The Begining of Christians Persecution

 

In the northeastern United States, codfish are a big commercial business. There is a market for eastern cod all over, especially in the sections farthest removed from the northeastern coastline. But the public demand poses a problem for the shippers. At first, they froze the cod, then shipped them elsewhere, but freezing them takes away much of the flavor.So they experimented with shipping them alive in tanks of seawater. But that proved even worse. Not only did the cod still lose their flavor, but they became soft and mushy. The texture was seriously affected.

 Finally, some creative person solved the problem in a most innovative manner. The codfish were placed in the tank of water along with their natural enemy – the catfish.From the time the cod left the East coast until it arrived at its western-most destination, those ornery catfish chased the cod all over the tank. And, you guessed it, when the cod arrived at the market, they were as fresh as when they were first caught. There was no loss of flavor nor was the texture affected. If anything, they were better than before (Chuck Swidoll).

Persecution is promised to every believer. Paul wrote “we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 16:22).   Jesus said “If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own... Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you (John 15:18-20). In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). 

Jesus often talked about the persecution of the Old Testament believers, “Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them” (Luke 11:47). Similarly, Stephen laid the same charge on the Jews who stoned him to death “Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One (Acts 7:52). 

Jesus repeatedly warned His disciples that they would be persecuted and face severe opposition to their witnessing. Right at the onset of His ministry, He told them “blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt.5:11-12) .

Jesus said “they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for my name’s sake (Luke 21:12). These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble...yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service... these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them” (John 16:1-4). And so in Acts 4 persecution came just as they were forewarned.

In Acts 4:1-4 we read, “now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came upon them, being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand”.

Here we see the beginning of the waves of persecution crashing against the Body of Christ. The religious leaders thought they had eliminated the "Jesus movement "when they had crucified Jesus. They had heard about Peter’s first sermon several days earlier and how excited the people had become (Acts 2). And now Peter and John were publicly preaching in the temple precincts. It was time to stop this before it could spread.

One would have thought just the temple guard would have been sufficient, but these religious leaders come with a "show of force" much like they did when Jesus was arrested. John 18:3 says “Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees”.  The only major difference between the two groups was that in Peter and John’s case, the Sadducees replaced the Pharisees.

The "captain" of the temple guard was the officer commanding the temple police force. The Temple-police under the command of "the captain of the temple” kept guard at the gates of the Temple. They provided security and prevented the unclean from entering. Priests offered Temple sacrifices and carried out the other sacred rites in the Temple. The Sadducees were the operating power and authority in the Temple. 

During Jesus' time there were four major sects of Judaism: the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes and the Zealots. The Pharisees were the most popular sect in Judea. Known for their strict adherence to both the written and oral law, they emphasized religious observance. The Sadducees were fewer in number than the Pharisees but they were more influential and the high priests of that day were from this sect (Acts 5:17).   

Sadducees were the religious liberals of the day. They were men of position and often wealthy landowners (aristocrats).  They held the positions of leadership in the nation and they aided the Romans. They generally were against any opposition to Rome for fear that it would jeopardize their political position and wealth. Their primary concerns were for the operation of the temple and the interpretation of the law.

The irony is that while they were the most influential religious force in Israel, they were worldly minded and materialistic. They only believed in the first five books of the Bible. They did not believe in the resurrection and they said that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believed in all these things (Acts 23:7-8, Matt 22:23). They rejected the doctrine of future rewards or punishment; they did not believe in Heaven or Hell.

Peter and John caught the attention of the priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees. Two things disturbed these religious leaders. First these “uneducated and untrained” men (Acts 4:13) were teaching the people in the temple precincts. In the minds of the priests and the Sadducees, this was their turf. The Apostles were usurping the role of teacher right in the temple and this was highly disturbing.

Second, what they were teaching was equally disturbing. They were claiming that Jesus was the messiah. Peter said “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed …You disowned the Holy and Righteous One” (Acts 3:13-15). This was a public repudiation of the authority of the Sanhedrin; they had unanimously condemned Jesus to death as an imposter. 

They also taught that Jesus had risen from the dead.   Peter had preached about resurrection of the dead in his first sermon (Acts 2:24-28).  He repeated it again in the second sermon “you killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of Jesus , this man whom you see and know was made strong...faith that comes through him has completely healed this man, as you can all see (Acts 3:15-16).

For about three hours, Peter and John had been in the temple preaching and it had been very effective. Thousands of people were congregating around to listen to this. Many of those who had heard the message believed (Acts 4:4).  And the number of the men who believed came to be about 5,000. This was more than the enemy of men’s souls could tolerate.  This was more than religious leaders could tolerate and so the persecution began. 

These unlearned former fishermen who had no official rabbinical training were able to draw such large crowds of eager listeners. It was also evident that they had healed a well known man, who was lame from birth. He stood before them completely healed. They claimed that Jesus healed him. The religious leaders could not find any other way of explaining why somebody, who was totally lame only hours earlier, now stood before them completely healed.

The Sadducees were annoyed at the teaching that Jesus had resurrected from the dead (Acts 3:15). If Peter's teaching was true, their entire theological system would crumble! And indeed, it was obvious that many Jews were beginning to believe this doctrine. And if the people began to believe that Jesus was in fact the Messiah, the Sadducees would lose influence over the people.  They must have said, ‘enough of this”. Peter and John were speaking when suddenly they were interrupted.

They seized Peter and John and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day (Acts 4:3). “Laid hands on them” does not suggest a gentle grasp, but rough handling. The entire atmosphere and manner of treatment was calculated to make them afraid. But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand (Acts 4:4). Persecution would not prevent the spread of the gospel. Believers can be killed but the spread of the gospel cannot be stopped.

Paul wrote to Timothy “remember that Jesus Christ…was raised from the dead according to my  gospel, for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains, but the word of God is not chained. Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. This is a faithful saying : for if we died with him , we shall also live with him. If we endure , we shall also reign with him.

Persecution did not then, nor will it now hinder the spread of the Gospel (Acts 6:7;12:24). God's Word will go forth and it will go forth with power. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted”( 2 Tim. 3:12). Persecution always strengthens and purifies the Church. As unbelievers watch how we handle suffering and persecution, it gives a visible reality to our faith which the lost can see. And “just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ” (2 Cor.1:5).