Reactions and Repercussions – June 26, 2022, Combined Worship

Psalm 99:1-5, Acts 4:1-22
June 26, 2022

This story in Acts comes right after Peter preaches the second Christian sermon.  The first, of course, was on the day of Pentecost.  Now, it’s a number of days later.  We don’t know how many, but we find Peter and the others coming to the Temple to worship, as they did in the early days of the Church.

The other thing to notice here is that they’re still in Jerusalem.  I think we can assume that they haven’t left there since Pentecost.  And I have to think Jerusalem was still “abuzz” over what happened that day!  And then, in our story from last week, Peter and John healed this disabled man at the Temple gate.  And I love how Luke describes this next part.  He says, “All the people ran together, astounded!”  And so, Peter then “preached” to them, giving them his second sermon, telling them how it all had to do with Jesus.

Now remember, this was not long after Pentecost, and it was not all that long since Jesus himself had been there.  And I’m sure they remembered!  I’m sure their experiences with him were still fresh in their minds – the authority of his teaching, the wonder and amazement of his miracles, the hope that he could be their Messiah, the tragedy and loss of his execution, and the “incredulity” (I love that word!) – the disbelief and amazement – of people saying that he was alive again!  All of that was still fresh in their minds.  And now, from Peter, they were hearing about him again, and in a big way!  Now they were being told that Jesus was their salvation!

That brings us to the place we started reading today.  And this is part of the story of the healing of the lame man.  This is the reactions and repercussions of that miracle.  And this is also the point where the religious leaders got involved.  Here we get to see their reaction to all of this.  Here we see the repercussions the Apostles would face from them.

Think about those guys.  The Apostles had been arrested – for what wouldn’t be the last time!  And they were brought before the religious council of Jerusalem.  And there, leading the council, were two men with very familiar names – Annas and Caiaphas.  Do you remember them?  They played a big part in the trial of Jesus when he was before the council!  And I have to believe many of the men on the council were the same ones that were part of that trial.

So Annas and Caiaphas!  We can only imagine their incredulity!  (There’s that word again!)  Here they were, after that horrific experience they went through getting Jesus silenced.  Maybe you remember how difficult – how tricky – it had been for them to get him condemned and executed!  And now they were facing the followers of Jesus.  Now they were seeing that this Jesus was still not silenced!  And again, that was not very many days before this.  Now, they were realizing that what they thought was over, was not over!

And we see their reaction here.  And it’s very interesting.  They did not accuse these men of faking the miracle at the Temple gate!  On the contrary, their statement was that, yes, these men had performed a “notable sign” – a legitimate miracle – like Jesus did.  They didn’t deny his miracles either!  “These men have performed a legitimate sign, and we cannot deny it,” they said!  “But,” – and here’s their reaction!  “But, in order that it may spread no further, let us warn these men to speak no more to anyone in this name.”  (They meant the name of Jesus, of course.)

So, they brought them back in, and they “charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.”  Remember now, as I’ve said before, these men were the law.  They weren’t just religious leaders.  They were the civil authorities, too.  There was no “Separation of religion and State!”  The “religion” was the state in Israel!  They held the civil authority, or at least as much as the Romans allowed them.  So, this was an official, legal injunction.  It was what we would call a “gag order.”  So, for these guys to defy such an order was a big deal!  They could be thrown in jail.  And they often were!  And when they were, it wasn’t done just out of anger or vengeance or jealousy.  This was a legal thing.  To defy these leaders was like being in “contempt of court.”

It just so happens I was on Jury duty this week!  (Coincidence?)  I actually wrote part of this sermon in the Jury Assembly Room!  By the way, it was either do Jury Duty or get my teeth drilled!  And yeah, I was thinking the same thing!  Both of those things are pretty painful!  Actually, I think I would have preferred the teeth drilling!  But if I had ignored the jury summons, I would have been in “contempt of court!”  It said that right there on the summons!

So, like that, Peter and John were given a legal injunction.  And I love their answer.  They said to these ‘officials,’ “You tell us!  Who should we obey, you or God?”  “But we cannot but speak about what we’ve seen and heard.”  That is such a shrewd answer.  (Though I don’t think it would have worked very well with the Bucks County Jury coordinator!)

But think about this.  Would it not have been easier for Peter and John to just “play ball?”  I know that’s hypothetical at this point, but wouldn’t they have had an easier time of it if they had obeyed the injunction?  They certainly wouldn’t have suffered any of the repercussions that they did in the days ahead!  But think about this!  We might not be meeting here today if they did!  They suffered the repercussions they did, and the church continued!  We are part of the repercussion they caused!

And that makes me think, when do any of our “acts” or “non-acts” have future “repercussions?”  You know, when it comes to living our faith, there are parts of that that can make us uncomfortable.  We might be uncomfortable showing others, or telling others, about the kingdom.  That might be hard for us.  We worry that there might be repercussions from that.  We worry that people might judge us in some way, especially in today’s world, where the church is not looked on very favorably!

But do we also know that our actions can cause good repercussions?  Jesus said, “We are the light of the world!  We are that city set on a hill that cannot be hidden.  People will know about God’s kingdom through us.  They will know that through what we say, and they will know it simply through the way we live.  Our words and actions have repercussions in that way.

But let me remind you that those repercussions can be good or bad.  What we say and what we do can turn people toward God, and it can also turn people away.  What we do or say can harm our witness.  And those two things can be split.  We could say things for God’s kingdom that are compelling to others, but then our actions might put them off.  Or it could be the opposite.  Our lives might be shining examples of God’s love and grace, but then our words might put people off.

These are things we need to think about every day.  And if we don’t think about them, our natural “reactions” to things will have the tendency to come out of us “automatically.”  And our natural reactions to things could be negative, and even harmful!  Like our attitudes, we must also “choose our witness,” or too often circumstances will choose those things for us.  I believe we must be intentional about that.  Or at the very least we must be intentional about thinking about it!

So, as we think about that, may we remember this week – and the weeks after – this story of Peter and John before the council.  They were ordered not to talk about Jesus.  And everything that happened in Acts after that came down to that moment.  The rest of the stories in Acts, and down through history, might not have happened if they had obeyed the council!

We are part of their actions and repercussions!  The church comes down to us through what they did.  And what we do in our time has repercussions, as well.  What we do and say has an impact on where it will all go from here!

Prayer

Eternal God, help us to have the courage we need to be your disciples.  May our words and our actions speak well of your kingdom.  May we be reflections of your love and Grace to the world that you so love.  May we know the power and strength of your Holy Spirit, dwelling in us.  For this we pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.