This file can be printed for personal use and study. © Reachout Trust - www.reachouttrust.org
These Men Had Been With Jesus (Acts 4:13-14)
The whole world is living on Mars Hill! Open your
newspapers and you find they no longer disseminate simple news with the
occasional opinion column. Opinion writers reign supreme. I suppose with
24 hour news that's what sells newspapers these days. Watch the television
or listen to the radio news and experts on this, that and everything else
are queuing up to tell us what they think about the current situation.
And as if opinions enough cannot be found, viewers and listeners are encouraged
to write/text/e-mail and otherwise get in touch with their own views ("Andy
from Manchester rang to tell us..."). Pundits and aficionados talk long
into the night (if you care to stay up, tune in and listen to them) disagreeing
on everything from the bank rate to the latest political doctrine, from
the latest diet, style or celebrity gossip to the vexed question of how
a secular society should deal with accommodating differing religious/philosophical
views still prevalent at the beginning of the 21st Century.
Mars Hill is the Areopagus in Athens, from areos, the Greek name
for the God of war, and pagos, from the Greek for rock. The Areopagus
was the rock of Ares and, "All the Athenians
and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but
talking about and listening to the latest ideas" (Acts 17:21).
What a picture of today's society; at war with itself talking about the
latest theories and opinions but having no fixed purpose or idea about
what might be done about it.
Contrast this with the events surrounding our text. Peter and John had
been used by God in healing a cripple in the temple courts (Acts 3:1-10).
Understandably, a crowd gathered; "all
the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called
Solomon's Colonnade" (3:11). Peter preached
the gospel. It sounds so innocuous doesn't it? A crowd gathered and Peter
preached the gospel. However, it was revolutionary. "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" (4:1-2)
One of the great debating points between Jesus and the apostles and the
priests, Pharisees and Sadducees was the question of resurrection. Was
there one and, if so, what form would it take? (see Luke 7 and 1 Corinthians
15).
When Peter and John were called before the council (vv 5-7) Peter preached
the gospel (vv 8-12). Now the council were astonished. These were unschooled
men yet had immense courage (and it has to be said clarity) in proclaiming
their gospel and the clincher was that, "since
they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there
was nothing they could say" (v14). "They [also] took note that these men
had been with Jesus" (v13)
While the world was on Mars Hill debating when the Messiah might come,
what the resurrection was, what to do about the Romans, straining at gnats
and swallowing camels, "these men had been
with Jesus".And what a difference that one fact made! With them
there was no equivocation, the message was clear, their conviction sound
and the proof stood before the council in healed and changed lives.
I will say it again; the whole world is living on Mars Hill! Where do
you plan to spend your time this week?