Acts 4:1-4
Interesting that Peter is running into the same issue with the religious leaders that Jesus did. A man who was lame from birth was healed, and the religious leaders were aware of it, but they didn’t like what Peter had to say about it. It is bothersome to think that people can be put in jail for merely telling the truth, yet we see it even today. We forget who runs this world’s system, and he does not take kindly to competition. The truth is a threat to those who are proponents of deception.
What had the Sadducees so upset was the fact that their sect of Judaism did not believe in a resurrection, and Peter was teaching the people that through Jesus there is a resurrection of the dead. Five hundred people were witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection. And let’s not forget this powerful Scripture found in Matthew 27:50–53 NLT:
“Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.” I am sure that created quite a stir, and the religious leaders no doubt had heard the reports. They wanted these stories to disappear and Jesus to be done with, but as we can see here, Jesus was just getting started through His followers—and that was a threat to everything the Sadducees stood for.
Why is it so hard for some to believe, even when the truth is staring them in the face? Our beliefs can either open our eyes or close them. Why is it that Jesus would often say, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear”? It is possible to hear and not truly hear at the same time. In the same way, it is possible to see without truly seeing.
Consider Proverbs 20:12:
“Ears to hear and eyes to see—both are gifts from the Lord.” Maybe God doesn’t open our eyes until we are willing to see—it is definitely a heart issue.
Open our eyes, Lord, that we may see. ?
What had the Sadducees so upset was the fact that their sect of Judaism did not believe in a resurrection, and Peter was teaching the people that through Jesus there is a resurrection of the dead. Five hundred people were witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection. And let’s not forget this powerful Scripture found in Matthew 27:50–53 NLT:
“Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.” I am sure that created quite a stir, and the religious leaders no doubt had heard the reports. They wanted these stories to disappear and Jesus to be done with, but as we can see here, Jesus was just getting started through His followers—and that was a threat to everything the Sadducees stood for.
Why is it so hard for some to believe, even when the truth is staring them in the face? Our beliefs can either open our eyes or close them. Why is it that Jesus would often say, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear”? It is possible to hear and not truly hear at the same time. In the same way, it is possible to see without truly seeing.
Consider Proverbs 20:12:
“Ears to hear and eyes to see—both are gifts from the Lord.” Maybe God doesn’t open our eyes until we are willing to see—it is definitely a heart issue.
Open our eyes, Lord, that we may see. ?
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