It’s So Sad-You-See (as in the Sadducees). It really is.
As you are about to hear in this PODCAST, a new day dawned upon these first committed Christ-followers.
If that metaphor of a new day seemingly overstates the case, then at least we can say that a dark cloud now-shadowed the sun for these first committed Christ-followers. Not quite on the level of our eclipse; but portentous just the same. An ominous bellwether that signaled for these early believers a change in the temperature of Holy City.
For the first eight-to-12 weeks following Crucifixion and Resurrection, these early believers were able to bask in the glow of their newfound faith unmolested.
Not any more.
Persecution was about to break out for first time in the now-2000 year history of Church. Relatively mild at first. No one died. No one was beaten. It was limited to Peter and John.
But as you will hear, it did involve intimidation, incarceration, and threats of greater reprisals if the apostles refused to cease and desist as far as their preaching in Jesus’ name was concerned.
Refuse they did.
This was a harbinger of things to come. A dark cloud heralding a storm. A storm that continues to rage unabated to our day. Not here in America so much. But certainly in many parts of our troubled world, where committed Christ-followers today attend gatherings at great risk of life-threatening peril to themselves and their families.
As is becoming increasing clear in our ongoing study of Peter in HD, we stand in awe at the strength and resilience of these very first believers—our ancestors in faith, to whom we owe so much, and who have SO MUCH to teach us. As they will do here in this week’s study.
Here is what we read in Acts 4:1-3,
While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they were confronted by the priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and some of the Sadducees. 2 These leaders were very disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people that through Jesus there is a resurrection of the dead. 3 They arrested them and, since it was already evening, put them in jail until morning.
And to think that all this stemmed from Peter and John healing a lame man at the Temple steps.
Wanna know why? Follow the money.
The money trail led straight to the Sadducees. Ohhh, those poor Sadducees.
They are mentioned in the Book of Acts five times. Believe it or not, they held the power over the Temple. Three times each year, Jewish men were to make a pilgrimage to the Temple, and that was the hub of power for the Sadducees. So, by result, they controlled the people as well.
Now, the Sadducees didn’t believe in any supernatural miracles. Nor did they believe that Jesus was the Messiah. They didn’t believe in heaven or hell, nor any afterlife at all for that matter. They only believed in the here and now. As far as their day to day lives went, they were hedonists. They enjoyed the Roman culture, arts, and entertainment… including the debauchery and sin that accompanied it.
And as long as the Sadducees kept the income flowing through the Temple and to the Romans, they and the oppressive Roman officials were rich and happy.
They only followed the Torah – the first five books of the Old Testament – and therefore missed God’s message for His people!
This is why they missed the significance of what God had done through His Son, and even what He had just done through His servants, Peter and John.