Acts 4:1 “While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, 2 greatly disturbed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 3 They seized Peter and John, and because it was already evening, they put them in custody until the next day. 4 But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.“
When we read this story in Acts, it’s important to remember that both Peter and John were observant Jews who had been raised to respect the religious authorities. The Bible mentions two different groups, the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and it is the Sadducees who are leading the soldiers to arrest Peter and John.
The Pharisees believed in the coming of a Messiah, although they did not recognize Jesus as that Messiah. Sadducees were essentially liberal elitists who incorporated the concept of free will into their understanding of the Mosaic Law. They endeavored to preserve their priestly caste, and actively took part in political discourse to maintain their influence over their fellow Jews. The Pharisees, on the other hand, were more religiously committed to keeping the statutes of the Oral as well as Written Law, and regularly took part in traditional forms of worship in the temple. They rejected foreign ideologies and philosophies such as Hellenism, and created numerous laws to keep the Jews from interacting with gentiles on a daily basis.
The Sadducees came from the Jewish aristocracy and had received a humanistic education. Sadducees did not believe in the coming of a Messiah, nor did they believe in the resurrection of the dead. (For more information about these groups, check out the descriptions on Wikipedia.)
Members of the Sadducees: 1. Administered the state domestically, 2. Represented the state internationally 3. Participated in the Sanhedrin, and often encountered the Pharisees there. 4. Collected taxes. These also came in the form of international tribute from Jews in the Diaspora. 5. Equipped and led the army 6. Regulated relations with the Roman Empire 7. Mediated domestic grievances.
So, when Peter began preaching that Jesus was the Messiah and that the religious authorities had killed Jesus and that Jesus had risen from the dead, the Sadducees were infuriated. This man was preaching things that they steadfastly refused to believe! In addition, crowds were gathering and accepting what Peter said, especially after the miracle healing of the lame man at the temple. And as the Jewish civil authorities who interacted with the Roman authorities, the Sadducees were also very nervous. The Romans wanted everything to remain as quiet as possible – no crowds, no excitement, nothing that would even hint of rebellion. Now here are these men publicly making outrageous claims, with thousands believing their words. No wonder the Sadducees gathered up soldiers and other religious leaders and arrested Peter and John!
Christians throughout the ages have taken unpopular stands that have gotten them imprisoned, beaten, and even stoned or killed. Richard Wurmbrandt, a Romanian pastor who was imprisoned many times for his faith, was beaten on the soles of his feet so many times that when at last he was free and was speaking in public, he would have to sit down, because it was too painful for him to stand. Today pastors in China are being thrown into prison and tortured. Christians in Africa and Asia have become the target of Muslim extremists. Sometimes Christians in other countries have even been crucified.
What motivated Peter and John? What motivates Christians today? Everybody is going to serve some purpose. It is in the nature of human beings to worship. We will either worship the One True Living God and acknowledge Jesus Christ as His Son, or we will worship something less. Peter and John had walked with Jesus, lived with Jesus, watched Jesus do miracles, watched Jesus die a shameful death on Calvary, and watched Jesus rise from the dead and ascend into heaven. They could not deny the reality of what they had seen. Christians have experienced oneness with God; we cannot deny that reality either.
PRAYER: Father God, let everyone who reads these words come to know You and Your Son Jesus! Amen!
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