When they saw the courage of Peter and
John,
and realized that they were unschooled,
ordinary men,
they were astonished and took note
that they had been with Jesus.
Acts 4:13
Peter’s healing of the 40-year old man who was crippled from birth sent shock waves through the religious community. How could they deny what had happened? Everyone in Jerusalem knew this man. The facts were undeniable. In their panic, the priests had the Temple guard grab Peter and John and put them in jail.
The next morning, the High Priest Annas and his cronies called Peter and John to stand before them. Their question? By what power or what name did you do this? – referring to the healing. Filled with the Spirit, Peter took the opportunity to again preach the news of the risen Christ, proclaiming to them: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven, given to men, by which we must be saved.”
The hapless priests, not knowing what else to do, commanded that the two men not speak in the name of Jesus. Peter said, Look: We can obey you, or we can obey God. We’ll put our trust in God, because we cannot stop talking about all that we have seen and heard. Pray that Jesus will give us the same courage to proclaim His name.
Today’s
Summer Reading: Acts
4-6
Sunday’s
Summer Reading Acts
7-9
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