And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also…” (Acts 17:6 ESV)
Different
Poor Jason (and some of the brothers). Whatever they had done in other communities had been so upsetting that they had been followed to Thessalonica. And now they were in trouble. The were gospel-preachers. So maybe they expected this kind of trouble.
But I have often considered what the angry Jews meant by “turned the world upside down.” I am afraid it does not sound much like the church and the church’s message today.
How much upside down turning are we doing?
Or do we try to fit in, as much as we can?
Or do we try to make the message of Jesus palatable, compatible, and comparable to the rest of the world?
Or do we try to be popular instead of accurate? Mankind-acceptable instead of God-pleasing? Easy going instead of heaven bound?
For the next while, we will try to understand what about the message of God in Christ was so surprising that it turned the world upside down!
We should probably hold onto our hats….