Scattered Abroad

“And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.” Acts 8:1-4

Saul was a Pharisee, and he was zealous in his quest for righteousness. He believed that the followers of Jesus were wrong, and that they were trying to destroy the Jewish religion. He was so convinced that this new sect should be stamped out that he took it upon himself to arrest and punish as many of the believers as possible. Jesus’ disciples scattered in all directions fleeing Saul’s persecution. At first, this must have seemed like a victory for the Pharisees; but for Saul and the other religious leaders, there was an unintended consequence. These believers feared for their lives and fled from Jerusalem, but they were still believers. Everywhere they went, they told everyone they talked to about Jesus. As they related the news of the recent events in Jerusalem, they were sharing the Gospel with people who had not yet heard. They told them about Jesus, about the miracles that He had performed, about His death on the cross, His burial in the tomb, and about His resurrection on the third day. Many were saved because of these believers’ faithfulness.