There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem, and all were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria. You can imagine that first generation of Christians thinking, “Oh no. Persecution. This is terrible.” However, as the story unfolds it was the persecution that occasioned the initial growth of the Church, rippling out from Jerusalem into Samaria. God used what was a terrible thing to some good end. Of course, that pattern reflects the cross — God used the horror of Calvary for our salvation. In our lives we have terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days. Grief, loneliness, depression, sorrow are woven into human existence. The Bible wants us to understand that such things do not get the last word, that God can use everything, even negative things, for some good end. When we are going through it we can feel like Jesus on the cross — “My God, why have you abandoned me.” But if we, like Jesus on the cross, can say “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” we will find God transforming the baneful into the blessed.
