SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/18/2017 9:14 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-2 Persecution
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Acts 5:17-28
Message of the verses: “17
But the high priest rose up, along with all his associates (that is the sect of
the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy. 18 They laid hands on the
apostles and put them in a public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the
Lord opened the gates of the prison, and taking them out he said, 20 “Go, stand
and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life." 21
Upon hearing this, they entered into the temple about daybreak and began to
teach. Now when the high priest and his associates came, they called the
Council together, even all the Senate of the sons of Israel, and sent orders to
the prison house for them to be brought. 22 But the officers who came did not
find them in the prison; and they returned and reported back, 23 saying,
"We found the prison house locked quite securely and the guards standing
at the doors; but when we had opened up, we found no one inside." 24 Now
when the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these words,
they were greatly perplexed about them as to what would come of this. 25 But
someone came and reported to them, "The men whom you put in prison are
standing in the temple and teaching the people!" 26 Then the captain went along with the
officers and proceeded to bring them back without violence (for they were
afraid of the people, that they might be stoned). 27 When they had brought
them, they stood them before the Council. The high priest questioned them, 28
saying, "We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name,
and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this
man’s blood upon us."”
The first thing I want
to write about is what the angel told the Apostles, that they should go back to
the temple and once again begin to tell the people the truth about Jesus
Christ, telling them the gospel message.
I wonder what was going through the minds of the Apostles at this
time. I wonder if they started to talk to
one another about the danger of doing what the angel told them to do. At any rate they were going to go right back
to the temple and once again teach the people as we read “Upon hearing his”
words, “they entered into the temple about daybreak, and began to teach.” So that is where we find the Apostles, doing
what the angel told them to do and the Sadducees had no idea at this time that
they were out of jail.
Next in our verses we
see that the high priest and his associates were gathering together to find out
what they were going to do with the Apostles, as this happened the morning
after they were put into the public jail.
They wanted to talk to them and so they sent for them, but to their
surprise they were not there.
Now it was the Levites
who were the temple police and they gave the report that all was well in the
jail, the doors were locked securely and nothing unusual could be found, but
the Apostles were not there. All were
greatly perplexed about what was going on.
Do you think that perhaps the Sadducees may have thought for a moment
that perhaps an angel let them out of jail?
I kind of doubt it.
John MacArthur writes
“Already at their wit’s end as to how to stop the spread of Christianity, the
harried Jewish authorities wondered what was going to happen next. As their efforts proved futile, their panic
and alarm mounted. The apostles were
openly flaunting their authority. They
were powerless to stop the spread of what to them was the worst heresy
imaginable and the greatest threat to their own credibility. People from all over the region were
thronging Jerusalem to witness firsthand the miracles done by the
apostles—miracles the Sanhedrin still refused to believe.”
Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:
“We have found the Messiah” (John 1:40-41)
Bible question for today: “Who
said ‘My soul does magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced to God my
Savior’?”
Answer in our next SD.
10/18/2017 9:33 AM
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