Acts 17:1-9. After traveling through several other cities, Paul, Silas, and the others arrive in Thessalonica. Paul, as is his custom, goes right to the synagogue and spends three weeks arguing and proving that Jesus is the Christ and that it was necessary for Him to suffer and rise from the dead. Some of the Jews are convinced, along with many of the devout Greeks and "not a few of the leading women." But the unconvinced Jews become jealous and provoke some "wicked fellows of the rabble" to stir up the crowd, setting the city in an uproar. The crowd attacks the house of Jason looking for Paul and his companions, and when they can't find them, they drag Jason before the authorities, accusing him of receiving "[t]hese men who have turned the world upside down," who say there is another king besides Caesar. The people and the authorities are disturbed by this and they take security from Jason before letting him go.

This is the same story we've been hearing. Paul preaching the Gospel causes unrest everywhere he goes because he really is preaching that there is another king besides Caesar! The people in Thessalonica accuse the disciples of turning the world upside down, and that is a very apt description of what the Gospel does. Jesus' kingdom is an upside down kingdom, where we forgive and pray for our enemies; we prioritize the poor and the weak; and we obey valid, moral earthly authority, but we ultimately answer to a higher one - our true king - Jesus Christ.

Everything about Christianity is different from the ways of the world, so preaching it really does cause unrest, especially when it is new to people. Some will welcome the good news with amazement and joy, while others will bristle at the threat it poses to their way of life. The entire battle of this earthly life is caught up in this dichotomy, even in our own hearts. Are we truly ready to have our world turned upside down?