Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. (Acts 17:11)
“Truth seekers rarely take someone’s word for anything.” And what that means is that they have to find out things for themselves. That doesn’t mean they don’t trust people; it just means they have to do their own thinking and their own research, both of which are required in order to come to their own conclusions.
It’s always been a real boost to my belief in independent thinking that Paul commended the believers in Berea because they checked him out by the scriptures to see if what he was saying was true. In other words, they didn’t take even Paul’s word for it. And what’s even better about this is that the writer of the Book of Acts commended them for this and called them of noble character—more noble than the Thessalonians, who, by implication, didn’t check Paul out with the scriptures, but must have just taken his word as truth. Paul is basically saying here… “Don’t do that. Don’t just take anybody’s word for it, even if it’s my word.” How daring is that?
How contrary this is to so many today—myself included—who would love to have people eating out of our hands instead of constantly questioning us and measuring our words by the scriptures. So it’s more noble to think your own thoughts and to question things and to dig for answers that back up what someone says. Here, here, for the modern day Bereans who don’t care who you are, they only want to know what you are saying and how you are living it out in your own life, and how does what you say and do relate to the truth as it has been revealed in the scriptures and as God has revealed it so far to them.
I’m sorry, but this is revolutionary. This flies in the face of mass marketing, personality cults, and a follow-the-leader mentality that accompanies much of what goes on in our society today. You don’t really have anything to say until you are somebody, and once you are somebody, everything you say is golden. It’s the truth. It’s at least marketable. “Everybody line up and take notes. We’ve found the truth now. We’ve got it right here.”
Is that the way it’s supposed to be? I don’t think so. No, that sounds like what was probably going on among the less noble Thessalonians. Give me the Bereans. They’re scary. They’re not very good for my ego. But they are people who won’t be denied the truth. If you seek me with all your heart you will surely find me.
John Fischer The Catch 
I’m pretty sure the comment about nobility in Acts is intended to speak to the Thessalonians who rejected what Paul said, not those who accepted it – but don’t take my word for it, check it out yourself! That is merely the inverse message of what you’ve pointed out, John, the “flip side.” Just as it is noble to investigate rather than to accept uncritically, it is equally (perhaps more) noble to investigate something you may be naturally inclined to reject, to see if maybe there’s something to it, after all. Most of the Jews, in Thessalonica and elsewhere, simply couldn’t stomach the “crucified but raised Galilean carpenter as Messiah” doctrine Paul was preaching, so they rejected it out of hand; they couldn’t be bothered to read scripture again, to rethink the matter from the perspective, “Could I have been misreading that all this time?” In our day, I think we’re rather short on both types of nobility – both the kind that avoids gullibility, and the kind that says, “Nuh uh!” to every challenge. Thanks for the reminder.
Love.This! And the comment above, as well – IMHO, spot on – bring on the Bereans! This is the filter verse for me by which I measure teachings “from God”…hhhhmmm…really? And what does God actually say about that? Think I’ll check that Lamp Unto My Feet and see… Pretty helpful tool, that weighing and measuring.