Day Twenty-Four

If you have 5 minutes!

Read Acts 5:17-26

17 Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. 20 “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.” 21 At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. 22 But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, 23 “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” 24 On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were puzzled, wondering what this might lead to. 25 Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.” 26 At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.

Tom Wright explains the seemingly bizarre response to the apostles’ healings by using the analogy of a big stadium or concert hall. If, he noted, you owned a concert hall that was previously going well but then a ragtag band of musicians turned up and started drawing large crowds – who then felt no need to enter your establishment – you might feel a bit aggrieved. And so, Wright goes on, had the apostles led their ministry elsewhere, somewhere remote and away from Jerusalem, the authorities would not have been so bothered. However, they courted fire by going right to the heart of the establishment itself – the temple.[1] Thus as Luke simply explains: they were jealous!

• Are there certain areas in life within which you are more prone to experiencing jealousy (e.g. material belongings, status, sporting success…)?
• Why is jealousy so potentially devastating?
• What is the best way to deal with jealousy?

If you have a bit longer :-)

Read Psalm 91:9-12

9 If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, 
10 no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. 
11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 
12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

• What are angels and what is their role?
• Have you ever encountered an angel? What happened? How did you feel?
• If God can send an angel here to rescue the apostles from prison why does he not always send angels to rescue his people in times of need?

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[1] Tom Wright, “Acts,” pgs. 82-83.