This is our seventh day in the Book of Acts and we are starting
Chapter 4
Immediately there are different questions forming as I read the first few verses.
The first question that comes to mind here is
Who were they speaking to?
"Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand." NKJV
It is always important to know the context of the passage we are reading.
They were speaking to The people who were the people at the temple after the lame man was healed because this passage is continuing on from the section of chapter 3 that was covered in the
previous post.
The priests, Captain of the Temple Guard and the Sadducees are all mentioned here but did they come as a group with the same agenda or individually with the same agenda or individually with different agendas?
Even if they came with different agendas the result may have profited them all in the end.
It says they came abruptly so does this mean quickly, or that there manner was abrupt and they just had to get saying what was in their mind. Oh how this happens so often with us.
We need to say the thing quickly because
Maybe a little patience and further thought and prayer on the matter in this type of situation might be the best turn and of course we are exhorted to be quick to listen but slow to speak. Sometimes when we speak too soon, we later have to find other ways to get ourselves out of the situation we should not have put ourselves into and that can entail adding to things and even lying because of course we have to be right don't we!
Had they gathered together and discussed what to do before they came to him?
Seems likely at least a short dialogue took place if they came together.
What were their complaints?
Seems strange to us that they should complain about good things, things that would benefit the people. To them however, they were not good things. Two perspectives of the same thing are never exactly the same.
Where they arrested suddenly?
It was already evening (what time had passed)?
Does this make it seem as if they had talked together first for a considerable time?
Also more than 5,000 had believed by this stage so it must have taken some time as to have that many people around the Temple would have meant people coming and going and telling others to come, because there would not have been enough room for them all there at the one time.
Often I have questions that I can't answer.
When this happens I need to seek out someone who is more knowledgeable than I am or accept that an event is never completely explained and I will never know all the details.
The most important thing here is not knowing all the exact details.
The priests, Captain of the Temple Guard and the Sadducees are all mentioned here but did they come as a group with the same agenda or individually with the same agenda or individually with different agendas?
Even if they came with different agendas the result may have profited them all in the end.
It says they came abruptly so does this mean quickly, or that there manner was abrupt and they just had to get saying what was in their mind. Oh how this happens so often with us.
We need to say the thing quickly because
- we might forget exactly what our argument is and not be able to articulate it exactly as we would desire to later.
- we are in such a frame of mind that we cannot let the situation pass without addressing it.
Maybe a little patience and further thought and prayer on the matter in this type of situation might be the best turn and of course we are exhorted to be quick to listen but slow to speak. Sometimes when we speak too soon, we later have to find other ways to get ourselves out of the situation we should not have put ourselves into and that can entail adding to things and even lying because of course we have to be right don't we!
Had they gathered together and discussed what to do before they came to him?
Seems likely at least a short dialogue took place if they came together.
What were their complaints?
- Peter & John had taught the people
- Peter & John had preached the Gospel
Seems strange to us that they should complain about good things, things that would benefit the people. To them however, they were not good things. Two perspectives of the same thing are never exactly the same.
Where they arrested suddenly?
It was already evening (what time had passed)?
Does this make it seem as if they had talked together first for a considerable time?
Also more than 5,000 had believed by this stage so it must have taken some time as to have that many people around the Temple would have meant people coming and going and telling others to come, because there would not have been enough room for them all there at the one time.
Often I have questions that I can't answer.
When this happens I need to seek out someone who is more knowledgeable than I am or accept that an event is never completely explained and I will never know all the details.
The most important thing here is not knowing all the exact details.
The most important thing here is the result of preaching the Gospel
which is
the Salvation of souls.
The most important thing is always pointing people to Jesus the Saviour.
