Acts 4:13-23

4/1/2007

“We Cannot Stop Speaking What We Have Seen”

What an uneven match! On the one hand, you have the great Sanhedrin Council; on the other hand, you have two “uneducated and common men”. The Great Sanhedrin Council was “the highest Jewish tribunal” made up of seventy-one members, consisting of high priests, elders, scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees (ISBE Bible Dictionary).

“In the time of Christ the Great Sanhedrin at Jerusalem enjoyed a very high measure of independence. It exercised not only civil jurisdiction, according to Jewish law, but also, in some degree, criminal. It had administrative authority and could order arrests by its own officers of justice (Mt 26:47; Mk 14:43; Acts 4:3; 5:17f; 9:2; compare Sanhedrin 1 5). It was empowered to judge cases which did not involve capital punishment, which latter required the confirmation of the Roman procurator (Jn 18:31; compare the Jerusalem Sanhedrin 1 1; 7 2 (p. 24); Josephus, Ant, XX, ix, 1). But, as a rule, the procurator arranged his judgment in accordance with the demands of the Sanhedrin.

As we can see in our passage, the council did not have any trouble arresting Peter and John at will. It was clear that they had no valid reason to do so, as they had to let them go the next day (v. 21). But they had no trouble creating a new reason for the future by simply threatening the two not to speak in the name of Jesus Christ any longer. Indeed, we see the council arresting them again in the very next chapter (5:17ff). Although they were not to inflict capital punishments without the consent of the Roman governor, they had no trouble stoning Stephen to death (6:8ff; 7:54ff). And as in the case of Jesus and Stephen, they had no scruples about producing false witnesses when they saw fit.

Who were Peter and John against such an impressive, powerful council? They were just two fishermen from Galilee. The council took one look at them and knew that they were uneducated and common men. It would be no trouble at all for the council to just squash them. These two men were nothing but an annoyance to them. To say that Peter and John were no match for the council was an overstatement, embarrassingly so.

Imagine standing before the Supreme Court, just you and your friend. But this Supreme Court does not just have nine Justices but seventy-one. And this court is known for its corruption. They are not interested in maintaining justice and peace. Most of the Justices are there for money and power. Those who enter the chamber know that they cannot expect a fair trial. Yet, it holds the power to throw you in jail indefinitely. If it so chose, it could even order your execution. You can’t believe the kind of stuff that goes in that sacred chamber but there is nothing you can do. Have you ever fell victim to a terrible injustice? No matter what you say, it falls on deaf ears. There is no higher court to appeal to. Whatever they say goes and their words can destroy your life. That was what Peter and John faced. Peter and John were no match.

But that would be a terribly earthly perspective.

Indeed, something was not quite right. The situation being what it was, Peter and John should have been terrified to their bones when the council threatened them not to speak in the name of Jesus anymore. And the council members should have adjourned their meeting, contented once again to have asserted their supreme authority to strike fear into these ignorant, country folks. That should have been the outcome. The simple folks put in their own place. The authority of the council reaffirmed and feared once more. The game over.

But that is not the sense we get from our passage, is it? Peter and John are not intimidated and terrified. This doesn’t mean that they did not take the council’s warning seriously. They knew that these religious leaders were not joking. They crucified their Master not too long ago. But when threatened not to speak in the name of Jesus Christ, they reply, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (vv. 19, 20). This was not the kind of response the council expected from them. They were only two in number, summoned before the council of seventy-one members. And who were these council members? The “who’s who” in the Jewish community. They had the power and authority to make any Jew’s life miserable. Any Jew, threatened thus by the council, should have been frightened out of his wits. But the words that came of out these simple folks were not those of fear, as they should have been. So it was the religious leaders of the council, who were bewildered out of their wits. But all the clues were there to explain this strange situation right in front of their eyes but they did not see.

Read v. 13: “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” They were right in their assessment of Peter and John: those two were uneducated, common men. And they were astonished by their boldness. But why should they be astonished by the Apostles’ boldness? Uneducated and common folk cannot be bold and fearless and confident? Just watch the American Idol tryouts and you will see ad nauseam the tragic illusion of the egomaniac mediocrity. This may be more prevalent in our culture of positive self-esteem without much substance. But surely, this human folly is not limited only to our age and culture! How many riots and revolutions were started just by the elite of the society? Could they succeed without the (reckless) fearlessness of the masses? Yes, the simple folks can be bold; they can be bold all the more because of their ignorance.

But the boldness that the religious leaders detected in the Apostles was not the reckless, uninformed, blind kind. The boldness that the Apostles displayed had a noble, competent and sound quality to it. It was quite contrary to their common, uneducated background. That was why the council members were astonished. But how could this be?

They knew the answer, though they did not realize it. The end of v. 13 says, “And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” They had been with Jesus! This could simply mean that they finally recognized, after the Apostles’ defense in the previous section, that they were the disciples of Jesus the Nazarene, the one that they crucified not too long ago. But the implication of this simple observation is clear: whatever astonished them about these uneducated, common men, it had something--indeed, everything!--to do with their relationship with Jesus!

Can we be with Jesus and not change? We don’t have to meet a great man to change. Spend enough time with someone and both he and we will change. Who is married and not changed by his/her spouse? Who has parents or children and are not changed by them? Show me friends that are not changed by each other and I will show you that they are not really friends at all! Isn’t this why our parents tell us to be careful about choosing our friends?

If we are changed by average Joes and Janes simply by being with them, how can we not be changed by being with Jesus Christ? Is He not greater than the greatest of men? If these mere mortals can affect us and inspire us to change, how can we say that we have relationship with Christ and not change? The change may be gradual, at times hard to detect, but change we shall if we are with Christ! Our thoughts, words and deeds cannot remain the same when we are joined to Christ. Can we have the same worldview that we used to have? Can we have the same desires and passions? Can we enjoy doing and talking about the same things that we used to do as unsaved sinners who knew nothing of Christ?

The disciples were slow to change. Although they left everything to follow Jesus, they were often rebuked by Jesus for their lack of faith and slowness of understanding. Even up to Jesus’ resurrection, they didn’t really “get it”. Only after Jesus appeared to them after His resurrection and only after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost did they show tangible signs of change. It is obvious that their change did not come from within: this change was effected by Christ. Then, why were they so slow to change until then? Weren’t they with Christ even before His resurrection?

This can be easily answered when we recognize that there are two phases to Jesus’ ministry: the ministry of humiliation as the suffering Servant of the Lord; the ministry of exaltation as the resurrected Lord of glory. During His ministry as the suffering Servant of the Lord Jesus had to veil His glory. So He repeatedly commanded His disciples and those He healed not to speak to anyone concerning the special graces that they had received. Even when Peter and other disciples confessed Jesus as the Christ (Matt. 16:16), the Son of the living God, “he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ” (Matt. 16:20).

But things changed radically in this regard after Jesus rose again from the dead. He commanded His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19). He charged them to be “[His] witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Why the change? Because His ministry of humiliation ended with His death and now He reigns as the resurrected Lord of glory over the whole world. He is to be proclaimed throughout the whole world and exalted above all names as the one and only Savior! He lived to fulfill the Law of God that He might give us His righteousness. He died to pay the penalty of our sins that He might purchase our pardon. And He rose again from the dead to demonstrate the validity of His redemptive work. For His resurrection demonstrates that He was indeed without sin, perfectly righteous. For death is the wages of sin and He who is without sin cannot be held in the clutches of death. The same reason tells us that Jesus could not have been raised from the dead unless His payment for our sins was complete. His resurrection demonstrates that all our sins have indeed been paid for completely and there is no more condemnation for those who are in Jesus Christ! Surely, this good news of Jesus Christ must be proclaimed all throughout the world!

But what good is this good news if people are dead in trespasses and sins, totally incapable of responding to it positively? For a sinner is by nature a rebel against God: he rebellious heart has a big problem with God and His authority. His sinful nature distorts everything about God; even the gospel of His grace in Jesus Christ he views as an offensive message! He cannot appreciate and accept God’s grace without his sinful nature being changed. So it is important for us to understand another aspect of Jesus’ resurrection. On that historic day of Pentecost, Peter explained what happened on that day this way: “Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing” (Acts 2:33)--namely, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Jesus received the Holy Spirit without measure as His promised reward for His work of perfect obedience to the Father. He received the Holy Spirit in order that He might pour out the Holy Spirit upon His people. For they needed the Holy Spirit to give them a new birth from above and a new heart that is capable of receiving the gospel of Jesus Christ. In this sense Jesus became “a life-giving Spirit” through His resurrection (1 Cor. 15:45).

We see the impact of this in the Apostles’ life and ministry, don’t we? They once denied their Master. They abandoned Him and ran away from Him when He was being led to slaughter. They hid from the public eye for fear. But when the Holy Spirit came upon them, they became fearless witnesses of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ! Nothing could shut them up: no jail, no scourging, no persecution and not even the threat, a real threat, of death could silence them. That is exactly what we see in our passage! “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (vv. 19, 20).

The strength of the Christian does not lie in numbers, does it? When we stand with Jesus Christ, we stand with the Truth. Oh, what strength there is in standing with the truth, to be on the side of the truth! When you stand with the truth, do numbers matter? Think about the times when you had to defend yourself knowing deep inside that you were wrong. Remember how it felt? And think about the times when you had the truth--what confidence and strength were yours because the truth was on your side, because you were on the truth’s side!

Take a look at the Sanhedrin Council. The numerical advantage they had over the two Apostles and all the political authority and social prestige they had was of no use: even with all the power they had at their disposal, they could not intimidate the two disciples of Jesus Christ and crush their spirit. Why? Because “truth is stronger than fiction”. What happens when one denies the truth? They recognized that “a notable sign” was performed by the two: even they could not deny it (v. 16), for a crippled man they well knew was standing besides the Apostles, now completely made whole. However, they do not pause and think about the significance of the miracle. Where did that miracle come from? How could these two uneducated, common men perform such a miracle? Only the prophets of God could heal in such a way! And were they not astonished by the boldness and confidence that they displayed, so contrary to their humble background? What could possibly be the reason? Jesus’ disciples disappeared without a trace when He was arrested and crucified. Then how could they all of a sudden be so bold as to scorn imprisonment and even death as nothing? Could it be the message they proclaimed concerning the death and resurrection of Jesus?

What happens when we deny the truth? We become like the foolish man who built his house upon the sand. But what happens when we accept the truth? We are like the wise man who built his house upon the rock. What we see in our passage is a battle between a fortress built upon the sand and a fortress built upon the rock. The Council denied the truth of Jesus’ resurrection. They might have had good reasons for doing so. People just don’t rise from the dead in this world. But what are all of their good reasons if they deny the truth of Jesus’ resurrection? Their fortress is nothing but a bubble of fiction ready to pop any moment. Could all their huff and puff shake the firm foundation of the truth that the Apostles were standing on? No. We see that clearly in the Apostles’ undaunted response to the council’s threat. The Apostles knew that Jesus was raised from the dead and no one could change that fact. But how tragic, how utterly tragic it would be if the Apostles allowed the Council’s bluff to intimidate them to abandon the truth they saw and heard!

Not all truths are of equal value, are they? Two plus two equals four. But is that truth worth dying for? If some crazy person should put a gun to your head and threaten to kill you if you insist that two plus two is four, would you risk your life? If you concede, you may feel like a coward. But is the mathematical truth worth dying for? Not all truths are worth dying for. But what about the truth of the gospel we possess? It is not simply a truth, is it? It is a truth that has the power to bring eternal salvation to those who believe it? Is it worth living for? Is it worth suffering for? Is it worth being humiliated for? Is it worth dying for? Is there any burden, any responsibility, which comes with possessing the truth, especially when it is a life-saving truth?

Do you not see in our passage your own life in Christ? The world wants to silence you from proclaiming about the gospel of Jesus Christ. Are you intimidated because of what the enemies of the cross are able to do to you? But what can they do to you? The best they can do is to bluff because they don’t have the truth. You have the truth because you know that Jesus Christ rose again from the dead for your salvation. Yes, they may be able to kill your body but they cannot kill your soul. What is more, they cannot touch you, not even the hair of your head, unless God permits it. Do you remember Job? Satan, even with all of his power, could not go beyond one inch, one nanometer, beyond the boundaries that God placed around Job. What can they do to you beyond what God in His infinite wisdom allowed for His glory and your sanctification? Besides, we have already been crucified with Christ. It is no longer we who live. We are called not to live our own life but the life of Jesus Christ. We are to surrender our life of suffering, failure, mistakes, hurts, pain and death, to give it to Him. And He gives in its place a life of eternal resurrection, eternal glory, crown of life, adoption to God as His dear children. You are to abandon your old life of sin and death so that you may gain a new life of righteousness and life.

On the one hand, the Sanhedrin Council with all of its power and authority. On the other hand, two simple, uneducated fishermen, who had been with Jesus. No match at all! No match at all! The council was no match at all. The council of seventy-one prominent members with all of their authority was no match at all for these two simple disciples of Jesus Christ, who witnessed the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who held in their hands the truth of the gospel.

On the one hand, the world--your bosses, your professors, the rich and intelligent and power of the world. On the other hand, you, just you. But you have been with Christ, the resurrected Lord of glory. The world better watch out. The world with all of its power and glory is no match for you who have been with Jesus. All that the world can do is nothing more than just to bluff. It is nothing more than a bluff to you because you have the truth of Jesus’ resurrection. The Truth is on your side. You can see right through their confidence and call it a bluff. You can calmly ask them, “Are you sure, are you really, really sure, that Jesus was not raised from the dead? How do you know? Can you stake your eternal destiny on it?”

May the Lord bless your Christian walk so that you can be with Christ all the time, so that, no matter what your background may be, you may have this noble, competent, sound boldness, which comes from Jesus Christ! May the Lord be pleased to be glorified through your witness and to save sinners through it! Be encouraged and persevere in your witness, for the day is coming when you shall be raised with Christ to reign with Him forever in the heavenly places. You are destined for glory and exaltation. Yes, you are going through a time of humiliation now. But even as Jesus was raised from the dead, you too will be raised unto eternal glory. May that glorious future make us confident and joyful witnesses of Jesus Christ! Amen.