After Paul and Silas leave Philippi, they pass through several cities on the Via Egnatia (Egnatian Way) and arrive at Thessalonica, the capital of the province of Macedonia (17:1–9). The fact that Paul goes into a Jewish synagogue and that this is “his custom” (17:2) shows that he still insists on preaching to the Jews even though he has constantly been persecuted by some of them. The summary statement of his preaching apparently presupposes the knowledge of his synagogue sermon elsewhere (cf. Acts 13:16–41), but this summary itself is important in that it points to the death and resurrection of Jesus as the center of the gospel message. Moreover, his explanation that “the Messiah had to suffer” points again to the necessity of Christ’s suffering, which is repeatedly…