They Had Hung Out With Jesus Series

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.