Let's first examine who these people are: "The People" are those traditional religious skeptics who had always to be shown a miracle to believe, yet still questioned God. These are those of the same attitude who followed Moses and doubted, and followed Peter and doubted, and with doubt, always wanted to turn back to where they had been before. They have a type of religion, but are a rebellious people. They are those who God created grace to save! God throughout history always tried to save them from themselves, because it was their own self that they followed.
Because of their rebellious hearts they were easy to lead astray, or maybe lead their leaders astray, as the Jewish people did to Aaron while Moses was on the mountain. They loved the pomp and circumstance in worship, caring little for whom they worshiped!
It seems that when Jesus was around, these people were always there; not to follow Jesus, but to be seen by men. They were those who challenged every move Jesus made claiming, "He doesn't fit very neatly into the Jewish box!", not realizing it's his box to size and shape! These same people were there with Peter and the others who had been filled with the Holy Ghost, not to encourage and love, but to refute and humiliate! It seems those who are filled with the very Spirit of God, seem foolish to others!
The "priests" are those educated in The Law (The Penteteuch; the first five books of the Old Testament). The Torah had not yet to be assembled, being the rabbinical commentaries on the Penteteuch. Since the Torah included the oral transmission of commentary to the Law, the Jewish priests were the source of knowledge for all the works required to be saved. Since commentary had yet to be written and because it was transmitted orally, the priests had the opportunity to make the Law what they wanted it to be. Indeed God's will became a dynamic instrument to use against the people and the priests of the day and as such, they were more than educators; they were condemners. In effect they were leaders of a lynch mob to extricate those who failed to fit their concept of the nature of God.
The priests with the cheers of the Jewish people were the mob who caused Jesus to be crucified. Now they arrived just in time to condemn the Holy Ghost; the same Spirit which was with their prophets throughout history! Here they came to call out "ignorant' disciples, when it was they who were the ignorant ones!
The "captain of the temple" is the temple policeman. He is the strong arm of the Law. These are the same policemen who escorted Jesus around when he was indicted for heresy. When priests and temple officials were perceived to be in danger, they were the body guards, in effect, to insure that the actions of the priests were enforced. When people didn't fall in line, they enforced the Law, which by the way, was enforced without love! They were a sort of "PC Police" in vogue at the time, only "political correctness" was what the priests deemed to be correct. Yes, it wasn't merely religious law, it was political as well! In effect, they were there to arrest the apostles and other disciples if they were found to be out of step with how the priests interpreted the Law!
The Sadducees were a political group who influence both religious and political law in the Sanhedrin. They were the Democrat Party of the day, if you need to think in contemporary terms. (I guess that makes the Pharisees the Republican Party and the Essenes those who are aloof from it all!) Politically here are their duties:
The Sadducees oversaw many formal affairs of the state such as (Wikipedia):
- Administered the state domestically
- Represented the state internationally
- Participated in the Sanhedrin, and often encountered the Pharisees there.
- Collected taxes.
- Equipped and led the army
- Regulated relations with the Romans
- Mediated domestic grievances.
They were the influential wealthy trend-setting elite of the day! Josephus said that they were fatalists, believing this life is the end of it all, hence there is no resurrection of man nor Jesus. In effect they were skeptics surely influenced by philosophy who took the religious and made it the irreligious. They are those who put up the wall between church and state. These folks were the Barry Lynns of that day (Americans United for Separation of Church and State). These elite educated men were those who came to crucify Jesus again by condemning all memories of this "heretical man" who claimed that he was God and who they thought "These fools believe that he yet lives!"
That's the audience, or more correctly, the accusers who came to persecute this little group of Christians whose sole crime was spreading truth, hope and love! Does that sound familiar? It has always been the same. In all those lands where disciples ventured in the "Great Commission", there were always these types ready to squelch the truth and stop Christ in his tracks! They always failed, but as they tried, there very actions convinced people to believe. Their evil was much less convincing to most than the love being taught by those who profess Jesus!
Acts 4:8 "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, 9 If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; 10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. 11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. 12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. 13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus."Here we have the message for today. Peter got filled with the Holy Ghost. Peter was changed! Rather than holding hands with the lynch mob as he did when Jesus was crucified, now he's the one the mob is after. Peter didn't deny this time. This time he stayed true to Jesus! "Do you love me Peter?" Now, yes he does!
The lame man was made "whole". This group of skeptics came to examine this miracle. The God to whom they were accustomed hadn't done a miracle until Jesus for 400 years! They saw Jesus time and again do miracles. It was all supposed to end with Jesus's death. It didn't! Why? Because Jesus still lived then as he still lives now. His Spirit descended after his body ascended and now lives within the corporate temple of his disciples.
"Made whole" is much more than being restored to health as in "made well". "Wholeness" is physical and spiritual. It's to save, to keep safe, and to rescue from danger or destruction! When Christ makes a person whole, as we find from Luke with the leper, he's restored in the flesh and spirit (Greek: sojo). This formerly crippled man walks again and now he believes! He's the enemy now. He's one of those Nazarenes! He's in collusion with them, faking his own restoration (sic)! Does this sound familiar? Even today those who doubt God doubt miracles!
Peter didn't take credit for the miracle. This was so un-Peter-like! When James and John presumed that they would sit by Jesus in the kingdom of God, the soon coming earthly kingdom, Peter was one of those who was indignant that he would be overlooked! Now here's the same narcissist giving Jesus the glory! This deed was done "by the name of Jesus Christ". You see the Holy Ghost IS the Spirit of Jesus who lived in the soul of Peter and those who were filled with the Holy Ghost. God is still with us! Emmanuel lives within his temples; all Christians who call on the name of Jesus to be saved!
One of the clues that "wholeness" is spiritual as well as physical is in this phrase: after making reference to the cripple now standing, Peter remarks "neither is there salvation in any other". The same Jesus who heals the lame is the one whose name saves! The crippled man was healed from lameness, but more importantly, he is saved! It takes faith in Jesus whom these same folks caused to be crucified, to save! He's the only way, and "yes, you ignorant Sadducees, Jesus was resurrected and because he was, others can be saved!" Salvation is resurrection; forever!
These teachers, those powerful and those in the herd "perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men". These scholars, educators, church leaders and authorities "perceived" that they were observing ignorant uneducated followers of Christ, soon to be called Christians, for "they had been with Jesus". Yes, even then, being a follower of Jesus was a stamp of ignorance and the uneducated. The elite today still think that Christians are ignoramuses who care only for their guns and Bible!
If you can't see the parallel between what just occurred with Peter and John as the same which happens today, maybe you too are part of the herd! God is always the same and people are predictable. As Solomon said "There is nothing new under the sun." (Ecclesiastes). The one big difference is that we're nearer to the time of our salvation, and at that time people and institutions become more evil. Even the elect will be deceived. The church, here represented by the priests, will be part of the deception. God knows who they are! The crowd didn't call these men "ignorant". They merely perceived it and God knew their minds!
Sometimes when I commence to tell a person about Jesus, I perceive that my words are unwelcome. I can't read minds, but the Holy Ghost allows me to perceive their thoughts through their attitudes. I can tell that the unbelieving people to whom I speak of Jesus are those who would persecute me for just knowing Jesus. Nothing has changed. Persecution still exists and it makes the church grow!
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