God’s Glory cannot be Hidden

When something isn’t going the way someone desires, it is common to ‘change the subject’ both literally and symbolically. In the case of God’s work, such as evangelism and healing miracles, changing the subject means, “Stop! Don’t do that, or else!” As we all have experienced, a good thing is always too good to pass up. As social beings, we humans tend to tell our friends.

In those days, when the Jews saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they wondered; and they recognized that they had been with Jesus. But seeing the man that had been healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred with one another, saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is manifest to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to any one in this name.” So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people; for all men praised God for what had happened. For the man on whom the sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old. – Acts 4.13-22

As predicted, the Jerusalem elite didn’t like what the Apostles were doing, ‘in the name of’ Christ. What made it worse, was that the Apostles were lowly uneducated blue-collar fishermen. There is little that could be more offensive to elites, than people like the Apostles gaining such notoriety among the Jews. Nothing stops the spread of Good News.

The Church today experiences the same dilemma. When there is good work taking place, those who prefer the darkness will stop at nothing to keep the Good News from spreading. In fact, in my twenty-nine years of Church ministry, I have witnessed on too many occasions, Church leaders that would prefer parishes ‘die on the vine’ than thrive and grow. Why, you ask?

When the Church grows, those who love power and control, lose both. The Jewish elites had a ‘good thing going’ with the Roman Empire, and when Jesus and later His Apostles dared to allow gentiles to join the Church, they felt their power slowly fading away. Ironically, they eventually lost total power, and the Church became grew nonetheless, leaving many elites behind.

As we continue along our post-Pascha journey, I invite you to fight the temptation to become like the elites. Fight the temptation to think of the Church as ‘your’ domain to control. Embrace the choice to continue to spread the Good News of the Churches work, and the News of Christ.