Acts 4:5-12 (NRSV)
Read Acts 4:5-12 on biblegateway.com
Verse 5The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, Verse 6with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. Verse 7When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, "By what power or by what name did you do this?" Verse 8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders, Verse 9if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, Verse 10let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. Verse 11This Jesus is 'the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone.' Verse 12There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved."
Devotion
By what power or by what name did you do this? The religious ruling elite confronted Peter and John. Their question betrayed the power struggle swirling around them. By healing a beggar's feet and ankles, he was freed from being stuck on the outskirts of the community. Suddenly, he could go into the temple with everyone else. Suddenly, the power in the religious system shifted.
Ironically, in our day God's power seems neither obvious nor disruptive. Our eyes do not easily see God at work in the world. Yet, we confess that we are disciples—God's work, our hands. How is your own short-sightedness preventing you from seeing God at work in the world? What might you see if you learned to see with different eyes? What might you lose? What might you gain?
Prayer
God, you are beside us, shepherding life and health for all. Teach us to see you, in each other and in our selves. Amen.