April 24, 2008 - Acts 5:17

“Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.” Acts 5:17.
God was doing amazing things – healings and deliverances from evil spirits – by the hand of this fledgling community of followers of the itinerant rabbi, Jesus. It seemed as though all of the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the surrounding area was noticing these actions and were bringing those who needed a touch from God through His healing Spirit. Peter and the others in the community were getting additional notoriety, as well, this time from the “high priest and all his associates.” And these Jewish leaders were not pleased. In fact, as our verse today points out, they were “filled with jealousy.”
But, there was a dark side to these events. These healing actions did not please everyone, and Peter and others were to catch the brunt of the Jewish leadership’s displeasure and jealousy. This was going to bring a whole, new seriousness to the disciples’ commitment to following Jesus. They were now being confronted by a systemic evil, which can be defined, very simply, as a system of wrongs, such as religious bigotry, racism, sexism and economic exploitation. In this case, good was being done to the sick and the oppressed, and the leadership was jealous over the notoriety that this small band of Jesus’ followers was getting. And they planned to do something about it in order to crush this movement.
Questions to consider: What systemic evil(s) are you confronted with, and what are you doing to take a stand against it/them? How would someone know if they are part of or condone a systemic evil and don’t even realize it? How would you help them to overcome and leave that system? Have you ever had to leave some systemic evil?
Prayer: Father, help us to be aware of the systemic evil that comes against the things of Your kingdom. Give us eyes to see and the courage of heart and conviction of spirit to stand firm for You and Your kingdom ways. Help us to see when we condone a systemic evil of some kind and to have the courage and strength to break free from it. Amen.