Let's Be Set Free
A. The manifestation of God's power and the jealousy of the religious leaders
1) What happened in Jerusalem (1-4)
The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand. (1-4)
2) The religious leaders could only respond with opposition and persecution (5-7)
The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest's family. They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?" (5-7)
B. The manifestation of God's power and the apostles' explanation
1) When God took on a new name (8-12)
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is "`the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. ' Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." (8-12)
2) Following the truth (13-22)
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. "What are we going to do with these men?" they asked. "Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it. But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name." Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old. (13-22)
Summary
Since creation, God has revealed himself through prophets, but the cross and resurrection represented a paradigm shift in how God relates with human beings. God became known by a new name: Jesus. The religious leaders--who should have known God better than anyone else--could not understand this reality because it posed a challenge to their wealth and status in society. The disciples, by comparison, were ordinary people with no special power or ability, but they were able to follow the truth because they had nothing to lose or defend. Let's fix our eyes on the truth and long for God's truth despite the distraction of human values.
For Discussion
1) Why were the religious leaders agitated?
2) What changed through the cross and resurrection?