The Apostles Persecuted
Acts 5:17-26
17 The high priest and his officials, who were Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then he told them, 20 “Go to the Temple and give the people this message of life!”
21 So at daybreak the apostles entered the Temple, as they were told, and immediately began teaching.
When the high priest and his officials arrived, they convened the high council—the full assembly of the elders of Israel. Then they sent for the apostles to be brought from the jail for trial. 22 But when the Temple guards went to the jail, the men were gone. So they returned to the council and reported, 23 “The jail was securely locked, with the guards standing outside, but when we opened the gates, no one was there!”
24 When the captain of the Temple guard and the leading priests heard this, they were perplexed, wondering where it would all end. 25 Then someone arrived with startling news: “The men you put in jail are standing in the Temple, teaching the people!”
26 The captain went with his Temple guards and arrested the apostles, but without violence, for they were afraid the people would stone them.
The Gospel cannot be stopped. The special mission that God commissioned for these messengers of Jesus, God does not allow that message to be delayed by the plotting of the High Priests – the same High Priests who had a hand in Jesus’ death! It is interesting that the Holy Spirit chose to miraculously liberate the apostles from prison in this part of the story. Similar prison breaks occurred to others like: Peter in Acts 12 and an almost prison break with Paul in Acts 16. Also interesting, both Peter and Paul had other stints in prison which weren’t as miraculously ended. Ultimately, this story is a confidence boost to all believers: God will do whatever God sees fit to do, in order to complete His purposes. No jail, no persecution, no evil plotting can stop what God wants to see done. This Holy Spirit power is behind our lives too. Even though our lives aren’t free of every danger, nor does God choose to miraculously ‘unshackle’ us from every challenging situation, we remember that for whatever God desires: nothing can stop Him and what He wants!
Thank you, Jesus for the emboldening testimony of Acts! Help me to see your purposes intersect with my life today. Thank you, that no matter what happens, good or bad, your Kingdom will come and your will, will be done!
Written by Sam Stewart