Religion & Spirituality:Christianity
Acts 5:12-26 (NIV)
What do you do when you are filled with jealousy or fear?
In today’s passage, we find the believers growing in number and influence across Jerusalem and the surrounding towns. It’s happening right? They are Jesus’ witnesses in Jerusalem and now going out into Judea. The healings that are happening are so many that the streets are being filled with folks in need of healing lying on mats. It’s a bit of a ruckus, and this ends up threatening those who are in power.
Enter: the High Priest and the Sadducees. These were the men who were the guardians of the temple, the most sacred and holy place in the cosmos according to the Jews. They saw it as their work to defend and maintain the purity of the temple and to challenge, correct, and dispose of anyone who might compromise the honor of God and the sanctity of His temple. So when they see the followers of Jesus gaining influence, they see it as their role to shut it down.
This impulse is driven by jealousy and fear, two words that drive the actions of these leaders. They fail to be concerned with the truth, wherever it might lead them, and more with their own power and their ability to keep it.
As you listen to this passage pay attention to the insecurities of these leaders.
----------REFLECT----------
1. What moment in this passage stood out to you the most?
2. Has the way that you’ve viewed something ever come to be challenged? Has there ever been a time when people around you started to coalesce around a new set of ideas or a way of behaving… What was your reaction? Did you wait and watch and listen? Or did you exercise control?
3. Perhaps you’ve been on the receiving end of this kind of reaction? Of another’s jealousy or fear? Was it because of Jesus or something else? If it was because of Jesus, how did you respond to their reactions?
As you follow Jesus today, commit to seeking his truth wherever it may lead you, and commit to speaking truth, no matter the reactions you may face.
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Bible Project: Acts 1-12 Overview >>
InterVarsity Press Selections: Acts >>
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