The Book of Acts Chapter 4
Originally posted Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Acts Chapter 4:1-22 Peter
and John before the Sanhedrin
Jesus
had warned his disciples that they should expect to be persecuted because of
the content of their preaching, especially when the words drew attention
to sensitive religious issues. Jesus had also assured them that in such
circumstances they could rely upon the Holy Spirit for guidance. In the
first two examples of Peter's sermons Jesus' resurrection was emphasized as the
central witness to God's validation of Jesus as Lord and Messiah (2:36). When Peter finished
his sermon in the Court of the Women, he and John remained to speak
to the people. The events of Pentecost and the excitement of the crowds that
were gathering in the Temple precincts had drawn the attention of a
number of religious leaders. A group of Scribes and Sadducees accompanied by
the Captain of the Temple Police confronted Peter and John. Their concern had
little to do with Peter talking about Jesus as Messiah. It was this issue of
resurrection that annoyed them. The Sadducees were a religious party
and members of wealthy priestly families. They did not accept the
Pharisees' and popular belief in the resurrection because it could not be found
in the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament. It was a false hope
held out to the unclean "people of the land" who were incapable
of following the priestly code of holiness. To proclaim such a doctrine could
be dangerous, particularly because it was being offered to those who believed
in Jesus, the one they had thought had been effectively silenced. The idea of a
Galilean peasant offering religious solace on behalf of God apart from the
Temple was intolerable. The Captain arrested Peter and John but not before many
of the people who had heard Peter's sermon believed.
The
next morning Peter and John were brought before an official session of the
Sanhedrin, consisting of the rulers, elders, scribes and members of Annas'
high priestly family. Such a collection of religious and civic authority is a
testimony to how threatening this new Jesus movement was. Standing with the
Apostles was the once lame beggar who had been healed at the Beautiful
Gate. The authorities' only question had nothing to do with
resurrection. Their concern centered on the man who had been healed. How was he
healed? What was the Apostles' source of power to perform such
a sign? In whose name did they heal him? Peter's response was brief
and direct. This good deed of making a lame man whole was not done
by any power they held but in and by the name of Jesus Christ the
Nazorean, the same one they had
crucified and whom God had raised from the dead. The stone they had rejected
has become the cornerstone of the Kingdom and only by his name will anyone
enter that Kingdom.
The
Council had been silenced. Before them were two unlettered Galilean fishermen,
followers of a Nazorean carpenter, speaking with a boldness that was without
fear of consequences. There was also this man who had been lame for more than
forty years. He had been healed and the people were praising God because
of it. The reality of such a "notable sign" could not be
brushed aside or denied. The healing had been seen by too many
and word of it would spread throughout the city making any punishment difficult
if not dangerous to public order. All they could do was to dismiss them
and order them not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus.
The
imperative nature of the Apostles' mission would not be silenced by
the warnings of mere human voices. It was God's voice through the Holy Spirit
to which they must listen. They could do nothing other than to give
faithful witness to what they had seen and heard. With this the authorities,
seeing no other possible options, released Peter and John.
Acts Chapter 4:23-31 A
Prayer for Boldness
The
example of Peter's and John's courage and determination was a cause for
rejoicing when they returned to their friends (other Apostles). In a prayer of
thanksgiving they acknowledged the Apostles' boldness in the face of
threats from powerful forces arrayed against them and petitioned God that such
boldness would continue within all of them as they continued to teach and
heal in Jesus' name. These same forces and more that had sought to
silence Peter and John had arisen against Jesus (Ps. 2:1-2) but their worst could not overcome God's intent.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
In vs. 28 Luke introduces the early
belief that everything that happened to Jesus including his suffering and death
on the cross was predestined and carried out by the Jewish and Gentile
authorities according to God's will. The use of the term here is not to be
confused with the predestination of Calvinism, a doctrine rejected by John
Wesley, which regards a person's salvation as predetermined by God's
irresistible grace and not the subject of one's free will. With regard to
the ancient view of God's involvement in history, it was understood that many
events occurred either within the will of God or directly caused by
God. We have read examples of this later idea in the stories of
the man born blind and the death of Lazarus, both seen as opportunities
for God's glory to be seen through Jesus. Considering the death of
Jesus, the ancient mind typically saw God's hand in events as
they reflected on the event after the fact, finding no other reasonable
explanation than God's predetermined plan. In this way the human mind could
make some sense of tragedy. How then should we think of Jesus' death? Was it
avoidable? Certainly! That is the meaning of Gethsemane. Jesus could have fled.
He was, after all, a man of free will, not a puppet to be manipulated. Did he
accept the inevitability of the cross were he to stay and continue to challenge
the corruption of the Temple (as a den of thieves) offering hope to the
hopeless of a Kingdom prepared for them by God apart from the
sanction of the Temple? Certainly! So, were the events of Jerusalem in 30
CE predestined? Certainly! Insofar as Jesus refused to be intimidated by
civil and religious power; insofar as Jesus would not cease speaking truth
to power and to the people of no power; insofar as the Kingdom
he preached was in opposition to every other Kingdom of the world, he was
predestined to die. Whether it is Jesus, Mahatma Gandhi or Martin Luther King,
Jr., those who abide by the human impetrative to love one's
neighbor as oneself, to labor on behalf of peace and human dignity for
all, will almost inevitably find themselves at odds with a culture, government
or religious institution which would rather see to its own needs than the needs
of the needful.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Acts Chapter 4:32-37 A
Sharing Community
Luke
provides an idyllic image of the Jerusalem community. Those of us who are
children of the 1960s can imagine a large commune, or perhaps an Israeli
kibbutz. The efforts of all were for the benefit of all. The needs of the
needy were met. The sick were cared for. Property was held in common. Indeed
all resources were considered to be God's and available for God's purposes. In
an ideal sense we would say these Jewish Christians had found a way to
implement Jesus' commandment to love one another, and to love one's neighbor as
one's self. The examples provided by Luke are not of those who sold everything
and devoted themselves to street corner preaching. This was the principle of
simplicity, of living within one's needs not one's means. That which was
superfluous was available for the work of the Apostles and the needs of those
who had less than enough. There was no grasping (not yet) or holding on to the
unnecessary as if it were a sign of one's importance. Status, community
standing and being honored in polite society were not characteristics
of those committed to this humble community devoted to the humble Lord, Jesus
of Nazareth. Luke does not present this scene as an imperative for all to
follow to the letter, but he does provide an example of what is possible
in any community of believers whose world view is larger than its own self
interests.
No comments:
Post a Comment