Acts 13:45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spoke against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
As the people came out in droves to hear Paul preach the Gospel the Jews became jealous and envious. The Gospel was drawing people (mostly Gentiles) to faith in Christ which drew them away from the Law and the Jews were furious.
Luke wrote But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spoke against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. (Acts 13:45) The translators used the word “envy” in this Passage but the Greek word is zelos which means jealousy. There is a difference between jealousy and envy. Envy means to deprive another of what they have. Jealous means to want what another has for yourself.
The Jews were jealous of the drawing power of the Gospel of Christ. They hated Paul, Barnabas, Jesus, and the Gentiles. They did not want the Gentiles to come to Judaism but they did want the power over the people. So, actually, they were both envious and jealous at the same time which resulted in a huge raucous in the city.
From Luke’s description, it sounds like it became a shouting match in the street outside the synagogue. and spoke against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. The high-ranking Jews did all they could to contradict Paul and even to the point of blaspheming him which means that they declared him and Jesus to be of the Devil.
What we see here is exactly what we see in the Church today as ministry leaders clamor to have the largest congregation and the biggest building. They all want what the other one has and they do everything they can to draw people to their church. They install fog machines and strobe lights to entice people to come. Once the people are there, they give them everything except the Truth of the Gospel of Christ.
Just like the religious leaders in Biblical times, these people are seeking power, position, and prosperity. Today we call this nickels, noses, and numbers. In actuality, it’s money, money, and more money because it takes money to build a personal empire and that is really what they are attempting to build under the guise of being a “church.”
God wants His people to prosper but we are not to take up the ways of the world to get there. Jesus made that perfectly clear when He said, Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33) When the motivation of our heart is correct and we are seeking to build the Kingdom of God, He will provide what we need. Once again, it all comes back to having faith in Christ and Him Crucified. What does Jesus going to the Cross have to do with God providing for us? Hold on. We will discuss that tomorrow.
For today, keep your faith in Jesus because………...
only He can……….turn the tide………..in this world.
Eyes on Jesus, Doreen
www.bettsministries.org
