🦁 Easter 2-2

Readings: Psalm 133; Daniel 2:1-23; Acts 4:23-31. 

Reflection

Good morning. This is Tim Tribble coming to you from Sacramento, California. Today's readings come to us from Psalm 133. Daniel Chapter two, verses 1 to 23 and the Acts of the Apostles, Chapter four versus 23 to 31. And today's reading in the book of Acts, The actual part that we read this morning is called The Believers Pray for Boldness. But this begins earlier in chapter four. So we have Peter and John who are out preaching the gospel. At this point. It's important to remember that they were followers of the way they were not called Christians yet. That comes later that was brought to us by Roman Emperor, but they are considered a sect at that point of Judaism. 

So they are preaching the gospel and healing and they were arrested and put into custody and then they are taken before and thus the high priest fires and John and Alexander there were all the high priestly family. And Peter gets filled with the Holy Spirit and takes them to task. This is where we get the cornerstone that was rejected by you and how they were handed over and how they used the Romans to crucify Jesus when there was no reason in Judaism for this to happen. And they were shocked. 

So they were considered uneducated men. So Peter and John were not considered what they call educated men. And by that we're talking about the educated in the Torah and having gone through the temple training and all that type of stuff, they were just common Jews, common people, and they weren't part of that priestly family. 

And so they but with everything that Peter said they couldn't find and there was no evidence of anything that they really did wrong. So all they could do was tell them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus and Peter and John, and answered and said, what is right in the side of God to listen to you rather than to God. You must judge or we cannot speak of what we have seen. We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard. They threatened some war tried finding no way to punish them. They let them go. 

So when we pick up here in verse 23 today, when they were released, they went to their friends. We reported what the chief priests and elders had said to them, and this is where they bring back in verse 24 through 26, this is Psalm portions of Psalm two one into Psalm 146 six. So they bring this all out. 

So what does this teach us? And there's a couple of things here. One, they're going against the establishment. So you had this established hierarchy in Judaism at the time, just like we have now. And it's not just in Judaism. We have, depending on your denomination, in Christianity there, but all denominations have it. There is a set hierarchy and I challenge any one of you to go against the hierarchy of whatever denomination is you belong to and see how far you get. 

This is still going on, but this is what they were doing at the time. This was something new. Jesus had turned Judaism on its head at that point in time. Okay. In the story of the crucifixion and one of the accounts there was the of the thunder and lightning. And then the earth shook and the big, huge, heavy curtain. You know, we think a curtain like you had in your window. No, no. This was big, huge, heavy, very thick curtain was rent. It was torn in half. And this was God saying, we don't need this anymore. You don't need to separate the Holy Always hot. Chief Priest doesn't have to go in there anymore. Anyone can because now is the new covenant with the death of Jesus. 

So this is our challenge now, as believers, our faith has been used to control people for 2000 plus years. I know for myself, growing up in the tradition that I was raised in with my parents, I mean, everything was about you know, everything was about sinning and going to hell. And you don't want that. So you control. 

And there's things throughout history. We can look at different things in different times and places where religious belief and it's not just true to Christianity, okay? Religious beliefs of any flavor have been used as a form to control people, to get them to conform to whatever it is that the the very small minority in charge want. 

Be bold in Christ. This is our time and our way that we can take things and say this is the way it is, this is what's going on. Love your neighbor as yourself, period. No qualifiers, no adjectives hanging in there except for walk. But there's no buts. 

We are called to love people. We are called to act as Christ did on Maundy Thursday at the end of the Last Supper, when he went around and washed the feet of his disciples as a servant. And when he said Yes, you call me Lord, you call me teacher. This is correct. Bye. Wash your feet. You guys need to do that too. We need to be humble and care for and serve those around us who are in need. Those around us who are unable, those of us who need need help that are not as as well off as we are. And it's it's amazing what can happen to that, not only for them, but for yourself. That is, you know, the talk about getting rewards and God will reward you. It doesn't talk about money. We're not talking about, you know, you got it. You're not doing this. Okay. God, I was nice. This person, you know, teaching, teaching. But you get that inner peace and the satisfaction of having helped a fellow human being. So be bold in Christ. Go out. Don't worry about what the hierarchy says. Do what you feel is in your heart. Because when you listen to that still small voice, the Holy Spirit is there and He will guide us and let us know what we need to be doing. Amen.