in vain.
The Torah.com recognizes the understanding of this Psalm as the core difference between Judaism and Christianity. “A central difference between Judaism and Christianity is the Christian belief in Jesus of Nazareth as both messiah and “the only begotten” son of God. Jews, in contrast, not only deny that Jesus is the messiah, but, more fundamentally, view the very concept of a divine “son of God” as contradicting the core principle of monotheism.”
The Psalms hint that His people will reject Him (Psalm 118:22). The result of the rejection will end in suffering and death, but God will not abandon His Messiah (Psalm 16:8-11). God will exalt Him to sit and reign at the right hand of the Father (Psalm 110:1).
From Isaiah
The 52nd and 53rd Psalms have long been passages which cause conflict between Judaism and Christianity. Do the verses speak about Israel? Do they feature the Messiah? What is the correct interpretation of the Scripture? Although Jewish interpretations see fulfillment in someone other than the Messiah, the New Testament writers identified these passages with the suffering, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. “His appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance” (Isaiah 52:14) describes the tortured body from a crucifixion. “Surely,” Isaiah writes, “he had borne our griefs and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4).
In the 53rd chapter, Isaiah connects the suffering with our sins. He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities. Peter quotes part of verse five about the wounds Jesus bore for us. Though soldiers scourged His body with broken bones and metal, they pale in comparison to the devastation of our sins placed on His back.
From the Law
The shadow of impending death has been upon humans since the Garden of Eden. “On the day you eat of this fruit, you will surely die.” Death is a bigger deal than just our bodies ceasing to function. Death means our soul stops having hope, stops having life, and stops experiencing the light of the blessings of God. The Law says, “And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree … he is cursed by God” (Deuteronomy 21:22-23 NIV). Can you even imagine what it would mean to experience the curse of God? Jesus endured the curse so you wouldn’t have to.
Find Common Ground
We live in a troubled, confused culture. It is difficult to be consistent to any philosophical belief system. The boundaries around the systems are fluid and intersecting. Many people are seeking identity, searching for relationships, and hoping to find meaning and purpose in life. Apart from faith and Jesus, when you wander into the synagogue courtyards of your life, where is the common ground? “Finding who we are is so difficult today, isn’t it? There are so many choices and possibilities. Let me tell you a foundation of my identity that provides stability and contentment.”
The Pointe in Thessalonica: Jesus is the Messiah
Second, Paul proclaims Jesus.The story of Jesus can be simple or complex. The story of Jesus of Nazareth speaks of His birth, His ministry and His death and resurrection. But is it also the story of how the reigning and exalted Christ intersects with my life. Three times in the book of Acts, Luke records Paul’s conversion testimony. Here is Jesus and here is what He did for me.
This isn’t about “Come to church with me!” This answers “Why do I go to church?” I go to church because of the relationship that I have with Jesus.
Finally, this Jesus who lived historically is the Messiah that Scriptures predicted. A common tool of teaching and reasoning is the logical proof that “this is that.” Peter uses the same method on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2). It is the fulfillment placed alongside the prediction. Liberal theologians and humanists try to drive a wedge between the historical Jesus and the Jesus we talk about. If Jesus is just a myth or a legend, the crux of Christianity’s arguments dissolve.
| Lesson Series | This Lesson | Mediterranean Moments |
 |
 |
 |