Blind Builders

Acts 4:5-12, the First Lesson appointed for the Fourth Sunday of Easter in the Year of Mark, is the second scene in the story of the healing of the man born lame which began in Chapter 3.  The scene has now shifted to a trial before the chief priests - the power brokers of first century Judaism - who want to know one thing: "By what power or by what name did you do this [healing]?"  They are apparently blind to the miracle.  Later in the scene (well after the appointed lesson), as they deliberate amongst themselves, they are embroiled in debate:  "What will we do with [these men]?  It is obvious to all... that a notable sign has been done through them; we cannot deny it." (4:16)  So to them it is a sign, but a sign of God or Beelzebub, they do not know.  Isn't it amazing how blind we can be to the simple workings of God, the Author of Life.

(The following questions have been developed to answer some of the fundamental questions of Law and Gospel preachers around how the Word functions.  They are not meant to be exhaustive.  To learn more about his unique genre of preaching, see my brief guide to Law and Gospel preaching, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  The Word here is accusatory.  It comes from the apostle Peter to the "rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem."  As such it functions as Law:  "This Jesus is 'the stone that was rejected by you; the builders...'"  This word serves to accuse and convict, hoping to lead the accused to repentance.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  There is no explicit word of Gospel here, yet there are hints of it:  "this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth." And "[this stone, this Jesus] has become the cornerstone." Through these words we hear of the power and position of the Christ.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We must always identify with those whom the Word addresses, and in this text they are those who have "rejected the cornerstone."  Ouch. We don't want to identify with the religious authorities.  We see them as murderous, cruel, blind hypocrites.  Even though Christ forgave them from the Cross and St. Luke calls them merely ignorant, we want nothing to do with them.  That is all the more reason to identify with them.  We need to ask, "In what ways do we continue this pattern of rejecting the stone that God has made the cornerstone?"

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  As in previous Acts readings, the call here is not to obedience, but to repentance.  When Peter announces that "there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved," this is a call to repentance.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  Taking some language from the text, we can imagine several couplets:  rejecting the cornerstone/embraced by the Living Stone; threatened by the name of Jesus/healed by the name of Jesus.

6.  Exegetical work: It is important to notice that the rulers are referred to by Peter as "the builders". (vs. 11).  These rulers are indeed building something which they have deemed worthy, and they have rejected Christ as a stone which will have no place in this edifice they are building. Justus Jonas, the German Lutheran reformer, thinks that what the rulers are building is a righteousness based on the law:  "Peter calls them builders, as if he were saying, 'You are the ones who are teaching the people the external observation of the law. But your building - that is, righteousness of the law which you teach against the judgement of God - will not stand.  And you are making nothing other than counterfeit saints and hypocrites.'" (Reformation Commentary on Scripture, NT, Vol. VI, p. 50).  William Willimon has a different take, thinking that the rulers have rejected Christ as "an unworthy foundation for national aspirations." (Interpretation series, Acts, p. 49)  No matter what we decide the rulers are building, we can see that Christ has no place in their thinking, and that is where the question comes to us:  What are we building?  Does Christ have a place in it?  St. Peter, in drawing on this metaphor exhorts us:  "Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals, yet chosen and precious in God's sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (I Peter 2:4-5)

Blessings on your proclamation!