A great persecution against the church

“Now Saul approved of putting Stephen to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles.” (1) The Greek word for “hearty agreement” (suneudokeo) means to consent, approve, or take pleasure in. Guarding the coats publicly demonstrated Saul’s approval. Ultimately, Saul ignored the advice of his teacher, Gamaliel. He felt that the teachings of Jesus’ disciples threatened the very foundations of Judaism. (2) Both the Sadducees and the Pharisees united in violently persecuting the church in Jerusalem. The Pharisees were no longer a tolerant group toward the church. (3) As a result of the persecution, all except the apostles were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. Incidentally, the Epistles of James and Peter were addressed to the dispersed Jewish believers (ref. James 1:1 and 1 Peter 1:1). (4) Why were the apostles able to remain in Jerusalem? The Sanhedrin knew that persecuting the apostles had not yielded good results. Therefore, they likely changed their strategy to persecute the church at the grassroots level. “Some devout men buried Stephen, and mourned loudly for him.” According to Jewish law, it was illegal to bury someone who had been executed by stoning. However, “devout men” buried Stephen. These were likely not Jesus’ disciples but devout Jews. “Mourned loudly for him” indicates that they were deeply moved by his words. “But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house; and he would drag away men and women and put them in prison.” (1) Saul attacked people while they were worshipping in house churches. Until now, only men had been arrested, but at this stage, both men and women were arrested. (2) Saul also entered synagogues to arrest believers. Paul speaks of this in Acts 22:19: “Lord, they themselves understand that in one synagogue after another I used to imprison and beat those who believed in You.” (3) The early believers did not seek to separate from the Jewish community. It was the leaders of Judaism who forcibly encouraged this separation. Zeal without a correct understanding of the gospel is extremely dangerous. A correct understanding of the Bible opens a person’s spiritual eyes and set their soul free. Let’s remember and pray for spiritual awakening through Bible study.