Easter 3
Today’s reading from Acts is a continuation of the reading we heard of when Sts. Peter and John had healed a man who had been born lame. Peter said to him:
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them--walking, leaping and praising God.
St. Peter then preached a sermon before a large group of people that had gathered together at the temple courts in the area called Solomon’s Colonnade.
Today’s reading tells us that the Holy Spirit had worked through Peter’s sermon: many of those people came to believe so that the Church numbered about 5000 people. But all was not well since: the priests, the commander of the temple guard, and the Sadducees...were very upset because Peter and John were teaching the people and proclaiming the resurrection from the dead in connection with Jesus. The commander of the temple guard, who was responsible for the law and order, threw Peter and John into jail, certainly under the pretext that they were disturbing the peace by their preaching. The next morning they were brought before the Jewish council and accused of unauthorized preaching and teaching in the temple.
Our text is the account of the first time the apostles are on trial. We hear their courageous and fearless confession of Jesus before His enemies. This is also the boldness of St. Mark who wrote the Gospel, brought the preaching of Jesus to Africa and died a martyr. Our altar color is red--red for the fire of the Holy Spirit and red for martyr’s blood. It is clear: when the word of God is preached in the power of the Holy Spirit and people come to believe in Jesus, the devil does not rest and all sorts of hostility is stirred up; both the secular and supposed religious authorities are active trying to put out the fire the word of God started.
As it was then, so is it also today--when God’s word is taught in all its truth and purity and people actually believe it and live and carry out their everyday lives in accord with it, then opposition arises. It may show itself in different ways throughout the ages, but the devil and his allies are always trying to stop/ hinder the preaching of God’s word lest the Holy Spirit work through it and people come to faith. To be sure, in our day we don’t yet face what Sts. Peter and John did, or what many Christians throughout the world right now are facing. But don’t be deceived, the devil is trying to stifle our witness to Jesus today. And to a large part he is successful. After all, how often do we share our faith with those that the Lord has placed in our path? Or do we fall prey to the notion that faith is a private matter and we shouldn’t impose our beliefs on others? Do we accept the notion so prevalent in our country--but also so wrong--that freedom of religion just means we can believe and do the dictates of our religion within the four walls of the church building but once we are outside of them then there is another set of thoughts and attitudes that must be held to--like tolerance and acceptance of every sort of moral deviancy? And if we do speak our faith, is it in hushed tones among those we think are in agreement? If we are honestly looking at our lives, is there anything in how we live our outward lives that would mark us as distinctly “Christian” or do we just blend in with everyone else in some sort of secular slurry? And example after example could go on, but do you see that even/ especially among us the devil and his allies are quite successful in getting us to mute our witness to Jesus? But the simple fact remains: what Jesus told the 11 disciples right before His ascension [Ac 1.8]: you shall be witnesses to Me, remains true for us. We are all witnesses to Jesus to the world--but either we are good witnesses or bad witnesses. Be we bad or good witnesses, we are still witnesses.
Let us boldly confess our faith like Peter and John did that day in Jerusalem and as St. Mark did. Just as they did, let us proclaim Jesus joyfully and confidently before a godless world. And let us do so in spite of what is against us! These apostles stood before the highest court/ tribunal of their people. The whole high council was summoned: The next day, the rulers, the elders, and the experts in the law assembled in Jerusalem with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all the rest of the high priest’s family. After they made Peter and John stand in front of them, they began to question them: “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Quite an intimidating group to stand before! And what did it show? It gave the impression that their good work of healing this man who was born lame, who had never walked once before in his life, was something bad; it was something to be considered a great crime. And this august assembly that they were standing before was held in highest regard by their people and had great influence with the Rome authorities. They knew that this group, just months before, had sentenced Jesus to death; and they were the ones who were the bitterest enemies of Jesus during HIs earthly ministry. Clearly these apostles were in great danger--even in great danger to their lives. But what did they do? They boldly and faithfully confessed Jesus their Savior.
What about us? When we--you and I-- are called to confess our faith in Jesus, is it the same scene? Hardly! More than likely we are in a scene like St. Peter was in a few months earlier when Jesus was on trial before the same group [Mt. 26.69 ff]: Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him saying, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.” But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are saying.” Notice--a servant girl--hardly as intimidating as the Jewish council. For us, that’s the type of witness situations we find ourselves in. How wonderful it would be if by our life and actions people would come up to us and say: You also were with Jesus of Galilee! What a wonderful opening we then have to share our faith. Later, towards the end of his life, St. Peter would write [1 Pt 3.15]: Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear. When we are called upon to witness our faith, it is to those that the Lord has brought to us and placed in our paths. In natural and simple ways we can speak about Jesus to those who ask us or to those who seem to us to need a word of the Lord. Again, most times it would be to people that are somewhat familiar to us. That’s when the most natural and sincere times for witnessing our faith come.
But to be sure, there will be times that we are called upon to witness our faith in difficult situations. For us, that’s when we as Christians live out our lives as Christians in situations that put us at odds with those around us, where we will stick out for doing the right/ God-pleasing thing; often it will involve “swimming against the current.” A simple but powerful witness is saying: “No I cannot. I will be in church” instead of skipping church for some reason or another, no matter how “important” or “worthwhile” it may seem.
Yes, living out our faith--being a good witness to Christ--may mean ridicule; it may even mean loss of something --even something as big as financial loss or a job advancement; or loss of friends or broken relationship even in family. But in those times the Lord will be with us with His Holy Spirit, guiding and strengthening us.
What do we read in our text: Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them… When the Lord calls on us to witness to Him, He doesn’t leave us alone to have to fend for ourselves. We need not fear. Instead, precisely then, is He/ the Holy Spirit with us in a most wonderful way. Here in our text, we see that the Holy Spirit took charge of Peter’s mind and mouth and directed His words. St. Peter knew this; he knew he was speaking divine eternal truth as he said: Let it be known to all of you… The thing is, Jesus promised His dear Christians--and we see in our text that Jesus is faithful to His promise-- But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of Your Father who speaks in you [Mt. 10.19,20]. The simple fact is--just live out your life as a Christian, follow the Holy Spirit’s leading you into a life of holiness. Don’t sweat it. If there is blowback, the same Holy Spirit will be with you and give you the words to say. Think of the words that he gave to Peter here before the highest tribunal of the Jews but who just a few months before cowered before a servant girl saying, “I do not know what you are saying.”
And now carry this a bit further and see how different your life will be: each day when you wake up, ask the Lord in prayer to give you an opportunity that day to share your faith; and then keep your eyes open for the opportunities the Lord sends your way and trust Him to be with you to live out your faith in public and to strengthen you to do the good or to give you the words to say.
Our text: There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved. Dear Christian, the absolute vital and simple fact is that the world needs to hear our--yours and mine--witness of Jesus, that we proclaim Jesus as true God and Savior of the world. If we believe and take to heart who Jesus is and what He has done for us, we cannot but be witnesses--good witnesses--of Jesus. If we aren’t speaking and living our lives as Christians then we either don’t believe on Jesus and His work for us--that He died and rose again for our salvation; or we think there is some other way to salvation; or we hate our neighbor not desiring salvation for him and as we hear in St. John’s epistle: Whoever has worldly wealth and sees his brother in need but closes his heart against him--how can God’s love remain in him? If that is true of worldly wealth, how much more so the spiritual wealth of the Gospel and knowing Jesus!
Our witness of Jesus, that the Holy Spirit leads us into, is not only bold and confident but it is also faithful; we speak the truth about Jesus like St. Peter does here: Let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that it was by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead! By Him this man stands before you healed. The key and central fact is Easter! Easter is central in our telling others the Good News about Jesus. Yes! Jesus was crucified. He was rejected and condemned by the Jews--and Jesus went to the cross loaded down with the sins of the world and there, the Good Shepherd, laid down HIs life for the sheep. There on the cross He paid for the sins of the world--all people --enduring God’s wrath and anger over them, offering Him His perfect obedience and suffering. But God raised [Him] from the dead! Because Jesus perfectly paid for the sins of the world. And because He did so, the Father accepted HIs sacrifice and raised Him from the dead. All those sins that Jesus took on Himself to the cross--the sins of all people, yours and mine--were forgiven/ absolved. And Jesus rose from the dead. Easter is our/ the world’s absolution! How did St. Peter show/ “prove” Jesus’ resurrection? By the lame man being healed: By Him [the risen and ascended Jesus] this man [formerly lame man] stands before you healed. This miracle shows that Jesus is alive, not dead; He is not condemned but approved by God. Through the Name of the one they killed but Whom God raised and is now ascended into heaven, this lame man was healed. This Jesus is the Savior of the world--its only Savior.
Our witness will always point others to Jesus--as their Savior from sin, death, devil and hell. Our witness will always have our crucified, risen and ascended Lord Jesus as its focus--He is not just a teacher, a prophet, an example of virtues, the ideal man. Jesus is the one and only Savior of the world! Our witness is exactly what the world, all people need, by the Holy Spirit’s power may we boldly confess our faith!