Acts 5:12-16
Acts 5:12-16
May 3, 2020
Acts 5:12-16
12 Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. 13 None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. 14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16 The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed. 1
Are you ready to get back to “normal?”
We have been under pandemic stay-at-home orders and closed facilities for over forty days now. There have been varied responses to the coronavirus response of governmental leaders and shut-down orders. Even within this viewing audience there are likely those who hold to very different opinions related to the situation.
The extremes go from abject fear to total conspiracy.
After weeks of celebrities telling everyone to keep positive and stay inside, political leaders giving press conferences with updates, that are not actually updates, local business owners wondering if they will be able to stay in business, major economic issues, and an uptick in sales of rubber gloves and face masks, many of us are not only desiring a return
1 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ac 5:12–16). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. 1
to normal, but wondering why God hasn’t done something about all this disruption.
Oh, it’s a normal and natural response. And it is common for humankind.
As I prepared for this week’s sermon, I will admit I struggled much regarding what to preach. I thought about going to the story of the crossing of the Red Sea and giving encouragement about getting to the other side, as an illustration of getting through this pandemic.
I considered some other passages that have brought me comfort during these times – mostly David’s writings in the psalms and other stories of God’s provision during plagues and difficulty.
I read much and considered much, but to be honest I struggled with this because I feared doing what I have done at times in the past and I see others doing often.
It is the fear of EISEGESIS.
Now, that’s a word normally reserved for seminary classes and preaching courses. But it is something I believe every Christian must consider.
Eisegesis is easy. It’s common. It’s dangerous.
What does it mean?
Well, let’s go to another word first. That word is EXEGESIS. Now, exegesis is what pastors and Bible teachers should be doing.
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This word comes from the Greek meaning to “to explain” or “to interpret.” It’s vital because when reading Scripture, we must do so understanding the context and the message, understanding that it is inerrant, immutable, and applicable for us today.
Eisegesis, also from a Greek term, is the flipside. In this case, it is the interpreting of a biblical text by reading into it one’s own preconceived ideas.
It’s the equivalent of saying “I have this great idea I want to talk about. Now...let’s find a verse that supports that.”
The crazy thing is that even when someone does a bit of eisegesis, they may actually get the point of the passage correct. God can certainly use it, even if wrongly applied, simply because of God’s graciousness and his sovereignty. Yet, it is poor scholarship and dangerous in that by taking verses out of context to prove one’s point, the immutability or unchanging nature of God’s Word is ignored.
And now that I’ve brought this up, you’ll likely listen to sermons and Bible studies with a more discerning ear. At least I hope you do.
Therefore, after much prayer, I believed God was leading me to remain on course and go to the next section of scripture in our journey through Acts.
And after reading today’s passage, I could not help but think of something that is in context with the passage, but relevant clearly to our current circumstances. The religious and political leaders in the city following Christ’s crucifixion no doubt sought a return to normalcy. The death, burial and resurrection of Christ changed everything. Even the deniers of the resurrection could not help but notice that things had changed.
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They changed then and remain changed for us today. “Normal” never came back. And for our sake, this is good news.
MIRACLES
Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles.
You may hear people and churches using the term “signs and wonders” today as a way to generate talking points, get some excitement growing among the church members, or for various other reasons.
There are many reasons people seek signs and wonders today. Some are not unhealthy. Others....well, we’ll get to that.
In this passage, we see the apostles doing what Jesus did.
Many during the ministry of Jesus saw the works he did and believed in him.
John 2:23
23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing.2
Jesus did not entrust himself to the people at this time, knowing their hearts. Yet, they were beginning to believe.
This post-resurrection moment in Acts, following the coming of the Holy Spirit to indwell his people, initiated the age of the church and through God’s design, empowered his church, his apostles, for this and other amazing moments.
What were these signs and wonders?
2 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Jn 2:23). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. 4
They are miracles of varying degrees. Things that cannot be manufactured by man, nor some sleight of hand trick. Healings? Certainly. Signs of God’s power. Wonders that amaze all.
Yet, this is no circus side show coming into town. These apostles (remember the ones in hiding at the crucifixion and sequestered in a room prior to the coming of the Holy Spirit) are not bold by their own making. They’re not just a group of guys saying “Let’s pick ourselves up by our bootstraps and do good things!” No way. These are men, called by God, empowered by his Holy Spirit, to bring him glory and well...when God is glorified (even in the most difficult of times) solely for who he is, the fringe benefit is it is actually good for us.
But what about today? What about these signs and wonders? What about this mess of a pandemic where so many difficult things are happening, not to mention loved ones being infected and some even dying?
You know what? Clichés are not the answer.
“Let go and let God” is not only not the answer, it’s likely never the answer.
“Live your truth” is not the answer.
“Sending positive vibes” is not the answer. And, for the record, if you’re a vibe and thought sender during difficult days....STOP!
Some today seek signs and wonders because they have ignored and don’t believe the signs and wonders already given.
Some seek signs and wonders as a way to justify their unbelief. “I’ll believe if God does this!”
Some seek signs and wonders because they seek thrills and excitement. The mundane bores them.
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Some seek signs and wonders because they hope to gain something.
And while you may not see signs and wonders personally, know that the God of Wonders has not changed.
The signs and wonders given throughout history evidence God as loving, righteous, the perfect judge, and the sustainer of life.
Be careful that you do not fall into the trap of testing God, seeking outward signs and wonders, while missing God entirely.
I wonder how many of the 5,000 plus who received a free fish and bread meal that day from Jesus on the side of the mountain – you know the initial benefactors of an amazing miraculous sign and wonder – became actual followers of Christ?
MEETINGS
And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico.
When we read of Solomon’s Portico, for most of us it we either need more information on where this is...or we just skip over the details to get to the next section.
This was an area in the temple, a covered porch, where people would gather and as is the case here, they would gather to debate, talk, and hear speeches.
Peter preached here. It was a special place. In fact, it is the same place where Jesus taught at times.
John 10:22-24
At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How
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long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”3
I’m sure Peter and the others remembered this moment and what irony to be here again, after all that had occurred in the city, preaching the gospel of Christ clearly, with signs and wonders and miraculous things occurring.
The meeting at Solomon’s porch was where the people could gather, where Christians could fellowship together and others could join and hear.
When we had our drive-through event last Sunday here at First, many of you came by, just to see one another, wave from your vehicle, and reconnect. To be honest, I didn’t know if anyone would show. You’d think that I’d be more optimistic. Well, I went to our leadership team and they told me the same, so in my pessimism, at least I was in common company.
But, many of you came. Why? Well, to get out of the house certainly, but more so to SEE each other and actually BE with one another.
It wasn’t so much a meeting, but let’s just say it beat all the online meetings we have been having.
Why? Because we need one another and seeing each other face-to-face in a time where prior it was taken for granted is so indicative of why healthy churches actually MEET together weekly on the Lord’s day and at other times.
These believers were meeting at Solomon’s portico, but it was not a normal gathering like the ones others had. This meeting was divinely empowered.
3 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Jn 10:22–24). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. 7
But, notice that not everyone joined the meeting.
13 None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem.
There’s some debate over who these “none of the rest” are, but I believe they were those shaken by the recent deaths of Ananias and Sapphira (chapter 5:1-11.) I think there was some spiritual gut checking going on among some of the new believers, determining one’s motives for following Christ and an elimination of hypocritical self-worshippers.
So, even in this new church, though all are invited in, only those who truly surrender to Christ and have the rights to be called children of God are actually part of the family. That hasn’t changed.
MULTITUDES
And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,
It is hard to imagine the impact of these porch meetings where multitudes became believers in Christ, followers of the him, and were healed not only physically as some were, but spiritually as all were.
How many does a multitude constitute? More than a few.
More than a handful.
More than a couple.
Everyone matters. Don’t get me wrong, but the miracle here is in a city seeking to get back to normal, everything has changed. In this case, the comfort of of the previous way of life would be abandoned.
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This is no virus. This is not a sickness. This is an change for the better. This too is hard to fathom.
CONCLUSION
As I read this passage, I’m taken at all that happens in just a few verses. I’m amazed that this follows immediately after the Ananias and Sapphira debacle. I am caught desiring a moment like this today.
The passage continues...
15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16 The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.
The presence and power of God was so evident here that Peter’s shadow was considered holy and to provide healing. Peter’s shadow didn’t heal. God’s touch healed and continues to heal.
Not everyone in the city who was sick became better. But those brought to God were.
In our current situation, I am longing for some healing. I desire that those who are ill to be made well.
I pray for the men and women working in hospitals and as EMTs to be strong.
I want a vaccine for this virus.
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I read history and I know that things like this have happened before. But, like many, I want today’s fix...NOW.
Yet, as I read this passage, I am reminded of something so needed. More than a vaccine.
More than a new treatment.
More than signs and wonders for the sake of signs and wonders. More than a temporal healing.
We need a new normal that is on a different level than government restrictions and health guidelines.
We need a new normal for our generations that looks more like what was happening at Solomon’s Portico.
We need NOT to get back to where we were a few weeks back, but
toabandonourself-centricfocus
tosurrenderfullytoGod,
toglorifyhimandhimalone,
toseekourrefugeinhim,totrusthimwiththeday,andtomorrow, and the day after.
toabandonourplans.
“I can’t wait until we get back to normal” has been said by many.I pray that we never get back to a normal that relegated God and his church to options in our week when nothing better comes up.
I pray that we never get back to a normal that sees our hope in man, not in God.
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I pray that we never get back to a normal that minimizes the glory of God and elevates the glory of self.
Maybe “normal” is overrated?
So, as we move forward to what will become a new normal, may our faith be stronger, our hope be secure, and our desires be Godward.
And if you’re watching today as one in the multitude of viewers, where are you in relation to Christ? Today, you can move from the multitude to be a living miracle – a transformed, rescued soul.
Footnotes
