ACTS: There's just something about that name

             The church in Jerusalem was growing in numbers and facing an increasing persecution from the religious leadership of Israel. Those in power were growing more and more uncomfortable with the preaching of the disciples because they were accusing the “Jews” of putting Jesus to death. And this was only days after the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus’ followers. 

 

            Even though Peter was quick to say that this death was a part of God’s plan all along, the leaders did not like the competition of someone teaching a different truth about God than what they had come to believe. Yet Peter continued to speak, and people continued to respond with repentance and faith. Keep in mind, a statement like, “I am lame, but I want to be made whole and Jesus can do it,” implies that a person believes in Jesus and believes He can forgive our sins and heal our lameness. This is the essence of faith. 

 

            The record of the persecution of the early church begins in Acts chapter 4. 

 

Acts 4:1 A group of the religious leaders, including the captain of the temple guard came up to Peter and John as they continued talking to the crowd. 2 The leaders were upset by the apostle's teaching since they were telling people how Jesus had been raised from the dead. 3 So they arrested Peter and John and put them in jail awaiting trial the next day. 4 But that did not stop people from believing the message they were teaching. The group of Jesus’ followers was now close to 5,000 men and all the women and children that came along with them.  

 

Peter and John were singled out as the teachers of the resurrection of Jesus, but we can assume the other disciples were active in this teaching as well. The leadership of Israel became so disturbed with the growing numbers of people who listened to the disciples that they arrested Peter and John and put them in jail overnight. The next day the leaders gathered and brought them to the Sanhedrin for trial; this would be like the Supreme Court of their day. 

 

In the minds of the religious leadership of Israel, no matter how “false” the teaching of these disciples was, thousands of people were believing the message and becoming a part of the group following the teachings of Jesus, the Christ. The leaders could not accept that the itinerate preacher they had put to death was still negatively impacting their life. So, they called together the Sanhedrin. 

 

5 On the following day there was a meeting of the rulers, elders, and teachers of the law. 6 The high priest, Annas, was there, along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and others from the high priest's family. 7 They asked for Peter and John to be brought in for questioning. "Tell us about this power you have and the authority behind it." 8 As Peter responded he felt the power of the Holy Spirit fill him and he said, "Religious leaders of the people! 9 Are you inquiring about the act of kindness that we showed to a man born lame and how he was healed? 10 If so, I want you and all the people of Israel to know: In the name of Jesus, the Messiah, from Nazareth, the One you delivered up to be crucified, and the One God raised from the dead, this man stands before you today, healed. 11 “Jesus is the stone talked about in the Scriptures that the builders rejected, and He has become the cornerstone of the future. Salvation does not exist without Him, for His name is the only name under heaven by which a person can be saved.”

 

The leadership should be concerned about whether Jesus rose from the dead. Was He alive like the disciples said? Could He possibly be the Messiah that Israel had been looking for since the days of Moses? That would be the natural instinct of a religious leader who would be devoted to God and looking for the coming of the Messiah. 

 

But instead, they had already made up their minds about Jesus and now wanted to have “proof” that Peter and John were proclaiming something false about the religion of Israel. These leaders had so twisted around their rationale that they were blinded by true and confident that what they believe was actually the right way to think.  

 

Far too often, we find ourselves doing the same thing. We jump to conclusions about some behavior in another person, or decide they believe the wrong thing because of the church they go to, or maybe even expect them to be an evil person because of the clothes they wear or the jewelry on their bodies. 

 

Prejudice is rampant in the lives of humans and often fueled by past experiences with one person in a perceived group giving us the freedom to believe that the traits of the one can be somehow applied to the many. All people are biased, it is part of our human nature and those of us who have chosen to follow Jesus should be on a life-long journey of ridding our minds and hearts of any prejudice. We need to be seeking the truth, not manufacturing a lie based upon our biases. All people on this earth are God’s children and He loves each and every one of us the same. And He calls us to do the same thing. 

 

In the story of Peter and John’s arrest and trial, the religious leaders are not interested in their teaching about the Messiah but in the “magic” they performed in healing a man lame from birth. “What power did you use and where did you get the authority to make this “magic?”

 

These are the same people who sought to find reasons why Jesus was not a true follower of their religion because He allowed His disciples to eat without washing or eat from the fields on the Sabbath. They even watched Jesus perform miracles of exorcisms and healings and only questioned that it happened on the Sabbath when a person was not supposed to do work. 

 

The leaders asked, “By what power or name did you do this?” How did you heal this man?  By what power? They had no interest in the healing itself or the benefit done to the lame man, but only wondered what trick the disciples were using to attract the attention of the people and “lead them astray.” 

 

Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, asked the leaders, “Do you really want to know about this “act of kindness that we showed to a man born lame and how he was healed?” Peter can answer that question, Jesus did it. The Messiah from Nazareth healed this man. Jesus, the One you delivered over to death and the One God raised from the dead.  

 

But then Peter goes on to talk with them about the Scriptures and how their own writings talk of a coming Messiah that the leaders will reject. Peter draws a connection between that Scripture and Jesus, He is the cornerstone you rejected. And then Peter boldly says, “Salvation does not exist without Him, for His name is the only name under heaven by which mankind can be saved.”

 

            13 As they looked upon these two uneducated men they were overwhelmed by their confidence and courage and recognized them as having been with Jesus. 14 They were at a loss for words and actions because they could not deny the miracle as they observed the man who was now walking. 15 They escorted Peter and John and the man out of the room so the leaders could talk in private. 16 One asked, "What should we do with these men? The word about what they have done is spreading rapidly and there is no denying the miracle of healing.  17 We need to stop this from spreading further. I think we have to forbid them from using the name, “Jesus,” in anything they say or do. There seems to be some great power in that name." 

Marshall Hall - Jesus There's just something about that name

            The leadership of Israel was stunned when they heard the disciples speak. They knew these men to be uneducated, they had not attended any of the known schools of religious learning in Israel. And yet the men spoke with great confidence and authority. They recognized them as men who had follower Jesus as He roamed the area the last three years. But they could not reconcile their prejudice of Galilean fishermen with the performing of a miracle as wonderous as having a man lame from birth instantly walk and leap around the room. They needed time to think and discuss so they led Peter and John out of the room. 

 

            The dilemma is quite the same today. People do not mind talking about God. It is done all of the time. They do not even care much about Jesus if He is just portrayed as a historical figure with a good set of moral teachings. But when someone tries to connect Jesus to God and the power of God working through Jesus in a unique way, then we get to the tipping point. 

 

            Actually, to some of us who believe, we see this as the tipping point of the whole of history. Jesus is the chief cornerstone that holds it all together. He is not just some part of history with teachings that shaped the thinking of over half of the world’s population for the last 2,000 years, but He is the crux of the matter, the pivotal point of everything created in the world as we know it. He is the image of God for us mankind to see and believe. Without Him there is no life. 

 

            The question they asked of one another, "What should we do with these men?” This question divulged their extreme prejudice and jealousy. The disciples had the power they had longed for. They could see that God was at work in the lives of these fishermen, but they wanted God to exclusively work through themselves and not through others, especially uneducated Galileans.

 

But the only thing they could think to do was forbid these men from mentioning the name of “Jesus” any longer. Once in their distant past they stopped speaking the name of Yahweh and now they seek to forbid the speaking of “Yahweh is Savior.” Ironic isn’t it? The name that has the power in all the earth to impact change, they have avoided using for thousands of years and now that God is reviving His name in His Son, Jesus, they do not want to hear that either.  

 

What is it that people are afraid of? Do they think something will happen in their lives if they speak His Name? We know it will. It will cause them to change from thinking they are their own god, to believing there is a God outside of themselves that is the master and LORD of the universe. 

 

We can watch this happen in our lives today, we just need to start speaking the name of Jesus whenever we want to talk about God and watch how people react. The more we say His name, the more uncomfortable people get. And we often stop talking about Jesus because it makes other people uncomfortable. At what point do we need to stand bold in the Holy Spirit and speak what we believe, Jesus is our LORD. 

 

We do not have to become a fanatic and quote Scripture with every breath. We do not have to walk around in religious garb, always talking about religious things. We just need to be honest enough to use the name of Jesus every time we desire to refer to Him. 

 

Do not be surprised if people start to wonder the same thing the religious leaders were thinking, “What do we do with these people.” That is the persecution Jesus talked about coming our way. Have we avoided the persecution by substituting other words for the name of Jesus because it offends people? Have we left behind the power by avoiding the name that has the power? 

 

May you be blessed in the name of Jesus, to speak His name boldly in the coming week. And may you see the power that you might have been missing all along. 

Pastor Edd