{"id":60376,"date":"2025-10-20T12:16:22","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T09:16:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/?p=60376"},"modified":"2025-10-26T14:16:00","modified_gmt":"2025-10-26T11:16:00","slug":"60376","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2025\/10\/20\/60376\/","title":{"rendered":"How Did Evil Spirits Torment People? (Acts 5:16)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Answer: Let us return to the Scriptures\u2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Acts 5:16<\/strong> \u2013<\/p>\n

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\u201cCrowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In the Bible, the word \u201cto be offended\u201d<\/strong> or \u201cto be vexed\u201d<\/strong> (in Swahili, kuudhiwa<\/em> or kuudhi<\/em>) carries more than one meaning.<\/p>\n

1. \u201cTo Be Offended\u201d \u2014 A Feeling of Displeasure or Anger<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The first meaning is the emotional sense of being displeased, angered, or provoked \u2014 a reaction of indignation toward wrongdoing or injustice.
A good example of this is found in the account of Saul\u2019s persecution of the Church<\/strong> and his encounter with the risen Lord.<\/p>\n

Acts 9:3\u20136<\/strong> \u2013<\/p>\n

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\u201cAs he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, \u2018Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?\u2019<\/em>
\u2018Who are you, Lord?\u2019 Saul asked.
\u2018I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,\u2019 He replied.
\u2018Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Here we see that Saul\u2019s violent acts against believers were a direct offense against the Lord Himself.<\/strong>
Christ identifies Himself with His Church \u2014 meaning, to harm His followers is to harm Him (cf. Matthew 25:40<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Similarly, the Jews were said to have \u201coffended\u201d or \u201cpersecuted\u201d<\/strong> Jesus because He healed on the Sabbath \u2014 acts that exposed their hardness of heart.<\/p>\n

John 5:14\u201317<\/strong> \u2013<\/p>\n

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\u201cLater Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, \u2018See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.\u2019
The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.
So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute Him.
In His defense Jesus said to them, \u2018My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too am working.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

2. \u201cTo Be Tormented\u201d \u2014 The Sense of Suffering or Affliction<\/strong><\/h3>\n

However, not every occurrence of \u201cto offend\u201d or \u201cto be vexed\u201d in Scripture means emotional displeasure.
In some contexts, it means to be afflicted, tormented, or oppressed<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In Acts 5:16<\/strong>, the word \u201ctormented\u201d (translated from the Greek ochle\u014d<\/em>, meaning to trouble, harass, or oppress<\/em>) refers to those suffering under the bondage of evil spirits.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u201cCrowds gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits<\/strong>, and all of them were healed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Thus, in this passage, to be vexed<\/em> means to be oppressed or tormented by demonic forces.<\/strong>
Christ\u2019s power, working through the apostles, liberated those oppressed by Satan<\/strong>, fulfilling what Jesus Himself had declared in Luke 4:18<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
because He has anointed Me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A similar expression is found in Revelation 12:13<\/strong>, where Satan, symbolized as the dragon, \u201cpersecutes\u201d<\/strong> the woman (a symbol of God\u2019s people):<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhen the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Here again, to persecute<\/em> or to vex<\/em> signifies to inflict suffering and persecution.<\/strong><\/p>\n

3. The Blessedness of Being Persecuted for Righteousness\u2019 Sake<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Finally, in Matthew 5:10\u201312<\/strong>, Jesus uses the same concept of being persecuted or vexed<\/em> \u2014 but this time, as a mark of blessedness<\/strong> for His followers:<\/p>\n

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\u201cBlessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you,
and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven,
for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Conclusion and Reflection<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Ask yourself:<\/p>\n

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Are you being afflicted or persecuted for righteousness\u2019 sake<\/strong>, or for wrongdoing<\/strong>?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

If your suffering is for Christ<\/strong>, then take heart \u2014 your reward is great in heaven<\/strong> (1 Peter 4:13\u201314<\/em>).
But if your afflictions are the result of sin or disobedience<\/strong>, repent today, and receive Jesus Christ, who alone can deliver you from every torment and bring you into His peace.<\/p>\n

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\u201cCome to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.\u201d
\u2014 Matthew 11:28<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

May the Lord bless you richly.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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