17 Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.
Sometimes our jealousy can get out of hand. We dwell on what we don’t have and our minds plot evil on others. Maybe we don’t get all the way to the point of acting on the jealousy, but we are affected by it none the less. If we meet the person we throw a bad attitude without even knowing it. The religious leaders are in a pickle. The followers of Jesus keep proclaiming Jesus’ resurrection and people keep getting healed. Their simple jealousy that started when Jesus was alive has now turned to burning hatred. They almost can’t control themselves. They have throw Peter and John in prison once already. They warned them not to preach, but they said they have to obey God. Now the Sadducees, one of the influential religious factions of the day, get ready to throw them in prison again. They didn’t believe in any type of resurrection, so they were especially upset by the claims and miracles. Their whole system of theology was being disproved with every new miracle. They were getting desperate. They had to do something. Prison sounded like a good idea. They wanted to induce fear in the disciples, but it didn’t work. Fear is a powerful emotion. It can drive us away from the Lord, or we can allow it to drive us closer. It is our choice. Fear can also drive us down some pretty dark roads. We can get lost in our fear, unable to hear the hope we have in Jesus. It is dreadful when fear becomes the motivating factor for our actions. We hear it on both sides of every political debate. “Healthcare will bankrupt us if we don’t do something now.” “They want to pull the plug when you get old.” There is some truth to both sides, but the rhetoric gets pushed way beyond the truth. The Sadducees were losing sight of their own religious purpose. They got lost on their own journey. We can get lost on our journey if we let fear become too central in our lives. Draw in close to the Lord and you will realize that our fears pale in comparison to His power. He is able to take care of any enemy that might stand against us. Draw in close to Him.
The Arnold Journey 