Acts 17:1-4

    When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ, " he said. Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women.

 

We’ve seen Paul bring the gospel to a good number of Gentiles now. But Luke won’t let us forget that this gospel is for Jews, too. Paul wouldn’t forget. That’s why when he went to Thessalonica, he spent three Sabbaths reasoning with the Jews in the synagogue and telling them that the suffering and resurrected Christ they saw in the Scriptures was Jesus.

 

And we see that some of the Jews, along with many Greeks and some leading women, believed.

 

Father, thank You for this reminder that the Jews are important to You – all people are important to You! Although we’ve seen earlier that Paul told some Jews, “… we now turn to the Gentiles” (Acts 13:46), You had not rejected all Jews. You had only rejected the Jews who rejected Your message: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles” (Acts 13:46). Thank You that there is still hope for the Jews who have not yet rejected You and Your message. Help me to generously share Your word with everyone I can, only turning away from those who deliberately and knowingly turn away from You.