WEDNESDAY February 1, 2023
Bafflement
But when the officers came and did not find them in the prison, they returned and reported, saying, “Indeed we found the prison shut securely, and the guards standing outside before the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside!”
Acts 5:22-23
The officers went to get the Apostles from prison, but they were not there! Can you imagine when the officers came to get them, and they found them gone? They must have been so baffled. How in the world did they get out? They saw that the prison was shut and secure, and the guards were still outside the doors, but inside, the prison was completely empty. This was impossible!
Quickly the officers returned back to those in the council to tell them what had happened. When they heard the officers’ report, they must have thought to themselves, What do you mean, how can this happen? In Acts 5:24, we see their bewilderment: Now when the high priest, the captain of the temple, and the chief priests heard these things, they wondered what the outcome would be.
Then while the religious leaders were still left wondering about the outcome of these events, another person came and told them: “Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!” (Acts 5:25). What! The Apostles were preaching fearlessly. They had a message to give the people and would not be threatened or intimidated by these Jewish leaders. The Apostles obeyed what the angel had told them. Imagine, they had just been miraculously delivered by God from prison. They did not fear mere men.
To preach Christ is to feed the soul, to justify it, to set it free,
and to save it, if it believes the preaching.
~Martin Luther~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
