The Jewish leadership arrested the apostles out of envy disguised as defending the faith. Their actions were fervent but misguided. The council had commanded Peter and John to stop preaching in Jesus’ name and they had disobeyed. Acts 5: 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.[1] It was true that the leaders were to defend their faith, but their jealousy or indignation went beyond that.
Theology Clash
The apostles’ arrest happened only a few months after the crucifixion and resurrection, so this would have been the same high priest and council that had sentenced Jesus to death. Jesus had drawn great crowds and was popular with the common people. The leadership felt threatened and thought they had rid themselves of the “Jesus problem.” Now, His followers were doing miracles in Jesus’ name and claiming that Jesus was alive.
The Sadducees were a sect of Judaism that only took the first five books of the Old Testament as authoritative Scripture. They did not believe in the resurrection. As a result, they wanted the good life here on earth. These leaders sought power for themselves, made agreements with the Roman government, and lived in fine houses. The miracles done in the name of a living Jesus refuted their theology. So, they wanted the Jesus movement to end.
Losing Control
The apostles were untrained men empowered by the Holy Spirit. The Jewish leadership thought they had a monopoly on religious training. Since they had not trained the apostles, they felt threatened. The crowds loved the apostles’ teaching, so the leadership had to be careful about how they treated them.
The high priest demonstrated his power by having the apostles arrested. God demonstrated His power by sending an angel to release the men. Ironically, the Sadducees did not believe in angels, either. The religious leaders wanted respect for themselves, while the apostles aimed to bring respect and reverence to God. Instead of stopping the miracles, the leadership’s actions were multiplying them!
God Does New Things
God was doing a new thing through Jesus and His followers. Jesus had established the New Covenant, and the Holy Spirit enabled the church to grow. The old guard did not understand and tried to fight against it.
God can do the unexpected at any time, even in our day. We must ask for discernment to distinguish false doctrine from true. That is why we need to be in the Word and know it well. It is easy to envy others who have gifts that are different from ours. God has a plan for each of us, and it is unique. Rejoice in the plan that God has for each of us. To learn about envy disguised as defending the faith, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/apostles-persecuted
[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Ac 5:17–18). Tyndale House Publishers.