One of the great cartoons that played when I was a child was the Roadrunner. In that cartoon, the star was a bird that simply zoomed around living a carefree life. His arch enemy was a coyote named Wile E Coyote. Coyote made his life purpose to destroy the roadrunner. In each episode, the coyote would develop elaborate schemes to catch and destroy the roadrunner. No matter how well planned, how elaborate, the schemes always backfired and blew up the coyote instead. It was a funny cartoon. It is also very similar to the life of the religious leaders.
Like the coyote, the leaders always set out to destroy Christ and His followers. They really thought they had won at the cross; but, like coyote, their scheme not only did not destroy Jesus, but it completed the plan and established the church as a movement to change the world. Now the leaders were out to stop the spread of the gospel. Realizing that the church had already grown into the thousands of followers, the leaders, like Coyote, would seek any opportunity to discredit or destroy the young church.
Peter healed a man lame from birth. The man was grateful, the crowds were amazed, and Peter was glad to tell the crowd about Jesus the source of the healing. Now the leaders were going to turn the amazing, wonderful event into a criminal investigation. What? How could they even imagine a scenario? Still, they arrested Peter and John and were going to try them for…for…well there you go, for doing great things. The old coyote at it again.
We must remember what Peter said in His letter to the church–Satan roams like a roaring lion, seeking whom he can devour. I peter 5:8. Both then and now, the enemy, like the coyote, is always looking for the right trap or excuse to devour God’s chosen. We must remain aware and prepared to face the attacks. We do that by putting on the full armor of God and facing the attacks–wielding the sword of the spirit–God’s Word and praying. If we will trust and follow the Lord, then Satan, like the old coyote, will be defeated every time.
God Bless You
And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.
5 On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus[a] is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.[b] 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men[c] by which we must be saved.”
Walking With God 