THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES - Chapter 17 - Verse 7

Verse 7. Whom Jason hath received. Has received into his house, and entertained kindly.

These all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar. The charge against them was that of sedition and rebellion against the Roman emperor. Grotius on this verse remarks, that the Roman people, and after them the emperors, would not permit the name of king to be mentioned in any of the vanquished provinces, except by their permission.

Saying that there is another king. This was probably a charge of mere malignity. They probably understood, that when the apostles spoke of Jesus as a king, they did not do it as of a temporal prince. But it was easy to pervert their words, and to give plausibility to the accusation. The same thing had occurred in regard to the Lord Jesus himself, Lu 23:2.

{e} "contrary to the decrees of Caesar" Lu 23:2; Joh 19:12