What Happened to the Bereans?

The Bereans get a brief mention in Acts 17 after Paul was chased out of Thessalonica. He made a short stop in Berea, and arrived there by night to escape persecution. The Bereans were known for their nobility in searching the scriptures for themselves: “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11 ESV).

Many of the Bereans believed, including a lot of Greek women of high standing. It didn’t take long for the Jews from Thessalonica to find out that Paul was preaching in Berea, so they quickly came over to Berea and agitated the crowds. Once again, Paul was forced out of yet another city. He was placed on a boat and sent to Athens, where Timothy and Silas would meet up with him as soon as possible.

Nothing more is ever mentioned of the Bereans. So what happened to these eager, Biblically literate Christians? We can speculate a little, based on one more mention. In Acts 20, after Paul was forced out of Ephesus due to the riot, he returns to Macedonia. One of the people accompanying him was Sopater the Berean (Acts 20:4), along with a couple people from Thessalonica. This is important because Thessalonica became an example to all the people in Macedonia and Achaia. The Thessalonian church was incredibly good at evangelism.

We have to wonder if the Bereans didn’t have some major influence on them for instilling a passion for all things Bible! The Berean church may not seem that significant, but their love for the scriptures was important. Like the Bereans, we may not be known for our evangelism, but out love for the scriptures can definitely influence those who are evangelistic.