Faith Matters - Current Posts

Friday, May 18, 2007

Silence is Not an Option!

Tuesday, May 22

What do you do when you've gotten yourself into a corner and can't think of a way out? It’s a dilemma common to leaders who take strong positions. Even when faced with contrary evidence, we tend to hold on to our prior opinions. It’s commonplace to get louder and more emotional when our positions are threatened. For, after all, it’s very difficult to admit when we are wrong.



When Peter and John were arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin - Israel's religious Supreme Court – its members were in a quandary. They had previously taken a formal position against Jesus and had supported his crucifixion. Now Peter and John were standing in front of them with a paraplegic man who had been miraculously healed. The members of the Sanhedrin weren't about to acknowledge that the power of Jesus was still operative and had healed this man, but they had no other explanation. Their solution was to order Peter and John to shut up about it. They said, “Don’t ever speak the name of Jesus again!”


But that was impossible for the two followers of Jesus. It’s like ordering the sun not to rise. Like ordering a lover to stop saying, “I love you.” Peter and John were Christians and talking about Jesus is what Christians do. Once you know that Jesus has died for you on the cross, that God has raised him from the dead and that the Holy Spirit has filled your life – nothing is ever the same. For the disciples in the first century and for Christians now, silence is not an option!