Read Acts 5:17-26, Psalm 34 and John 3:16-21
“The Sadducees, being filled with jealousy, arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors, brought them out.” (Acts 5:17-19)
The high priest rose up and all his companions… and, filled with jealousy laid hands upon the Apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, led them out, and said: “Go and take your place in the temple area, and tell the people everything about this life.” (Acts 5:20)
When they heard this, they went to the temple early in the morning and taught. When the high priest and his companions arrived, they convened the Sanhedrin, the full senate of the children of Israel, and sent them to the jail to have them brought in.
But the court officers who went did not find them in the prison, so they came back and reported, “We found the jail securely locked and the guards stationed outside the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” (Acts 5:23)
When the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard this report, they were at a loss about them, what this would come to. Then someone came in and reported to them, “The men whom you put in prison are in the temple area and are teaching the people.” (Acts 5:25)
Dear friends, our Psalmist today reminds us that God never turns His back on His children; God is a strong defender of the poor, the weak, and the marginalized. God never turns a deaf ear when the innocent call out to Him.
As Jesus tells Nicodemus in today’s Gospel passage, people always prefer darkness to light. They saw the light of Christ but see what they did to Him. They saw the light of the disciples; common fishermen now working miracles, they tried again to quench this light. To this day, the story is not different.
When we try to let our shine, let us not assume people will love us. When we dedicate our social media accounts to purely spreading the Gospel of Christ, let us not expect to gain many followers. Instead, let us expect attacks of all sorts. But we must remember one thing: THE BATTLE BELONGS TO GOD.
Even when it seems as though the enemy is succeeding, fear not, God knows how to fight for His Children. God never turns His back on us so long as we remain faithful to Him. The Lord is my shepherd, “even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)
Let us pray: Heavenly Father, deepen my trust in your Divine Protection. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Wednesday of the 2nd week of Eastertide Bible Study: Acts 5:17-26, Psalm 34 and John 3:16-21)
@Rev. Fr. Evaristus E. Abu