They had “hung out” with Jesus
Acts 4 1-31
Last week we heard the first half of the story. We heard about a crippled man that had sat near the gate called Beautiful for close to 40 years. Peter and John are going up to the Temple and stop and heal this life long beggar. He goes with them into the temple.
It was probably the first time he ever was able to enter into the house of God.
The Two disciples change the live of someone that can not help them in the slightest way. The man barely expected anything except a few coins, a little food. Peter and John don’t have that to give and give him the only thing they do have….Healing that comes from God.
As we ended last week the two disciples were openly teaching in the Temple. They were telling thoes that Gathered to hear about this miracle. They claimed no credit for them selves. They gave the credit to the Man Jesus who was crucified and raised form the dead.
The people are amazed and watching this known beggar jump around and shout praises to God.
That is not much of a show to us today, right. We don’t hang out in the mall to just watch people. We don’t go to the courthouse just to listen to people discussing or arguing philosophy, or morals. We hardly do that at church. It is much easier to hang out at the house watch TV. Our world is sophisticated and we are connected.
This week after worship Renee and I went up to Sonic near out hotel. We actually stayed outside of Athens in Commerce which is a small rural area.
As we pulled up into the parking lot, it was obvious that this was the hang out….You , know the place the teenagers go sit and talk. They go to rev the engines of their pickup trucks. The girls go to be seen and to talk with boys.
It reminded me of my High school days. In Irondale Alabama, the place was East wood mall. People (Teenagers) would drive around the mall for a while and then park and watch others drive around. Not so different from Sonic. Lots of talking, eating junk food from Jacks or McDonalds, seeing and being seen.
With maturity, the idea of hanging out changed. As a adult I guess I have several Hangouts. I used to go to the Clergy breakfast. In a way the same thing however sometimes it was a place to discuss the problems of the world with a group of peers, some with great wisdom and experience.
I have seen other groups of people hanging out at McDonalds and Harties, Sitting drinking coffee and discussing policies.
The hangout for Politics…The barber shop. As I thinks it over the barber shop is the place where men go to discuss, complain and solve all the issues of the world. Perhaps, the beauty shop is similar for women?
So, There are hangouts for people of all ages.
Peter and John were going to the hangout for the Jewish people in Jerusalem. They were going to discuss Jesus and his power and the promises and ultimately the proof of their claims that he was and is the messiah.
On the way God did something amazing and the people gathered at the hangout and remarked and commented.
Then something happened that also reminds me a of East Wood mall. The cops showed up. Some get in their cars and leave right away. Others get tense and watch what is going on, some move back and separate themselves from the confrontation going on.
The scripture says:
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. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day.
Ok who are these people? The priests are Levites which means they are fro the tribe of Arron and the vast majority technically hold the same view as the Sadducees. They believe that the teaching within the temple should be approved by them because you can’t let the people get wrong information and get out of control.
The Captain of the Temple guard is also a Levite. He is actually a priest along with all the men under his command. He is the second in command within the temple and has control over the security of the Temple. He is also a Sadducee and he is there as the arresting authority within the temple.
Then we have people identified as Sadducees. These are probably important lay people. They are recorded as being the upper Jewish class and were friendly with the Romans, gaining power by compromising in their resistance to Roman control.
Josephus - a Jewish historian describes Sadducees, “that they were a quarrelsome group whose followers were wealthy and powerful, and that he considered them boorish in social interactions.” Not a very good review.
It is claimed that the Sadducees denied the immortality of the soul, When you are dead you are dead. You are blessed in this world if things are going well and you were punished by God if you were poor, sick and disabled.
They denied the resrruction of te Body and if they were wrong ..oh my wouldn’t that be embarresing. They denied the existance of angels or spirits of any kind.
The Sadducees heald tightly to control and insisted on literal keeping to the law with literial retaliation and punishment. "Eye for eye, tooth for tooth"
The Sadducees held to their authority as Levites kept as much control as possible over the Hebrew people.
So the cops show up and listen to Peter and John and arrest them. Peter and John were teaching about Jesus the resurrection of the dead, two of the Sadducee hot buttons. They take them to Jail overnight to hold them for court the next day.
The scripture tells us that the teaching was having an impact. It explains that some believed and the number of believers was up to 5000 men.
On Pentecost the number just said 3000 believed and now it specifies 5000 men. That leads many scholars to say that this is even a greater number since we are only counting men.
I don’t know that I will let the number influence me as much as this growth from people hearing the story is amazing. With each exposure of the Gospel and the presence of the Holy Spirit hearers believe.
Think for a moment, who is missing in the list of accusers…..?
When Jesus is tested and eventually arrested there is another Group that were influential. Anybody have a name of anther group?
How about Pharisees? Were are the Pharisees?
The Pharisees and the Sadducees were never friends and in fact were political opposite. They were not directly dependant on the Temple as a way of approaching God. They appeared in response to the Exiles, when the temple was not accessible. The study the scriptures, establish synagogues and interpret the LAW. They believed in prayers, and acts of service and the giving to the poor as ways of receiving atonement from God. This sect is the only one from Jesus day to survive after the Temple’s destruction in 70 BC. The Pharisee becomes the Rabbi Judaism we see today.
They avoided interaction with the Government wanting to be as separate as possible form the influence of the Empire..
They believe in the resurrection of the dead, the existence of Spirits and angels. They believe in a life of some form after death.
They joined up with their enemy the Sadducee to defeat the man named Jesus.
So, where are they in this incident?
The next day Peter speaks to the Sanhedrin, “ the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas.” Here are some names we recognize. Annas former high Priest and his Son in Law, the current High Priest.
We have no direct listing of charges, and Peter does not seem to know the charge either. Just one Question, "By what power or what name did you do this?"
Sort of an open ended question, it falls right into the thinking Peter has. IT says he is filled with the spirit and he begins to speak.
If you are asking about the healing of a crippled man… well that was in the name of Jesus Christ. The man you crucified and who God raised from the dead.”
Peter speaks directly against the core beliefs of the assembled group.
Do you think they had an UH Oh Moment.
You know what an UH Oh Is right?
- You see something in the road and try to avoid it, and Uh Oh you hit it. ---
- Perhaps, you are talking with someone and accidentally spilled the beans about a surprise party.
- -Perhaps, it is a conversation where you say something about some one not knowing that they are standing right over there.
The Sanhedrin, listens to the answer from Peter, and they notice the courage of Peter and John…they should have been shaking in their boots.
Then it adds that they realized that that they were unschooled, ordinary men….
They realize that they are speaking with authority and power but they are untrained. They are being articulate and clear in what they are saying.
They were astonished and what they were seeing and hearing. They don’t know it is the Holy Spirit that is empowering the speakers.
Then the scripture says, “and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” They notice that these men has Hung Out with Jesus. They were some of that troublesome group that came to town and sat around talking and making a racquet. Riling up the simple people and generally looking to make trouble.
The Sanhedrin leaders start to realize how much this hearing is like the one a couple of months ago with another trial of another man. That trouble maker Jesus.
He was untrained, he was clear and articulate. As far as they would admit, he was an ordinary man.
They thought they killed the trouble.
Now Peter and John with their presence point out that they were wrong. These followers are going to be trouble, just like Jesus.
Peter and John called them murderers and challenged their belief that there is no resurrection of the dead.
The challenge goes unanswered… Peter and John’s claim that Jesus was raised from the dead is not addressed. The court doesn’t yell or scream blasphemy. They don’t get excited and attack Peter and John. They just look at the problem at hand.
This is the perplexing idea in today’s scripture --- Peter and John have been arrested for teaching in the temple and no challenge is made of their authority or even what they accuse the Sanhedrin of.
Why are the Jewish leaders not as passionate as they were with Jesus?
Why aren’t they outraged?
IS it because of the new followers – 5000 or more that have come to believe?
OR perhaps, is it because, the proof of the authority is standing right there? The crippled man is healed and standing here.
Could it be that the events of the cross, the earth Quake and ripping of the Curtin got their attention?
The leaders have the perfect forum to refute the claim of resurrection by producing the body of Jesus, are they afraid to argue the point because they might be wrong in their beliefs?
They send Peter and John out of the room and talk over what they are going to do.
We get to be a fly on the wall so to speak, somehow we are able to hear the Sanhedrin a discussion.
Their main concern “ What are we going to do?”
-- Everybody knows what they did…A miracle, There is no way to deny it.
What are we going to do?
They can’t condemn anyone to death themselves.
They pressed Pilot really hard a couple of months ago, and probably can’t force him to perform any more death sentences for a while , especially against his will.
So what is the highest Jewish authority going to do about theses man and the obvious problems they are causing?
Wait, I have it. To keep this from spreading we will warn these men not to speak in the name of Jesus. Yes that is just the ticket. It is like a hypnotist that tells people to do things and they just do them.
I guess nobody has any better ideas and they call Peter and John back in and Commanded them Not to speak in the name of Jesus.
Commanded – now that is telling them!
Peter and John responds "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."
Peter and John don’t, seem very influenced by the threats of man. It sounds like they are going to speak or testify as to the work of Jesus and they are not going to be held back.
They threaten some note and release them without any punishment because of the people. They were praising God for hat happened.
The people in the crowd had been witnesses to God moving right there on the temple steps. God had healed a person who had suffered for 40 years and now they have something tangible to celebrate.
Folks these people were noticing that in the past couple of months GOD was proving that he really was worrying in the lives of the people. The people are getting excited because they are seeing signs. Their automatic attendance at the temple to punch their atonement clock…offer a sacrifice to cover sins and receive God’s Blessing and go home. The people of the day were just as disabled as the Crippled man. The came to the temple not really expecting anything and then suddenly --- Something happened to build their faith. GOD Was there!!!!
It is easy to loose sight of the things we accept as true. We can live our faith not expecting anything to happen. We will go through the motions and go to church, perhaps offer up has half hearted prayer when something is going wrong. But how often do we actually praise God for his actions in our world.
How about when a person is saved from a fire, or protected form a storm. How about when some one is healed naturally or supernaturally.
Do we celebrate even when it is no one we know…..????
Do we even consider that it might be the direct intervention of God?
Peter and John, what is so special about them that they can stand up to direct threats and pressure. Peter, Brother Andrew, the fisherman with no formal training. John called the “one Jesus loved.” Son of Zebaee and brother of James also a fisherman.
What qualified them to face the highest Jewish governing body of educated and influential leaders and say no, they will not just stop talking abut Jesus.
What did Jesus really do for them that changed them so much?
He did the same thing for them as he has done for you and me.
He has healed us from our Sin. He has taken our lives headed for destruction and turned us around by removing the burdens and freeing us from the death sentence.
He has given us an opportunity to become a child of God.
With that adoption we become children of the king and have power and authority…ultimately authority becomes responsibility to do what is right and good for the kingdom.
How do you respond to the worlds resistance to the Gospel. When the tell us to hush and don’t use the name of Jesus…..
Are you resisting the restrictions of man? Holding you ground as a believer and representative of the king?
Or did you quit years ago and fall in line with the earthly powers o man and keep quiet.
Because of the Holy Sprit we can still hang out with Jesus. We can have conversations through meditation and prayer, we can hear his words through the reading of scripture.
We can receive the power offered by the presence of the Spirit….If we only have the smallest expectation that something can happen.
If we expect to see god move, then there is no telling how great and wonderful the things we could wittiness….
When you have hung out with Jesus, you start talking and acting like Jesus and people will notice… People will respond…
Years ago, we were going to Disney World, we bought a book “Secrets of Disney” and we started looking for the Hidden Mickey’s. Little silhouettes or patterns that the engineering department puts in plain view that are normally never noticed by the thousands of visitors everyday. We found a lot of the ones on the list, but only because we were looking.
Expectation, are you looking for the presence and hand of God in your life, in the life of your neighbor.
All Glory be to God!
