The apostles were brought before the Sanhedrin council for the second wave of attack. It was the high priest who started the ball rolling. He accusingly reminded the apostles saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”
That was a loaded statement. He basically accused the apostles of two offences: (1) They had defied the order not to teach about the resurrected Christ. (2) They had placed the guilt of killing the Messiah squarely on the heads of the Jewish authority. The implication of the council was that the apostles had been duly warned, and they could be severely punished for defyng the order.
But how quickly they had forgotten that in Matthew 27:22-23, it was they who vehemently told Pilate, "Let Him be crucified!" It was they who together with the people, insistently told Pilate in Matthew 27:25, "Let His blood be upon upon us and our children!"
Notice how bold Peter and the apostles were! The moment was tense. They could be punished for defying order. But the apostles were fearless. Peter, uncowed, and speaking on behalf of the apostles, declared that they must obey God rather than men. Bravo! That's the right thing to do. Obey God. Isn't that the heart's desire of every committed disciple?
The apostles stood up to the opposition fearlessly. They were bent on obeying their Lord. To them, it was more important to obey the Lord rather than men. What about us? Do we share this same sentiment? We should! Let's obey God!
The apostles re-iterated that Jesus had risen from the dead. Since it was to the Jewish authority that they were facing, Peter exclaimed that it was the God of their fathers Who had raised Him from the dead. Unflinchingly, He told the Sanhedrin council to the face, "...you had put (the Christ) to death by hanging Him on a cross."
And he even told the council that the Lord Jesus is the One that God had exalted to His right hand. As Prince and Saviour now, Jesus Christ would grant repentance to Israel and also the forgiveness of sins.
They boldly made known that what they had said were actual happenings that they had witnessed. The implication is this: "What we say are truths, we did not concoct the story. These are not just imaginations of our minds. And they are neither fictions nor myths."
Furthermore, they assertively said that they were not the only witnesses. The third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit, was also the witness. He attested to all that had happened as well. And it was God's intention to give this Holy Spirit to those who would obey Him.
Peter and the apostles were totally focused on evangelism. They seized every opportunity to share Christ. They would pay any price necessary to spread the message. Even when in the face of oppostion, their main concern was not to win an argument but to further the cause of the Gospel.
To them every situation, no matter how unpleasant, was an evangelistic opportunity.What about us? We must also seize every moment to share Christ. Begin by thinking about our home situation and those we love. Can we find peaceful rest when these loved ones are heading toward a Christless eternity? Start praying and sharing about Christ with them!
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