Right Before Their Eyes

We've all seen the celebrations outside the courthouse after the verdict.  The local news shows them to us all the time.  

That's the seen that Luke describes here in Acts 4:23-31.  But there's a bit of a twist.  

The people aren't so much celebrating that the Sanhedrin has dropped the charges against Peter and John, but rejoicing in the fact that they are all eyewitnesses of the unfolding of God's plan of salvation.  

It was all happening right before their eyes.

Pete and Johnny leave their hearing before the council and tell the other believers what has just happened (v23).  They relate how Pete had turned the tables on the kangaroo court and accused them of murdering the Messiah (Acts 4:10).  

They tell them how these seminary PhDs couldn't figure out how this pair of illiterate idiots got the best of them (Acts 4:13).  They recall how the Sanhedrin was blown away by their boldness (Acts 4:13).  

They relate how the council clearly knew the two of them had spent time with Jesus (Acts 4:13).  And finally they recall how the Sanhedrin told them to stop teaching and talking about Jesus, but that they boldly told them that wasn't possible (Acts 4:18-20).

"When they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God" (v24).  These early believers thrived in community.  This was the only way they knew.  

Sure, their numbers were growing rapidly (in excess of 5000 at this point).  But they desperately needed each other.  

And when they got together, what did they do?  They worshiped!  They immediately worshiped!  They saw God's hand in the entire process and thanked Him for what He was doing right before their eyes.  There is something powerfully encouraging to other believers when we share such stories.  

When great blessings happen in our lives, what is our first reaction?  Do we seek out other Christ followers in order to share with them what God has just done?  

Do we worship?  Do we pray and thank God?  I don't know about you, but I would rather not answer these questions.

As part of this spontaneous worship service, they prayed in thanksgiving.  These believers thanked the "Sovereign Lord” (v24).  The Greek word here is δεσποτης/despotes.  

It is not used very often in the NT, especially in regard to Almighty God (Lk 2:29; 2Tim 2:21; 2Pet 2:1; Jude 4; Rev 6:10).  We get our word "despot" from the Greek.  

But this original term doesn't carry the idea of an iron-fisted dictator.  It means one who is a master or in control.  NT writers use it to describe someone in charge, often the owner of a slave.  Think of your boss or supervisor.

These early Christians understood clearly that God was in complete and absolute control.  And they were witnessing His hand in manipulating these events happening right before their eyes.

In the first part of their prayer, they recognize their Sovereign God as the Creator of the universe, "who made the heaven and the earth and the see and everything in them."  

That pretty much covers everything, doesn't it?  In other words, God was in command of everything from the very beginning.  Actually from BEFORE the beginning.  He was there BEFORE creation.

In verses 25-27, they pray from the psalms and then quickly understand what was written as being fulfilled right before their eyes.  

They quote Psalm 2:1-2.  While the psalmist does not credit this song to anyone, these Spirit-led believers understand this as "through the mouth of our father David, Your servant" (25).  

When David originally wrote these words, he was in constant battle against Gentile kings and nations.  As God's anointed king, he saw the spiritual implications of these political and military battles.  

These early Christ followers see the role of God's Spirit in the composition of David's psalm.  The Holy Spirit moved the king to say these words centuries before.  

The role of the Spirit cannot be ignored in either of Luke's letters to Theophilus.  The Third Person of the Trinity takes the lead role in both Luke and Acts.  

The early church apparently saw a much broader panorama than King David.  They see this as a prophetic psalm which is coming true right before their eyes.  

These rulers such as Herod, Pilate, the Romans and the Sanhedrin had conspired against "Your holy servant Jesus, Whom You anointed” (v27).  The “servant” recalls Isaiah 53.  

The Father anoints the Son with the Spirit.  Can you see how this verse is teaching us about the Trinity?  Cool, huh?

Once again, they understand that all of these events, including the betrayal and brutal crucifixion of Christ, were all part of God's sovereign plan (Acts 2:23).  This is something they did not and could not understand on the other side of the cross.  

These early believers now knew that EVERYTHING that has happened and is currently happening and will happen is part of God's plan.  He has "predestined to take place."

Do we see God's hand in complete control of the events in our life?  In the events of the world?  

God is sovereign.  His hand is unshakeable.  His purpose cannot be swayed.  And it's all for His glory and our good (Rom 8:28-30).

And what was their request?  They asked God to "grant to your servants to continue to speak Your word with all boldness" (v29).  

They didn't pray that they would avoid conflict with the authorities.  As a matter of fact, the result of their request would actually instigate more friction.  

But their prayer was boldness in order to fulfill what Jesus had commanded to them before He headed home (Acts 1:8).  

As they were still praying, the house started rockin' (v31).  Just as it happened when the 120 were crammed into the upper room and the Spirit fell for the first time (Acts 2:2-4), it was happening again!  

This apparently larger group was being filled with the Spirit of God.  He was answering their request immediately, right before their eyes.

And the Spirit empowered them to do exactly as they had asked.  They "continued to speak the word of God with boldness” (v31).  

Is this our prayer?  Do we regularly pray for God to give us boldness to tell others about Jesus?  If so, He might just rock our world.  I'm not sure the room would shake (but I can't guarantee it!), but I am sure He will readily respond to our request.

And then don't be surprised at what will happen right before our eyes.

©2011

Jay Jennings

Wicked Wednesday

Horrible Hump Day

Fire up the Flux Capacitor for Jerusalem during Passion Week. Specifically for Wednesday. The biographers of Jesus give us nothing but crickets about what the Lord did that day. Most likely He hung out at Lazarus’ house in Bethany.

However something very horrible happened on this Hump Day. Dr. Luke tells us this was the day Judas Iscariot and the Jewish leadership colluded to kill Christ. 

This is Wicked Wednesday. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s back up and take a running start at this story.

God’s Plan for Passion Week

It would be VERY easy to ignore Jesus’ eschatological (that's a two-dollar seminary term for "the end of time") teaching at the temple in Luke 21 as we turn the page to chapter 22.  But they are VERY much related.  

Don’t forget that Christ taught that God has a grand, elaborate, and very precise plan.  Not only is He in total control of that eventual and unavoidable day of judgment, but He also has a grip on the events of Passover week.  Call it a death grip.

As a matter of fact, we see that God set the supernatural agenda for Jesus’ Passion in Scripture centuries before.  Luke describes how “the Feast of the Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover” (v1).  This is the annual festival God commanded to commemorate His liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.  

The Passover and the Passion

Moses described the first Passover in detail in Exodus 12-13.  Each family was to kill a lamb and spread its blood on the front door.  When the destroyer went from house-to-house killing every first born male, he would pass over houses painted with the blood of the lamb.  

In preparation for their quick escape from Egypt, God’s chosen people would eat only bread without leaven.  There was no time for it to rise and there was no time to lose.  They must move fast once Pharaoh lets them leave.  

The Ultimate Passover

What we see in Luke 22 is the celebration of the Ultimate Passover!  The Perfect Passover Lamb would die.  His Perfect Blood would be spilled and cover us from destruction!  What Moses wrote a couple of thousands of years before foreshadowed this week in Jerusalem.

The Axis of Evil

Luke describes how the ultimate Axis of Evil came together on this very Wicked Wednesday.  “The chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put Him to death” (v2).  The chief priests were made up mostly of Sadducees, the religious liberals.  The scribes were predominantly Pharisees, the religious legalists.  

They hated each other.  But these enemies found one thing they could agree on.  They had a common enemy.  Jesus must be eliminated.  He must be killed.  

Paralyzed by the Polls

Public opinion paralyzed these religious leaders.  The good doctor writes that “they feared the people” (v2).  They clearly understood that Jesus had won the crowd with His amazing entrance into the city and His teaching of the temple.  

Meanwhile, their approval ratings are in the toilet. But they were unwilling to make a difficult choice because of the fear of the people.  So they plotted to wait until Jesus was alone in order to take Him out.  But how would they be able to do that without starting a riot?

Satan Enters Judas

In verse three we see the next two partners in the Axis of Evil come together.  Satan himself enters Judas Iscariot.  The serpent who began it all in the garden had taken possession of one of Jesus’ closest followers. It may come as no surprise that Judas was one who handled the money.  

Satan entered Judas because it was easy.  Judas’ own sin and duplicity opened the door for the Devil to walk right in.  What a powerful reminder to do everything our power to confess our own sin in order to keep our heart soft toward our Savior.  Our enemy is constantly looking for his next Judas.

Solving the "Jesus Problem"

In verses 4-6, we now witness all four partners of the Axis of Evil conspiring together.  Judas sneaks away to meet with the chief priests and the commanders of the temple police force.  They brainstorm how they might eliminate their “Jesus problem.”  

Eventually, they come up with a plan.  Judas will tip them off when and where Jesus will be away from the crowd.  He’ll provide invaluable eyes-on-target intel they can use to move on.  

And don’t forget the price.  Thirty pieces of silver.  This was the price of a slave or an ox (Ex 21:32).  In case you’re wondering, God hinted at that very price tag back in Zechariah 11:12-13. 

Flipping the Script

You see, despite all of the conniving by this sinister conspiracy, God is in complete control of these events.  The chief priests, scribes, Satan, and Judas have no idea that He is actually using their evil hearts to pull off His jaw-dropping plan of salvation.  

God will flip the script.  He’ll turn the worst crime in history into His greatest blessing. 

If this is the ultimate Passover and they are the ultimate Axis of Evil, then this is the ultimate expression of that incredible truth Paul wrote to the Romans.  "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose" (Rom 8:28).

You Mean Evil, God Means Good

It’s the same idea that Joseph mentions back in Genesis.  His brothers finally had enough of Joe being their dad’s favorite and sold him to slave traders to get him out of their hair.  Little did they realize how God would use their own wicked plot to eventually save their own hides.

When a massive drought results in a critical shortage of food back home, Joe’s brothers hit the road for Egypt to find something to eat.  The next thing you know, they’re standing in front of the second most powerful person in the country…who just happened to be...yeah, you guessed it...their little brother!  Gulp.

This would be the moment that most of us who’ve been bullied by big brothers would have been waiting for.  But not Joe.  He sees God’s plan in everything that has happened.  “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive" (Gen 50:20).

Passion Week Putty

Which points us back to Wicked Wednesday of Passion Week.  Religious power brokers, a disciple defector, and the satanic snake would seem to be an unbeatable combination.  What appears to be an unstoppable Axis of Evil is just putty in the hands of our Almighty God!

It may be Wicked Wednesday, but God is still in control.  He’s still on the throne.  As a matter of fact, He specializes in reversing curses no matter the day of the week.  Don’t believe me?  Just wait until Sunday and swing by the Jerusalem cemetery.

©2017 

Jay Jennings