Scripture: Acts 4:7-20 - The Message
5-7 The next day a meeting was called in Jerusalem. The rulers, religious leaders, religion scholars, Annas the Chief Priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander—everybody who was anybody was there. They stood Peter and John in the middle of the room and grilled them: “Who put you in charge here? What business do you have doing this?”
8-12 With that, Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, let loose: “Rulers and leaders of the people, if we have been brought to trial today for helping a sick man, put under investigation regarding this healing, I’ll be completely frank with you—we have nothing to hide. By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the One you killed on a cross, the One God raised from the dead, by means of his name this man stands before you healthy and whole. Jesus is ‘the stone you masons threw out, which is now the cornerstone.’ Salvation comes no other way; no other name has been or will be given to us by which we can be saved, only this one.”
13-14 They couldn’t take their eyes off them—Peter and John standing there so confident, so sure of themselves! Their fascination deepened when they realized these two were laymen with no training in Scripture or formal education. They recognized them as companions of Jesus, but with the man right before them, seeing him standing there so upright—so healed!—what could they say against that?
15-17 They sent them out of the room so they could work out a plan. They talked it over: “What can we do with these men? By now it’s known all over town that a miracle has occurred, and that they are behind it. There is no way we can refute that. But so that it doesn’t go any further, let’s silence them with threats so they won’t dare to use Jesus’ name ever again with anyone.”
18-20 They called them back and warned them that they were on no account ever again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John spoke right back, “Whether it’s right in God’s eyes to listen to you rather than to God, you decide. As for us, there’s no question—we can’t keep quiet about what we’ve seen and heard.”
Sermon: “From the Illusion of a Christian Society to Christian Subversion
Have you ever noticed how little kids can’t keep quiet when they have news to share? Even when you tell them, “It’s a secret--don’t tell Mommy,” almost the first words out of their mouth when Mommy walks in the room are, “Daddy got you a present!” Or, “Johnny broke the window!” Or “Uncle Tony doesn’t live with aunt Suzy any more!” Watching children’s faces when they know a secret or have news to share, it’s almost like they physically struggling to keep the words inside--and to do so might make them burst.
I think that’s how it was with the Apostles, Peter and John, in today’s Scripture reading. In Verse 20, Peter and John say, “As for us, there’s no question--we can’t keep quiet about what we’ve seen and heard.” Like little kids with a secret, they simply can’t keep the words inside--they are bursting with news.
And their news is all about Jesus. About how God raised him from the dead. About the message of salvation that Jesus preached: about healing and wholeness and eternal life for ALL people who open their hearts to God.
This was particularly good news for people living under the oppression of the Roman Empire, a totalitarian government that cared only about the citizens at the top of the food chain. Jesus preached that, in contrast, God cares about those at the bottom of the food chain. God cares about those whom the civil and religious authorities considered throw-aways:
· lepers
· prisoners
· widows
· orphans
· women and children in general
· prostitutes
· tax collectors
· people who were sick or disabled
· foreigners
Peter and John couldn’t keep quiet about this radical message of God’s kingdom, of God’s tender, loving care for those at the bottom of the social ladder who are struggling to survive. They preached that God cares about the people at the bottom--and we human beings should care about them too. And they got in trouble for preaching that. And not just preaching it--living it!
After healing a man in Jesus’ name, a disabled man who had been unable to walk for years, Peter and John were arrested and brought before the combined civil and religious authority called the Sanhedrin, which was “the highest court of justice and the supreme council in ancient Jerusalem.” (MacBook Pro dictionary.) The Sanhedrin kept them in jail overnight and then ordered them to keep quiet--about this particular healing, about Jesus’ name, about the resurrection from the dead, about everything.
Why? Because the Sanhedrin understood what would happen if Peter and John kept preaching and people kept listening: Rome would crack down on them because they dared to challenge the empire. And Rome wouldn’t only crack down on Peter and John--Rome would crack down on the Sanhedrin as well, because they had allowed Peter and John to preach against Rome. And members of the Sanhedrin then would lose their privileged positions--and perhaps even their lives.
This is the kind of passage that makes me glad we are living in a democracy that values free speech. Thank God we do not live in a totalitarian regime that cracks down on people who speak up for justice, who advocate for people at the bottom of the food chain.
But even in a democracy like ours, it’s not always easy to speak up for justice, to question the status quo. One reason is because when we start speaking up, it can make people uncomfortable--both the speakers and the hearers. Part of the discomfort is because it is often anger that motivates us to speak. We see someone being treated unfairly, and we speak out with an angry tone or use inflammatory words because we can’t stand what is happening, particularly if it has been happening for years and we havne’t been able to change it. But the way we speak, sadly, can add fuel to the fire--because no one likes getting yelled at.
We see this dynamic often in political discussions, don’t we? Sometimes political discussions sound more like 2 enemies yelling at each other, using words as weapons against each other rather than 2 fellow citizens trying to understand each other’s point of view. We are in such a divided place in our country right now that even the word “political” sounds like an derogatory epithet. For example, one of the golf courses near my house actually has a sign in the club house, “No political discussions here. This is a place of enjoyment.” When I first saw the sign, I thought it was a joke, but wasn’t. If you want to play the course or eat in the clubhouse, you aren’t allowed to talk politics because it’s too volatile a topic! And it affects business. Wow!
In an atmosphere like this, it is a whole lot easier to keep quiet and talk about mundane things. But as Christians, that is not what Jesus calls us to do. Jesus calls us to speak up for justice for people at the bottom of the social ladder. The hard part is finding ways to do it without having anger poison the conversation or turn it into a divisive political discussion. And hear me: I’m not saying we shouldn’t be angry when we witness injustice. Of course, seeing vulnerable people treated unfairly makes us angry, as well it should! And the longer the unfair treatment continues, the more the anger builds.
But if we let our anger steer the discussion, we aren’t going to be effective agents for change--and we aren’t going to be effective ambassadors for Christ, whose main characteristic and power is healing Love. So when we see people at the bottom of the social ladder--outsiders, minorities, foreigners--being treated unfairly, we--as insiders, members of the majority, natives--we need to speak up in love on their behalf. Like Peter and John, we need to witness to what we see and hear. Like Peter and John, we need to be clear about our understanding of our mission in Christ’s name--to bring healing and wholeness to all people, especially those who are suffering most at the bottom of the social hierarchy.
And, when we speak, we need to speak with humility. Because, truth be told, we are not always in the shoes of Peter and John. Sometimes, we are in the shoes of the Sanhedrin. It’s like that old Dire Straits song from the 90’s, “Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug.” I know that song is about the relationships, so it doesn’t fit exactly--but my point is that we are not always in the position of “good guy” apostles, underdogs speaking up for justice. Sometimes, we are insiders, in a position of privilege and power, and our power and privilege, unbeknownst to us, is hurting other people. Like the Sanhedrin, sometimes we are the ones at the top--or near the top--of the food chain, passing judgements, in control of resources. And when we are in that position, like the Sanhedrin, we need to stop and ask questions.
The questions the Sanhedrin ask in this passage are actually good ones: “Who put you in charge here? What business do you have doing this? What should we do with these men?” If only they had truly listened to Peter and John’s answers to these questions, considered the truth in their statements, and considered how God might be calling them to join Peter and John in speaking up for justice for the outsider, they could have actually used their power and privilege to help bring healing and wholeness to the whole community.
As you know, I am preaching a series of sermons on this book, Weird Church. Each week I am talking about a shift in ministry that the church needs to make in order to survive and thrive in this century--and to keep sharing the message of God’s transforming love with the world. This week’s shift is described by the authors as a shift “From the illusion of a Christian Society to Christian Subversion.” It’s mouthful of a title, but by it they mean that Christianity isn’t about just about passing down the same moral values that our society as a whole promotes. Christianity is about having a relationship with the Risen Christ--accepting his Love in our hearts--and following his teachings in our lives, even when his teachings go counter to our culture. So, even when our society says, “Be quiet. Stop talking politics, you are making us uncomfortable.” We need to answer as Peter and John did, continuing to work toward healing and wholeness for those on the bottom of the food chain and lovingly saying, “Whether it’s right in God’s eyes to listen to you rather than to God, you decide. As for us, there’s no question—we can’t keep quiet about what we’ve seen and heard.”
Let us pray:
Loving God, we thank you that you call us to be the church and continue Jesus’ work of love in the world. We thank you for the privilege of being called to speak out for justice and fairness, especially for people on the bottom of the social ladder--outsiders, minorities, foreigners. Help us to speak up for them in ways that can be heard, with care and humility. Save us from poisoning conversations with our own anger. By your powerful Spirit, give us the strength and courage we need to engage honestly and thoughtfully with others, particularly those who have different perspectives from us, and give us all ears to hear and hearts to act in love.
And, God, Hear now our prayers for our community and our world…
- for our Jewish brothers and sisters experiencing a rise in antisemitic behavior, even here in Franklin…
[LOOK AT PHONE]
- Moment of silence…lifting up in prayer those we hold in our hearts.. others in this room and in our livestream… [PAUSE]
- O God, bless the sick… those who are struggling… those who are grieving…caregivers… Give them strength and healing…. In Jesus name, Amen
PLEASE JOIN ME IN THE LORD’S PRAYER
- Our Father, who art in heaven
Hallowed be Thy Name
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven
- Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our debts
As we forgive our debtors`
- And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. AMEN
Rev. Dr. Marlayna Schmidt
Franklin Federated Church
Franklin, MA
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