4 Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem..
6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.
7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. And so the angel said to them,
“Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:
to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah [CHRIST], the Lord.
This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”
Jesus
After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Want to know more about the CHRIST of Christmas?
Just follow ANY secure link to the terms above from the Nativity story of the birth of Israel's Messiah, Jesus.
OR
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Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.
ACTS of the Apostles 6:1 ESV
Leading through diverse difficulties of a growing Church
‘.. but we have always done it THIS way?’
(This isn't going to be so easy, is it?)Luke reveals the cultural challenge of the church familiar to him, however most of us (in this 21st century) will not understand the root of the problem:
Mixing gentiles with Jews. Even bringing the traditional challenge of some Jews joining in fellowship with other Jews divides political alliances in the Sanhedrin of Jerusalem.
Therefore I will begin by including a background for our scene in first century Jerusalem, as well as outcomes of church ministry which have occurred over two millennia. - RH
First let’s clarify some ‘church‘ terms we derive from the Greek language of the New Testament.
Who are Apostles? (and who are Disciples?)
HOW MANY APOSTLES?
TWELVE (our standard answer)
WHO ARE THE APOSTLES?
No need here to recite them by name, but remembering:
ALL Apostles at this point in ACTS are leaders of the Church in Jerusalem.
Matthias has now replaced Judas.
Saul of Tarsus will soon encounter the risen Christ Jesus and join in ministry as Paul,the Apostle to the Gentiles.
And all thy children shall be taughtH3928 of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
prophesy of the Messiah by Yeshaiya (Isaiah) 54:13
μαθητήςmathētḗs, math-ay-tes’; from G3129; a learner, i.e. pupil:—disciple.
The Twelve were disciples of Jesus who followed their Teacher full-time for three years.
You’ve probably noticed that most translations of the Bible capitalize ‘disciple’ to avoid confusion when referring to the Twelve Disciples [Apostles].
Many others of the multitudes also became disciples and followed Jesus Christ in the early days before his crucifixion and resurrection.
Now, in our scene in Jerusalem after the Lord’s resurrection, the Church in Jerusalem has many disciples –disciples of theHoly Spirit (who of course first receive the Holy Spirit, as we have just read from Luke’s account).
Yet from Jesus’ instruction from the Gospel of the Apostle Matthew, note another distinction of this relationship between rabbi and pupil: that of master (or lord) and servant.
These also apply in Luke’s account describing the model by which the Apostles lead the early Church.
FIRST: Jesus was the Rabbi. And Jesus was the Master.
THEN: The APOSTLES became the Rabbis. And the Apostles were then masters of their sheep (students; flocks, servants, community, school, fold, gathering, or whatever you may choose to call this multitude of the Church).
Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.
Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones.
Jeremiah 23:1, 50,17 KJV
But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;G1249
Gospel of Matthew 20:26 KJV – Teaching of Jesus to His disciples
The Twelve, led by two of Jesus’ inner circle of Apostles, Simon Peter and John, now lead the New Testament Church as rabbis to a multitude of disciples.
Lambs of the Apostles’ fold
The Apostle John, who Luke records as standing at Peter’s side on the day of Pentecost, opens our eyes to the resurrected Jesus, where the Lord calls on Peter to restore the foundation of his calling:
“Tend My lambs.” .. “Shepherd My sheep.” .. “Tend My sheep.
These new disciples of the Twelve include NOT ONLY men from traditional Judaism, but also men, women and children accepted into fellowship, tender young lambs of Jesus who could NEVER before have been full members of their community of faith in the Lord God.
“And I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice; and they will become one flock, with one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it back.
Jesus teaching the Jews that He will Shepherd the gentiles, as scripture has said. – Gospel of John 10:16-17 NASB20
And what happens when ANY two groups of differing cultural traditions choose to follow one leader?
Dissension and murmuring by some unwilling to abide by rules and traditions imposed by others.
Who is the master ministering to these NEW lambs?
“They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
“Go; behold, I am sending you out like lambsin the midst of wolves.
Instruction of the Master Jesus to seventy-two [72] disciples + Gospel of Luke 10:3 NASB20
Master – διδάσκαλος – didaskalos
The KJV translates Strong’s G1320 in the following manner: Master (Jesus) (40x), teacher (10x), master (7x), doctor (1x).
a teacher (from didasko, “to teach”), cp. didaskalia, “teaching, doctrine, instruction,” is translated “doctors,” with reference to the teachers of the Jewish religion, Luk 2:46. Cp. paideutes, “a teacher.” See MASTER, TEACHER.
Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words 1 Strong’s Number: g1320 Greek: didaskalos – via BlueLetterBible.org
The rabbis of Jerusalem quarreled with each other as they had also challenged the legitimacy that Jesus’ MANY disciples should call the Lord, ‘Master.’ Now that Peter, John and the Apostles have remained in Jerusalem as Jesus commanded, MANY disciples remained faithful to the church gathered under the leadership of the Apostles.
Note from earlier, after Peter preached in the Temple,
“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus.
These Apostolic Masters of the Church community now face division and opposition just as Jesus had encountered in Jerusalem prior to His execution and resurrection from the dead.
Lord
We will never understand our role as a servant of the Church until we know the sacrificial love of its servant-Master.
"lord" occurs 7,790 times in 6,587 verses in the NASB20. Page 1 / 132
Here too I urge caution and prayerful understanding of terms frequently used and misused by the church. i.e. Lord, Master, servant, slave (even God and ‘love,’ translated from several different Greek and Hebrew words in Scripture).
May peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you; Be master of your brothers, And may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be those who curse you, And blessed be those who bless you.”
And God said to Moses, “I AMH1961 WHO I AMH1961”; and He said, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘I AMH1961 has sent me to you.’”
I said to the LORD [Yᵊhōvâ}, “You are my Lord [;ăḏōnāy]; I have nothing good besides You.” – Tehillim (Psalms) 16:2
For this is what the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said:
“In repentance and rest you will be saved,
In quietness and trust is your strength.”
But you were not willing,
Isaiah 30:15
Luke has only used the term ‘church’ once at this point in Acts of the Apostles to describe these ‘large numbers of men and women.’ He opens his second account describing the miraculous growth of the church:
Acts 5:11 KJV And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.
The Church (that is, the early church) lives as a community of love in fear of God, yet joyful of Christ’s anointing Spirit given to His disciples of the Church who will ‘follow Jesus, as their Master.’
The saints of the Apostolic community serve the Living God and obey the Apostles as their lords and masters.
The discipleG3101 is not above his master [didaskalos],
Now that we have defined some of these ‘Christian‘ terms so foundational to understanding Luke’s account of the Acts of the Apostles; NEXT, God-willing, we will examine the role the these servants of the Church.
So they arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.
But an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail during the night, brought them out..
Acts of the Apostles 5:18-19a – CSB
ACTS of Arrests witnessed by the Apostles
Politically motivated religious leaders of Jerusalem now begin to develop a dossier of accusations against Peter, John and the Apostles, because as disciples of the Messiah Jesus they boldly proclaim the Lord’s resurrection from His horrific death on a cross.
As they once again imprison the Apostles, let’s look back briefly at what Annas, Caiaphas and the ruling council of Jerusalem have on them. Herod’s palace records also add evidence.
Simon, a Galilean fisherman, aka Peter, had been a disciple of John the Baptist.
John baptized disciples, even JEWS, to REPENT about three years ago.
Herod had John the Baptizer beheaded.
Pharisees report that Simon and John were part of Jesus’ inner circle of Apostles.
The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling to His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?”
Gospel of Luke 5:30 NASB20
Simon Peter identified near Jesus’ trial
Witnessed just three months ago just prior to the Passover feast by a servant of the High Priest:
Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, “This man was also with Him.”
Gospel of Luke 22:55-56 NKJV
A Noteworthy Sermon from Solomon’s Portico
Just days ago the Sanhedrin, Jerusalem’s High Court, orders Peter NOT to say anything about Christ Jesus. Although Peter and John were arrested for preaching repentance, Jerusalem’s leaders released them from prison as a politically palatable concession to the crowds who had witnessed Peter healing a man lame from birth.
12 At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all together in Solomon’s portico…
And increasingly believers in the Lord, large numbers of men and women, were being added to their number, to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any of them. The people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together as well, bringing people who were sick or tormented with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed. But the high priest stood up, along with all his associates.. laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public prison.
Previously, the authorities brought Peter and John before the council, however on this occasion the Lord sends an angel to open their prison door!
and leading them out, he said,
“Go, stand and continue to speak to the people in the temple area all the words of the whole message of this Life.”
At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.
ACTS of the Apostles 5:21 NIV
(Of course, these same officials of Jerusalem’s political elite who had seized them believed that the Apostles were still imprisoned as before.)
Not just another day at the office
BIG political victory last evening. Those Apostles opposed to OUR LEADERSHIP of JEWISH JERUSALEM await OUR VERDICT of what to do with them.
(Or so they thought, as these religious officials arrived at work in a Jerusalem guarded by Roman centurions.)
ACTS 5:21b
Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.
But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported,
“We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.”
(REMEMBER their dilemma of JESUS’ EMPTY TOMB just a couple of months ago?)NOW what?
Who does this Galilean we arrested think he is?
Narrative of this private conversation is a speculative fiction behind the scenes in ACTS 5.
On that day when we arrested this Simon of Capernaum the first time what was it I said?
When we released him after he drew crowds to himself in the Portico of Solomon proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead, he challenged our very authority to hold or releasehim.
So when the others asked, “What are we to do with these men?”
I insisted, DO NOT release them to cause more trouble.
But when they couldn’t find cause to keep these men in prison I said, “You had better start a dossier on them, because we will just have to arrest them again.”
For this Simon Peter had confirmed my distrust when he answered:
“Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, make your own judgment; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
So I was all prepared to tell you, “I WARNED YOU about these men.”
But what’s this we hear now after having arrested these crowd-stirring Galileans again so soon? Listen to this new report as we assembled this morning:
The Captain of the Temple Guard’s Report
But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported,
“We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.”
ACTS of the Captain of the Temple Guard 5:22-23 NIV
Even though it seems impossible, these rabble-rousers must have escaped and run home to Galilee.
(Maybe not such a bad thing for us.)
NOW what do we do?
Now when the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them as to what would come of this.
25 But someone came and reported to them, “The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple area and teaching the people!”
The Apostles Now have Thousands of Disciples
And Peter, John and the others are preaching boldly as the Angel has commanded them to continue with the words of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as they return to preach in the Temple.
IT IS YET ANOTHER SIGN, not to be taken lightly by those who had seized them the previous day, throwing the Apostles into Prison.
26 Then the captain went along with the officers and proceeded to bring them back without violence (for they were afraid of the people, that they might be stoned).
(A riot against the capitol police? Roman soldiers in Jerusalem would certainly never condone such RAGE by any Jewish crowd throwing stones at Jerusalem’s politicized religious police.)
Would you, the arrested, convict US?
27 After they brought them in, they had them stand before the Sanhedrin, and [Caiaphas, or possibly Annas] the high priest asked,
“Didn’t we strictly order you not to teach in this name?
Look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”
[Peter had convicted them of their complicity in Jesus’ Sacrifice on the Cross; however the Apostle had also stated that God the Father had allowed it AND that JESUS had been raised from the grave!]
But Peter and the apostles answered,
“We must obey God rather than men.
30 The God [theos] of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you put to death by hanging Him on a cross. He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince [archēgos] and a Savior [sōtēr], to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
32 And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
GUILTY!
When they heard this, they were furious [diapriō – cut to the quick] and wanted to put them to death.
It is what we should have done the first time we jailed them.
WE know that these men have escaped, but HOW? Never-the-less, WE cannot allow them to continue to sway all of Jerusalem to become disciples of this JESUS we hung on a Roman cross just two months ago.
But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time.
ACTS of Gamaliel 5:34 NASB
To be continued...
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