NT35 The Disciples Free (Acts
5)
It is very hot in Jerusalem.
Almost everybody is taking a siesta somewhere in the shades. The temple court
looks deserted. Deserted? Not completely. In Salomon’s Colonnade, the coolest place
of the Temple, a group of people are meeting together. They are not taking a
siesta. They are Jesus’ friends: Peter, John … They are offering bread and
water to a couple of hungry, poor people. Then Matthew tells some wonderful
stories about what Jesus taught and did. The disciples are doing exactly what
Jesus taught them to do. Fantastic!
In a building, close by,
stands the high priest. He takes his beautiful turban with a golden string and
puts it on his head. “Holy to the Lord,” is engraved on the turban. Is this
high priest really holy…? It is the high priest, who had Jesus crucified. He
also hates Jesus’ followers from the bottom of his heart. The curtains are
opened and three Sadducees are entering the building.
“Shalom, Ananias,” they say
as they bow. “Have you heard? Jesus’ mates are in the Temple court. They are
continuing to teach the people that Jesus is the Messiah. We have got to bring
this to an end.”
“Call the officer of the
Temple police!” Ananias exclaims angrily. “It is time for action!”
Three poorly dressed children
are walking through the Golden Gate. The eldest is a boy of ten years old. He
is carrying a little girl on his back. The girl clings to his coat.
“Come on, Zena,” says the
boy. “Can you see the pillars? That is where we have to be. That is what the
man, selling the water, told me.”
“I am so hungry!” says the
little girl.
The girl on the back of the
boy groans. She has fever. Mika, the boy, can feel her temperature through his
tin coat. He walks a bit faster. Zena, tries to catch him up. She is very
tired. They have been walking for ages. The three children live in a little
village nearby. They want to bring their little sick sister to the disciples.
“Out of the way! Son of a
dog!” somebody exclaims behind them. Mika jumps to the side of terror. Oh no,
there is the high priest. The Temple police surround them. The high priest
passes by Mika, who is full of awe for this great man. Where is this important
man going? Ananias continues his way to Jesus’ followers. All the apostles are
being arrested. This is terrible! What is going to happen to their little
sister? Mika cries. “Oh Lord, please help us, please!” he prays softly.
“Oh Lord, help us, please!”
the apostles pray. They are put into a dirty jail. One can smell the urine and
mildew. A cockroach walks along the wall.
Who will continue the work of
Jesus? Are they all going to be crucified?
Slowly the day turns into
night. Their whispering voices fade away. They fall asleep on the bench,
leaning against each other because of the cold.
There are thousands of stars
in the sky. The high priest sleeps restlessly. He is dreaming of a king that is
trying to get him. This must be the cause of today’s events. The moon shines
through the bars of the jail. The apostles are sleeping peacefully. A small oil
lamp flickers because of the draft. Someone enters the jail.
“Wake up, men!” a voice calls
out.
Jesus’ friends wake up
immediately. Wake up? Now? They quickly pick up their sandals. They put their
coats on and walk behind the man who called them. They are still drowsy. Will
they be questioned? Maybe tortured? They are afraid to say anything. Maybe the
soldier will hurt them.
However, everything seems a
bit strange. The doors of the jail open by themselves. Why is the soldier not using
any keys? And where are the guards?
A few minutes later, they are
outside. The soldier turns to them. He is not angry at all.
“Go, stand in the temple
courts, “ he says, “There is much work to do.”
Back to the temple courts?
Are they free? They are all starting to talk at the same time. They would like
to ask the soldier some questions, but he disappears.
“An angel!” says Thomas. “I
think that was an angel.”
“An angel of the Lord freed
us!” they all call out. They are full of awe.
At daybreak they enter the
temple courts. What an awesome skyline. It is red, orange … Just as awesome as
the escape from prison.
The three children have not
left the temple courts. They are sleeping in a dark corner near the gate. They
are slowly waking up because of the noise. There are the followers of Jesus.
The Lord answered their prayer. Carrying his sick sister on one arm and holding
Zena with the other, Mika walks towards Peter. Peter prays for Zena in the name
of Jesus. More people are gathering around them. They carry sick people on beds
or mattresses …
The soldiers go to the jail
but cannot find the men. How is this possible? The high priest questions them.
He is angry when he hears that Jesus’ mates are in the Temple courts again.
Nothing can stop the message of Jesus: no angry words, no jail, no torture,
nothing!
The message lives on!