(Audio version; Music: "Lord I'm Ready Now" by: Plumb and "To Know Your Name" by: Hillsong--WorshipMob)
Introduction
The Bible
is clear that God has established all governing authorities for the purpose of
maintaining an orderly society. And we are to submit to those governing
authorities precisely because they have been established by God for our good.
But what happens if government officials, whether elected by the people or
appointed by those who have been elected by the people, or self-appointed, or
rule based on family lineage, or come to power in some other fashion, mandate
obedience to something that is clearly contrary to God’s revealed word? We’d
all like to think we would easily draw a line in the sand and be able to say,
‘this far and no farther.’ But it’s not always so easy. Especially when
standing up for what is right and true according to God’s instruction could
cost us something—like our money, our position, our reputation, our freedom, or
even our lives. A course of action that is obviously ungodly in retrospect is not
always easily distinguished as ungodly in the moment, especially when we are
the beneficiaries of the action. Let me use Hitler to illustrate my point. Knowing
what you do about Hitler, would you ever believe he could do anything that
benefited those he governed? Could you ever see yourself as being one of his
supporters? In retrospect, there is no way you would ever show any loyalty to
that evil man. So how was he able to exterminate millions of Jews and others he
decided were unworthy to participate in his plan of world domination with the
loyal support of thousands while thousands more simply stood by and watched?
Here’s how:
·
When Hitler began his reign as Chancellor of
Germany, Germans were unemployed, had no money and were starving to death. A
truckload of German March banknotes wouldn’t buy a loaf of bread. Many Germans
lived in shacks because international banks foreclosed on their homes. Hitler
cut ties with the international banking community and issued its own currency
known as German Reich-Marchs, which was debt free and free from the influence
of the international banking community. Within two years the German economy was
thriving.
·
After setting up the public banking system,
Hitler began building and rebuilding roads, bridges, canals, port facilities
and making desperately needed repairs to public and private buildings. The
magnitude of the work resulted in the virtual elimination of unemployment in a
period of two years.
·
Hitler improved the standard of living equally
for all Germans. There were 134,000 theater events for 32 million people from
1933-1938. 2 million people went on cruises and 11 million people went on
theater trips. There was a 5-day work week for all citizens. All citizens had
access to free public health as well as cafeterias, rest areas, dressing rooms,
playing fields and swimming pools at all large factories.
·
By giving jobs to criminals and social outcasts,
Hitler virtually eliminated major crime. Add to that his demand that all
citizens disarm and citizens lived with a somewhat real, though largely
perceived, sense of security.
·
Finally, Hitler insisted that all Germans share
the same standard of living. Germany boasted one of the largest public welfare
programs in history. Their slogan was, “None shall starve or freeze.” In fact,
high-ranking Nazis and some citizens took to the streets to take up collections
for those who were lest fortunate and those who didn’t give had their names
published as a form of public shaming.
Germans had it made. They were
safe, had jobs, money, homes, free healthcare, and didn’t have to worry that
their neighbor may have significantly more than they did. Who could possibly
find any fault with this man? I can think of a few million people actually, if
they had a voice.
When we
hear the word “Nazi,” most of us think about the atrocities of the Holocaust
where more than six million Jews were exterminated in an attempt by Hitler to
wipe out Judaism. However, Freya Petersen, in an article for the Global Post reveals that researchers for
the US Holocaust Memorial Museum have catalogued more than 42,500 ghettos and
labor camps operated by Hitler’s regime. I can attest to this because my mother
and her family, who were Catholic Christians, were interned in one of those
camps as she fled from her birthplace of Romania ahead of the communist
invasion advancing from the North. Many non-Jews, many of whom were Christians,
died from disease and hunger in these lesser-known camps including one of my
mother’s younger siblings. Some of these camps were known as killing centers
where pregnant mothers were forced to have abortions and new-born babies were
killed. Although the six million Jews who were exterminated is not in any way
in dispute, researchers are finding that Nazism is responsible for as many as
twenty million deaths from Russia to France.[1]
Two very
different pictures of the same man. Unfortunately except for the members of the
underground Church. Christians were largely silent in confronting Hitler’s
atrocities. They, like the rest of the German population, benefited from
Hitler’s governance and either didn’t want to rock the boat or were afraid of
what might happen if they did. They too went from lives of need to lives plenty
and had to decide it they wanted to possibly go back to the way things were
before Hitler came into power by speaking out against his atrocities. There is
no way that God would every condone the behavior of Hitler’s governance and
even though we are called to submit to those in authority over us, God would
never require us to submit to the authority of evil governance. We are always
first required to obey God before we are called to obey human authorities and
that is precisely When Obedience Is Hard.
Subject Text
Acts 4:1-12
1The
priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter
and John while they were speaking to the people. 2They were greatly
disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in
Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 3They seized Peter and John, and
because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. 4But
many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five
thousand. 5The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law
met in Jerusalem. 6Annas the high priest was there, and so were
Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest’s family. 7They
had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what
power or what name did you do this?” 8Then Peter, filled with the
Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9If we
are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and
are asked how he was healed, 10then know this, you and all the
people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you
crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you
healed. 11He is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become
the capstone.’ 12Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no
other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
Context
Ironically,
these events stemmed from the actions of Peter and John’s obedience and
kindness in the previous chapter when they encountered a man who was crippled
from birth. The man was being carried, either by friends or family, to the
primary gate leading to the temple called the Beautiful Gate. This is the gate
through which temple worshipers entered. Placing the crippled man there gave
him access to people who were already coming to the temple to worship and give
their offerings to God. All he was looking to do was siphon off some of those
offerings for himself. This is where Peter and John encounter the crippled man.
They had been preaching the message of Jesus Christ; calling the Jews to repent
and be baptized in the name of Jesus. Peter and John were being obedient to
Jesus’ commission to go out and make disciples and to baptize them. And they
witnessed around 3,000 people come to faith because of their witness! Now they
were making their way to the temple along with the other worshipers when the
crippled man stopped them and begged for a contribution. But Peter gave him
something far better than silver or gold, which they didn’t have anyway.
Instead, Peter healed the man so he would never have to beg again. It says he
jumped to his feet and went with them into the temple courts walking, jumping
and praising God. And the people, who recognized the man as the one who was
previously crippled and begging at the temple gate, were filled with wonder and
amazement. Jesus promised that the disciples would do exactly what Peter and
John did—they would perform even greater works than He did (Jn 14:12). Thousands
of people came to faith and many more witnessed the miraculous wonders of
Jesus’ healing power through the words of Peter. This was truly a day for
celebration and praise. But these events were also at the root of the encounter
between Peter and John and the religious rulers of Jerusalem described in our Subject Text.
Text Analysis
1The
priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter
and John while they were speaking to the people. 2They were greatly
disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in
Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 3They seized Peter and John, and
because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day.
Keep in
mind that the events of vv. 1-3
didn’t occur years after the religious leaders had Jesus crucified. This
happened just a few months after Jesus was put to death—maybe even less than
two months after He was put to death. Let me just give you a quick timeline:
Jesus was crucified at Passover time. He ascended 40-days after His
resurrection. That’s now 43 days after He was crucified. Pentecost, the arrival
of the Holy Spirit, came 10-days later. That’s now 53-days after Jesus was
crucified. It appears from the text that this is when Peter preached to the
crowds in Jerusalem in the chapter before our Subject Text. It appears that the events of our Subject Text took part less than
60-days after Jesus’ crucifixion. Why is this important? Because the frenzy
surrounding the events of Jesus’ death were only magnified by the reports of
His resurrection. And this is precisely the hornet’s nest that Peter and John
purposely walked into.
The
religious leaders and their entourage weren’t about to let this whole
“Jesus-thing” pick up steam again. They were concerned when the people started
following Jesus and their power and influence over the people began to slip
away. So they had Him killed. Now this! And they could see their power and
influence over the people slipping away again. They had to put a stop to it so
Peter and John were arrested and were put in jail.
“These authorities were the
priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees. Their presence signals to
the listener that the issue of power and authority is about to be raised. In
short, we see here the beginnings of a power struggle for the hearts of the
Jewish people. All three of these mentioned authority groups had close
connections with the temple and had a vested interest in what went on in its
precincts. In that regard this confrontation is historically quite believable.
The captain of the temple is in all likelihood the sagan ha-kohanim [Heb. Deputy High Priest and the next in line to
be High Priest] whose job was the oversight of the whole body of priests and
the activities that transpired in the temple area. He was also the chief of the
policing forces for the temple…The Sadducees were, in general, the landed lay
aristocracy who lived in and around Jerusalem and who probably dominated the
Jewish power structure in the Holy City at this time…They were related to the
leading priestly families in any case, and we must assume that these priests
held views very close to if not identical with the Sadducees on a host of
subjects, including apparently the problematic nature of early Jewish Christian
actions and preaching…These authorities are annoyed because Peter was teaching
the people and proclaiming ‘in Jesus the resurrection from the (realm of) the
dead (ones)…Such a proclamation was bound to irritate the Sadducees, who seem
to have not believed in the concept of the resurrection at all and certainly
would not have entertained the notion of a resurrected Messiah…The verb diaponoumenoi [translated from the Greek
in the NIV as greatly disturbed] expresses the idea of complete exasperation,
and so it is not surprising that we are told in v. 3 that Peter and John,
without further ado, are simply arrested for what they are doing…It was
apparently too late to deal with the apostles on this day, it being already
evening, and so they are held [in jail].”[2]
4But many who heard the message
believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.
Have you
ever seen what happens when you pour gasoline on a smoldering flame? It roars
to life with a ferocity that can perhaps be even greater than the original
fire. Ironically, the religious leaders didn’t put out the fire that was lit by
Jesus—they poured gasoline on that fire. The more the religious leaders wanted
to shut people up from testifying about Jesus, the more people wanted to hear
about Jesus. V. 4 tells us that the
number of people in Jerusalem who put their faith in Jesus grew to about 5,000
men. Before you get offended that only men were being saved, relax. It was
simply customary at the time to account for the men. Remember when Jesus fed
the 5,000 men? That count didn’t include the women and children even though the
text acknowledges that they were present (Mt 14:21). It is safe to say that
many of the wives and children came to faith alongside their husbands and
fathers. The 5,000 men may have been nearly 15,000 men women and children even
though the text doesn’t say that. I’d say that the religious leaders did
anything but put the fire out that was lit by Jesus. Instead, putting Jesus to
death only poured gasoline on the fire when Jesus rose from the dead. Think
about that—in less than two months, knowing how much the religious leaders
hated Jesus, followers of Jesus grew to possibly as many as 15,000.
“The Jewish
religious leaders were able to arrest (at least for one night) Christ’s
messengers; they could not, however, stop the spread of Christ’s message. The
miraculous healing of the crippled man in such a visible place, combined with
the powerful preaching of the apostles, sent spiritual shock waves through
Jerusalem. This brought the total number of believers to about five thousand
not including women and children…Estimates of Jerusalem’s population at this
time ranged from twenty-five thousand to eighty-five thousand. [The first
century Jewish historian] Josephus recorded that there were a total of six
thousand Pharisees in Palestine. Thus, a total of five thousand Jewish
Christian men (not counting women and children) was a very high percentage of
the population!”[3] That, my
friends, is what is known as an out-of-control inferno.
5The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met
in Jerusalem. 6Annas the high priest was there, and so were
Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest’s family. 7They
had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what
power or what name did you do this?”
We get a
sense for just how serious this matter is when we learn in vv. 5-7 that the next day Peter and John are brought before the
heads of the religious ruling class. The High Priest didn’t send some of his
religious flunkies to deal with Peter and John. Instead, Annas the High Priest
and his high-ranking entourage planned to deal with this personally. So John
and Peter were brought before them for questioning. In reference to healing the
crippled man, the religious leaders ask John and Peter by what power; by whose
authority; by whose name were they able to perform the miraculous healing. Now
I’m not an attorney nor do I play one on TV, but the general rule for trial
attorneys who cross-examine witnesses is that they should never ask questions
to which they don’t already know the answers. I can’t imagine they didn’t know
the answer to their questions because they managed to give Peter an open
invitation and the stage to again preach the message of Jesus Christ. If you
recall, the religious leaders accused Jesus of driving out demons in the name
of Satan (Beelzebub). I’m guessing the religious leaders were angling for
something similar with Peter and John so that some sort of indictment could be
brought against them. It’s difficult to get into the heads of the religious
leaders but it seems like every time they tried to hold back the wave created
by Jesus’ death and resurrection, the wave would crash down on their heads.
By
identifying the religious leaders who were present, “Luke thus indicates that
the apostles were arraigned before the same court that tried and condemned
Jesus…The trial of Jesus is effectively reopened and the evidence about him is
presented once more to the leaders of Israel and to Luke’s readers…Given that
the Sanhedrin was arranged [according to Josephus] ‘like the half of a round
threshing-floor so that they might see one another.’ Luke is probably making a
deliberate reference to this formidable setting. As they began to question
them, they asked, ‘By what power or what name did you do this?...At one level ,
the Sanhedrin knew the answer already, since the accused had been proclaiming
the resurrection of Jesus in connection with the healing miracle. However, the
challenge was presumably made here to expose their theology before the court
and provide grounds for accusing them of blasphemy…While being concerned about
the great religious issues of the day, these Jewish leaders were like many
others in similar positions throughout history, preoccupied with issues of
power and reputation.”[4]
8Then Peter, filled with the Holy
Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9If we are
being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are
asked how he was healed, 10then know this, you and all the people of
Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but
whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.
I want you
to notice something about the apostles in vv.
8-10 that appears to be consistent with all the apostles and disciples who
are brought at various points before the religious rulers and authorities. They
seem to be quite calm and respectful. Why do you suppose that is? In part it is
out of respect for the ruling authorities but I wonder if they are calm and
respectful because Jesus warned them what was coming. I wonder if it wasn’t
because they realized that their arrest wasn’t personal, it was because they
were followers of Christ. The hatred and persecution has nothing to do with
them per se. It is rooted in hatred for Christ not hatred for His followers. I
think this is a great principle to remember when we encounter evil and
persecution for our faith. I have to remind myself of this ever week on “Hate
Mail Thursday” as I face some of the things people write in response to my
weekly lessons. Even though the hate mail is aimed at me, I have to remind
myself that the anger and hate is really rooted in hatred of Jesus Christ. It
is only when I remind myself of that that I am able to interact with people who
can say some pretty awful things without anger or malice toward them.
But we are
never left alone to deal with those that hate us because of our Christian
witness. Jesus promised that He would never leave us or forsake us, which is
why He sent the Holy Spirit to be with us after His ascension back to heaven.
And it is by, through, and because of the power of the Holy Spirit that Peter
is able to proclaim and articulate the salvation message of Jesus Christ before
the religious leaders with courage in the midst of what must have been a very
intimidating setting. Peter begins his answer by pointing out just how
ridiculous the religious leader are being when he says, and I’m paraphrasing, Peter
says: ‘So let me just clarify that we’re on trial because we were kind to this
poor crippled beggar and gave him his legs back so that he could care for
himself and no longer has to beg in order to survive. Is that why we’re here
today? Because we were kind to this poor man and healed him?’ Peter wanted to
make sure their ridiculous actions are front and center before he tells them
flat out that it was by the power of the name of Jesus Christ that they were
able to heal the crippled man and give him a chance at life—not just in terms
of his earthly existence but his eternal existence as well.
“Peter was
ready to preach to all, even the Sanhedrin. But…the judges in the Sanhedrin
rejected the name that could bring them salvation. Peter repeated the familiar
kerygmatic [‘kerygma’ Gk. meaning ‘to
proclaim;’ ‘to preach’] formula: ‘Whom you crucified, but whom God raised.’
Indeed, it is by the very fact that God exalted him that the power had come for
healing the man. The themes are the same as before: the healing name of Jesus,
which proves his resurrection and points to his salvation, the guilt of the
Jews who rejected him.”[5]
11He is “‘the stone you builders
rejected, which has become the capstone.’ 12Salvation is found in no
one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must
be saved.”
One thing
is for sure, the religious leaders knew the Scriptures frontward and backward.
They read it, they studied it, and they memorized it. The irony, however, for
all their diligence in knowing God’s word, they never realized that the
Scriptures they read and studied so diligently spoke about Jesus and they
refused to recognize Him when He was standing right in front of them! The most
important message of the Old Testament—the coming of God’s salvation through the
Messiah; what they had been waiting for and anticipating for thousands of years
had arrived and what did they do? They rejected it! They rejected the gift of
God’s salvation. They wanted God to save them and when He offered to do that
through Jesus Christ, they rejected it. An in doing so, they fulfilled, in v. 11, the Old Testament prophecy found
in Psalm 118:22. The capstone or cornerstone they rejected was Jesus Christ and
salvation according to v. 12 is
found in no one else. The religious leaders weren’t being forced to believe it
just like no one today is forced to believe in Jesus Christ. Maybe you, like
the religious leaders, are waiting for someone else; someone that’s easier to
follow; someone who will let you keep living exactly the way you are; someone
who will do what you want him to do, someone who will give you everything you
want. Whether you believe it or not; whether you like it or not, Jesus Christ
is the only name under heaven by which we can be saved.
In our present day, parents usually
give little thought to the meaning of the names they give their children. Names
or a derivation thereof are often passed down from one generation to the next.
Or perhaps a name is chosen based on personal preference (that’s how we picked
the names of our children anyway). But in ancient Judaism, this wasn’t the
case. Ideally, a name represented a person’s personality. Names may also be
prophetic in nature; foretelling a person’s hoped-for destiny. A child’s name
could also be a form of prayer that the person bearing the name will live up to
the potential conveyed by the name. Let’s see how this works in relation to the
name of Jesus.
The name
“Jesus” is the English translation of the Greek name Iesous. The ancient Hebrew translation is Yehoshua which is translated back to English as “Joshua” (I know
it’s weird that it doesn’t translate back to “Jesus,” but that’s not really
unusual. In fact, the Greek Iesous is
translated as “Joshua” in Heb 4:8 so clearly the names are interchangeable at
times). The Hebrew translation, Yehoshua,
is derived from the same roots as the word signifying “Jehovah is salvation.”
The name “Jesus” is significant because it means “God our Savior.” In this
sense, the name of Jesus represents his personality; “Savior.” When the angel
appeared to Joseph, while Mary was pregnant with Jesus, the angel said that
Mary was to name the child Jesus because He would save his people from their
sins (Matt 1:21). In this respect, Jesus’ name is prophetic as it foretells his
divine destiny. Consequently, Scripture tells us that, “at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every
tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Phil 2:10-11a).” Can you see the
personality trail? Let’s string the words and ideas from above together: Yehoshua = Jehovah + Savior = God our
Savior. Jesus = Yehoshua; Jesus = God our Savior. So, What’s In A Name? The fullness of God in “Jesus” (Col 1:19)!
“And from
the once rejected but now glorified Jesus, and from him alone, comes true
saving health. The deliverance of the cripple from a bodily affliction might
serve as a parable of deliverance from the guilt of sin and from judgment to
come. If the rulers persisted in their repudiation of Jesus, which had already
involved them in blood-guiltiness, no deliverance from its consequences could
be hoped for from any other quarter or by the power of any other name. The name
of Jesus, by which the cripple had been empowered to spring to his feet and
walk, was the name with which Israel’s salvation was inextricably bound up. The
course of duty and wisdom for the rulers was therefore clear; if they refused
it and persisted in their present attitude, they would bring destruction on
their nation as well as on themselves.”[6]
Application
For more
than 200 years, America has had a rich history of religious freedom. In fact,
religious freedom was written into our country’s original constitutional
documents. It gave Americans the freedom to worship or not worship without
government intervention or influence. Many Christians, for many years, took
that freedom for granted and instead of using that freedom to preach the Gospel
without government interference, they remained silent; silent as unbelievers
advanced their agenda to purge America of its Christian heritage. A Christian
nation has been complicit in electing officials who advocate for the right to
kill innocent unborn children, officials who help to advance the abominable
practice of homosexuality by making same-sex marriages the equivalent of a
marriage between a man and a woman. Now the complacency of many Christians has
come home to roost as Christian businesses are forced to provide health care
that provides for abortions. And Christian businesses are being closed down for
refusing to recognize or participate in same-sex marriages. And it doesn’t end
there. One particular Christian bakery in Oregon has been fined $135,000 for
refusing to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex wedding and now the court has
ordered that they are no longer allowed to even talk about their opposition to
same-sex marriages. They have lost their religious freedom and their freedom of
speech—both freedoms that were supposed to be guaranteed by out nation’s
constitution. For some of you around the world, you have always lived with the
threat from authorities that you are not allowed to talk about your beliefs
publicly—you have never really had freedom of religion or freedom of speech.
But this is unheard of here in America. And many Christians here in America are
in disbelief that this is happening and are wondering what happened to the
religious freedoms that are supposedly guaranteed to us by our nation’s
founding documents. Perhaps God is wondering what Christians were doing during
all the years when we had religious freedom.
Look, I’m all for religious freedom
and I love being able to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ without somehow
being sanctioned or punished by authorities. However, have you ever considered
that perhaps God is testing us to see who will be faithful; who will be
obedient, when our freedoms are taken away? I look around the world and I see
Christians being persecuted everywhere yet they continue to confess their faith
in Jesus Christ in the midst of persecution, pain, and suffering. Here in
America, we can’t seem to be faithful or obedient even when we are perfectly
free to do so. So consider that perhaps God wants to see what faith in America
looks like when Christians are no longer free to confess their beliefs publicly
or practice their faith publicly. Will American Christians stand up to
unbelievers; those who are ungodly, even if those people are in authority over
them, and faithfully proclaim the salvation message of Jesus Christ along with
all the other persecuted Christians around the world? Many American Christians
haven’t been obedient during the time in our nation’s history when obedience
should have been easy. What will American Christians do; what will you do, When Obedience Is Hard?
Make sure
you check back next week for the conclusion of this lesson and see how Peter
and John faced the choice of either obeying the religious authorities or
obeying God.
[1] Freya
Petersen, “Nazis may have killed up to 20 million people more in concentration
camps than previously thought: study,” Global
Post, March 4, 2013; available from http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/war/130303/nazis-concentration-camps-holocaust-death-toll-Hitlerpreviously.html;
Internet; accessed August 10, 2014.
[2] Ben
Witherington III, The Acts of the
Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: William B.
Eerdmans Publishing Company), pp. 189-190.
[3] Bruce
Barton, Philip Comfort, Grant Osborne, Linda K. Taylor, and Dave Veerman, Life
Application New Testament Commentary, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers,
2001), p. 485.
[4] David G.
Peterson, The Acts of the Apostles—Pillar
New Testament Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing
Co., 2009), p. 189-190.
[5] John B.
Polhill, Acts—The New American
Commentary, (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 1992), p. 144.
[6] F. F.
Bruce, The Book of the Acts—The New
International Commentary on the New Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: William B.
Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1988), pp. 93-94.
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