Experience - Day 32

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— 22 the full assembly of the elders of Israel. Then they sent for the apostles to be brought from the jail for trial. 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. 27 Then they brought the apostles before the high council, where the high priest confronted them. 28 “We gave you strict orders never again to teach in this man’s name!” he said. “Instead, you have filled all Jerusalem with your teaching about him, and you want to make us responsible for his death!”
 
29 But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by hanging him on a cross. 31 Then God put him in the place of honor at his right hand as Prince and Savior. He did this so the people of Israel would repent of their sins and be forgiven. 32 We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to those who obey him.”

When the temple guards went to the jail and found that those they had securely locked up the night before were missing, I am sure they went into a panic.  They wanted to place blame somewhere; someone forgot to lock the door, someone fell asleep during the watch.  But there was really no human explanation.

I’m sure they doubted that the religious leaders would believe them.  If they weren’t careful, the guards were going to end up being the ones in prison.  

There wasn’t much time for an investigation, as the guards received a report about where the prisoners had escaped to; they were back in the temple preaching the same message that got them locked up the night before.  What in the world was wrong with these people?
Carefully, the guards rounded the gospel preachers up again, trying not to upset the crowd who was excited about the message they were hearing, and took them back to the religious leaders.  As if the apostles had forgotten, the high priests reminds them of their strict orders to not teach in this man’s name, they couldn’t even say the name of Jesus they were so upset.  Peter reminds them of what he told them before, that they must obey God rather than man, and then he again gives witness to what happened to Jesus.

You want to talk about a thorn in your flesh, no matter how hard the religious leaders tried, they couldn’t stop the gospel message.  Every time they thought they had put the issue to bed, it pops back up with more force than before.

And less you think that God was out to destroy the religious leaders, He wasn’t.  He was hoping that eventually they’d see that they couldn’t stop what was going on, because what was going on wasn’t made up by men.  It wasn’t a tale told by an idiot.  It was the story of God and His love for His people, and nothing and no one could stop the story from being told.

JOURNAL

1. When did you first begin to accept that Jesus loves you, died for you?
2. What do you think we can do to help make us more sensitive to what God is trying to tell us, instead of closed off or reluctant?