Acts; Who is Annoyed?

July 2

Read:Acts 4:1-22

Acts;

Who is annoyed?

“And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.” (v.1,2)

Worldly institutions will always suffer from power struggles. These sorts of systems and people inevitably fightback against the life-altering work of Jesus Christ. This makes sense though, given that The Kingdom of God comes at the expense or their own little empires and/or the “domain of darkness” that once controlled the world. (cf. Col. 1:13)

Religious institutions are not exempt from this phenomenon. The powerful work done in the name of Jesus Christ was “annoying” to the chief priests and Sadduccees. (cf. 4:1,2) They arrested Peter and John because of it and threw them in prison. (v.4:3) The next day, they questioned them, asking “by what power” they had done this miracle. (v.7) Notice the focus on power. It was quite unnerving to them that this work was done out of their control… out from under their purview… without their “permission”. What seemed to be even more shocking to them was this: ”Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished.” (v.13) The way that Jesus works through “uneducated and common” people is threatening and annoying to power structures opposed to the Kingdom. The movement and work of Jesus is a “grassroots” movement. This same theme / truth is played out over and over again in the gospels of Jesus and in the book of Acts.  The established institutions of the day deemed Jesus and the Kingdom he was ushering in as a threat…and their systems stand in contrast to the ministry and work of Jesus. Imagine, Jesus who is the most powerful of all “emptying himself and taking on the form of a man.” (cf.Phil 2) This same Jesus, comes to his disciples and tells them, “The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve” and that in the Kingdom of God “the first shall be last and the last shall be first”. (cf. Matt 20:28, Mark10:45, Matt 19:30, etc.) It is downright unnerving the way that Jesus works for those who are not in the Kingdom of God.

The more that these “power-brokers” try to squelch the real work of the Kingdom… the faster it spreads and grows… and this is the opposite of what they want. But here is the truth: the power and work of Jesus stands on its own - whether is it “sanctioned” by those who seek to control it or not:

”But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.” (v.14)

The genuine work of Jesus will always hold its own! Notice how the priests try to tell Peter and John they can no longer testify to the name of Jesus. What a joke!

“What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” (v.16-18)

The work of Jesus is owned by no man! The expanding Kingdom of God is ruled by Jesus alone. And those who loyal love him and serve him cannot help but remain faithful to the work he is calling them to. This is precisely what Peter and John say back:

“But Peter and John answered them, “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.”(v.19)

Once you have “tasted and seen that the Lord is good”, and experienced the Kingdom of God - you cannot help but proclaim and share about what you “have seen and heard”. (cf. Ps. 34:8) Here is to the exciting, life-altering, grass-roots, and powerful ministry of Jesus through his people! Remember, genuine work of the Lord will always stand on its own… and it is not threatened by human-centered power struggles. If it is form the Lord, it will endure. Look at the people in this story… they knew! They rejoiced! This is a great marker of those who are truly Kingdom Minded: can you rejoice with the work that God is doing in and through others… or are you bitter and angry - seeking to control it or squelch it if it is not “yours”? Don’t get sucked into that game… it is not worth it. All power and glory belong to Jesus anyways! Praise God for the transformed lives of one another that stand before us. Look for those whom the Lord is working through … and expect the unexpected when it comes to who the Lord is working through. Love you guys. - JDP