Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. Acts 4:2
I saw an interesting poster the other day; it said, ‘Dear Atheist, if you don’t believe in God, why does it bother you that I pray to Him?’ We all know that prayer really annoys and upsets the atheists. They have battled successfully for years to have prayer and Bibles removed from schools, public buildings, and public agendas. They have convinced most of the people that their scientifically unprovable theory of evolution is science. They have persuaded our modern society that the abominable practice of homosexuality is something to be proud of, and that the honourable estate of marriage is unnecessary. So when the Bible condemns these things, and when Christians pray to the God Whose Word condemns these things, they become upset. Just as upset as the Sadducees and temple rulers were to find the apostles preaching the Gospel in the temple.
Anything having to do with the resurrection was a red flag to the Sadducees. They hated any reference to a resurrection, and had been badly stung when they tried to debate their philosophy with the Teacher from Nazareth. And now they are hearing that is is that same Teacher Who the apostles are claiming has been raised from the dead. They must do everything they can to stop this doctrine from circulating. It didn’t matter to them that the resurrection of Jesus was being proclaimed as the source of the power that had healed the lame man at the Beautiful gate. It didn’t matter that the message of the resurrection was proclaimed as the proof that God had provided His Messiah and Saviour. It didn’t matter that thousands were being converted and receiving eternal life. Nothing mattered but that their pet doctrine was in danger. They could not open their minds enough to consider the possibility that they might be wrong. People all around us today are like that. They don’t want to consider the possibility that there is a God to Whom they must answer for their sins. By refusing to accept that God is real and holy and just, they allow themselves to be led into gross immorality and evil actions, believing they will never have to answer to anyone. They deliberately refuse to hear the Gospel because it might bring them face to face with their responsibility to a God they hope does not exist.
If we think about it, it seems beyond incredible that anybody would oppose others hearing the Gospel, the most wonderful and most necessary message that can possibly be heard. And yet, that is exactly what the devil has people doing these days. If he can’t get people to openly oppose the Gospel, he will have them mock it, ridicule it, and ignore it. Like the disciples, all we can do is be faithful, and continue to spread the message for as long and as powerfully as we can, until the enemies are able to silence us. What a terrible price they will have to pay for that! -Jim MacIntosh