The others scattered. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled. He told them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. When it came down to it, Saul sought to kill Christians to feed his selfish desire of the flesh, he was intimated by challengers and had to have his way. Many Christians are familiar with God and Jesus being identified as being the faithful or good shepherd of the flock. Heartlight Provides Positive Resources for Daily Christian Living. In 1925, Smith entered the banana picture under a new title of Exaltation in New York's "Exhibition" of the Independents at the Waldorf-Astoria. And when Matthias had been chosen, and the promised blessing had been received on the day of Pentecost, this order was strictly followed. Acts 11:19 Meanwhile those scattered by the persecution that began with Local: 704-401-2432 I believe the Bible teaches that God always answers our prayers. His mind may have been set on the lie that Stephen was speaking horrible nonsense and that he deserved to die, so people just like him should die as well. Their thought is that gentiles did not observe God's Torah, therefore, without coming in through full proselytization, they could not participate in the Mosaic covenant and consequently, not be members of the family of Abraham. Everything in the Church was going so well. The gifts of the Holy Spirit were in full flow, and the believers were greatly encouraged. Jesus himself foretells how he will be betrayed by one of his disciples; after the passover prepared, and eaten, institutes his last supper; declares beforehand the flight of all his disciples, and Peter's denial. If he was targeting Hellenists, what was his motivation? But Saul began to destroy the church. (ESV Matthew 28:19-20). Strengths and Weaknesses of the 12 Disciples. Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural. Saul then just seized his opportunity and tried to kill off and frighten Christians into not preaching anymore. Matthew 24:9,10 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. Now onto Acts 8 and your actual question. The most obvious evidence of diastrophic movement can be seen where sedimentary rocks have been bent, broken or tilted. I am not so much interested in traditions that give reason for their staying in Jerusalem. Next, one can say Saul targeted Hellenistic Christians because he was a Hellenistic Jew himself. Heartlight is supported by loving Christians from around the world. Stack Exchange network consists of 182 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. With Saul no longer ravaging the church and the brothers sending him out, Christianity was spreading rapidly (9:30-31). And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. I have often read of shipwrecks, and have generally found that when the terrible waves were dashing over the ship, and the sailors were letting down the boats that the passengers might escape, the captain and the officers remained on deck to the very last. The persecution is related to Stephens death and Saul as Longs blog says is the ringleader of this persecution that takes place in Acts 8. Then said Jesus to them, All you shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. The night, night-time. Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. References Barnes, R. (n.d.). Another reason, I suspect, is because they were overwhelmed with disappointment by Jesus arrest. First, the fear of the Disciples. The scattering of the shepherds flock will be followed by their regathering where the flock was initially gathered in Galilee. "Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.". Of uncertain affinity; a shepherd. The dominant two-source hypothesis says that the Gospels of Matthew and Luke were written independently of each other, using material copied from Mark and the hypothetical 'Q' document. 8 Bible verses about The Church Scattered - Online Bible Job 19:13,14 He hath put my brethren far from me, and mine acquaintance are verily . It is quite possible that the apostles took Jesus final commission to them seriously and stayed in Jerusalem because they were to evangelize the world starting in Jerusalem. Why did God scatter the wonderful Spirit-filled Church in Acts 8? is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form. It is when they start to confirm prophecies that they start to ruffle the feathers of the high priests. God is on the move and what may seem like a setback (going to Egypt, being exiled, persecution, and now the pandemic) may be catalysts for future kingdom growth and paradigm shifts that will have a lasting impact on the landscape of the Christian world for generations to come! for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. In Acts 22:3 while giving his testimony he says he was educated according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers (ESV). Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. While the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) are not clear as to whether the fragments were of bread alone (they only mention 12 baskets of leftovers), the gospel of John indicates that the fragments were indeed of bread.. Where did each of disciples went after the death of Jesus Christ? They will kill him, and after three days he will rise (Mark 9:31).Why, then, did they flee and act so frightened when He was arrested? Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 2nd Person Plural. ET on EWTN: Holy Mass and Rosary on Thursday, June 22, 2023 [Saint Paulinus of Nola, Bishop; Saints John Fisher, Bishop, and Thomas. The higher the vote, the further up an answer is. The apostles were like those brave officers. John 16:31-32 records that Jesus warned the disciples that they would flee, go home and leave Him all alone and they did. Christianity Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for committed Christians, experts in Christianity and those interested in learning more. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. A sheep. While there may not be concrete evidence to prove Saul was only targeting the Hellenistic Christians, this sudden shift to extreme persecution does lend to that theory. Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him 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 the apostles. But Saul began to destroy the church. It truly reminds me of the epic cinematic event that is Avengers: Infinity War. Be that as it may, I also believe one can make the point that Saul did not just target Hellenistic Christians but anyone who was a follower of Christ. Instead of going forth to witness for Jesus in Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth, they remained in Jerusalem to enjoy life there now that they had been wonderfully baptized by the Holy Spirit. But there are significant differences between how Peter and Judas betrayed Jesus. You make my life pleasant, and my future is bright. Maybe he was jealous or afraid of what the witnesses might tell people. It was also interesting to me that Sauls views and motivations changed completely after his conversion to Christianity on the road to Damascus. Mark 14:27 And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. A Hindu named Babulu had been severely injured in an accident and could no longer stand, walk, or even talk. The Elijah Challenge Training 2.1 --- one hour each week over nine weeks on zoom. One reason is because they didnt understand what He was sayingbut didnt want to embarrass themselves by admitting it. James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. BGEA is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Saul and others 'zealous' to keep Israel pure would not have it. It shows that God is constantly with us protecting His children if we allow Him. Acts 8:1b-4 Persecution Scatters the Disciples, http://thirdmill.org/answers/answer.asp/file/39791, The Book of Enoch for Beginners: A Guide to Expand Your Understanding of the Biblical World. The truth is that Jesus was betrayed by two of His disciples: Judas and Peter. Over the course of biblical history, God has used scattering as his method of choice for future kingdom growth. Mark 16:15-18 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. In Acts, the documentation shows that Saul went after Hellenistic Christians such as when he approved of Stephens execution (Acts 8:1). I, the first-person pronoun. Wouldn't they have been targets for death as well due to their Messianic belief? Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. Privacy Since Stephen and Philip are examples in Luke of Hellenistic Jews who have accepted the apostolic message, it also seems likely that this persecution targeted Hellenistic Jewish believers. Yes, on several occasions Jesus taught His disciples what would happen to Him as His ministry drew to its close. As Judas has succumbed to the lure of wealth like the seed choked by thorns (13:22), the other disciples will wilt at the first sign of persecution like the seed that landed in rocky soil. Did UK hospital tell the police that a patient was not raped because the alleged attacker was transgender? The explanation for the apparently unexpected behaviour can be derived from scripture, by recognising that each author wrote what he thought could have happened, unaware of what the other author would write. The higher the vote, the further up an answer is. His most recent book is The Book of Enoch for Beginners: A Guide to Expand Your Understanding of the Biblical World (Rockridge, 2022). The prepositional phrase en emoi (in me) may seem a little strange in English, which is probably why most translations render this because of me, Pingback: Gospel of Matthew | Sign of the Rose, Your email address will not be published. Job 19:13,14 He hath put my brethren far from me, and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me. This does not mean that Luke believes that the mission was everywhere directly organized and pioneered by Jerusalem. When Jesus tells his apostles not to "go the way of the Gentiles and Samaritans," He could be reminding the apostles to walk as He walked. In the face of complacency, we try harder. The people of God throughout the scriptures have struggled to live as a community faithful to the covenant that they have been invited into. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? To make an tax-deductible donation to The Elijah Challenge please click on the link below. Mark 14:50 Then everyone deserted Him and fled. - Bible Hub He made a suitably dark and brooding photograph of himself as Jerdanowitch, and submitted the work to the same group of critics as representative of the new school "Disumbrationism". [2] He will face the horrors of the cross by himself. Acts 8:4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. First the apostles are warned, then they are arrested and beaten, then Stephen is tried before the Sanhedrin, and lynched. The apostles (presumably) could remain due to their being pure Israelites (even with this Messianic belief -- which wasn't the real issue -- other sects of Judaism which had messianic beliefs were tolerated within Judaism [in some cases not tolerated by Rome as we hear Gamaliel tell us in Acts 5, but this is likely because they were trying to reproduce the exploits of the Maccabeans and throw off the yoke of Rome]). Retrieved from http://thirdmill.org/answers/answer.asp/file/39791. No. So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those . Disumbrationism. Matthew 26:31-35 Scandalized and Scattered Disciples. Why was James not replaced? They felt that they were committing blaspheme for the things that they believed. God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the The evidence in the book of Acts makes me believe that Saul initially targeted Hellenistic Christians, or Greek-speaking Jews, who followed Jesus. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Saul is literally searching for people like them because he wants to suppress this Jesus movement. Answer (1 of 7): Right after His death they were scattered. And they didn't betray Him in the same way. [3], Last edited on 22 November 2022, at 22:16, Pictures Painted to "Show Up" the Critics Bring Fame to Mythical Modernistic Artist, INTERNATIONAL ART HOAX BARED BY LOS ANGELES AUTHOR, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Disumbrationism&oldid=1123283882, This page was last edited on 22 November 2022, at 22:16. God was working all things out for his glory. SEVERELY demonized Hindu woman OUT OF HER MIND and could not be helped by a sorcerer, but MESSIAH JESUS set her free. To me, I tend to lean towards the idea that Saul was significantly persecuting more Hellenistic Jews rather than the Apostles themselves. Quoting John 6:13 from NASB translation:. This applies to the modern day as well as we as Christians will run and hide when something is thrown at us along our walk but we must remember than Jesus is with us and will guide us along our walk of faith. It radically and permanently changed their knowledge and understanding of who Jesus truly was. At the time that. Matthew 26:56 But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, NC 28201 Revelation 13:8 tells us that Jesus was slain from the foundation of the earth. Needless to say, Saul was a nasty man before he came face to face with Jesus. Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular. They may have taken the words of the commission all very seriously to the extent they truly thought they had to start in Jerusalem to evangelize. Examining the Causes of the Deep Division Between Americans and Acts 8:4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Disumbrationism - Wikipedia Is there enough evidence to decide Saul was targeting only Hellenistic Christians (like Stephen and Philip)? Show me the scripture in the 1611 AV. Then, at that time. But the time is coming indeed it's here now when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. And why did he do it? 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. Probably prolongation from paio; to knock. This seems extra strange being that Jesus said: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. Later the Church spreads through the world outside Jerusalem, but always, because of its nature as the authentic and renewed Israel, this expansion takes the form of an extension of the Jerusalem church. Hadn't He told them He was going to be put to death and come back to life? Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled. These responses clarify which "coming" Jesus is referring to. Diastrophism covers movement of solid (plastic) crust material, as opposed to movement of molten material which is covered by volcanism. They had hoped He would overcome the power of the Roman government and establish a new kingdom, and now their hopes of this vanished. Many Disciples Leave Jesus | NeverThirsty Traditionally, the years following Jesus until the death of the last of the Twelve Apostles is called the Apostolic Age, after the missionary activities of the apostles. There is no indication that Saul was hunting down people like Peter and John, but rather those who were associated with Stephen Philip for example. Jesus Was Forsaken By The Disciples | NeverThirsty If God pours out his Spirit on them (gentiles) when they hear the word preached to them about Jesus, then God is accepting them without having to first be circumcised. They were obedient to Jesus and what he had to say which then caused Saul to continue to persecute them. This verb () is only used here in the New Testament, but in the LXX it had the sense of a violent oppression (1 Chron16:10) or even rape (Judith 9:2, 4 Mac 18:8). In Acts 8:1, the presence of the apostles in Jerusalem is consistent with the narratives in Luke and Acts. God approves and commends him saying, "because you were zealous for my instruction and my statutes your family will enjoy peace " and the judgement is stayed against Israel. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. It just seems that they were trying to hold their ground and they sought violence to shut up the Christians. From ho and hote; the when, i.e. So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone. The courage shown by Stephen, the persecution of the church all, led to gospel of the church. On the contrary, Luke makes it perfectly clear that he realizes that he has omitted to tell us about the foundation and early history of churches in many parts of the world, including Rome itself; and there is no reason to think that he believed them all to owe their origin to the direct initiative of Jerusalem. Note that last sentence, "Jerusalem alone had business enough for them all." According to the Acts of the Apostles (the historical reliability of the Acts of the Apostles is disputed), the Jerusalem church began at Pentecost with some 120 believers, in an "upper room," believed by some to be the . Psalm 38:11 My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore; and my kinsmen stand afar off. A daily devotional about God's power for our battles. Here is what Luke tells us, On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. According to the book of Acts, Saul was a devout Jew and was present at the stoning of Stephen and approved of his death, later on he sets out to arrest and bring Christians to Jerusalem to be punished. Yes, the Father will go with him. He was a Greek-speaking Jew and thus considered a Hellenist (Polhill, 2008, p. 2098). I do not think there is enough reason to factually state that Saul was only ravaging Hellenistic Jewish believers because it would seem as if he would ravage anyone who stood in his way especially when you are so mad you gnash your teeth. It appears that Saul was just leading a crusade against the Christians. Verb - Future Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Plural. Stephen had this strength in knowing that Christ was bigger than anything the high priest was going to throw at him. How do Christians who insist upon keeping the 7th day Sabbath explain Acts 15? It's likely that the priesthood or at least some subsection of the priesthood still maintained this 'zealousness'. The problem with Gentiles is that they brought their gods with them - Deut. apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: There was a window of opportunity in time for the nation of Israel to receive her King and bring in the kingdom that all were expecting. Part of the reason why I believe the disciples scattered and were so afraid was to complete scripture. Because God glorifies all those whom He justifies (Rom. He, she, it, they, them, same. 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 the apostles. I answer, that seeing Christ had commanded them to begin at Jerusalem, they employed themselves there until such time as being brought into some other place by his hand, they might know, for a surety, that he was their guide. But I believe that the main reason that they continued to stay in Jerusalem was because Jesus told them to do so. Here is what Luke tells us. The resurrection of Christ gave His disciples a new and deep understanding of His divinity, glory and power. They preached the word of God, but only to Jews. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Used by permission. 8 Bible Verses about The Church Scattered Most Relevant Verses Acts 8:1-3 Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him 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 the apostles. He did it to save me. The classic twice-daily devotional from Charles H. Spurgeon. Perhaps he did not want Hellenistic Jews to be seen as Jesus followers and so he went out of his way to persecute those who were Hellenistic and followers of Jesus. How could I justify switching phone numbers from decimal to hexadecimal? The disciples will continue this pattern during this time where the symbolic action at the Passover meal now become realized in the scandalous crucifixion of their Lord. Stephen is characterized as a powerful prophetic figure who is filled with the Spirit and thereby performs signs and wonders (Jipp, 2018). This is seen when Saul asked the high priest for letters to capture anyone following the way (Acts 9:1-2). Cherie Mitchell. biblical basis - Why did Jesus ask his disciples to collect the The Bible never shows the twelve going around the world any more than it shows Peter going to Rome. The everyday Christians scattered, and as they scattered, they preached the word wherever they went. To one who dealt with prophecy as St. Matthew dealt with it, much in that chapter that is perplexing to the historical critic would be full of divinest meaning. The only thing I can say is that God is amazing. Are there any MTG cards which test for first strike? Topics: Crucifixion. Wouldn't they have been targets for death as well due to their Messianic belief?" Spread of Christianity - Wikipedia New King James Version The question is this: Will this continue and last or is it more of a passing moment? Our text says, "they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid.". Think about your priorities before you came to Christ. While it is true that a modern, western perspective cannot fathom using violence to encourage others to remain true to their faith, clearly this is not always the case. Since Stephens sermon was a statement of judgment against the leadership of Israel for their resistance to the Holy Spirit. They were also "afraid," frightened . [1] In Greek the expression is sheep of the shepherd rather than sheep of the flock as the NRSV interprets. A devotional to help reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives. I do not know for sure what motivated Saul to target Hellenistic Christians but there are several things that may have played a role. Acts 8:1b-4 - Persecution Scatters the Disciples - Reading Acts Allowing them to do so, would be (in their eyes) a blatant disregard for God's instruction. I think partly the Apostles, through the Holy Spirit, knew they needed to stay in Jerusalem for a bit longer to continue witnessing. It was just so that Stephen was a man that was one of few faces that was leading in a powerful way for the Christ followers. Earlier in the same work, Lampe notes that the churches throughout the world were subject to "supervision" by the church of Jerusalem: In the beginning the Christian Church is the church of Jerusalem. Did John scatter like the rest of the disciples? | Christian Forums Matthew 26: 31-35. The meaning is ultimately the same. As I was reading Acts 8 and this blog, I found it more and more intriguing that the Apostles stayed in Jerusalem, rather than fleeing the persecution of Saul. Jesus asked [his disciples], "Do you finally believe? This is also why Stephen was put to death because of his faith to Jesus and he knew that he was saved and was the reason he did not leave when he was about to be stoned. Acts 2:42They devoted themselves to the apostles teachingand to fellowship, to the breaking of breadand to prayer. Calvin goes on to argue that it was utterly an act of faith to remain there steadfastly in the midst of danger, and that it would be an act of unbelief to flee just because of tribulation: Therefore, seeing they see the gospel so mightily resisted at Jerusalem, they dare go to no other place until such time as they have broken that first huge heap of straits. baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. My hope and prayer is that the post-pandemic moment will create an Acts 8 moment, where the people of God have been shaken up, scattered out, and will preach the word wherever they go. In Acts 8:1-8 the church underwent tremendous persecution. Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Its quite difficult to say for certain if this was his true motivation or not. New American Standard Bible Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. People were getting tortured and killed because of their beliefs and for being a Christian, but they still stayed because they took Jesus final commission very seriously. God uses scattering to plant the seeds for future kingdom expansion. 3But Saulbegan to destroy the church. What denominations practice "laying on of hands" so that new converts may receive the Holy Ghost, and what manifestations are usually expected? ", Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Clarifying the question According to reports, just before Jesus was arrested in Jerusalem and crucified there, he told his 12 apostles that they will scatter like sheep. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. What Jesus Did! We live in challenging times. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. 'You Will Scatter, But I Am Not Abandoned!' John 16:31-32 Thursday, October 20, 2022 Jesus asked [his disciples], "Do you finally believe?