Luke’s story of the birth and growth of the early church is a factual account of the very real warfare between the founding and growth of the church and the deadly opposition of religion and government. He told the story in honest detail as it happened. Some of the followers of Jesus prospered while others suffered…even to losing their lives.
Two of Jesus disciples, Peter and James, got caught in the crosshairs of Jewish prejudice and Gentile hatred but…essentially…they did not break the law. The bottom line was their allegiance to Jesus as Lord that tipped the scales against them. Luke gives the details in simple language.
Jewish prejudice…
“And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria…Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.”
Acts 8:1, 4 NIV
Saul was a prominent religious figure who supported the Jewish authority…the Sanhedrin… who did his level best to stamp out the infant church. The killing of Stephen was a step forward in his campaign. His problem was that, like an oil fire which spreads when sprayed with water, persecution didn’t stop the spread of the church. It fuelled it!
Gentile hatred…
The campaign against the church had an ally in King Herod, whose strategy was to attack the leaders. James was arrested and summarily executed. Peter was next!
Let’s stop there. Why did Jesus, Lord of the church, not intervene to save James? Why did He allow James to die…but rescued Peter? Was it because the church didn’t pray for James in time to save him? Peter had a miraculous escape from a maximum security jail when the church prayed!
There is a powerful, unspoken detail in this story that we must take into account…the sovereignty of God. We can never speak for God if He has not spoken for Himself. We can speculate but, in the end, only God knows the inner workings of His perfect will.
What we can say, in answer to a puzzle like this one, is that death, for any believer is not the end but only the doorway into eternal bliss. Sometimes, the Father considers the premature death of one of His saints not a tragedy, but a seed…and necessary for the growth of His kingdom throughout the earth.
Jesus viewed His own death as the planting of a seed.
“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”
John 12:24 NIV
For the Father, James’ work was done. He took His son home…violently, perhaps, but suddenly and quickly.
For Peter, on the other hand, there was still work to do, suffering to endure, and a death to die that would glorify Jesus in the dying. Jesus had already indicated, in His encounter with Peter on the beach, that unnatural death awaited him at the end of his journey.
“Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”
John 21:18 NIV
…no detail… just a preview and preparation.
Even Tertullian, one of the early church fathers, recognised this truth in the midst of severe persecution.
“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church” is a famous, liberal translation of a statement written by the second-century Christian apologist Tertullian around A.D. 197.” (Google AI)
it is not our place to question what God allows. What Jesus said to Peter applies to us as well.
“Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.””
John 21:20-22 NIV
God is never obliged to answer any of our many “why’s?”, about ourselves or anyone else. Those are secrets God holds within Himself. Our response must be “what?” “What do you want me to know…to do?”
In the end, what God does with each of His precious saints is none of our business. Far more important is what we do with our own. Jesus’ simple instruction to each one of us is…”You must follow me.”