And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. – Acts 8:1

Today's Scripture Reading (January 19, 2021): Acts 8

In “Julian,” Gore Vidal wrote that “On the throne of the world, any delusion can become fact.” The novel is a fictionalized account of Julian the Apostate, building on Julian’s rejection of Christianity, then the dominating religion in the Roman Empire, and his acceptance of other faiths. The book is remembered for its scathing review of the Christian Church.

But the delusion that becomes fact is not just a truth concerning religion. It is a practice that has been repeated throughout history. It is as if people believe that if they can recite any idea often enough, that idea can be made into reality. And, often, they are right. Truth can sometimes be nothing more than a lie that is often repeated, whether we are talking about politicians, teachers, or even just the little lies that we keep telling ourselves to justify our own actions. People sometimes wonder why people in power keep telling a lie long after the fact-checkers have proven that the story is incorrect. And the answer is that they keep telling the lie because they know this reality. Fact-checkers have some influence, but not enough. Keep telling the lie, and eventually, people might accept the falsehood as truth.

Luke reports that “Saul approved” of the murder of Stephen. But the language is weaker than the story deserves. Saul was enthusiastic in his support of the execution of Stephen. He was like a cheerleader on the sideline of the big game. Saul actively encouraged everything that was going on. In the end, he actively kept the lie alive; about Stephen and the Christian Church. Anything that was possibly negative, Saul would advertise. Through the false stories that he would tell, he kept the story going, and the emotions of the Jews were kept high against the Christians. Not only was Saul enthusiastic, but his cheering also made the people enthusiastic as well.

As a result, a great persecution broke out against the Christian Church. The persecution of the Christians in Judea was so great that the Christians in the area were forced to pack up their lives and leave, scattering them all over the known world just to keep themselves safe. The lies that Saul had been enthusiastically telling were now the facts of the land, and because the delusion had become the truth, it was dangerous to be a Christian in Judea.

But the Christians' scattering in this great persecution began a process that later Saul, now known as Paul, would take advantage of in later days. The dispersion of Christians also dispersed the belief in “Jesus the Resurrected” throughout the known world. And that belief would one day be fanned into a flame of truth through the enthusiastic teachings of “Paul the Apostle,” a man once known as “Saul the Persecutor.”

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Acts 9