What they didn't say...

   On Easter weekend, there is a big difference between Friday and Sunday, and as we sit here on a Saturday, I want to share  something to contemplate and hopefully strengthen your faith. 

      Recently, I have been studying the book of Acts.  This is one of my absolute favorite books of the Bible!  The gospels each go through Jesus’ life from the very beginning through his resurrection and ascension, but I’ve always had a fascination with those early followers of The Way who started up the Christian church.  This is what they were called initially;  the term “Christian” didn’t come along until much later, and it was used in a condescending way.  The irony of that though is that the people referred to as Christians liked being called “little Christs”.  It was meant to be offensive, but it wasn’t taken that way.  I love this too, but that’s a side trek.

     When you study the early followers of The Way, everything was topsy-turvy.  Jesus had come to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament - prophecies that the Jews should have known and been looking for.  But, they didn’t view Jesus as the Messiah.  They simply viewed him as a threat to their traditions, power, and way of life.  They had hoped that by crucifying Jesus that his movement would simply go away. When the followers of The Way continued Jesus’ teachings, the Jewish leaders within the Pharisees, Sadducees, and the governing body - the Sanhedrin - became incredibly volatile.  They had already crucified Jesus, but they were finding out that it wasn’t enough.  They witnessed healing and miracles being done by Jesus’ disciples.  

     They couldn’t figure it out.  

     Many of these disciples were young men, uneducated, and simple fishermen - yet they spoke with power.  They had a real problem!  

     Not only were the Jews worked up into a lather about Jesus and his teachings, but Jerusalem was under Roman rule.  Equally responsible for the crucifixion were the Romans.  They too had hoped that crucifying Jesus would quell the uprising occurring within the Jewish community.  

      The disciples were dealing with difficulties with the Jewish leadership and the Romans - on top of it all - Jesus had brought Gentiles into this new Way.  So, the Jewish converts to Jesus’ Way additionally struggled with the idea that they needed to welcome in people with no Jewish heritage at all.  This gospel message was indeed for the uttermost parts of the world - for everyone.  ALL could be saved.

      With The Way growing and exploding numerically with each new sermon that was being preached by the disciples, problems were created there too.  The followers had been sharing what they had (physical needs) for all of the new converts, but the very beginnings of the early church had to be established by dividing up responsibilities. The teachers of the gospel needed to dedicate themselves to praying and preaching the word; they didn’t have the time to meet the physical needs of the thousands of followers who came to listen to them. The first deacons were established to take care of all the physical needs.

      There were many different angles the disciples were being confronted with, but they were starting up the Christian Church in real time.

      With all that said, it was messy, but no one made it more messy than the Sanhedrin.  They wanted this group of people to go away - to be squashed - to let them go back to their way of life - the way it had been before Christ  interrupted it.  

      There was encounter after encounter where the disciples were challenged. Peter directly confronted them in a sermon and shared the gospel message of Christ, sharing the importance of the resurrection.  

     The Jewish leaders had witnessed miracles being performed by Jesus’ disciples, but they chose to ignore what they had seen - not surprising since that’s why they did with Jesus’ resurrection.  They had witnessed both with their own eyes, and though they were looking for any possible way to put the disciples and the followers of The Way down, they just couldn’t do it. They put Peter in jail and commanded him not to share his message of Christ and the resurrection.  The disciples determined that they had no choice but to proclaim God’s word.  If that meant that they had to defy the Jewish leadership and governmental leaders, they would do it.  They recognized they were directly accountable to God with how they lived their lives first and foremost.

     But an incredibly interesting observation here is that throughout all of the conflicts that had been occurring between the disciples and the Sanhedrin, not once did the Sanhedrin challenge the resurrection of Jesus Christ!  Let me repeat - the Sanhedrin NEVER challenged the resurrection of Jesus Christ!  

      The Sanhedrin were educated men.  The apostle Paul was taught by a man called Gamaliel.  Paul was known to be a scholar - a Jew of the Jews.  He had been trained well.  And who was he trained by? Gamaliel. 

      In the middle of the arguments between the Sanhedrin and the disciples, the Sanhedrin held a private meeting of what to do with these people.  Gamaliel spoke in this meeting and told the other leaders to (in my words) “let it play out”.  There had been other strong leaders and teachers, but their movements always died out.  Gamaliel proposed that they just wait to see what happened with this group - after all, if it really is of God, then it’s not possible to stop it anyway. Gamaliel’s words changed their direction and put things at bay for the time being.  

      But back to the Sanhedrin, they had been blamed directly for Jesus’ death by Peter and Stephen in sermons that they had listened to.  The gospel message of both of these men spoke of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The Sanhedrin, even though they were looking for any angle possible to dispose of this irritating group of people from The Way, NEVER even thought to challenge what Peter and Stephen had said.

     Why?

     Because they had seen it and knew it to be true.  If they thought challenging the resurrection would have slowed down or ended The Way, they would have done it. They wanted something to hang their hat on.  

     The most highly educated enemies of The Way - by not saying anything against the resurrection - absolutely validated that it was true and actually occurred.  They may not have understood it, and they may not have wanted to draw attention to it, but they too knew that the resurrection of Jesus Christ had, in fact, occurred. There was simply no point in bringing it up.

     This Easter weekend, as we contemplate the incredible sacrifice Jesus Christ made for each of our souls, remember too that even the persecutors of Jesus knew the truth.

      It wasn’t the death on the cross of Jesus that made the difference. It was the resurrection!  Jesus didn’t just die and stay in a grave. He sits even today waiting in Heaven for those who have confessed with their mouth and believe in their hearts that he is the Savior. 

      Not sure if this is true?

      Remember, Jesus' persecutors couldn’t even deny his resurrection. 

Romans 10:9 “...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” NKJV