Being Berean
The Importance of Expositional Listening
By Jeff Jones
INTRODUCTION
The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. 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. Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. (Acts 17:10-12)
The Internet has certainly been a great blessing to the Church of Jesus Christ. Like the printing press in the time of the Reformation, the ease with which information can now be shared has resulted in a growing recovery of doctrines that had been in decline in much of the evangelical church—doctrines like the truths of God's sovereignty in salvation, the inerrancy of Scripture, a biblical understanding of manhood and womanhood, and the importance not only of the local church but a meaningful commitment to membership and structure in it. God is to be praised for this, and we should be most grateful to live in such a time.
I'm one of those who has been greatly blessed by the availability of theological resources on the internet. And like so many who are passionate about such things, much of my reading as a young theologian was on apologetics and discernment websites. I found them helpful at first, especially their emphasis on truth as opposed to error and the information they provided on unorthodox alternatives to the faith. A prominent passage and example in the material provided by such ministries is the text above, the story of Paul and his companions as they brought the Gospel to Berea. The noble example of the Bereans was one of many reasons why I strove then and now to follow the biblical text where it leads.
Yet as time went on, I've noticed that many such websites, blogs, and ministries will often degenerate into online combat with other such ministries. I've watched too many blogs and social media accounts where name-calling and character assassination have become more and more common. A distinct undertone of harshness and anger, and an evident lack of the "gentleness and reverence" called for by the Apostle, now marks many such ministries. This is not only a failure to present Jesus Christ in his glory and purity; this is to the very real loss of the whole Church.
Sadly, I can understand the temptation. To my own shame, I think that in my first year or two at seminary I was probably overly combative and harsh in some class discussions regarding issues that weren't even secondary or tertiary in importance, much less matters of spiritual life and death. Like many others, online and in real churches, I was striving to be "Berean," but looking back now I think I was missing at least two-thirds, if not even the whole, of what Luke aimed to commend the Bereans for in this text! In other words, I had read the text, isolated and highlighted "examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so," and basically ignored the rest. That's not healthy, either for the would-be "modern Berean" or those around him. Ironically, as we'll soon see, that isn't what the Bereans did, either.
See, Luke is commending the Bereans to us as an example. We are supposed to emulate them. But—we're to follow their complete example. Regrettably, I think I failed at that back in seminary in some ways. And since then, over more than fifteen years of pastoral ministry, I've seen a lot of aspiring "modern Bereans" walk through church doors and show through their attitude and conduct that they similarly miss Luke's point as well, leaving various levels of damage in their wake.
So, in this article I'd like to take a look at what Luke is actually saying here in this text. We're going to look at three "marks" of a real Berean: nobility; eagerness to receive the Word; and, humility before and beneath the Word. And at the end, my hope and prayer is that we will all grow to be Bereans—but in whole, and not merely in part.
A Berean is of Noble Character
The very first thing Luke says about the Bereans is a compliment of their character: "Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica..." First of all, it's vital to understand that the points he makes that follow—their eagerness to receive the Word, and their humble, daily searching of the text—are offered as evidence of their nobility.
What does he mean by "nobility?" Thankfully, Luke indicates very clearly in the immediate context how we can determine what he means by "noble," because he provides a clear contrast: the Bereans' "nobility" exceeded that of the Thessalonians. If you want to understand what Luke is saying here, if your desire is to be like these Bereans he commends, it's crucial to understand this contrast. Whatever the Berean Jews were, the Thessalonian Jews were not.
What were the Thessalonian Jews like? Luke gives us the answer in the story immediately preceding our passage. While some of the Thessalonians had been "persuaded" by the Gospel (v. 4) and been converted, others were "jealous" (v. 5). So Luke's intent here is to present the Bereans' "nobility" as an antithesis to the Thessalonians' "jealousy."
While God can rightfully be jealous (i.e., Exod. 20:5), and although human beings like Paul can feel a holy jealousy in contexts such as marriage or protecting churches from false teaching (i.e., 2 Cor. 11:2), jealousy in men is usually a species of pride and self-centeredness. In this case, the Jews may have been envious of the influence Paul and Silas immediately gained, or of the New Covenant freedom they enjoyed in Jesus Christ. Whatever the specific entitlement the Thessalonian Jews felt Paul and Silas were usurping, Luke identifies sinful jealousy in the Thessalonian Jews.
What Luke is saying in contrasting the Bereans with the Thessalonians, then, is that while the Thessalonians had been marked and characterized by jealousy, the Bereans were not. The Bereans' character, first and foremost, is what he is praising here. Indeed, I think this is Luke's primary point in the Berean account. While he is praising and presenting as exemplary their eagerness, or their daily Bible study, he is not commending these things as isolated characteristics in themselves. After all, eagerness can arise from error (i.e., Rom. 10:2), and even Scripture searching can turn into an idolatrous search for earthly glory (cf. John 5:39-44). No, Luke identifies and praises the Bereans' eagerness and devotion to the Scriptures as evidence of their noble character, and as we'll see later in this paper, these things simply cannot honor God apart from such godly character in the first place! Luke, then, is saying that it is the Bereans' nobility—not their spiritual disciplines in themselves, which cannot be detached from their nobility—was of a different quality than that of the Thessalonians.
The Thessalonian Jews ultimately rejected the Gospel and drove Paul and Silas out of town. The Bereans, by contrast, welcomed Paul and Silas and gave them a serious and lengthy hearing, such that many of them turned to Christ. Their eagerness to receive the Word, and their intent searching of the Scriptures—which we'll talk about below—both testify to the fact that the Bereans had, when they arrived, given them a fair and respectful hearing. The Bereans, in other words, were welcoming. The Bereans were hospitable. The Bereans were genuinely interested in hearing what Paul and Silas had to say. The Bereans heard them out at great length. Unlike the Thessalonians, the Bereans received Paul without jealousy, demonstrating such a settled security that Paul and Silas weren't treated as threats to be guarded against but, rather, as potential (and, very quickly, actual) friends and family members. The Bereans were selfless, where the Thessalonians had been obsessed with their own selfish desires and entitlements.
What is Berean "nobility," then? It's an attitude and bearing marked by fairness, hospitality, gentleness, and an eagerness to listen and learn. It is a kindness that, in the Bereans' case, made even strangers bringing a teaching the Bereans hadn't heard before—teachers they could expect they might wind up disagreeing with—feel welcome and comfortable. I love how Matthew Henry puts it:
They had a better temper, were not so sour, and morose, and ill conditioned towards all that were not of their mind. As they were ready to come into a unity with those that by the power of truth they were brought to concur with, so they continued in charity with those that they saw cause to differ from. This was more noble. They neither prejudged the cause, nor were moved with envy at the managers of it, as the Jews at Thessalonica were, but very generously gave both it and them a fair hearing, without passion or partiality.
In other words, don't jump too quickly, as I used to do, to the daily Scripture-searching (we will get there!) and miss what Luke's main point here is. It's not the Bereans' doctrine or even their study habits that Luke commends first. It is their character. That means, in turn, that being a "Berean" is, first and foremost, about possessing and demonstrating noble character.
This, then, is our first application: those who would emulate the Bereans are to show a kind, hospitable, caring, listening, self-effacing, other-centered spirit. Or to give a different example, a "Berean" is one who imitates the Lord Jesus Christ in deciding not to count even what one considers entitlements as things "to be grasped" (Phil. 2:6).
All that said, such character is rare—else Luke would not have gone out of his way to commend it! It certainly was in short supply in Thessalonica. Indeed, biblical nobility is a rare species, and one that does not simply happen by accident. Where does such character come from?
A Berean is Eager to Receive the Word
After commending the Bereans for their noble character, Luke then proceeds to present two closely related evidences of this nobility: their receiving the Word with all eagerness, and their searching the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. In this section, we're going to look closely at the former.
Luke tells us that the Bereans possessed an eagerness to receive the Word. What does this mean? Well, the Bereans were excited to hear the Word of God from Paul and Silas. They had a passion for the Scriptures (which we'll talk about more in the next section). Luke's use of the term eagerness is pretty straightforward. We uncover more depth in what Luke is saying here, however, when we observe two important points from the context.
First, we need to remember how events unfolded in Berea. The Jews of Berea had not yet heard the Gospel. When Paul and Silas arrived, they were still in bondage to their traditions. But when they heard the Word, the Bereans eagerly received it, and in the end believed what they had not believed before. The Bereans changed their views. They were corrected from their former, deficient understanding of the Scriptures.
Many in our day think of a "Berean" as one who already understands truth and from that foundation resists false teaching. That's a legitimate application of this passage. However, that's not the meaning of this passage, because that's not what actually happens here. The Bereans here did not defend a truth they already believed. Instead, they were presented with a new truth they didn't yet believe, and were won to it through the Scriptures.
The Bereans' eagerness, then, is not merely love for the Scriptures in the abstract. They were eager to receive the Word. They were not merely eager to hear the Word—they were eager to be conformed to it. They listened with anticipation and expectancy. Their attitude in hearing Paul's preaching was not one of guarded suspicion, but of eager hunger to be changed by the truth in the Word being preached to them.
This does not at all mean they were gullible or easily swayed (more on that in the next section). But, again in the helpful words of Matthew Henry, the Bereans:
...received the word with all readiness of mind; they were very willing to hear it, presently apprehended the meaning of it, and did not shut their eyes against the light. They attended to the things that were spoken by Paul, as Lydia did, and were very well pleased to hear them. They did not pick quarrels with the word, nor find fault, nor seek occasion against the preachers of it; but bade it welcome, and put a candid construction upon every thing that was said.
There's a second part of the context we need to pay attention to as well. It's crucial to remember that Luke is contrasting the Bereans with the Thessalonians. So, one conclusion we could draw is that the Thessalonians were not eager to receive the Word, and their rejection of the Gospel is certainly proof for that. But I think Luke is saying more than that, though. The Thessalonians' problem was not a lack of passion. Indeed, they did actually demonstrate great eagerness—of a sort. The Thessalonians not only drove Paul and Silas out of their city, but even pursued them to Berea. Luke diagnosed the Thessalonians' sin as jealousy. Well, this is no mere petty jealousy, but a deep, obsessive, vindictive, eager desire to see ill done to these men. The Bereans, on the other hand, welcomed and gave a fair hearing to Paul, and their city saw no rioting until the Thessalonians showed up and provoked it.
Here, then, is the contrast Luke is drawing. The Bereans, on the one hand, were noble because they were eager to receive the Word and be themselves corrected by it. The Thessalonians, by contrast, demonstrated no eagerness to receive the Word themselves; their eagerness was limited only to a jealous desire to see others corrected and defeated.
There's several applications for us here. First, a Berean is one who has an eagerness for the Word. He is passionate about Scripture. A Berean can enthusiastically say, "Your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart" (Jer. 15:16).
Second, and moreover, a Berean is one who is eager to receive the Word. A Berean practices "expositional listening." He eagerly attends the preaching and teaching of the Word. He listens actively, intently, and at length. Crucially, a Berean receives the Word as something intended to be internalized and applied by himself. A Berean is not someone obsessed (like the Thessalonian Jews) with how others (mis)understand the Word, but is first of all (though not exclusively) concerned with how he is to understand and apply the Word. Again, that doesn't at all mean a Berean is gullible. It does mean, however, that the Berean's first concern is to look for logs in his own eye (cf. Matt. 7:3-5).
Which leads to the third application: a Berean is one who is eager to be corrected and changed by the Word. A Christian who seeks to emulate the Bereans is one who listens eagerly to the Word preached and taught in order to be conformed to, and corrected by, it. A Berean is not a suspicious listener who takes in preaching and teaching as a detached critic. A Berean eagerly seeks the Word to be convicted of sin, to be exhorted to fight it, and to increase in his understanding of God.
The Bereans' nobility is exemplified by this passionate eagerness to receive the Word. Indeed, such noble character is in great part a product of this view of the Word. Which leads us to the Bereans' faithful and daily searching of the Scriptures.
A Berean is Humble Before and Beneath the Word
We have already seen that the Bereans welcomed Paul and Silas, and that they heard them out with an eagerness to hear and be conformed to the Word of God. The Bereans did not treat Paul with suspicion and did not listen to his teaching as detached, guarded critics, but as those hungry for the Bread of Life.
That said, and as I pointed out in the last section, Luke is not praising them for gullibility, or for a simplistic enthusiasm to receive just any teaching in general. They are being commended for their nobility, shown by their eagerness to receive the Word in particular. In this final section, we're turning our attention to their examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
This text, like the rest of the passage we've looked at so far, rewards a more detailed look—which is fitting, since that's what Luke praises the Bereans for!
First, note that the Bereans examined or searched the Scriptures. This is not simplistic, immature "gotcha!" proof-texting. The Bereans are a biblical example of the kind of hard toil that God's Word calls us to. They wrestled with the text. As Matthew Henry puts it, the Bereans:
…turned to the places to which [Paul] referred them, read the context, considered the scope and drift of them, compared them with other places of scripture, examined whether Paul's inferences from them were natural and genuine and his arguments upon them cogent, and determined accordingly.
Our first application in this section, then, is that a Berean is unafraid of hard work in Bible study.
Second, it's important to stress that they examined the Scriptures. For first-century Jews, that's significant. The New Testament is full of examples of Jews being bound and blinded by man-made traditions (e.g., Matt. 19:3; Mark 7:1-13; Luke 13:13; Gal. 1:14). These Berean Jews might easily have been like the Pharisees and simply rejected Paul's teaching out of hand for its departures from rabbinic tradition. Instead, they looked to the Bible to confirm the truth. Like them, a Berean holds to Scripture alone (sola scriptura) as the final authority.
Third, don't miss the fact that they examined these Scriptures daily, over a period of time. For one thing, this means that the noble Bereans allowed Paul to explain himself in full. They did not jump to conclusions, or isolate statements from their contexts, or ignore the whole body of Paul's teaching. No, they heard him out at great length, for days. Moreover, for the Bereans, Bible study was a daily work, like eating and sleeping. They knew "man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD" (Deut. 8:3). This is why they were so eager to receive the Word. From this, we can draw two applications: a Berean is one who gives a fair and full hearing to teaching, and a Berean is one who lives in and feeds on the Word for his very life.
Fourth, the Bereans let the Scriptures determine if these things were so. The best preacher is prone to error. The best sermon is not inerrant. Worse, there are wolves out there seeking to deceive. The Bereans were cautious, and so let the Word define truth—not rhetoric, or emotion, or their friendship with these newcomers. They knew the ministry of the Word didn't end when Paul stopped talking. Desiring both to know the truth and be changed by it, they did what every Christian should do: they "took the sermon home," eagerly seeking to keep hearing God speaking through the Scriptures as they did so. "Expositional listening" means hearing intently to properly grasp the argument being made, and then searching the Bible to understand, confirm, and apply—or, if something's wrong, to recognize error in—what's being taught. Here, then, is another application: a Berean is one who, recognizing the weakness of men, actively filters teaching through the Word.
Finally, remember the Bereans' eagerness to be corrected and changed by the truth. They knew their own weakness, which impels grace even in verifying teaching. So it may be significant that Luke chose to describe the Bereans' Bible examination positively, as trying to confirm—that is, that they searched the Scriptures "to see if these things were so." Luke could have described this study negatively as trying to disprove, saying they looked to see if these things "were not so" (compare with John 14:3, for instance), but he didn't.
Even if that's too much to draw from that particular wording, the Bereans' "default setting" is still clear in their eagerness to receive the Word: they searched the Scriptures with hope in order to confirm what was being taught, not from suspicion in order to disprove it. Their approach was (in modern words, but a biblical principle) "innocent until proven guilty." That gives us another application: a Berean graciously grants the benefit of the doubt until the Word proves otherwise.
There's a consistent theme in these observations and applications, so let's review briefly. A Berean doesn't think toil and sweat are beneath him. A Berean looks to something outside of and above himself as his final authority. A Berean patiently puts others first in giving a full and fair hearing. A Berean, recognizing his own insufficiency, depends on the Word for life. Recognizing his own insufficiency in others, a Berean is swayed only by the Word and not by clever words or heartstrings or personal affection. And a Berean generously grants others the benefit of the doubt even while verifying the truth of their teaching with the Word.
What all these show is a deep, Christlike humility. A Berean is a profoundly and recognizably humble person. This is crucial. Jesus condemned the Jews of his day because, in searching the Scriptures, they refused to follow them to him (John 5:39-40). Why didn't they? Because they desired glory for themselves—receiving glory from one another, rather than seeking the glory that comes from God (5:44). In other words, they were proud. Scripture-searching avails a man nothing if it doesn't flow from right character or motives.
So, I will close this article by stressing Luke's primary point in this passage one final time, for emphasis: Luke commends the Bereans for their character. This Berean nobility is exemplified by, and flows directly out of, an enthusiastic eagerness to receive and be changed by God's Word. And such eagerness comes from a profound humility before and beneath that Word.
May we all, by God's grace, strive daily in the Word to cultivate such nobility, eagerness, and humility.
