The Noble Bereans February 11, 2008
Luke credits the Bereans with being “fair-minded” (NKJV) people (Acts 17:11). The phrase “fair-minded” is rendered “noble” in other translations, and signifies “of more noble character.” What was it about the Bereans that made them such “fair-minded” or “noble” people?
They Received The Word With All Readiness
The Bereans were among a small group of Paul’s Jewish kinsmen who were eager to receive the message Paul preached, and therefore the salvation he offered to them in Christ. They listened attentively and eagerly to the gospel. They were open-minded and ready to hear more and more of what God had to say to them. The conduct of these Jews cannot be too highly commended, or too closely imitated. A common sin of men today is a refusal to examine candidly and patiently the claims of the gospel.
The parable of the sower reveals that one’s attitude of heart is a good predictor of how the seed of the kingdom will prosper in their lives (Luke 8:4-8, 11-15). The Jews on the day of Pentecost were “cut to the heart” and 3,000 of them obeyed the gospel of Christ that same day (Acts 2:37-41). The Jews in Stephen’s audience were also “cut to the heart,” but they killed the messenger (Acts 7:54, 57-58). In both cases, the conscience was pricked by the message preached, but the hearers reacted differently because of different attitudes of heart.
How do you receive the word of God when it challenges your life? How do you react when someone points out that your behavior is not becoming for a child of the King? When someone shows that your attitude is carnal and not befitting children of righteousness? Do you want to fire the preacher, or kill the messenger? Will that save your soul, or just anesthetize your guilty conscience?
I have lived long enough to learn that not all who call themselves Christians are noble-minded people. Some will receive the word of God with all readiness of mind, providing it does not apply to them and their sins. However, when you point out sin and error in their lives, they will sit and pout about it, or hold a grudge against the messenger.
Noble and fair-minded people want to know what the Scriptures teach, regardless of how it might affect their lives. Such noble-minded people are not always easy to find, even in some local churches.
They Searched The Scriptures Daily
The Scriptures they studied were the Old Testament books. The fact that this was done daily implies that Paul spent some time there. Apparently, Paul followed the same pattern he used at Thessalonica, where, as his custom was, He “went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.’” (Acts 17:3-4).
Why did the Bereans study the Scriptures “daily”? Hadn’t an apostle of Christ preached to them? Yes, but they wanted to see it for themselves. As Paul would tell the saints in
Do you have a spirit as worthy as the noble Bereans?
By David Padfield and edited by RMS