September 20-24, 2010

And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. And it came about that while He was blessings them, He parted from them. (Luke 24:50-51)

We began our journey this week in one of the places Jesus held dear, Bethany. At the end of last week, we had breakfast on the beach of the Sea of Galilee and was touched by Jesus’ words to Peter as He restored him to Himself and His call on Peter’s life. On the day Jesus resurrected from the dead, He had sent a message by the women and Mary Magdalene that He would meet them in Galilee, but it took a little convincing to get them to get up and move from their hiding place in Jerusalem. Their time in Galilee was short; Pentecost was fifty days after Passover and it would have been normal for them to return to Jerusalem for this special celebration. This time when they left the Galilee, they would never return to normalcy.

Ten days before Pentecost Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father, and the disciples began to prepare for what was ahead. Judas’ replacement was chosen bringing them, once again, to the governmental number of twelve. One of Jesus’ last instructions to them was that they were to “wait!” “Wait” is one of the most difficult instructions we ever receive. You may recall that it was the instruction King Saul miserably failed to follow. But a remnant of one hundred and twenty disciples remained faithful. They were waiting for the promise of the Father, but how would it come? How would they know when it came? Jesus didn’t tell them how many days it would be before it came. Did they suspect that it would probably come at Pentecost? They certainly were well aware that Passover and Pentecost were linked together by the counting of the omer, and must have been looking forward to the arrival of Shavuot with great anticipation. They knew that this event was to take place in Jerusalem, because Jesus had told them to stay there until it arrived. I have a feeling they sensed what was about to happen was in direct relation with what had already happened.

Jerusalem would have been filled with Jews from all over the Roman Empire, just as Passover had been. People who had come exceptionally long distances would have arrived for Passover and remained until after Pentecost. When God accepted the Tabernacle as His dwelling place, He revealed His presence through the fire that consumed the sacrifice. When God moved into the Temple Solomon had built, God manifested His presence by sending fire to consume the sacrifice. For the past fifty days, the followers of Jesus were being built into a new Temple. Each one of them had prepared their hearts and lives and presented themselves as living sacrifices. Once again, God revealed His acceptance of His new dwelling place. No longer would He live in a tent in the wilderness, or in a magnificent stone structure made by human hands; God was taking up His abode in the hearts of men who loved Him and followed His will. God’s signature of approval had always been seen in His fire that consumed the sacrifice; this time it would be no different. God placed His fire of approval on each living sacrifice that had waited for His promise!

It’s not long before we hear Annas, Caiaphas the high priest, and the other members of the council asking the apostles the same question they confronted Jesus with, “By whose authority are you teaching and doing miracles?” Peter and John had learned well from their Great Rabbi and answered them with words that carried even greater impact than their face value. With all that we’ve seen in the last few weeks, listen to Peter and John’s response.

1. His name is Jesus Christ the Nazarene.

2. You crucified Him, God raised Him up.

3. He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED BY YOU, THE BUILDERS, BUT WHICH BECAME THE VERY CORNERSTONE.

4. There is no other name under heaven by which a person can be saved.

We looked into the remez Jesus used when He was before Annas, Caiaphas, and the council when they condemned Him to death. Because of their thorough knowledge of the Scriptures, they would have been well aware of Jesus’ words in their context. It would obviously have been the same for the words Peter and John quoted out of Psalm 118. I’m sure they didn’t miss the connection in verses 8 and 9 that says,

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.

And, no doubt, they connected the words,

You pushed me violently so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation. (vs. 13-14)

I’m sure if you take time to read Psalm 118, you will delight in the greater message Peter and John spoke to the council.

You would think that with all the miracles Annas, Caiaphas, and the members of the council had witnessed firsthand, that they would have been the first ones to admit their failure to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, but jealousy never thinks rationally! And in truth, we are told that a number of priests believed in Jesus as the Christ. It is in the midst of all the chaos in the Sanhedrin that a Pharisee named Gamaliel stood and spoke in an effort to bring some sanity to the situation. Gamaliel was one of the most honored and respected rabbis of that day. This is the man Paul says that he had studied under when he was younger. Obviously, in Paul’s zealousness, he failed to hold the same thoughts as Gamaliel, but that’s getting ahead of ourselves.

As we watch the birth of the church unfold, we quickly discover that many of the same problems that are in the church today, were also found in the believers of that day. Prejudice and contention are two that raised their heads pretty quickly. But these were quickly squelched when godly leadership was put in its proper place. Out of the seven deacons that were put in place, two of them give us greater insight into their character. Much to our surprise, the first man to die for Christ was not an apostle - He wasn’t even a Jewish Jew. He was a Hellenistic Jew! You can be sure that by Jewish standards, these men were thought to be less than their Jewish counterpart, but we quickly learn that their knowledge of the word and their commitment to Christ was not second rate!!!!

As we follow the footsteps of the saints who have gone before us, may we endeavor to recognize the high standards they have given us. May their knowledge of the Word, their total commitment to Christ, and their desire to tell others of their experience with the Messiah be an encouragement to each of us, and as a result, may we change our world.