Just People

Acts 9:1-9 "Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem."

Sometimes I place the people in the Bible on a pedestal. But these verses remind me of just how human, how real these events were. I love, first of all, the idea that Saul was "breathing out murderous threats." This was what was giving him purpose. It was a constant mode of operation, it was natural to him. Every second of everyday. This passage also reflects the political situation for the Jews. He went to the high priest, who gave him permission to persecute believers, despite the recommendations of his teacher, a very respected member of the spiritual elite, Gamaliel, who had argued that God was in control, and if Jesus was from God they could do nothing about him and if he wasn't the movement would die. The Jewish leaders were scared. They were mad. They were on a mission, not only to protect their faith, but also to protect themselves from the Romans. Finally, "any there that belonged to the Way." The Way might as well be HCBCUT, Craft Group, the Subalterns, a group of people with a common goal, a common passion, working together, connected to one another, friends and family.