Acts 5:27-28

Summary retelling of Acts 5:27-28:

The disciples are brought before the Sanhedrin and questioned (remember, they went willingly without being forced).  The chief priest reminds them that they had been ordered to not preach in the name of Jesus.  Then the chief priest accuses them of being guilty about not following the orders of the chief priest and the Sanhedrin.  Furthermore, the chief priest acknowledges that the Sanhedrin believes the disciples plan to lay the blood of Jesus at their feet.

Thoughts for Today:

First Thought:

I know I have focused on it for the last three days, but let’s not lose sight of the fact that the disciples were willing to go to the Sanhedrin.  There is a quality about a disciple of Jesus that is willing to go headlong into danger.  After all, Christ went headlong into Jerusalem knowing that He would give His life for us.  Part of being a Christian is having the guts to stand up against the world regardless of the consequences.  And we do so best when we do it like Christ – without resistance.

Do you enjoy being put on trial?  Do you enjoy having people judge you – even judge you unfairly?  Do you resist against such opportunities?  How does your resistance potentially speak out against what Christ has called us to be in this world?

Second Thought:

The chief priests are adamant that they be followed instead of Jesus Christ.  They are adamant that the disciples stop speaking about Jesus Christ.  They use threats of punishment and all kinds of legal accusations to get the disciples to stop.  This is often the way of the world.

How does the world get you to stop talking about Jesus’ influence in your life?  Why do you think so many people seem to be bent on stopping the message about a single person who lived 2,000 years ago?

Third Thought:

The Sanhedrin tells the disciples that they believe that the disciples are trying to lay the guilt of the blood of Jesus at their feet.  Yet the ironic twist is that true Christian theology says that all humanity is responsible for bearing the blood guilt.  The disciples taught that their sinfulness was just as responsible for the need of Jesus’ death as the sinfulness of the Jewish leaders.  Laying the guilt at the feet of others is not the goal.  Learning to understand the guilt that already rests at our feet is the goal.

In what other ways does the world simply get the message of Christianity wrong?  Do we do anything to help the world get the wrong idea?  Why is it important to understand our own personal need for Jesus Christ?

Passage for Tomorrow: Acts 5:29-32