Lessons From Acts
Scripture: Acts 4:1-4, 5-10, 11-14, 18-20
Today is Memorial Day – a day when we celebrate both
personal sacrifice and family connections, and both are reasons to remember and
celebrate. So, today’s lesson from Acts
is about both identity and sacrifice, and the importance that they hold in our
faith.
We know that our names hold identity through our
last names – that they tell others who our family is. But then, so can our first and middle names –
we may be named after a favorite relative, or even a cherished friend. In my case, my first name, William, is the
same as my mother’s brother who died as an infant, and my middle name, Charles,
is the same as two close friends of my parents, one of whom fought in the
Battle of the Bulge in World War 2.
And even more than this, names may even hold a clue
to a portion of our heritage. In today’s
western culture though, identity for many tends to be more personal and
individualistic, and not as important within their ancestry.
But whether we want it to or not, others see our
identity as contained within our names – after all, our names are who they know
us as. And this is equally true in faith. When we claim that we are Christians, we are proclaiming
that our identity, our family, is established in Jesus Christ. The word Christian identifies us a member of
the family of Christ – Christ who gave His life for us, that we might have hope
for eternal life.
Today, we consider this lesson, and how it fits us
into God’s great plan of eternity.
Read Acts 4:1-4
Interestingly, this passage opens by identifying the
primary antagonists through their associations.
The priests – the keepers of Jewish faith; the captain of the temple
guard – the enforcer of the faith; and the Sadducees – the holders of great influence
in politics, in religion, in the economy, and throughout the nation’s life in
general. And each was greatly opposed to
the teachings of Jesus, especially to those who were attempting to carry on the
name, the life, and the teaching of the LORD.
Each, but especially the Sadducees, did not believe
in Christ’s divinity and His resurrection, which is what Peter and John were
sharing with the people this day. There
was some reluctance to treat these “heretics” too violently because of the popularity
that many people held for them. So an
acceptable, and politically correct, response tended to be arrest and
imprisonment. And yet, the message of
Jesus was spreading and many were believing and claiming Him for who He truly
is. As a matter of fact, we read that on
this day, another 2,000 men (note men, and probably an additional large
number of women, too), were added to the 3,000 of Pentecost.
The “family” of God was growing by leaps and bounds,
and the “family” of Israel was becoming more and more worried!
Read Acts 4:5-10
Chapter 3 of Acts
gives us the background for this entire incident. Peter and John had returned the gift of
mobility to a crippled man at the temple – a man who had begged at the temple
gate for many years, and on this day, we read that he began “walking and jumping
and praising God” (Acts 3:8). And when the crowds saw what had happened,
they wanted to know more about this new and incredible power that the two apostles
had.
And the next day, when court was held for Peter and
John, a similar question was asked of them - “By what power or what name did
you do this?” Of course, we are led
to wonder if the question referred to the miracle that had been performed, or
the teaching that was irritating the authorities so much. And when Peter spoke in response, it was the
Holy Spirit that was speaking through him.
In the family of God, support for those who are standing on the front
line of faith will always be given sufficiently for what is needed.
And Peter tells them the very thing that they didn’t
want to hear – that they are the ones who must accept the responsibility
for condemning Jesus to death on the cross, that it was by God’s grace that death
was overturned and life was returned to Jesus, and that this is the same Godly
power that healed the crippled man. And
without saying it, this is the power that was guiding Peter’s tongue that day.
When we truly believe that our identity resides in
this great power, in this loving grace, in this Eternal Family, there is
nothing that will ever change the message and the gifts that we will receive,
and there is nothing that should ever change our response to the world’s skepticism. (Philippians 4:13)
Read Acts 4:11-14
And Peter’s words to the Sanhedrin include the promise
of Psalm 118:22-24 – that Jesus is
the cornerstone, the source and reference, for Israel’s faith, and is now that
same cornerstone of faith for the entire world.
Every other earthly faith expression had now been shown to be impotent
and irrelevant when compared to faith in Jesus Christ. And Peter proclaims not only the authority of
Jesus, but the power of the love of God that resides in His name. Jesus and His word is not only the
cornerstone of our faith, but within it is also the power of forgiveness and salvation
for all who believe.
And did the high priest, the elders, the Sadducees,
and the other members of this court, believe and accept the words that they
were hearing? Was the courage of these
men, the courage that was so evident in their words and attitudes, sufficient
to change their minds about Jesus? We
read that they were astonished and convinced that the two men were, indeed,
disciples of Jesus, that they had seen all the evidence of Jesus living and
working through these men, that they could see the man who had been healed
standing with the accused. But did it
make any difference in the way they saw Jesus and His Family?
Read Acts 4:18-20
Apparently, the fact that a man has been healed by a
power they can’t explain, after reviewing all the evidence that they had at their
disposal, after seeing the courage and confidence that is so obvious in the
apostles’ words – none of it could make a bit of difference in the court’s
decision. They didn’t see this as a call
on their personal lives, they didn’t see the truth of Jesus as a reason to
change the intensity of their legalism, they didn’t feel the importance of
encouraging the message of Jesus to continue to grow and spread throughout the
world, so they simply give Peter and John an order to stop proclaiming Jesus.
Family identity is a powerful influence in our
lives. It gives us a sense of belonging,
it establishes the focus that controls our life, and it is the basis of the truth
that our life depends upon. But if
something effects a change in any of these aspects, one of two possible changes
must occur. Either our family identity
must change, or the family’s understand must change. If neither change occurs, conflict will rise
up within the family, and the family will be torn apart.
The members of the court who were hearing and ruling
on Peter and John’s case had decided not to make any waves, and to not make any
change in their understanding of the situation.
Repentance for their past was not possible, so they decided to order the
evangelists to cease their proclamations.
But Peter and John also have a family connection that they, too, aren’t
willing to break – and theirs is in Jesus and the Family that bears His name. They don’t just say “We won’t obey your
decision.” They put the question right back
on the faith of the high priest and the others – “Who would you have us obey –
you or the LORD?” It would require
an answer that these men weren’t prepared to give.
This raises a question that each of us must ask
ourselves each and every day as soon as we wake up – “Whose family will I
belong to today?” And a decision is
required before we can ever begin the day.
Will we follow the ways of the family of earth, or will we be an
integral member of God’s holy family?
Peter’s question to the Sanhedrin that day has to be the same one that
every person who claims the name of Jesus as Savior has to answer every moment
of their life – “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you
rather than God.”
Jesus came and died and rose again to help us make the right answer! So, whose will you be today?
