A Journey Through Luke & ActsSample

As we continue reading, we see the Jesus movement grow rapidly, as Jewish people from other nations begin to follow Jesus. As they receive the power of the Holy Spirit, their lives are changed, and the community begins to live in a radically new way, full of joy and generosity. They share daily meals together, pray regularly with one another, and even sell their stuff to provide for the poor among them. They learn what it means to live under a new covenant, where God’s presence resides in people instead of a temple.

You might know about the strange story in the book of Leviticus about the two priests who disrespected God in the temple and then suddenly died. In today’s selected reading, Luke tells a similar story about two people who dishonored the Holy Spirit’s new temple and died. The disciples are alarmed. They understand the seriousness of this new covenant and receive the warning, and the corruption in the new temple is corrected. But the corruption in the old temple building persists as the religious temple leaders continue to fight against Jesus’ followers and his message. The high priest and his officials are so threatened by the apostles that they throw them in prison again, but an angel breaks them out of jail and tells them to go to the temple to continue sharing Jesus’ Kingdom message. The religious leaders insist the apostles stop preaching about Jesus, but the apostles persist. At this, the religious leaders are ready to kill the apostles, but a man named Gamaliel stops them by arguing that if their message is from God, nothing at all will be able to overthrow it.