John Calvin Commentary Acts 17:6

"And when they found them not, they dragged Jason and certain brethren before the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;" — Acts 17:6 (ASV)

Those men who have troubled the whole world. This is the condition of the gospel: to have the uproars that Satan raises imputed to it. This is also the malice of Christ's enemies: to lay the blame for tumults, which they themselves cause, upon holy and modest teachers.

Certainly, the gospel is not preached so that it might cause conflict between people, but rather that it might keep them in peace, reconciled to God. When Christ gently invites us to come to Him, Satan and the wicked rage. Therefore, Paul and Silas could easily have defended themselves, but it was necessary for them to suffer this false slander for a time and, as long as they were not heard, to endure it quietly.

And the Lord intended by their example to teach us that we must not yield to slanders and false reports, but we must stand firmly in maintaining the truth, being ready to be spoken ill of for doing good. Therefore, away with the perverse wisdom of some who, in order to escape false slanders, do not hesitate to betray Christ and His gospel through their treacherous moderation, as though their good name were more precious than Paul's and others like him, indeed, than the sacred name of God, which is not exempt from blasphemies.