Last week’s devotion was about Hur, the man who helped Moses
and Aaron, but was ultimately lost in history. Today we will think about Jason,
a likewise forgotten man who helped Paul and Silas in the city of Thessalonica.
As was common for the missionary team, they preached the
message of Jesus Christ and received a less than warm response. Acts 17:5
describes the scene this way:
“But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of
the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the
house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd.”
It is assumed that Jason must have housed the
missionaries while they were in town. When the mob tried to track down Paul and
Silas, they came after Jason. When they couldn’t find the men they were looking
for, they dragged Jason before the city authorities. Jason was forced to give
them money as a sort of security deposit for his missionary friends.
While this was happening to Jason, Paul and Silas
were able to escape and flee to Berea, where they continued to preach the
gospel. Jason, like Hur, should be heralded as a Christian hero, but instead,
most Christian don’t know who Jason is.
The attack against him and the money he paid came
as a result of Jason doing the right thing. Had he not done his part, the team
might not have made it to preach in Berea, where Scripture tells us “many of
them believed (Acts 17:12).”
Helping a friend and doing what is right may come
with a price, but it will always be worth it.
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