Telling Our Stories: Thessalonica – Jason’s Hospitality
Acts 17:1-9, Thessalonians (selected verses)
May 3, 2026
Did you know that Jason is a biblical name?
“Jason” is a Greek name meaning “healer” or “physician”.
There was a Jason in Greek mythology who led the Argonauts,
also sometimes called Minyans, in their quest for the Golden Fleece,
the fleece of a winged ram once sacrificed to Zeus.
But Jason of the Bible was a real human being, a man who lived in Thessalonica,
in what today is called Thessaloniki, in Greece.
A group of us from the church will be visiting Thessaloniki this coming October.
For me, visiting such places of significance to the Christian faith brings these old stories to life.
To stand where Paul and Jason stood can ground us in their real experiences,
and remind us that they were people not too dissimilar from ourselves.
Thessaloniki, where Jason lived, was the capital of Macedonia, a Roman province.
This city was very important because of its location on a gulf, on the Mediterranean.
It sat right at the intersection of both land and sea routes of commerce.
This certain man named Jason became hospitable to the Apostle Paul and Silas.
Paul and Silas had been accused of “turning the world upside down”,
thus Jason became accused of welcoming revolutionaries into his home.
After Jason had heard Paul and Silas talk about Jesus, who they claimed was the Messiah,
Jason welcomed the early apostles into his home. For weeks on end, if not for months,
Jason broke bread with them and poured wine.
He ensured they had a comfortable place to sleep.
He probably introduced them around to his family and his friends.
Not too long after, when Paul’s preaching about Jesus had disturbed the people of the city,
and the locals stirred up a mob, the mob which attacked Jason’s house.
They came looking for Paul and Silas, who had already left,
but Jason and several other new believers with him were dragged before the authorities.
Hear Jason’s story from the Word of God, Acts 17:1-9
After Paul and Silas had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica,
where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul went in, as was his custom,
and on three sabbath days argued with them from the scriptures,
explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and to rise from the dead,
and saying, ‘This is the Messiah, Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you.’
Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas,
as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.
But the Jews became jealous, and with the help of some ruffians in the market-places
they formed a mob and set the city in an uproar.
While they were searching for Paul and Silas to bring them out to the assembly,
they attacked Jason’s house. When they could not find them,
they dragged Jason and some believers before the city authorities, shouting,
‘These people who have been turning the world upside down have come here also,
and Jason has entertained them as guests. They are all acting contrary to the decrees
of the emperor, saying that there is another king named Jesus.’
The people and the city officials were disturbed when they heard this,
and after they had taken bail from Jason and the others, they let them go.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Every so often, people throughout history have been accused
of “turning the world upside down.”
Surely, Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights leaders were so accused.
Martin Luther King, Jr. and others lobbied persistently and passionately for the passage
of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Dare we forget, this was comprehensive legislation intended to end discrimination
in the United States based on race, color, religion, or national origin.
It was a hallmark of the American civil rights movement,
and President Lyndon Johnson somehow got is passed by Congress.
Title I of the act guaranteed equal voting rights by removing registration requirements
and procedures biased against minorities and the underprivileged.
The act also called for the desegregation of public schools. (brittanica.com)
In the 1960’s, in the midst of great controversy and facing tremendous backlash
across the country, Civil Rights leaders and those who supported them
were viewed as “turning the world upside down.”
In our story from Acts today, Jason offered risky hospitality to Paul and Silas.
Have you heard the story of the risky hospitality offered by members of this church?
In April of 1968, tens of thousands of persons, particularly persons of color,
would be travelling to Atlanta to participate in the memorial service for Martin Luther King, Jr.
They would, of course, need places to stay.
Not only would there not be enough hotel rooms;
the vast majority of those hotel rooms were not open to people of color.
And a great many of those who would want to honor King by their presence
would not be able to afford a multi-night stay in a hotel.
So folks from the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta decided to organize a hospitality effort.
They reached out to the congregations to see if members would host persons in their homes.
My understanding is that Catherine Carter’s family, among others,
hosted several persons from a black family for several days and nights.
They housed them in their homes, fed them meals, offered transportation, all of which
could be considered a daring, even risky thing to do in Decatur in 1968.
Like Jason of Thessaloniki, Catherine and her guests could be viewed as those
“who were turning the world upside down.”
“Turning the world upside down” was a common charge evident in the Book of Acts.
Though some of the charges made by jealous members of the synagogues
may have seemed trumped up, they held a kernel of truth.
Paul and the others with him were indeed turning the world upside down.
The Empire itself was not going to be secure once Christianity was on the loose.
The Caesar, the one who was worshiped as a god,
the one who was worshiped as the only true king,
would find it threatening that this Jesus of Nazareth would be called Lord and King.
Caesar would find it unbelievable and yes, threatening that those who believed in Jesus
would offer their ultimate loyalty, even at the risk of their life, not to him, but to Jesus.
And over the next two centuries, many thousands would die a martyr’s death
at the hand of various fearful Emperors because of that loyalty.
When Paul would enter a new city, he would most often go first to the synagogues.
He would preach that the Scriptures themselves prove that the Messiah
would suffer and die and be raised, that Jesus of Nazareth had suffered and was raised,
and thus, that Jesus was the Messiah.
Jesus was the One they had long hoped for, the Promised Savior of all.
Many of the Jews outright rejected his gospel message;
but others believed or at least wanted to hear more.
In Thessalonica, they allowed Paul to preach on three successive Sabbath days.
In that synagogue, as in many synagogues those days, there were devout Greeks,
God-fearing Gentiles, including leading men and women of the city.
Some of these in Thessalonica believed Paul’s message
and came to be part of “The Way”, as the early church was called.
Paul wrote a letter to this church in the early 50’s; what we now call I Thessalonians,
which would become the first of Paul’s letters that ended up in the Bible.
Paul held deep affection for the Thessalonians.
In Thessalonica, as in other early churches, there was this powerful combination
of warm Christian fellowship and hospitality that drew people together,
along with a powerful, if not risky, proclamation about Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Listen to some of Paul’s words of affection to Jason and his fellow citizens from Chapter 1:
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace.
We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers,
constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labour of love
and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Chapter 2:
We were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children.
So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel
of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us…
As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children,
urging and encouraging you and pleading that you should lead a life worthy of God,
who calls you into his own kingdom and glory…
As for us, brothers and sisters, when, for a short time, we were made orphans
by being separated from you—in person, not in heart—we longed with great eagerness
to see you face to face. For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul,
wanted to again and again—but Satan blocked our way.
For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming?
Is it not you? Yes, you are our glory and joy!
Chapter 3:
How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God
because of you? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face
and restore whatever is lacking in your faith…
May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all,
just as we abound in love for you. And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness
that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus
with all his saints.
This great love and affection of Paul for the house church of Thessaloniki,
and for the leaders there like Jason, is inspiring.
Perhaps you have felt such affection toward someone who has meant so much to you in faith.
This kind of loving Christian fellowship within the household of faith
makes us strong in our inner being. This mutual support of those who love God
and have come to know the power of a loving community of believers
gave the early church the strength to stand against the Roman Empire.
Paul and Silas were accused of disobeying the decrees of Caesar
by claiming Jesus as another King.
They were hated by the Jewish leadership who felt threatened by their gospel message.
They were seen by many as a revolutionary movement.
And early believers like Jason were charged with housing dangerous revolutionaries.
As many of you are aware, my Dad died last Sunday morning.
These last weeks have been a blessed journey, full of gratitude and relief for his sake.
And we have held a strong sense of gratitude for a beautiful hospice facility
and those who provide palliative care.
In these last few years, I have heard more stories about Dad
and some of the risks that Dad and other Presbyterian ministers faced in the 1960’s.
Not unlike the veterans who did not speak much about World War II until their last years,
Dad and others have been speaking more lately about the trauma of the 1960’s.
I learned very late in his life that Dad had participated in a lunch counter sit-in
with an African American pastor friend.
I learned that he and others initiated a fund for pastors who had been driven from their pulpits
for preaching about desegregation.
I learned that Dad had been challenged numerous times by elders of his church
for certain sermons he preached or stands that he took in session meetings.
I also learned that one wise elder once took Dad to lunch on a Monday morning
and told him: “Jim, you can preach whatever you feel called to preach from the pulpit
on Sunday morning, as long as you preach it for us and not against us.”
Dad proceeded to preach for his congregations throughout his 41 years of ministry,
whatever challenging issue was at hand.
And Dad’s preaching took deep root in the hearts and lives of countless souls,
many of whom have expressed their gratitude to our family over these past weeks.
It is important for us to remember people like Jason of first century Thessalonica
were willing to suffer for their faith.
It is important to remember that so many who came after Jason
gave up their lives in martyrdom for the sake of the good news of the gospel.
Paul and Silas travelled all over the Mediterranean basin to preach the good news,
the gospel of Jesus Christ, to Jews and Greeks alike.
They preached for the sake of the salvation and healing of all people,
and for the righteous “turning upside down” the unrighteous ways of the world.
Two things I have received from Jason’s story:
First, that we should continue to pay attention to warm Christian fellowship.
Mutual support in faith can gives us the strength to face any challenge.
Second, perhaps we, like Jason, should pay more attention to those who at first
seem to be revolutionaries.
Perhaps we should listen carefully and judge their motivations and their actions.
Like Jason, we just may have the opportunity to entertain “angels” in our midst,
messengers of a new way of being.
To God be the glory as we do so. Amen.
Rev. Dr. Todd Speed
Decatur Presbyterian Church
Decatur, Georgia
