He Who Shall Not Be Named

I did this myself. Crying in the back seat because they didn’t choose “my” restaurant. (You know those things you can’t really get mad at your kids for because you did them so bad yourself?)

Being that exclusive is gross. I don’t like it.

Did everyone get their taxes done? (It’s a little late if you haven’t). Now there is an unavoidable thing. I have friends, libertarian friends, who have tried VERY HARD to escape that particular “inevitability”. The tax man finds you.

“Sure as death and taxes.”

And it is all so strict. I have to use their form. I have to send it to their address. I have to be “honest” about what I owe.

It is so exclusive and I don’t like it. But even though I don’t like it, it is the reality of the country I live in, and so I live accordingly. “Give unto Caesar what is Caesars.”

Recap - Lame Preachers

Healed the blind man

Preaching pure gospel, the resurrected Jesus who offers forgiveness:

Acts 3:19–20 ESV

Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,

Acts 4 - Peter before the Council

The ruling council gets wind of this

Acts 4:1–2 ESV

And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

They were “greatly annoyed”.

διαπονέομαι. Irked. Vexed. It makes this sound “EEEEERRRRG!”

and of course they are annoyed. “Seriously???”

The Sadducees in particular. They are a political/religious party.

One of their notable beliefs is that they do not believe in the resurrection of the dead. They think of salvation as being national, and they kind of live on or “are saved” through their children. Immortality through descendants. the Pharisees are the political/religious party that make their platform on physical, actual resurrection.

So they are annoyed at someone promising resurrection.

and they thought they had dealt with the whole “Jesus” thing. Don’t these names sound familiar? Annas? Caiaphas?

Acts 4:3–4 ESV

And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.

That must have been some preaching. Coming to the altar even while the preacher is being dragged away in handcuffs.

The next day they gather to set Peter and John straight.

Acts 4:5–7 ESV

On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”

How intimidating!

These are the very men who orchestrated the crucifixion of Christ. In the courtyard of this same Caiaphas, Peter stayed out of the firelight for fear of being recognized and was intimidated by a middle school girl into denying the name of Jesus. Now he is face to face with Caiaphas and all the family! But this time...

Acts 4:8–9 ESV

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed,

Seriously? What are we on trial for? Healing a crippled man?

It is hard to persecute someone for doing good deeds… though certainly not impossible. And for this moment the Christians are “well thought of” by the people in Jerusalem. As James says “against such things there is no law”. We are doing good deeds.

And he could have stopped there with just the “good deed” defense.

But Peter pulls no punches. He has an opportunity to testify and even though it can only further irritate or “irk” these powerful men, he is going to speak the name of Jesus.

In the face of the “annoyance” of the authorities he claims:

Acts 4:10 ESV

let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.

Acts 4:11 ESV

This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.

He quotes from Psalm 118, one that Jesus quoted several times.

Originally with reference to Israel… so all the more offensive to these religious leaders of Israel to say that it’s original meaning (which they probably treasured as a promise) REALLY points forward to this Jesus, whom they already find so annoying. So vexing.

Acts 4:12 ESV

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

The Aftermath

They were astonished

Acts 4:13–14 ESV

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.

Nothing to say.

They are forced to give an empty warning, which Peter and John completely reject, kind of throw it back in their faces, and let them go. Because the people were “all praising God for what had happened” (v. 21).

No Other Name?

Really? That’s so Annoying! So exclusive.

Close-minded. Maybe even small-minded.

Is it like a child throwing a tantrum about which restaurant they want to go to lunch too? There are so many restaurants!!!

Let’s look at the other options:

Pluralism (or relativism)

The idea that there are many ways to heaven. There are so many religions out there, so many ideas about who God is, or what God is, or how many Gods there are or if there is a God at all! With this incredible diversity of opinion, isn’t it small minded to think that any individual has the only way?

How could God be so small minded as to make only one way? Like a child throwing a tantrum if it isn’t exactly “their” way.

This is the message of our world and our worldview… and I am a product of it every bit as much as you are… and so it sounds right! It sounds wise or even noble because it taps into our best ideas of open-mindedness and compassion, of “fairness” and

Inclusivism

The idea that anyone who is “sincere” in their faith kind of comes to “Christ” in another way.

Jesus saves all ontologically (as a state of being or existence). But he understands the sincerity of faith someone might have in, say Buddha, and kind of adopts someone as “his” by another name.

Frankly, I really like this idea.

And it has some things going for it. Scripture often talks about the universality of Jesus’ work of salvation. He saves the world, the cosmos, his work is universal in scale and scope.

In Romans Paul says “they shall be judged by the truth that they know.”

We hold these things in tension, but here we are at one of the “other” verses. One of the “hard” verses. One of the ones that, quite frankly, I don’t like so much.

Exclusivism

Right there in the name.

Acts 4:12 ESV

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

There is salvation in no one else. That flies right in the face of pluralism. It is a universal negative.

What’s more, there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. That’s oddly specific, doubling down. Peter is drawing on “name theology” here, the “name” is used to double as the total and unique absolute identity of Jesus. His authority, his mantle, his self, his rule. But it seems to be written to refute “inclusivism.”

It doesn’t matter how sincerely one believes in Buddha or Allah or Nirvana, Set or Zeus or Odin… there is no other name.

Peter says

If Jesus is a way… then he is the only way.

Jesus is the one and only way

Why? Because he said stuff like this:

John 14:6 ESV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Who else comes? No one.

Where does Peter get off saying stuff like that? He is just repeating what he heard from His Master. and His Master is the wisest human being who has ever lived and (oh by the way) who has the distinct advantage of having created the Universe.

This is an absolute truth claim.

Jesus is the one and only way! The only name by which we may be saved.

We don’t have to like it.

But what if it’s true?

As sure as death and taxes. No matter your opinion, the tax man is coming for you.

No matter your

Maybe you still don’t like it, but imagine what it would be like if it is true.

Imagine the urgency!

Isn’t that what those early disciples had? They believed this, and they spent the rest of their lives spreading the name of Jesus as far and widely as they humanly good. Beyond that by the power of the Holy Spirit. In their generation alone.

The Urgent Gospel

This is not about evangelistic strategy. Attempting to shove the name of Jesus at people is not a good approach… and it is not what Peter and John do here, really. They respond to the questions of the leaders. They preach wherever there is opportunity.

This is not really about “saving” people. It is Jesus who saves, it is the Holy Spirit who works within to root the name of Jesus, to nurture that seed when it finds fertile soil.

But we do have a responsibility, and it is the command Jesus gave his disciples just a couple chapters ago. To “witness” to the name of Jesus.

Do we feel that urgency.

What about my friend who doesn’t believe in Jesus. Am I going to force it on him? No. But is my heart broken for him, lifting him up before God in prayer, knowing that there is NO OTHER name by which he might be saved. He needs Jesus!

What about my family, my neighbor. They need my love, my service, but mostly they need the name of Jesus. Are they hearing it from me? Seeing it in me? Do they know how Jesus has transformed my life and is saving me even now?

And people across the world who have never even heard the name of Jesus! That’s awful, how can God allow that?

Unless God has an answer to that… and the terrifying answer is that He has sent you. He has sent me.

When Jesus returned to heaven after His resurrection, the angel Gabriel greeted Him.

As soon as Gabriel saw the Lord, he welcomed Him back to heaven and asked Him how things had gone during His time on earth. Jesus told Gabriel that His time on earth went very well. He told him that while on earth the Father had allowed Him to do many miraculous things and to teach some very incredible truths.

Jesus went on to say the enemy crucified Him, but the Father gave Him the final victory through the power of the resurrection. Gabriel said, “Wow Jesus, it sounds like you had an awesome experience. So now that you are back here, what happens? Is it all over?”

Jesus said, “Oh no, Gabe. While I was on earth, the Father gave me twelve men to disciple. Over the past several years, I have entrusted to them the very things the Father has given Me. They will pass on to the next generation all the things I have given to them.”

Gabriel had a curious look on his face and asked Jesus another question. “Lord, that sounds great. However, what if those twelve men do not pass on what you have given them. Lord, what is plan ‘B’?” Jesus looked at Gabriel with a sense of expectation and said, “Gabriel, I have no other plan. There is no plan ‘B’. If these men don’t pass it on, no one will!”*

Peter and John were faithful in carrying out their urgent mission. Declaring the name of Jesus for there is no other name by which we may be saved.

May god lay that intensity, that urgency, that fire and that passion on your heart and mine. We are now the witnesses to that name, and could be the only way our neighbor or friend or co-worker will hear about the only way. The only way they can hear the only name. There is no plan B.

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