It’s interesting that the Sadducees, the same ones who put Jesus to death, were also the force behind much of the persecution in the early Church, including the death of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, and probably the death of James, who lost his life by the sword at the hand of Herod Agrippa and was the first of the twelve apostles to be martyred for the faith. Feeling empowered by their successful attempts to rid the world of these early church leaders, this political religious class of Jews, which held that there was no supernatural world, set their sights on Peter and John, who would not stop preaching, teaching, and being Jesus to those around them, no matter how scared they were. Because of their relentless pursuit of the Savior, the Sadduccees were constantly forced to witness acts of spiritual power — miracles, healings, changed lives, and a host of other things that pointed to the fact that their view of the world was wrong. They were continually confronted with the truth that the Lord did act supernaturally and do things that were beyond their ability to command. However, instead of acknowledging what they witnessed, they continued pursuing their contrived view of a God who served them, and they lived by the rules of a religion that they controlled. In short, they were extremely jealous and uncomfortable and they wanted to keep doing it their way. 

My friend, don’t let the fear of something you don’t understand keep you from embracing it as true. There are elements in your walk with God that will always be beyond your ability to explain and certainly beyond your ability to control. Rather than running from those things and protecting a religion that puts Jesus in a box, choose to accept that He is far greater than your own comprehension. Closed minds and hearts always result in misery for those denying and persecution for those holding a contrary view. Let go of your need to explain everything you see, and your relationship with God will soar to heights you could never reach through the power of your own intellect!