Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter
April 21, 2021
Daily Reading from the USCCB: Acts 8:1b-8
After the martyrdom of Stephen a persecution broke out in Jerusalem. It was not a full scale persecution, but seems to have been aimed mainly at people like Stephen and other Greek-speaking members of the Jerusalem Christian community.
The result of this persecution was at least twofold. First it conferred legitimacy and prominence and power on Saul, a zealous Jew who was violently opposed to the followers of Jesus. Saul would later come into the Christian community and play a significant role in the early Church.
The persecution also drove many believers out of Jerusalem into the countryside of Judea and Samaria–widening the gospel’s sphere of influence beyond Jerusalem. The persecution had outcomes different than anybody could expect. God often works in surprises.
