ACC ~ Acts 17 v10 - 15

OVERVIEW:

Chrysostom, always being eager to examine the nature of persuasion, notes the absence of miracles at Thessalonica and in Beroea. As Chrysostom has noted before, he does not consider miracles of themselves persuasive, as he makes clear here: Paul preaches Christ crucified and wins followers, something that often does not happen even with miracles. The great miracle that God works is faith in the heart of the believer, and at times God so prevails with and at other times without miracles. Ammonius approaches the new believers with a different concern, that of preventing them from becoming an example of skepticism toward the Scripture for people of his day. Their investigation is one filled with and guided by their new faith as it has been handed on to them by their teachers. Among these, Paul is forced to leave, but he cannot fulfill his task alone, in the face of such a great harvest. Paul shows here the body of Christ working in harmony, the head in need of the feet (CHRYSOSTOM).

17:10 | Paul and Silas Sent Away by Night

GOD PREVAILS WITHOUT SIGNS. CHRYSOSTOM: Why didn’t they stay? Why didn’t they perform miracles? For if he stayed a long time where he was stoned (i.e., at Lystra), all the more could he have stayed here. What was the reason then? Because God did not always want them to perform miracles. For it is no less a miracle for them, persecuted as they are, to prevail without performing miracles. Therefore, just as now he prevails without miracles, often then he wished to prevail in the same way. And so the apostles did not chase after miracles either, as he himself says, “We preach Christ crucified.” To those who seek miracles, to those who seek wisdom, we offer this, which is not able to persuade even with miracles, and we persuade them. This is a great miracle. HOMILIES ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 37.

17:12 | Many People Believed

FAITH SEEKING UNDERSTANDING. AMMONIUS: They did not investigate like skeptical people, because they had already believed, but like people who were unaware of the prophets’ ancient doctrine. Or rather, they believed more because, after examining the Scriptures, they saw that the circumstances of the incarnation of the Lord agreed with the words of the ancient prophets. CATENA ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 17.12-13.

17:15 | Silas and Timothy to Come to Paul

EVEN PAUL IS IN NEED OF OTHERS. CHRYSOSTOM: “And receiving,” it says, “a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.” For even though he was Paul, he still needed them. So with good reason they were urged to go to Macedonia by God; for Greece lay there bright before them. … Notice how much eagerness was shown by the disciples toward their teachers. It is not so among us, separated and divided into great and small. Some of us are exalted, others are envious. They are envious because we are puffed up and cannot bear to be equals with them. The reason why there is harmony in the body is because nothing is puffed up, and there is nothing puffed up because the limbs are by necessity in a state of mutual need. The head needs the feet, and the feet the head. HOMILIES ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 37.