"Companions of Jesus" (Acts 4:5-14)

Introduction

What a great compliment was paid to Peter and John, here in Acts … to be described as “companions of Jesus”. Could we be easily described in the same way … as “companions of Jesus”? What evidence would be available to support this description? These are the challenging thoughts that enter my mind when I get to verse 13.

In a recent book by Phil Cooke & Jonathan Bock, they provocatively ask, “Why did the early church succeed where we are failing?” They go on to say … that the early church did things that astonished the Romans: they took in their abandoned babies, they helped the sick and wounded, they restored dignity to slaves, they were willing to die for what they believed – after a while, their actions so softened the hearts of the Romans, that they wanted to know more about who these Christians were, and who was the God they represented.

Context

This passage, from Acts chapter 4, is the culmination of the incident where a man that had been lame from birth went walking and leaping and praising God … following his meeting with Peter and John. This incident, of miraculous healing, caused a bit of a ruckus, and Peter and John were arrested and brought before the ruling authorities to explain themselves. You would have thought everyone would be happy about such an event – a man who had been unable to walk from birth and likely living in destitute conditions begging for food … having been liberated! Good eh!!

But such is the human propensity to be negative, and want to keep their own measure of power, there had to be an interrogation. What was Peter and John’s crime? We read earlier that they had upset the ruling authorities by claiming that Jesus had risen from the dead. These rulers thought they had dealt with this – thought that they had got rid of Jesus and his threat to their seat of power. They did NOT want to have any aspect of Jesus’ mission carry on; they wanted the memory of Jesus to die away! They thought if they could threaten Peter and John enough … they would retract this notion of Jesus still healing people.

What a Change!

In response, it was Peter who spoke, and this is significant, given what happened in the hours leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion. This was a very different Peter now! We know that Peter had been very scared and denied even knowing Jesus three times. Under guilt and shame, he even began to give up following Jesus and went back to the fishing business. But very quickly, he was met by the resurrected Jesus, forgiven, reinstated as a disciple, and given leadership within the future mission. Most impacting of all, Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, and never looked back from there!

Yet this still was a remarkable change in a very short time, and we should never underestimate how hard it is to muster courage in the face of fear, failure and disappointment. If the resurrection and the Holy Spirit were to make such an amazing difference in the life of Peter, then Peter was going to have to be willing and open and ready enough for all this to happen – it was still a choice Peter had to make! Through humility, Peter was indeed ready to embrace a new and different future – even under a real and even greater threat to his life!

Peter immediately and confidently testified to the reality of Jesus’ resurrection; and to the fact that this previously ‘lame’ man had been healed because Jesus was alive and still active in the affairs of humankind. And at great personal risk, Peter also pointed out rather strongly, that although certain people had sought to destroy Jesus – quite clearly they had failed in their objectives. Jesus remains the centre piece of human functioning, and would be the cornerstone … the major building-block … of God’s Kingdom.

The Result

On the basis of their clear and strong testimony, though they were NOT trained public speakers, together with the clear evidence of the 'fruit' of their ministry, Peter, with John standing next to him, were described by their interrogators … as "companions of Jesus". The act of healing stood for itself - it could NOT be denied.

The people of that district knew well the circumstances of this formerly ‘lame’ man's life (refer Acts 3:9-10); it is later noted that he was 40 years old (4:22). This was an undoubted and significant healing event! If Peter and John were able to effect such remarkable change in this ‘lame’ man's life, when they were clearly just ordinary Galilean fisherman, then something else must be happening. Obviously summoned as a witness in this ‘trial’, this ‘lame’ man just walked in, and stood before them – stunning everybody. This COULD NOT be a hoax!

The rulers would NOT yet be prepared to admit to Jesus’ divinity nor resurrection, but the credibility of the healing, and the disciples’ testimony, could NOT be questioned any further. And (new) possibilities were being raised in these people’s minds. Ultimately, Peter was saying that, on the basis of what has been publicly seen by all, Jesus cannot be sensibly rejected.

The Means

We read in verse 13, that Peter and John acted and spoke with “boldness”. The word translated “boldness” here, also conveys courage and clarity. Peter and John were, in a good way, ‘uninhibited’; meaning they were NOT in any way muddled or fearful in the way they spoke or acted. They were free of inhibitions, and had received wisdom from the Holy Spirit. [They were completely unashamed of their testimony.]

There is a back story to all this! Some time previously, when they were still fearful young disciples, Jesus had said to them, “When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers and the authorities, do NOT worry about how you are to defend yourselves, or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say” (Luke 12:11-12). How true was that!! Because of the progress of their lives under the Holy Spirit, Peter and John knew instinctively what to say … when the moment came.

Peter and John were no longer worried about putting up a ‘defence’ – they didn’t need to be ‘defensive’; for they had on the tip of their tongues the most positive message of all – the positive message of the Gospel! Their words (in tune with their acts of mercy and kindness), cut through, with authenticity, the closed mind-sets and resistance of their detractors. The ruling authorities recognised that these men, Peter and John, not only healed like Jesus healed, but also, that they argued their case with the same intensity and credibility as Jesus had. Indeed, they were “companions of Jesus”.

Our View

As we read this text 20 centuries down the track, our hearts are enlivened, and our faith is enriched, as we conclude that the resurrected Jesus was working through these disciples. Yet we also sense the challenge being put to us! Can we be so confident and so real and so fruitful and so effective ... despite being normal and human ... that people will see us as "companions of Jesus"?

Lying behind what has been translated here as “companions of Jesus” is the idea of ‘having been with Jesus’. This means walking with Jesus, having learned from Jesus. This means travelling on the same pathways as Jesus walked, and heading in the same direction toward the same destination. Companions or friends going on a hike together … ideally start to together, travel together and finish together. This is to choose to walk the road of life with Jesus.

This means that we will be achieving two things: firstly, directing other people’s thoughts … beyond ourselves … toward the person of Jesus – as the old hymn said, “speaking in living echoes of [Jesus’] tone” {“Lord speak to me, that I may speak – in living echoes of Thy tone”}. And, secondly, we sometimes get to contribute to some miracles – leading to transformed lives. As we live in the light, we get to shine brightly, bearing grace and peace (often against the norm).

Application

This all does require the words of our mouth and the practical output of our heart ... to be totally in sync! We have to be worshipping – lifting up the name of Jesus, explaining who Jesus is and what he means to us; at the same time as reaching out our hands with serving love. And when we are loving and serving our neighbour with a practical hand and hospitality, we would want to be able to point to the One – Jesus – who has made all the difference for us, and can have that same effect for others. This is what we see Peter and John doing … acts of mercy and kindness in the name of Jesus – therefore people came to describe them as "companions of Jesus".

For maximum influence, we need to be careful NOT to be distracted by minor issues that having little bearing on the mission of God. When all is said and done, it is NOT the correctness of our beliefs or the breadth of our knowledge that will save anyone, but rather the fruit of our lives. We have to guard against becoming fixated on things that will just bring division, confusion or just be a turn-off for others. Jesus was content with his major focus on serving through love of neighbour, that led him all the way down the path of sacrifice.

An Example From Modern Literature

What I loved most about reading the novel "The Robe", was how when the Roman tribune Marcellus, who was part of the squad who crucified Jesus, actually became convinced that Jesus had risen from the dead and thus was the Son of God, he became more and more transformed into the image of Jesus each day, and because of this, had such a remarkable effect on everyone he met. In his previous life he was only receiving orders, obeying orders, being used on the one hand, and being feared and hated on the other. Now things were totally different. People couldn’t believe the transformation that had occurred, and the light that Marcellus now exuded.

The people around Marcellus were so keen to seek and find an explanation for all this. Just through the character of his new life, whole communities changed, newly expressing love and compassion; and (in this novel) the barriers between masters and slaves started breaking down - because it just didn't make sense anymore. If we truly follow Jesus, lots of things that may have seemed logical or important - just don't make sense anymore! This should be so simple! Just living as Jesus taught us to!! And when those challenges and threats come - there is enough of the life of Jesus available to us (in Word and in Spirit) that we can still emulate him.

Conclusion

What is there in our lives that demands an explanation? Joy, hope, peace, purpose? What "fruit" do we need to be growing in? The fruit of the Spirit (in Galatians 5:22-23) is always a good guide.

Also, I reckon in the teaching of Jesus himself we find some 'no-brainers' (yet, admittedly, these often require a preparedness for some degree of sacrifice):

• peace-loving & peace-making;

• speaking the truth (rather than half-truths or lies or being divisively secretive) – following Jesus entails being a person who tells the "truth" – not only the truth of the gospel, but also the "truth" about who we are (as we deal in the reality of each moment); in this way we become a more trustworthy community member;

• a desire to maintain and reconcile relationships where at all possible (rather than divide and conquer); and,

• looking after the vulnerable and hurting.

While these are often counter-cultural and against natural human tendencies, they remain ESSENTIAL behaviour patterns of the growing Christian, and prerequisites for being seen as "companions of Jesus".