by Dennis Gladden, By Green Pastures, ©2026
(Apr. 22, 2026) — The people of God have been a thorn from the beginning.
It started with Abel.
Abel worshiped God the right way, and Cain hated him.
Later, the Hebrew immigrants in Egypt stressed Pharaoh, so he shackled them with hard labor.
The prophets distressed the kings of Israel, who threatened them and sometimes killed them.
And then, there was Jesus.
- As a 12-year-old, Jesus slipped into the temple in Jerusalem and disputed with the scholars like a master teacher.
- Upon His first sermon, neighbors marveled at how graciously He spoke and asked, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”Minutes later, they rushed to throw Him off a cliff.
- Angry like the prophets of old, Jesus stormed through the temple, upending tables, unleashing animals on sale for sacrifice, and lashing a whip.
The scribes and Pharisees demanded an answer. “By what authority do you do these things?”
Boldness astounds the opposition
They had the same question weeks later for Jesus’ disciples.
Jesus was gone, but Peter and John continued His work. Heading into the temple at prayer time, they were stopped by a crippled beggar and gave him more than the coins he expected.
“Rise up and walk,” they commanded.
He walked, and Peter preached another sermon (Acts 3:14–15).
Peter and John were fishermen, unlearned laborers from the backwash of Galilee. Yet they ably quoted scripture. They were brazen.
“What shall we do to these men?” the Sadducees and the high priest wondered.
The disciples perplexed them and continued to “speak the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31).
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