Jason
Overview
- Testament: New
- Role: Paul’s host in Thessalonica who was dragged before city officials when a mob sought Paul there
- Family: Likely a Jewish believer; a relative of Paul according to Romans 16
- Key Books: Acts, Romans
Biography
Jason was a believer in Thessalonica who hosted Paul and Silas during their ministry there on the second missionary journey. His name is a Greek name sometimes used by Jewish men as a Hellenized equivalent of the Hebrew name Joshua or Jeshua, suggesting he may have been a Hellenistic Jew. Paul and Silas stayed at his house while preaching in the Thessalonian synagogue for three Sabbaths.
When some Jews in the city became jealous of the gospel’s success, they gathered a mob of “wicked men from the marketplace” and set the city in uproar. Unable to find Paul and Silas, the mob seized Jason and some other believers instead and dragged them before the city officials (politarchs). The charge leveled against them was essentially political: “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus” (Acts 17:6–7). The charge of treason — promoting a rival king — was the most dangerous accusation that could be brought under Roman law.
The city officials took security (a bond or pledge) from Jason and the others before releasing them. This suggests Jason pledged that Paul and Silas would not cause further disturbance in Thessalonica — which explains why the believers immediately sent Paul and Silas away to Berea that very night (Acts 17:10). Jason’s bond may have been forfeited if Paul remained.
Romans 16:21 includes a Jason among those sending greetings: “Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen, greet you.” If this is the same Jason of Thessalonica, it indicates that he remained in active fellowship with Paul’s mission and may have later joined Paul’s wider circle of co-workers.
Key Events
- Hosts Paul and Silas in Thessalonica (Acts 17:5–7)
- Dragged before city officials by the mob (Acts 17:5–6)
- Accused of harboring men who “turn the world upside down” (Acts 17:6)
- Posts security with the city officials and is released (Acts 17:9)
- Sends greetings to Rome as Paul’s “kinsman” (Romans 16:21)
Relationships
- Paul - the apostle he hosted
- Silas - traveled with Paul and stayed in his house
- City officials (politarchs) - before whom he was brought
Important Verses
- Acts 17:6–7
- Acts 17:9
- Romans 16:21
Cross-References
Notes
- Jason bore real legal and financial risk for hosting Paul — posting bond meant personal financial liability if Paul caused further disruption
- The accusation that Paul’s followers proclaimed “another king, Jesus” (Acts 17:7) reflects the early church’s understanding of Jesus’ lordship in explicitly political terms that the Roman world found threatening
- His inclusion in Romans 16:21 as Paul’s “kinsman” suggests a lasting relationship beyond the single episode in Acts