Be a Berean

     I knew a guy once who wanted to become an army chaplain and kind of attached himself to me in a mentor/protégé relationship. This was nearly thirty years ago, at a time when I had no business serving as a mentor to anybody, but I did my best on this unasked-for assignment.

     I’m remembering Tom today because one of the daily lectionary readings comes from Acts 17, a passage that he had a particular fondness for. He had an idea for a sermon that he called “Be a Berean.”

     Paul and Silas come to Berea from Thessalonica in a real get-out-of-Dodge situation. According to Luke, a faction of “Jews” stirred up a riot after Paul’s successful preaching campaign in Thessalonica. It might be more historically accurate to call these troublemakers “Judaizers,” Jewish Christians who were scandalized by Paul’s preaching that pagan Gentiles could become followers of Jesus without observing the laws and regulations of Judaism. But either way, Paul and Silas have to get out while the getting is good, and the members of the Thessalonian church send them off by night to the nearby city of Berea.

     Luke, the writer of the book of Acts, has a better opinion of the Bereans than he does of the Thessalonians. “These Jews,” he says, “were more receptive than those in Thessalonica, for they welcomed the message very eagerly and examined the scriptures every day to see whether these things were so” (v. 11). Tom’s thesis was that it is better to “be a Berean” than to be a Thessalonian, and it’s hard to argue with that.

     Whereas a Thessalonian acts on the basis of jealousy (see v. 5), a Berean takes a more reasoned view of things. Whereas a Thessalonian forms knee-jerk opinions about arguments with which they disagree, a Berean listens carefully before forming an opinion. Whereas a Thessalonian automatically wants to rid their town of these outside agitators “who have been turning the world upside down” (v. 6), a Berean examines the scriptures daily to see if maybe there is something worthwhile about this new teaching—maybe the world needs to be turned upside down.

     I don’t know if Tom ever preached his sermon, but his “Be a Berean” idea had merit, and so I commend that message to you today. And I adjure you, please do not take anything you hear in church at face value, but rather examine carefully what is said, ask questions, and do your own study to help you decide what you believe. I will never deliberately lead you astray, but I sometimes take positions based on my own study that some people find controversial, and I don’t want you either to parrot what I have to say mindlessly or dismiss it out of hand. Instead, do your “due diligence,” and make your own decisions. This is vital, because there are a lot of so-called leaders out there who are perfectly willing to lead you down the garden path in an effort to manipulate you.

     Don’t be a sheep that plays follow-the-leader blindly to its own hurt. Don’t be a Thessalonian who thoughtlessly rejects a new message and seeks to eliminate the messenger. Rather, be a Berean who listens carefully, asks questions, and studies before deciding in favor of or against some new teaching.

     Honor God by using the brains God has given you. Be a Berean.