Charges Dropped

 The Sanhedrin wants to shut up Peter and John as well as shut down this growing movement.  But once the council hauls these two men in to intimidate them, they realize they have a HUGE problem on their hands.

These two followers of Jesus were fearless (v13).  And despite being a pair of illiterate idiots (“uneducated...common": Gr. agrammatos/αγραμματος and idiotes/ιδιοτης), Pete and John had clearly spent time with that radical Rabbi/Carpenter from Nazareth.

Do people say the same about us?  Are we known for our boldness?  Is it obvious to others that we spend time with our Savior?

Apparently, the council didn't bring in just Pete and John, but the newly healed man (v14).  If they wanted proof of this most recent miracle, he is standing right before their eyes.  

They all knew him.  He had regularly parked himself at the Beautiful Gate to the temple in order to panhandle (Acts 3:2).  These religious leaders had walked past him day after day, week after week, year after year.  

No doubt, they had ignored him.  Clearly, they had done nothing for him.  Now he stands before them.  In contrast with the courage of Peter and John, the members of the Sanhedrin are speechless.

"But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another" (v15).  The council goes into private deliberation and tries to figure out what in the wide world of sports they are going to do with all of this.  

The rise of Jesus and His followers has stunned the council.  They were sure that His crucifixion would put an end to it.  

Not only were there numerous reports that He was alive, two of their own (Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus) had gone over to the other side.

The question was simple.  "What shall we do with these men?" (v16).  They had used every bit of political capital and leverage with Pilate to crucify Jesus.  They certainly couldn't go back to him about these two Galilean fishermen.  

It's interesting to note that Luke has somehow gotten the information of what was discussed in the Sanhedrin's closed deliberations.  It indicates a couple of things.  

First of all, it reinforces the fact that the good doctor did lots of interviews and a boatload of research in writing his two volumes to Theophilus.  

Second, it reminds us that the Holy Spirit was divinely inspiring his work.

The council had big problem.  "For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it."  They recognize that this miraculous healing is actually a sign of something greater.  And they understand that this miracle is being done through them.

The miracle was both notable and evident.  The Greek for “notable” is gnostos/γνοστος.  It means something notable but also remarkable and extraordinary.  In other words, this healing is all the buzz in the city.  

It was also “evident” or phaneros/φανηρος, which means plainly visible, brought out into the open, widely known and public knowledge.  

It had just happened yesterday afternoon, but with the large crowd present in the Court of the Gentiles the word was out.  

There was no way to spin this.  There was no way to deny it.  There was no un-breaking this light bulb.

The Sanhedrin decides to put a gag order on Pete and John.  "Let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name” (v17).  

Surely they can bully them into stop talking about Jesus.  If they can intimidate these two rubes from the boondocks, they can at least slow down the rumors running rampant in Jerusalem.  

So that's exactly what they do.  They bring the two back in before the full council and "charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus” (v18).

Pete and John respond to their intimidation with even more boldness.  "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” (v19-20).  

In other words, it's totally their decision (i.e. their mistake) if the Sanhedrin wants to disobey God but as followers of Jesus, they must do what He says.  The council may rule in such a way, but these two men will always choose to obey the Lord.

This brings up the topic of civil disobedience.  Are there times when it is proper if not imperative for followers of Christ to disobey governmental authority?  The answer is "yes."  

The Bible clearly commands us to submit to our government (1Pet 2:13-17).  And that includes corrupt and evil rulers like Rome (Rom 13:1-7).  Remember, our Savior Jesus was without guilt and broke no law despite being executed (Lk 23:4, 14-15).  

But when what the government demands goes in the face of God's commands, we MUST obey God.  The Jewish midwives did it (Ex 1:15-17).  Daniel did it (Dan 6:4-10).  

Peter and John could not keep quiet.  And a big reason was that Jesus had commanded them to tell the entire world about Him.  "You will be My witnesses  in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8).  

They were also filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit for such a time as this (Lk 12:11-12).  They'll just be obedient to Jesus, thank you.

The Sanhedrin tries to throw their weight around and threaten these men even more (v21).  They couldn't even find anything to charge them with.  

But these two illiterate idiots could not and would not be pushed around.  Part of the council's problem was they were worried about the polls.  

They were worried about public support.  They were paralyzed "because of the people” (v21).  

Do you let the fear of man keep us from doing what we know God is commanding us to do?

Dr. Luke concludes his account of this hearing by reminding us of the man who started this whole thing (v22).  The healed man.  

The Sanhedrin had treated him like a pawn, like a piece of evidence.  They had absolutely no compassion for the man.  They were unwilling to celebrate what God had done for him.

The once-disabled panhandler was more than 40 years old.  For more than four decades, he had never walked.  

How many times had the members of the council walked past him in and out of the temple courts?  

Yet his life was changed when two Galilean watermen stopped and looked into his eyes.  The Spirit of God opens our eyes to see people as Jesus sees them.

©2011

Jay Jennings

Wants and Needs

 Wants and Needs

Minute by minute, we face a choice.  Our wants versus our needs.  Is what I desire simply something I simply want?  

Or is what I desire something I truly need to survive?  It sure sounds simple but it’s VERY difficult in practice.

Here in Acts 3:1-11, we meet a man who is certain about what he needs.  He is disabled and he needs to earn an income.  

But Peter and John take one look at him and correct him.  He thinks he needs money.  But what he really needs is Jesus.

Luke tells us that Pete and John were on their way to the temple to pray around 3pm (v1).  We already know that members of the first church made temple attendance part of the daily lives (Acts 2:46).  

The good doctor enlightens us to one reason they went: to pray.  Apparently first century Jews observed three times of prayer each day: 9am, noon and 3pm.  

How life had changed for these two men in what must seem like the blink of an eye.  Only three years ago they were commercial fishermen on Lake Galilee.  

Pete was the grizzled veteran angler.  Think of the guys you see on "The Deadliest Catch."  He worked for John's dad.  

By all accounts John was much younger.  Probably a teenager.  

That was all before the radical Rabbi/Carpenter changed everything (Lk 5:1-11).  They were no longer catching fish, but people.  They had left everything behind.  Everything. 

It was now 3 o'clock.  It was time for prayer.  So Pete and John do what good Jews do when they're in Jerusalem.  They head to the temple to pray.

While they were on their way, they saw "a lame man from birth" being carried (v2).  This man had never been able to work.  A birth defect left him disabled.  He had spent his entire life (40 years according to Acts 4:22) relying on others to carry him.  

They set the man down just outside the temple at Beautiful Gate.  This was his spot.  He went there everyday.  For someone who relying on the kindness of others to survive, it made perfect sense.  

People headed to worship were perfect targets.  They were loaded with both guilt and cash.  They had money for offerings.  

In my visit to Jerusalem in 1997, I was stunned to see much of the same.  The temple is obviously gone, but people crowd the gates of the Old City to beg.  

Some are disabled.  Some are simply panhandling.  It's a sad scene.  It's a grim reminder of Jesus teaching.  "You always have the poor with you" (Mt 26:11).

At this point, Pete and John make their way toward Beautiful Gate (v3).  The disabled man begs them for money.  The two apostles stop and look the man dead in the eye.  

Apparently he had discounted them and moved on to panhandle others.  Rocky gets his attention, "Look at us" (v4).  "Sweet!" the man must have thought.  

The disabled man probably got his wallet ready (v5).  He would get what he needed.  He would get what he came for.  He would soon find out it was only what he wanted.

But instead of handing him a few bucks, Pete gives him something else.  He gives him what he truly needs.  

"I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you.  In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!" (v6).

The man thought he needed money.  And why not?  He’d never walked.  Ever.  What he really needed was Jesus.  

Take a look over at Peter's first epistle.  He writes that we were not ransomed "with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ" (1Pet 1:18-19).  

Certainly this event at Beautiful Gate is exactly the kind of thing he was writing about in his later letter.  Jesus is so much more valuable than anything we could ever imagine.  He is truly our Greatest Need. 

The man had lost hope.  He didn't think he would ever walk.  It had been 40 long, frustrating years.  The thought of ever walking again had long left his heart.

Pete reaches down and lifts him to his feet (v7).  For the first time in 40 years, this man is walking!  

But he's not just walking.  "And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God."  

The once disabled man is literally dancing and skipping through the temple courts with his two new best friends.  All because they understood the difference between true wants and needs.

The people couldn't believe what they were seeing (v9-10).  They knew this guy.  He was a regular at the gate.  He was there everyday.  

But there he was running around the temple grounds like a kindergartner.  "And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him."

The miraculous healing was an important sign of the apostles' authority.  Such signs and wonders let the people know that they had the seal of approval from God Himself.  

This event is very similar to Jesus' healing of the man born blind in John 9.  And like that event, the story doesn't end here.  Soon the members of the Sanhedrin will stick their noses into things.

But on this wonderful and miraculous afternoon, we see an incredible example of the difference between wants and needs.

As a follower of Jesus, you may not have change in your pocket.  But you do have something (or Someone!) that can change everything.  Understand the difference between wants and needs.

©2011

Jay Jennings

Limp Limbs and Hard Hearts

Pick One

What’s worse? A limp, lifeless limb or a rock hard heart?

Oh, I’m not asking because one is that much better than the other. Neither is exactly an all-expense paid trip to Sandals.

But which is the best of the worst? If someone forced you to pick, what would it be? A physical deformity or petrified ticker?

That’s the question on the table at a worship service one weekend in Capernaum (Mk 3:1-6). But before get there, let’s back up a bit in Mark’s bio of Jesus.

Setting the Scene

The time is the First Century. The place, Israel. Specifically, Capernaum, a little backwater fishing village on the north shore of Lake Galilee.

There’s a hot new Rabbi from just up the road in Nazareth named Jesus who’s all the buzz. His own cousin believes this relative is the One God has promised to send for centuries (Mk 1:2-3, 8). The Carpenter’s Son is packing them in wherever He goes (Mk 1:28, 32, 37, 45).

The Worst of the Worst

Jesus has started assembling a team. Let’s just say that His choices are, um, curious. Four crusty commercial fishermen (Mk 1:16-20) and a rat fink Roman tax collector (Mk 2:13-14).

And have you seen who else He’s hanging out with? These people are the worst of the worst! Nothing but losers, rejects, and outcasts (Mk 2:15-17).

Who Does He Think He Is?!?

Meanwhile, religious leaders are about to blow a gasket over Jesus. He doesn’t seem to give a flying flip about their complicated rules about obeying God.

He heals and forgives sin without their permission (Mk 2:6-12)! His crew has the unmitigated gall to break their bylaws by grabbing a snack on the Sabbath (Mk 2:23-28)! Who does He think He is…GOD?!?

The Gathering

We pick up the action as villagers gather for a time of worship. “Jesus went into the synagogue again” (v1). The word “synagogue” (Gr. συναγωγυ/sunagoge) is a compound Greek term that literally means a “bringing (Gr. -αγωγυ/-agoge) together (Gr. συν-/sun-).”

Just like “church” doesn’t mean the building but the people, it’s the same with synagogue. It’s the gathering or uniting of people. But the synagogue is WAY more than a group of people that gets together once a week. It’s the center of life in the village.

And it’s not exactly like you have another choice when it comes to worshiping God. Capernaum Community Church may not be a megachurch but it IS the only game in town. You don’t exactly do a lot of “synagogue shopping” in 30 AD.

A Second Sabbath at the Synagogue

This is the second time we see our Savior gathering with God’s people on the Sabbath. If you’ve been following the story in Mark’s story of Jesus, this is the same synagogue He attends back in the opening chapter (Mk 1:21-26).

People are still talking about what happened that day. As if His amazing message wasn’t enough, He performed a quickie exorcism right before everyone’s eye.

Catching Jesus’ Eye

At some point after He arrives the second time, somebody catches His eye. He “noticed a man with a deformed hand” (v1). Mark doesn’t mention his name. Neither do Matthew or Luke in their versions of the same story (Mt 12:9-14; Lk 6:6-11).

It makes you wonder if that’s how everybody in town knew him. The man with the deformed hand. Kinda like the crazy cat lady on the corner or the homeless guy at the exit ramp.

Too many times we slap a label on somebody instead of asking them for their name or if we can help. Labels not nearly as messy as getting to know someone.

An Atrophied Hand

Whatever the case, the dude clearly has a disability. According to Mark, his hand is “deformed” (v1). The author uses a word (Gr. ζηραινω/xeraino) which describes something that’s dried up, shriveled, or deprived of fluid.

More than one Bible expert says the grammar here tips us off that this isn’t a birth defect but the result of an injury or disease. If that’s the case, it’s’ easy to picture the man’s hand atrophied after lack of use.

It should come as no surprise that Dr. Luke makes a note in the chart that it’s the patient’s right hand (Lk 6:6).

The Real Cause

We never find out how it happened. Is it an injury? Was he attacked? Did he suffer a stroke? Is it a case of MS?

The big answer is that sin is the cause. Yup, that’s right. Sin. Our first parents first let the monster out of the cage into God’s perfect creation (Gen 3:1-9).

A Broken World…and We Broke It!

Whether we’re the victim of our own rebellion or someone else’s, we can trace it all back to sin. We live in a broken world.

Don’t believe me? Just click on your favorite 24-hour cable channel. Subway terrorist attacks. Nuclear threats. Mass killings. We live in a broken world, alright. And we’re the ones who broke it!

Here We Go Again

Meanwhile, back in the synagogue, we soon see that everyone there is NOT a fan of the Nazarene. “Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus’ enemies watched Him closely. If He healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse Him of working on the Sabbath” (v2).

Here we go again. The religious police look to bust Jesus and His boys one more time. This is the fifth time in Mark’s Gospel they’ve tried taking down the Son of God. Gotta give the Pharisees credit for one thing. They are a persistent bunch.

Oh-for-Four

They hated it when Jesus not only forgives but heals the disabled dude (Mk 2:1-12). They lose their minds when He parties with sinners (Mk 2:13-17).

They freak out when He feasts instead of fasts (Mk 2:18-22). They accuse His crew of working on God’s day off when they’re simply hitting a drive-thru (Mk 2:23-27).

For those scoring at home, they’re oh-for-four. Hmm, I wonder how this will turn out?

Our God-Given Day off

Notice a few interesting points Mark makes in this verse. First of all, it’s Sabbath Saturday, the God-given day off for rest and worship (Gen 2:2-3; Ex 20:8-11).

The Pharisees tried to help out the Almighty by closing what they see as loopholes in the holy law. They meticulously defined limits on what you could and could not do. How far you could walk. How hard you could work.

Setting the Trap

As a result, they “watched Him closely” (v2). Mark uses a Greek verb here (Gr. παρατηρεω/paratereo) meaning to observe with total focus and tunnel vision.

When used in a negative sense (as Mark clearly does here), it means to lie in wait or lurk. They’re setting a trap and just waiting to ambush their prey. Go ahead, Jesus. Perform a miracle. We dare you!

Locked and Loaded

What exactly are His enemies hoping to see? “If He healed the man’s hand…” (v2). Did you catch that? If. They clearly believe Jesus COULD heal. It was only a matter if He WOULD heal.

And if Jesus has the nerve to restore this guy’s atrophied hand, they’ll be all over Him like white on rice. The Pharisees are locked and loaded, just waiting “to accuse Him of working on the Sabbath” (v2).

The Devil You Say!

When we peek behind the word “accuse” (Gr. κατηγορεω/kategoreo), we see a legal term meaning to bring formal charges against someone. Again, they’re actually HOPING Jesus breaks their rules.

It just so happens to be the very same word the Apostle John hears over the heavenly loudspeaker describing Satan as “the accuser (Gr. κατηγορεω/kategoreo) of our brothers and sisters” (Rev 12:10).

Let’s just say anytime someone in the Bible compares you to the devil, you might want pump your brakes and take a long look in the mirror.

Enforcing God’s Rules

These Jewish leaders think it’s their job to enforce God’s rules. There’s just one little problem. His laws about working on the Sabbath have absolutely nothing to do with helping people and everything to do with glorifying God (Gen 2:1-3; Ex 20:8-11; 23:12; 34:21; 35:3; Lev 23:3; Dt 5:12-15).

As a matter of fact, Jesus has already dropped the mic on these knuckleheads about this once before (Mk 2:27-28). God created the Sabbath to serve us, not the other way around. He should know since His Heavenly Dad put Him in charge of the Sabbath.

A Sabbath Showdown

Clearly Christ is more than ready for another showdown with the Pharisees over what should go down on the Sabbath. He knows EXACTLY why they’re here and what they hope to do.

In his take on the same event, Dr. Luke points out, “Jesus knew their thoughts” (Lk 6:8). You do realize we can never pull a fast one on the Son of God, don’t you?

Can Everybody See?

The Lord invites the physically challenged guy to step forward in the synagogue. “Jesus said to the man with the deformed hand, ‘Come and stand in front of everyone’” (v3).

He wants everybody to see what’s about to go down. He doesn’t want anybody…including the Pharisees…ESPECIALLY the Pharisees…to miss one bit of what’s about to happen. Move on in, folks. Can everybody see?

Out from the Shadows

Put yourself in the man’s sandals for just a moment. Your shriveled hand is an embarrassment and shame. It limits everything you do. Jesus has to call you front and center because you’re hiding in the corner where no one could see you.

When God gets involved in our healing, there’s no longer any reason to be ashamed of our brokenness. Don’t hide. Let everyone see what Christ can do. Why? He specializes in turning our awful into awesome.

A Question for the Know-It-Alls

Just as He calls up the man with deformed hand, Christ calls out the religious know-it-alls. Before He does any healing, Jesus has a little question for them. “Then He turned to His critics and asked, ‘Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?’” (v4).

Hey boys, since you’re such hot shots when it comes to God’s law, here’s a question for you. If you’re going to do something on the Sabbath, what would it be? Helping or hurting? Good or evil? And in doing so, our Savior flips the script.

Sins of Omission

Jesus not only turns the table on the Pharisees, He also makes a much bigger point. NOT doing what we know we should do is the same as doing what you shouldn’t do. In other words, not doing good IS doing evil. The sin of omission is the same as a sin of commission.

Stephen Short puts it this way in the International Bible Commentary. Jesus claims that refusing to heal the man would technically be a ‘work’ just as much as to curing him, and an evil one at that.

Fixing a Flat

Let me give you an example. Let’s say you’re on your way to church one Sunday morning. While you’re driving, you see a single mom broken down on the side of the road, struggling to change a flat tire.

Do you (a) put the hammer down and head to church because you shouldn’t be working on the Sabbath, or (b) pull over and help because it’s the loving thing to do? Hint: God won’t mind if you’re late to church.

Just in case the light bulb hasn’t come on yet, Jesus’ kid brother James puts it this way. “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it” (James 4:17). See any loopholes about the Sabbath anywhere in there? Didn’t think so.

Crickets

Jesus’ question to His enemies shuts them up and shuts them down. “But they wouldn’t answer Him” (v4). Crickets. Silence. Dead air. He’s exposed them in front of everybody on their home court. Awkward.

But this isn’t simply about winning an argument. The Son of God is furious over their total lack of compassion. “He looked at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts” (v5).

There’s more than one medical problem in the room. There’s obviously the poor guy with the atrophied hand. But our Savior also sees their hard-boiled hearts…and He doesn’t exactly need an EKG to do so.

Scar Tissue

It should come as no surprise that Jesus diagnoses the Pharisee’s heart problem using medical lingo in the original language. “Hard” (Gr. πωρωσις/porosis) describes a callous, scar tissue, or any thick growth of tissue which results in insensitivity.

Robertson’s Word Pictures says the root word is actually a kind of marble. While marble may be great for countertops in your new kitchen, it’s the wrong thing when it comes to your heart.

Feeling Deeply about the Lack of Feeling

Jesus is both angry and brokenhearted at what He sees. On one hand, there’s the band with the shriveled hand. On the other, there’s the uncaring Pharisees and their rock hard hearts.

The Lord feels deeply about their total lack of feeling. His heart breaks anytime we show our lack of one. What a powerful reminder that He ALWAYS cares more than I do. Every. Single. Time.

Shattering God’s Heart

Our hard hearts shatter God’s own heart. Anytime scar tissue builds up and dulls our emotions, bad things happen. Let’s review.

Pharaoh had a rock for a heart and refused to release God’s people (Ex 4:21; 7:3, 14, 22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:12, 34-35; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; 14:4, 6). Solomon instructs his kids, “Blessed is the one who fears the LORD always, but whoever hardens his heart falls into calamity” (Prov 28:13 ESV).

Not once but twice, the writer of Hebrews quotes the Psalms and tells us to not make the same mistake God’s people did in the desert. “Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion” (Ps 78:32; Heb 3:8 15).

A Hard Time with Hard Hearts

When the Pharisees point out that Moses signed off on quickie divorce, Jesus says the Big Mo only handed down the command “as a concession to your hard hearts” (Mt 19:8; Mk 10:4). Even Jesus’ own crew continually had a hard time with hard hearts (Mk 6:52; 8:17).

A hard heart is spiritually fatal. God’s chosen people miss the Messiah because of the hardening of their hearts (Rom 11:25). Non-Jews are alienated from a relationship with God because they have “hardened their hearts against Him” (Eph 4:18).

Heart Guard

That explains why the wisest dude who ever lived made heart health his top priority. “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life” (Prov 4:23).

While a limp limb is nothing to sneeze at, heart hardness has eternal implications. Even for religious pros. ESPECIALLY for religious pros! That’s why Jesus had His harshest words for those who should have known better.

Healing the Hand

Back inside the synagogue, Christ turns His attention to the disabled man. “‘Hold out your hand.’ So the man held out his hand, and it was restored!” (v5). Jesus wasn’t going to let this bunch of bullies stand in His way of bringing healing.

Imagine the scene. You have to think there are cheers and applause. Oohs and ahhs. Something tells me you couldn’t wipe the smile off the man’s face who finally has the use of his right hand again.

Putting a Contract out on Christ

But there’s one group of folks who don’t share in the celebration. “At once the Pharisees went away and met with the supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus” (v6). Well THAT escalated quickly!

How stony are their hate-filled hearts? Hard enough to murder. While I’m certainly no expert on the Pharisees complicated rulebook, I’m pretty sure plotting a murder does NOT qualify as a good work on the Sabbath!

A Common Enemy

How badly do they want Jesus dead? So bad that they team up with their hated rivals. These supporters of Herod are a secular political party who are blindly devoted to their allegiance to King Herod Antipas and the Roman Empire.

The Herodians have placed patriotism above everything else. Including God. Especially God. Imagine deeply religious people aligning themselves with hardcore patriots against a common enemy. Sound familiar?

God’s Heart Transplant

But did you realize that God can heal a hard heart just like he can an atrophied hand?

God can not only heal atrophied limbs but hard hearts as well. That’s at the heart of the promise Yahweh makes through a prophet named Ezekiel. The divine cure is a supernatural heart transplant.

A New Heart and a New Spirit

“I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, so they will obey My decrees and regulations. They they will truly be My people, and I will be their God” (Ezek 11:19-20).

And not just a new heart. A new Spirit. The Holy Spirit. In other words, God Himself comes to live in each one of us.

“I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new Spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put My Spirit in you so that you will follow My decrees and be careful to obey My regulations” (Ezek 36:26-27).

A limp limb. A hard heart. I wouldn’t want to choose either one. But we have a Savior who can cure either one, even on the Sabbath.

©2017

Jay Jennings