Acts 17:1-4 1Now after they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2And according to his custom, Paul went in to them and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” 4And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.
After their challenging but rewarding time in Philippi, Paul, Silas, and Timothy moved westward in Macedonia along the Roman highway called the Via Egnatia. Timothy is assumed to be present because he is mentioned later in verse 17, though he is not mentioned in challenges in Phillipi. It is possible he escaped throuble because of his young age. Luke does not mention of any details about the team’s time in Amphipolis and Apollonia, implying that they only passed through these towns. Their goal was Thessalonica. Thiessalonica was the second largest city in Greece and a a major sea port about 100 miles from Philippi. It had a large population for that time estimated to be about 200,000 people. It was also the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia.
The city was large and diverse enough to have a Jewish synagogue. Paul had not changed his basic mission approach (his custom) of starting with Hellenistic Jews who had a similar background as he and Silas. The amount of time they spent in the city is unclear, but likely not long before engaging in outreach. It would have taken some time to get their lives established with a source of support and a place to stay. Luke records that the team spent three Sabbaths speaking in the local synagogue.
Paul’s method of evangelism is significant. First, he reasoned with the Jews using the Scriptures as his basis. The word reasoned (dielexato) can mean discuss, argue, or dialogue. These meetings were times of explanation, answering questions, or defending the truth of the gospel. He was able to explain how Jesus was the fulfillment of prophecy. Diaspora Jews did not have the temple, priesthood, or sacrificial system for their worship. They mostly just had Scripture and their traditions as the sources for their worship. Paul used the Jews’ Bible as the starting point, which would have made a significant impression on them.
Second, he showed how it was necessary for the Messiah to die. He could point out passages in the Old Testament that showed that a suffering Messiah was part of God’s plan of salvation. Paul could explain why Jesus had to die. Third, he also demonstrated from the Scriptures how the Messiah would rise from the dead. Jesus’ resurrection was at the core of Paul’s preaching (1 Corinthians 15). Fourth, he connected these points to the historical Jesus. How much the Jews so far away had heard about Jesus of Nazareth is unknown. However, that a real person lived removes Christianity from myth and makes it true to human experience. The words this Jesus implies that Paul told a lot more about Jesus than the short phrase in verse 3.
Three groups believed what Paul and Silas said and became followers of Jesus. The synagogue included Jews and God-fearers. The identity of the leading women and how they heard the gospel are unclear, but they could have been the wives of the synagogue leaders or outside women. The presentation of the gospel was clear and convincing. People’s minds gained understanding, which fed their searching hearts. Paul built his presentation on the authority of Scripture and connected it to the spiritual needs of his listeners.