“Called up on the carpet”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Friday, April 5, 2024

Acts 4:1-12 (Forward, p. 67) CEV p. 1136

Haven’t most of us had to appear before someone in charge, at some point, to answer for our words or deeds? I suspect that whether it was with our parents or a teacher or school principal, it has happened to most of us. To this experience was coined the expression, being called up on the carpet. It came from the fact back in an early era when only the rich or powerful could afford to have a carpet or floor covering, and so, being called in to see such a person for a scolding, rebuke or reprimand was serious business indeed. It was not the kind of thing that anyone took lightly.

This was exactly the situation of Peter and John in today’s account. They were called up on the carpet before the Jewish authorities, the Sanhedrin. And their crime, their offence? Simply explaining how the lame man had come to be healed, that is, by having faith in the risen Christ.

But, for the Sanhedrin, many of which were Sadducees, this was indeed very troubling—on three counts. For the council itself, the Sanhedrin, it put the blame for Jesus’ death firmly on their shoulders—which God had then, if the story of Jesus being raised from the dead was true, countered and cancelled out. In a sense, they were thereby shown to be wrong about Jesus—not a very pleasant feeling or conclusion, to say the least.

And for the Sadducees, this assertion that Jesus had been raised from the dead attacked one of their fundamental beliefs, namely that there was nothing such a thing as the resurrection. And, if wrong about this, then, in what else could they be wrong? Here was the possibility that their whole reputation was about to ‘go down the tube.’

And, for the entire council, there was the very disturbing trend, the truth that this new formed movement was gaining so much traction. On the day of Pentecost some 3,000 people had come to faith in Jesus, and now, only a few days later, the figure had risen to something like 5,000. To the authorities, this threatened the status quo, the present arrangement of how faith and government worked together. To them, this was a very dangerous development, one that they most surely wanted to ‘nip in the bud’, which is

why they called Peter and John ‘up on the carpet.’ But, rather than silence them, it only gave the two disciples an even greater audience.

I’m afraid that this brings us, you and I, ‘up on the carpet’ as well—in a couple of ways. Firstly, how often do we step out in faith and thereby show off the resurrection power of Jesus? How often do we pray for things cannot be explained otherwise, by earthly, natural means, and thereby show forth Jesus and His power? And secondly, how often do we tell others about what the risen Jesus means to us in terms of our own individual lives? I’m afraid that the boldness of these two men, Peter and John, puts us all to shame. Amen.

Moving Forward: “While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came to them, much annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming that in Jesus there is resurrection of the dead” (verses 1-2).

“Even as Jesus’s disciples proclaim the resurrection, priests and government officials try to change the narrative. They arrest those who tell people that in Jesus, there is resurrection from the dead. The disciples hold firm, showing their faith in what they say and what they do in the world. In the process, they push the story well beyond priests and government, then and now.

“Jesus’s story includes not just those in the Scriptures but us as well. He encourages honesty in what we say and authenticity in who we are, with actions that, like those of Peter and John, reflect our values regardless of external pressure. Theologian Henri Nouwen suggests this doesn’t mean living our lives as Jesus did but living our lives as authentically as Jesus lived his. I don’t know exactly how to do that, but I’d like to learn. And grow. The great blessing of the Easter story is that Jesus promises to be with us on this journey wherever it leads.

Moving Forward: “Pray for the courage to live authentically as Jesus did.”