Monday, August 12: “Jailbreak”

Acts 5: 18-20: “They laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison, and taking them out, he said, ‘Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whale message of this life.’”

Put yourself in the place of the twelve apostles: Knowing what had been done to Jesus, and having been threatened themselves already (Acts 4: 18, 21), wouldn’t it have been more prudent (and life-saving) to go out and preach among the nations, as Jesus had commanded in the Great Commission, instead of returning to the temple? Nope, it was too soon. Later, but not yet. So they courageously went back to the temple and, sure enough, got arrested again. That’s courage! But the story isn’t done yet …