But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy, they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison.
Acts 5:17-42
After the many signs and miracles performed by the Disciples reached the ears of the religious leaders, they became jealous of these “common” men and the Gospel they were teaching. There had never been such a moving of the Holy Spirit among people since God told Moses to appoint 70 “elders” among the Israelites to be judges among the people. The jealousy stems from the popularity of the Disciples among the people and the religious leaders realization that they were ineffective at restraining the Disciples. Once again, they have the Disciples arrested and placed in a public prison, no doubt making a spectacle of the arrest and parading the “villains” through the streets hoping to quell the enthusiasm of the people for this Jesus. Unbeknownst to these evil men, an angel had taken the Disciples from their prison cells and released them to preach further the Gospel of Christ. As the Disciples arrived in the Temple early and began preaching/teaching, the religious leaders were gathering and sent for the prisoners to be brought before them. Unable to find the prisoners even though the cells were still locked and the guards were still on duty, the arresting officers were perplexed at the situation. Word came to them that the Disciples were preaching/teaching in the Temple! The captain went to the Disciples, requesting the Disciples to come with them to the religious leaders rather than forcibly taking them because the guards feared the people who believed what the Disciples were teaching/preaching. At this news, the religious leaders, enraged, wanted to kill the Disciples. But, a cooler head prevailed by the name of Gamaliel, a well-known and respected leader of the Jews. After telling the religious leaders that, if God is behind this movement, they will not defeat God, Gamaliel advised the religious leaders to wait out this movement to see if it will fail as others had failed. After warning and beating the Disciples again, the council released them and the Disciples rejoiced at the fact of their suffering was like the suffering the Lord Jesus had suffered. And so, this event ends with the Disciples being ever more bold in the preaching/teaching of the Gospel and God added many more to their number. Gospel preaching/teaching continues today in the world. So does persecution of Christians. Jesus’ Bride, the Church, is built upon the blood of martyrs of all the ages. In our country, we currently enjoy a freedom to worship God. It will not be the case in our future. The signs are already there for us to see impending persecution in this great country. Christians, pray for those who preach/teach the Gospel that we become as bold as the early Disciples were in Jerusalem.
Source: S C Ball June 7, 2023
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