2nd Sunday of Easter
Scripture: Acts
5:29–42
Easter is too important to celebrate in one Sunday. Indeed,
every Sunday is a little Easter and a celebration of Jesus’ resurrection.
However, Easter Sunday and the six Sundays which follow it make up the Sundays
of Easter. During this season, the Old Testament lesson is replaced with a
reading from the Acts of the Apostles (more commonly known as simply Acts). These
readings focus on the Early Church’s proclamation of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.
Today’s reading finds the Apostles on
trial before the same court that convicted Jesus. Peter speaks for the Apostles
and convicts the court of killing Jesus and proclaims Jesus’ exaltation. While
there was a desire to kill the Apostles, cooler heads prevailed. They were
beaten, and rejoiced at the privilege of suffering for Jesus’ sake. This
reading reminds us of the importance of sharing the message of Jesus’
crucifixion and resurrection; even to hostile listeners. It also encourages us
to remain focused on Jesus’ approval over the powers and authorities of the
world’s approval.
Teaching
It would have to be a frightening experience to stand before
the court that convicted Jesus and to hear it demand that you stop talking
about him. This is exactly what happened to the Apostles, though. Wonderfully, the
same men who ran when Jesus was arrested now stand courageously, refusing to
turn away from the message that Jesus had died and risen to redeem his people.
This courage is rooted in the work of the Holy Spirit in the Apostles lives;
the same Spirit that works in and through us to testify in our time.
The Pharisee, Gamaliel, gave the court wise counsel, which
may have saved the Apostles’ lives. He speaks almost prophetically reminding
the court that if the Apostles were not from God, they would come to a bad end.
However, if they were from God, the court would only be fighting against God
and they would not prevail against him! Remember, God is with us!
Life
These days it seems that if people look at us with hostility
when we talk about Jesus we feel persecuted. There seems to be a lot of fear that
we are entering a new time of hostility against God’s people. Compare that to
the Apostles’ reaction to being directly confronted by the powers of their
time. They were not intimidated, nor did they fret at the consequences of
disobeying them. They put their hope in God’s salvation, and so should we.
Notice, too, the message of the Apostles compared to how
many Christians speak of the benefits of faith in Jesus today. We hear
sometimes how people talk about how their faith has benefited them: giving them
peace, helping them get their lives in order, empowering them to overcome
addictions, or the like; all of which may be true! The Apostles, however,
simply testify about what Jesus has done. When we witness, we do well to think
about how we can talk about Jesus’ death and resurrection, the forgiveness of
sins, and God’s gift of repentance.
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