WE HAVE A MEANINGFUL MISSION AND MESSAGE
Have you ever seen the TV show The Carbonaro Effect? Michael Carbonaro is an illusionist and a master at causing the “Wait, what just happened?!” reaction in people, which he captures on hidden camera in some public setting. When the impossible seems to have happened, he gets the people to actually believe it, even though it makes no sense—for example, a fridge that fills itself with the products you pick from a screen on the front of it by downloading those items from the cloud. Look him up on YouTube; it’s hilarious!
As we get a glimpse into the lives of Peter and the other apostles in the book of Acts this morning, we see something that was a “Wait, what just happened?!” moment for some people who confronted those men sent out by God on what was the most meaningful mission because they were carrying the most meaningful message that of salvation through faith in Jesus.
We’re reminded this morning that it wasn’t just Peter and the others who were sent out to talk to people about Jesus. We actually share their Mission and Message.
Opposition
After Jesus ascended into heaven, things were going pretty well for those who trusted in the risen Christ. There were the miracles of Pentecost like the disciples preaching in all sorts of languages they didn’t actually know and the 3,000 who came to faith that day. The disciples were given the ability to heal people too. The crowds were bringing people to them and even just trying to place themselves in Peter’s shadow as he walkd by, hoping they would be healed The apostles performed other signs and wonders too. Among the people, there was a unity of belief in Jesus and what he taught. And the Christians were meeting regularly at the temple and not just on Sundays. It sounds like life was good for the believers in the fledgling New Testament Church!
But…not everyone was happy with the apostles and the growing Christian community. The Sadducees were a small, religious/political group made up of wealthy Jewish priests who were loyal to the Roman government. The Romans actually chose the high priest from among the Sadducees, and often took bribes for it. The Sadducees had considerable power and authority over the Jewish people. As for their religious views, a couple notable things were that they did not believe in angels or the resurrection to eternal life.
So, in the chapter before our reading, we hear that the high priest and the Sadducees were very upset with Peter and John. Why? Because they were preaching about Jesus and the resurrection of the dead two things that group and the highest-ranking Jewish leader opposed! They were also afraid and envious of the effectiveness of their teaching and the growing number of Christians. So, jealous and zealous, they and other religious leaders then told the apostles in no uncertain terms that they were not speak or teach about Jesus at all.
Of course, the apostles didn’t listen, and finally, those religious/political leaders had had enough. One day as the believers were meeting in Solomon’s Colonnade—that long, high-columned portico along the east side of the temple the Sadducees swooped in, swept up the apostles, and put them in them in prison.
If you’re appendix bursts in the middle of the night, you want a surgeon sent in, right? If you’re pipes burst, you want a plumber because they are the right person for the job. The right person for critical faith and church situations is not a person at all. God sends angels! So, as the apostles are spending the night in jail, an angel comes, releases them from prison so that they could continue their mission of sharing the message of salvation in Jesus, then he locks the doors back up.
I’m sure it wasn’t funny, but it sounds kind of funny. It’s a power-struggle. The authorities tell them “Don’t you dare preach anymore!” then lock them up. An angel lets them out and says, “Get back out there and preach!”
So, like a football player pulled to the sideline, then given a pep-talk by the coach and sent back out onto the field, they go back to the public courts of the temple and start teaching again.
The “Wait, what just happened?!” moment happened as the sun was coming up. The whole Sanhedrin, the highest religious and governmental ruling body of the Jews the high priest, Sadducees, the elders of the people—have no idea what just happened! And neither did the captain of the guard (the police chief), who explained that the prison doors were locked, but the apostles were gone!
Like people stunned by an illusionist, they couldn’t figure it out. But this was no illusion. It was real and it was a real problem for the authorities because there those men were back out in the temple courts doing exactly what they were told not to do!
Someone runs up to them and says, “Look! The men you put in prison are standing in the temple courts and teaching the people.” So, the temple’s police chief and officers bring them back but nicely because in the midst of this “Wait, what just happened?!” moment, it never occurred to them that God did this They likely assumed that the number of people listening to the apostles was swelling and that they had orchestrated a jailbreak. Don’t excite the crowds or there will be trouble.
The Mission of God is the Highest Priority
It’s then, as they are questioned again in a hastily convened trial, that the apostles clearly state their mission and message. “Did we not give you strict orders not to teach in this name? Look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you are determined to bring this man’s blood down on us!”
If you know Peter, you’re not surprised to see him speaking for the rest of the apostles as he explains that God had sent them on this mission! “We must obey God rather than men. They were obeying God when they spoke about forgiveness and eternal life by faith in Jesus When these men told them not to do that, the apostles just weren’t going to listen to them. God is the highest authority and he established their mission!
Look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you are determined to bring this man’s blood down on us!” The high priest had a guilty conscience—and he was guilty! But he didn’t think so. Peter then laid into them: The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you arrested and killed by hanging him on a cross. Peter had told them before (in the previous chapter) and he was telling them again. This was a stern preaching of the law.
“Yeah! Stick it to ‘em, Peter! They deserve to feel guilty because they were guilty!” Not so fast though. Don’t you also have both guilt and a guilty conscience before God? Why is that? Because you are as sinful as the high priest. Jesus had to die for you just as much as he had to die for the high priest. You and I and that guy and all the rest of them in the Sanhedrin and everyone in the world we all needed the blood of Jesus, the sacrificed Lamb of God, to wash us clean from our sin. Rather than get too excited about Peter giving it to them, we might think about how Peter could tell us too that our sins caused the death of Jesus. We didn’t put Jesus on the cross the same way they did, but it’s because of our sin that he had to be nailed to it and die
It doesn’t sound like it, but it was really a beautiful and loving thing that Peter said what he said, because he was hoping and praying that they would recognize their sin and repent and find in the very One they crucified, their Savior from those sins. His tough preaching of the law was quickly followed with the beautiful gospel, wasn’t it? God exalted him to his right hand as Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and the forgiveness of sins. As awful as their sins were, ours are just as damning. And just as we can repent and find forgiveness in Jesus, they could have too.
WE HAVE A MEANINGFUL MISSION AND MESSAGE
Peter and the others were messengers on a mission. They were the perfect ones to carry out that mission because they had seen Jesus live, heard him teach, saw him arrested and killed and hung on the cross and die and rise and ascend! They had seen it all. They were witnesses of these things. No one was better equipped, and God used them to preach the law that hurts to the heart and gospel that heals the wound
Seeing the apostles carry out this mission and proclaim the message of salvation through faith in Jesus reminds us and inspires us to do the same. And, really, who better than you?!
Let’s go back to the high priest’s words for a minute: “Did we not give you strict orders not to teach in this name? Look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you are determined to bring this man’s blood down on us!”
Do you hear what I hear? Not the opposition part. Not the guilty conscience of the high priest part either. Do you hear the high priest’s unintentional high compliment? It’s right in the middle: “You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching.” Are you with me?
Jerusalem was a big city with lots and lots of people in it, and what had this band of a dozen messengers of God done? They had spread the good news of Jesus and salvation throughout it. The body of believers was growing and growing. God was granting success to their mission and he was blessing their message.
Can you be accused of doing what the apostles did? I’m going to guess that not many of us can take credit for “filling” our city, our neighborhood, even our street and yes, some of us fail at even filling our own home with the message of Jesus. Another thing to look to Jesus to forgive. Another thing to strive to do as the apostles did.
Really, we know what the early believers knew even if we’ve “witnessed” it in a different way. They literally saw Jesus. We have “seen” him through the Scriptures that some of those very men wrote. We believe it and have experienced it through the relief of forgiveness, the comfort of God’s love, the confidence in eternal life after we die. That’s stuff we should be sharing with people who are going through life right now without it—even the cranky ones like that high priest! His bad attitude didn’t stop Peter from telling him the truth or keep him from telling all the other people! We’re going to meet all types of people as we do this too.
And think about this: they were doing all of this WITHOUT freedom of speech! How do you feel about your witnessing efforts when you hear that? We have the freedom to proclaim that Jesus is the risen Savior. We’re not going to be thrown into a jail that would take an angel to break us out of! So why do we have so much trouble even mentioning Jesus to a friend and inviting them to church? As a student, do you find it hard to ask a friend to come with you to church or to Sunday night Bible study? If so, why is this so hard? We have the most Meaningful Mission because souls are literally at stake. And we have the most Meaningful Message because it literally saves them!
When we realize our apprehension and failures, we’re looking at Jesus and repenting, right? We’re asking for forgiveness? We’re trusting that Jesus’ blood does give us forgiveness? We’re asking for the Holy Spirit to give us a little of that boldness the apostles had?
Picture the angel telling you to get back out there! We can definitely do this witnessing work! We can definitely share Jesus with others! We are the right ones for the job! We are because we know what the apostles knew the things they told the authorities: Jesus died, rose to life, then rose to heaven. He is the Savior who brings forgiveness and eternal life. Same mission; same message. Amen.
Now the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.