But the Jews, moved with envy and taking unto them some wicked men of the vulgar sort and making a tumult, set the city in an uproar: and besetting Jason's house, sought to bring them out unto the people.
προσλαβομενοι δε οι ιουδαιοι οι απειθουντες των αγοραιων τινας ανδρας πονηρους και οχλοποιησαντες εθορυβουν την πολιν επισταντες τε τη οικια ιασονος εζητουν αυτους αγαγειν εις τον δημον
6 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Therefore there were more Greeks here. And they take "some," because the Jews considered themselves insufficient to stir up the people and had no solid reason for doing so. They always did this noisily and with the help of worthless men.
The great part taken by the Gentiles in the preaching of the Gospel aroused all the stronger fanaticism and jealousy among the numerous Jews.
It was bitter for them to hear what was offered in the synagogues. Even more of this could be found in the apostle's private conversations with the believers.
They succeeded in raising a disturbance among the people, and part of the crowd rushed to the house of the Christian Jason, where Paul was living.
They did not find the apostle there. But Jason and some other Christians were brought before the tribunal.
Since the persecution came from the Jews, while the Gentiles were only their instrument, different accusations were brought against the apostles than those made at Philippi (Acts 16:20-21).
Here they could not accuse them, as happened in other cases, of disturbing the peace of the Jews, to whom the laws granted free exercise of their religion, by stirring up divisions among them.
They had no occasion for such charges, because Paul was acting mostly among the Gentiles. Nor would they have accomplished much with such an accusation before authorities who were not particularly disposed toward them.
A political accusation, crimen majestatis, could have the greatest force. Later, the enemies of Christianity often truly used it against Christians.
Since Paul spoke much in Thessalonica about the coming Kingdom of Christ, this gave occasion for slander against him.
They claimed that he taught people to acknowledge as sovereign not the ruler reigning in Rome, but some Jesus (Acts 17:6-7).
Yet the authorities themselves soon saw the injustice of such accusations. Jason and his friends gave assurance that no disturbance should be expected from the preachers, and that Paul and his companion would soon leave the city.
They were then released immediately.
After passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, the apostles came to Thessalonica. There were many Jews there, and to them, according to his custom, the Apostle Paul first turned with preaching about Christ, visiting their synagogue for three Sabbaths.
The apostles' preaching had great success. Many were converted to faith in Christ, especially among the proselytes.
But the unbelieving Jews stirred up a disturbance against the preachers of Christ. A certain Jason suffered especially from it, because he had given the apostles shelter in his house.
Because of this, the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea (vv. 1-10).
They incited the city rabble and, with them, attacked the house of a certain noble Christian, Jason, where the apostles were staying. They dragged them into the city marketplace and cried out that "these men who have turned the world upside down have come here also. Jason has received them, and they all act against the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king, Jesus."
The unbelieving Jews, who were the majority in the city, since only some believed (v. 4), became jealous because the new preachers drew away from them a great multitude of male and female proselytes, and partly natural-born Jews as well.
Cf. the note on Acts 13:45. They stirred up a popular disturbance against them.
Taking wicked men from the marketplace means idlers who wandered about, had no definite occupation, and spent their time in the squares. These were vagrants, empty and quarrelsome men.
Such people formed a crowd and raised a disturbance in the city.
The disturbance was directed chiefly against Paul and Silas. Therefore the crowd attacked the house of a certain Jason, where, as the whole course of the narrative shows, Christ's apostles were staying.
Jason's origin is unknown. His name may be a purely Greek name, or it may be a Jewish name adapted to Greek form from Joshua, that is, Jesus. The latter is more likely.
It is also not evident whether he was already a Christian at that time.
The crowd attacked Jason's house in order to bring Paul and Silas out to the people. They wanted to hand them over to the judgment of the enraged mob, which of course threatened no small danger to the apostles.
This disturbance of the Jews against the apostles was a usual thing. Here, however, it took a particular form.
They armed against the apostles a street mob of worthless men, who burst into the house of the honorable resident Jason, in order to seize the apostles there. The apostles, however, were not found.
Concerning Jason, it is supposed that he was a Hellenist, that is, a Jew who had adopted Greek education and lived according to Greek customs.
He had now become a Christian. Therefore he was doubly hateful to the Jewish fanatics.
Apparently Jewish proselytism had achieved great success here. Therefore the Jews could not bear that the apostles had stood in their way in converting Greeks, and even tore people away from Judaism, though at first only a few.
It is therefore understandable that they became ready for every kind of violence against the apostles. They did not shrink from the character of their allies, the leaders of the street mob, nor from slander or deceit.
Clearly there were very many Jews here, if they dared to act against the apostles with such insolence.
Concerning the criminal mob, Saint John Chrysostom says: "There is nothing astonishing in evil men being found in a large city.
"It is natural that evil men should be in a large city, where there are so many occasions for disorder.
"When a disease becomes stronger in the body, it finds more matter and nourishment for itself. So it was here also, as in Iconium, and as happens even now."
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 27 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS