Easter Two Acts 10:34-43 and 4:32-35
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My uncle worked at CERN – the central European nuclear research station. They had just installed at huge expense the very latest in machines for measuring sub-atomic particles. Stuck on the control panel was a large notice in very bold writing “PLEASE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE OPERATING! The engineers had got fed up with being called out to fix the machine which these over-clever scientists had been trying to operate without looking at the instructions.
I discovered an interesting little instruction the other day in our lectionary – the little book which tells us what the set Bible readings are each week. “The reading from Acts must be used as either the first or the second reading”. In other words the people who determine these things want to make it very clear that these reading from Acts are used during the Easter period. This being the case I thought it would be profitable to study these readings from Acts and see how they relate to the Easter story.
The reading set for today is just a couple of verses – Acts 4:32-35 which gives a brief vignette of life in the early church. I will return to it later. I wanted to start with last week’s reading from Acts 10: 34-43. The context for this is Peter visiting the house of Cornelius as the result of a vision. Here we have an example of his preaching – there will be more to come in this mini-series. I have summarised this under three headings: Events, Explanation and Experience.
Peter outlines a number of events in the life of Jesus. V.37 “You know what has happened….” These events were common knowledge. Jesus was anointed with power and Holy Spirit, he went around doing good and healing, he was killed by being hung on a tree and he was raised from the dead on the third day. We find again and again as we look at the early church that they stick to these simple facts. However these events demand an explanation.
Peter explains them by helping his listeners to understand more fully who Jesus is. Peter himself had come to an understanding when Jesus asked “Who do people say that I am?” – “You are the Christ, the son of the living God”. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then. Peter speaks of the ministry of Jesus as bringing peace between man and God v.36 and forgiveness of sins through the name of Jesus v.43. The events of Easter – crucifixion and resurrection demand an explanation. As the hymn puts it “He died that we might be forgiven” which brings me on to my third “E” – Experience.
It is one thing to recognise that an event has taken place and even to gain some understanding of it but it is something else to experience it. For example many of us knew that there was going to be an eclipse in 1999 and had some understanding of how they happened, however it was a totally different thing to be there in Cornwall and experience it for yourself.
Peter goes to some lengths here to speak of his personal experience of the events surrounding Jesus’ life and ministry “We are witnesses of everything he did..”v.39 and v.41 “witnesses who ate and drank with him”. Although he doesn’t spell it out here Peter also experienced first hand the forgiveness of sins as Jesus lovingly restores him John 21.
I want to conclude with a final “E” – evidence. Perhaps the strongest evidence for the resurrection is the radical transformation in the lives of the early disciples. What happens to turn a bunch of deserters who abandoned Jesus on Golgotha and who were still meeting behind closed doors one week post Easter into the fearless proclaimers of the gospel we find in Acts? The evidence for the resurrection is seen in transformed lives – people loving each other and caring for one another (Acts 4:32-35). What evicence for the resurrection do people see in your life today?