I Have Set My Face Like Flint

 

The June 1988 issue of Mission Frontiers, the bulletin of the U.S. Center for World Mission, describes the arrest of Xu Yongzhe, an itinerant evangelist from China, who risked coming to Beijing so that he might meet Billy Graham. Xu Yongzhe was a fugitive for refusing to follow a government policy designed to prevent itinerant evangelists from preaching the gospel. Yet despite persecution, house churches overseen by Xu Yongzhe had grown from 200 to more than 3,000 during the previous eight years.

In Acts 4 we find the first persecution of the Church by religious leaders; other than Jesus trials and His crucifixion. In Acts 4:1-7 we read “the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.

They seized Peter and John and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family. They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”

Peter and John were proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. You can imagine the reaction of Annas and Caiaphas to this news. Caiaphas had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people (John 18:14). They were not pleased that the man they thought they had sacrificed for the good of the nation (John 11:49-50) was said to have resurrected.

 Annas was the primary mover and shaker in the priesthood even though he was not the acting high priest. Caiaphas was his son-in-law. The men gathered to interrogate Peter and John were the most powerful and prominent religious leaders of Israel. These were members of the Sanhedrin which was the "Supreme Court" of the Jews. The Sanhedrin had 70 members plus the current high priest, who presided over the group.

These religious leaders knew the Old Testament Scriptures in painstaking detail. They believed in God and were completely immersed in a world of religious ritual. But, they were spiritually lost! God, in the person of Jesus Christ, had been in their very presence and they had missed him. Here is a powerful demonstration of the truth that knowing about God is not enough. Until we encounter God through Christ, all our religious acts count for nothing.

The Sanhedrin sat on elevated chairs in a semi-circle. The high priest sat at the head of the room and the 35 members sat on each side. When John and Peter were brought in, they found themselves surrounded by the whole Council. One can picture these men standing in the centre facing their accusers who looked down with disapproval and scowls on their faces. These men had the power to kill and to set free.

Talk about an intimidating power play! Some of them knew that Peter had been frightened until he had denied Jesus only a few weeks before. He was even intimidated by a servant girl. Perhaps they thought that a little show of force would cause him to deny Jesus again. But then Peter was only filled with "self." Now Peter is filled with the Holy Spirit and filled with boldness.

The Sanhedrin was acting within its jurisdiction when it convened to examine Peter and John. The Mosaic Law specified that whenever someone performed a miracle and used it as the basis for teaching, he was to be examined. If the teaching was used to lead people away from the God of their fathers, the miracle-worker was to be killed (Deut. 13:1-5). On the other hand, if his message was doctrinally sound, he was to be accepted as coming with a message from God."

That is why the council asked, “by what power have you done this?”They were not denying the fact that a miracle took place; they were questioning the source of power. If the source of the power and the name was any other name than God , then the Sanhedrin would have grounds for accusing Peter and John of blasphemy(Deut. 13:1-5). Jesus was regarded as a blasphemer by the Sanhedrin. To use his name, no matter what the result, was blasphemous.

If the Sanhedrin would have grounds for accusing Peter and John of blasphemy, then they would have justification to turn them over to the Roman authorities to be executed. Peter and John knew this was their plot. Think about how Peter and John would have felt. This was the same group of people who tried Jesus and condemned him to death. Peter and John can be sentenced to more jail time or even death. Peter’s response must have surprised them.

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed” (Acts 4:9-10).

Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit. To be filled is to be totally dominated by what fills you. Someone who is filled with something is no longer under his own control, but under the control of that which "fills" him. Someone can be filled with fear (Luke 5:26) or anger (Luke 6:11). The high priest and his Sadducee associates were filled with jealousy (Acts 5:17).  Stephen was filled with faith and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit controlled him (Acts 6:15).

There are two kinds of courage; one is reckless courage that is unaware of the dangers it faces and the other courage is the one that knows the peril and yet is undaunted. Peter's boldness was the latter. Peter and John confronted the world head on with boldness and eloquence that caused their opponents to marvel (Acts 4:13). One of the first effects of being filled with the Holy Spirit is controlled speech.  All through Acts, it is not just "controlled" speech, but it is “bold” speech.

When the council asked by what power they had healed the man Peter had three choices: He could apologize for making trouble.  He could say nothing and hope for the best. He could seize the moment to preach the gospel which is exactly what he did. He may have remembered the words of Jesus. He said “on my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them … But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say” (Matt.10:18-19).

It is worth noting that Acts 4:1-6 lists no less than 11 different groups or individuals opposing these two followers of Jesus. We have the Priests and the Sadducees; Rulers, elders, scribes; and others from the family of the high priest; the captain of the temple; Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander. When faced with such a large contingent of adversaries the natural reaction would be to cower back in fear.  But for Peter there was no compromise, no hesitation and no apologies of any kind.  

The leaders “put them in jail until the next day. But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand” (Acts 4: 3-4).The council thought that a show of force in opposing the growing Church would cause a defection and that others would be afraid to unite with it. In this they were greatly disappointed. The rulers were imprisoning two of the apostles while the rest were busy receiving new members.

Paul wrote the book of Philippians in Prison; he was imprisoned for preaching the gospel some years after this incident. He wrote “what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear”(Phil. 1:12-14).

Jesus promised his disciples that they would be brought before rulers for His name’s sake, and that it would lead to an opportunity for their testimony. He promised that He would give them utterance and wisdom which none of their opponents would be able to resist or refute (Luke 21:12-15). Peter’s witness before the Sanhedrin was not due to his natural boldness or to his brilliant oratory. It was due to the filling of the Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 50 predicted the suffering of the messiah. It says “I offered my back to those who beat me,my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. Because the Sovereign  Lord  helps me, i will not be disgraced. Therefore I have set my face like flint and I know I will not be put to shame. He who vindicates me is near. who then will bring charges against me?Let us face each other. Who is my accuser? Let him confront me (Isa.50:6-9).

This prophecy speaks in chilling detail of the sufferings of the Messiah. Jesus was beaten on the back (Mark 15:15). He was beaten on the face (Luke 22:63-65). He was mocked and spat upon (Mark 15:19-20). What terrible agony Jesus endured! In the midst of all this suffering, humiliation, and pain, he had an unshakable confidence in the help of God. Despite knowing the agony awaiting Him, he had steadfast determination to obey God and follow His way.

His face will be set as hard as a flint, and nothing will turn Him aside. Jesus saw the difficulty ahead and steadfastly marches towards it. He could see the cross on the horizon, but still set His face like a flint. The courage of the Messiah was not a passive resignation to fate. It was a confident assurance in God “I know that I will not be ashamed.”  Acts 4 records the first persecution of the Christians. Since then millions of Christians have suffered and died for their faith.

Many believers have spent years behind bars for nothing more than preaching the gospel. You may or may not get arrested when you speak the name of Jesus, but you may get mocked, ridiculed, or left out of certain social situations. It may hurt your chances of advancement at work and you could possibly lose your job. Always remember that Christ “suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps” (1 Pet. 2:21).