Forbidden to Speak
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Many of us have been conditioned not to talk about religion or politics outside of our inner circles of loved ones or friends. The reasoning for this has often been that these kinds of conversations are delicate in nature and require empathy and compassion for such discussions to be fruitful. Somehow, in the age of social media, many of us have made grave exceptions and opened up on these topics with strangers and bystanders aplenty. I’m guilty of it myself at times, posting something that draws attention from people I rarely spend time with if at all. Why do we do it? Aren’t there just some things we can’t help but say because we feel convicted about it deep down to our core? As Christians, how are we to respond to such chaotic subjects?
In our focal text this week, we are with Peter and John after they have been preaching to a crowd that gathered soon after a lame man was healed. Now they are being pressured by religious influencers of that day to stop talking about Jesus in the way that they are proclaiming He is the Christ of God. Peter and John can’t help themselves as they continue to speak of what they know about Jesus even though they are imprisoned and persecuted for their beliefs. One major problem for the religious leaders was that the things these Apostles were saying about Jesus clashed with their own religious beliefs and sway over the Jewish people. On the other hand, they were finding it difficult to refute the claims of the Apostles when life-changing evidence stood before them in the presence of the lame man now healed. Adding to their dilemma was the mass number of Jews that had come to saving faith in Christ Jesus with all of the accompanying signs and wonders that the Holy Spirit was working in and through them. Peter and John themselves could not help but proclaim what they had witnessed and experienced firsthand with Jesus. Their boldness and clarity in the face of such religious pressure and persecution was another testament to the religious rulers that these claims carried some kind of weight.
As a kid, I was taught not to say certain words out of respect for others around me. Occasionally, I would consider the moments like when I might hit my thumb with a hammer and what words might fly out of my mouth not wanting to embarrass myself by saying something dishonorable. I must confess that over the years I’ve been guilty of too many dishonorable utterances made even with a mind disciplined about these things. Certain things when said will disqualify our voice to those around us and as followers of Christ we do need to be aware of how we might distract others from hearing the truth about Jesus. The reality for all of us as human beings is that there will be times when we say things which are forbidden by our culture sometimes for the right reasons and sometimes for the wrong reasons. As followers of Christ, how can we know what to say and when to say it? That was a question that I’m sure Peter and John were asking themselves before the lame man, before the crowd that gathered after his healing, and then again before each of these religious authorities. The truth that they knew about Jesus was what they spoke about with everyone and they stayed focused on the gospel truth about Jesus as their primary point of discussion. Discussing faith in Jesus was a center stage priority for Peter and John.
Today, we are tempted to talk and post about a variety of topics. As Christians, how can we know what to share and when to share it? The claims we have in Jesus are a lot! To claim that He rose from the dead and lives today is a lot! It is evidence that demands a verdict from every observer! Let us live our lives in such a way that those who hear from us would see us as truth tellers - honorable and credible in the things that we share. Let us begin by being first to admit where we’ve been wrong and err in our lives. Then let us share how Jesus is renewing our minds and transforming our hearts by His truth and grace. We come to saving faith in Jesus by admitting our sin and need for a Savior and it is how we continue as followers of Jesus.
May our lives ever be an honorable testament to the life-changing truth about Christ Jesus. As a church, let us concern ourselves chiefly with the interests of our Savior and King. Let us see the interruptions and inconveniences of our lives as divine opportunities to share the gospel. Let us prove the value of the gospel by lives lived honorably for Jesus in the face of pain and suffering that will come in witnessing the truth about Him. Everything in this life is of secondary importance to the one prevailing truth that Jesus died, was buried, and rose again on the third day. On this irrefutable truth, we base our life and claim that Jesus is the Christ of God and in Him we will hope and rejoice forever.
Grateful and hopeful in Christ,
Jon