To be fully HUMAN — A Daily Reflection

 

The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.

 

Peter and John were taking a great risk.  They were going up against the very people who had crucified Jesus.  The priests mentioned here were probably the chief priests, close relatives of the high priests and very influential.  The captain of the temple guard was the head honcho of the guards who were stationed around the temple.  And the Sadducees were a small but powerful religious group who did not believe in resurrection.  They thought they’d put an end to all that radical teaching when Jesus died.  Now here come Peter and John proclaiming that Jesus had risen from the dead.  Not only were these two messing with the basic beliefs of these three groups, Peter and John were threatening their wallets.  Because along with power and prestige, the priests, the temple guards and the Sadducees found some tidy financial rewards in cooperating with the Roman government and keeping the people in line.  They had to stop Peter and John, so they threw them in jail. 

 

Over the long haul, both men would continue to take risks - and continue to suffer - in order to tell others about Jesus.  Eventually John would be exiled and Peter would be crucified - just for sharing the greatest good news anyone ever shared.  But on this day, because Peter and John were not afraid to risk their lives, 5,000 men were saved.  And because it wasn’t the custom to include women and children in these counts, there could possibly have been another 10,000 saved in addition to the 5,000 men in these verses.

 

What risks do you and I take when we witness for Jesus?  Generally, if we live in a country like the United States , the most we ever face is rejection and ridicule.  A few people take it a few steps further and end up in jail.  But let’s just look at rejection and ridicule.  It’s hard to be the odd man out in a group of people, isn’t it?  It puts us in a very lonely position to speak up for Jesus when we know that what we say will make us the object of someone else’s scorn.  But if you were talking to a crowd of some 10,000 people, and you knew that if you just opened your mouth, half of them would be saved, wouldn’t it be a little easier to risk the rejection of the other 5,000?  After all, when you got done, you’d have 5,000 on your side!  That wouldn’t be so hard, would it?  You could handle a little rejection and ridicule if you could lead 5,000 folks to Jesus in one day, right?  But what if only one of those 10,000 would accept what you say?… 

 

Changes the picture a little, doesn’t it?

 

Now let’s get down to reality.  Very few of us will ever be faced with a crowd that large.  But we are often faced with the reality of being the only person in our office who knows Jesus, including the boss.  If we speak up for Jesus, we risk not only rejection and ridicule, we might also risk our jobs.  But what if your witness is the very thing that would lead that boy in the mail room to Jesus?  What if the things you say and do are the key to that one boy accepting Jesus?  No one else.  Just him.  Would it be worth it to you?  Think about it.

 

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."  Matthew 5:11-12 NIV