This episode begins with the aftermath of Stephen's death. It is a major disruption in this new movement. Internally, Peter gets blamed for Stephen's death, and then we observe the ritual of Stephen's burial.
What stood out in this episode was how Caiaphas' position is being challenged. Will he be controlled by Rome? Will he remain as high priest? The feeling is that these followers of Jesus must be dealt with in some way (the tent city of his followers is growing on the outskirts) and for the high priest pressure is mounting to rid Jerusalem of these new converts. We also see the conflict between Caiaphas and his father-in-law, Annas. The pressure is for the son-in-law to step down from his position. We capture more of how the post-resurrection experience must be faced by the Jews and Rome.
We also observe Peter's leadership with the group. He proclaims to Jesus' followers: "You are his church....Go to Jerusalem and build his church." As followers of Jesus, they cannot flee from carrying on the Lord's work. Interestingly, this emphasis comes out in the Gospel Reading for Sunday's worship on May 17. Jesus is praying for his disciples, not that they would be taken out of the world, but that they would be protected - and especially that they would be protected from the evil one. John 17:15
And finally, we observe how Saul (later called Paul) comes on the scene and wants to eliminate this movement. We see him getting a document which is sealed to enable him to go against Jesus' followers. In Scripture we have "But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus so that if he found any belonging to the way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem." Acts 9:1-2 Saul is ready for all out warfare and enlists his cohorts with weapons.
So I would ask you again to consider the questions below and you may post your comment.
You can view the NBC page here for previous episodes.
1. What caught your attention in how Pilate, Caiaphas, and the disciples are portrayed?
2. What do you make of Peter's witness and power after the resurrection?
3. From this series, what would it be like being a post-resurrection disciple?
4. Do you see value in television doing a series like this?
What stood out in this episode was how Caiaphas' position is being challenged. Will he be controlled by Rome? Will he remain as high priest? The feeling is that these followers of Jesus must be dealt with in some way (the tent city of his followers is growing on the outskirts) and for the high priest pressure is mounting to rid Jerusalem of these new converts. We also see the conflict between Caiaphas and his father-in-law, Annas. The pressure is for the son-in-law to step down from his position. We capture more of how the post-resurrection experience must be faced by the Jews and Rome.
We also observe Peter's leadership with the group. He proclaims to Jesus' followers: "You are his church....Go to Jerusalem and build his church." As followers of Jesus, they cannot flee from carrying on the Lord's work. Interestingly, this emphasis comes out in the Gospel Reading for Sunday's worship on May 17. Jesus is praying for his disciples, not that they would be taken out of the world, but that they would be protected - and especially that they would be protected from the evil one. John 17:15
And finally, we observe how Saul (later called Paul) comes on the scene and wants to eliminate this movement. We see him getting a document which is sealed to enable him to go against Jesus' followers. In Scripture we have "But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus so that if he found any belonging to the way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem." Acts 9:1-2 Saul is ready for all out warfare and enlists his cohorts with weapons.
So I would ask you again to consider the questions below and you may post your comment.
You can view the NBC page here for previous episodes.
1. What caught your attention in how Pilate, Caiaphas, and the disciples are portrayed?
2. What do you make of Peter's witness and power after the resurrection?
3. From this series, what would it be like being a post-resurrection disciple?
4. Do you see value in television doing a series like this?
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