Truth

Being a bit of a rebel at heart, I applaud Peter and John’s courage in standing up to the Jewish authorities in Acts 4:1-22. The Sanhedrin, a council of Jewish religious leaders, was the power centre of Jewish religious at the time. Because Peter and John were teaching about Jesus, the Sanhedrin called them in for questioning (see my previous post, “God’s Power in and through Imperfect Instruments”).

These powerful Jewish leaders commanded Peter and John to stop teaching in Jesus’ name. Disobeying the Sanhedrin was not a good idea as it could lead to expulsion from the synagogue, being shunned by their fellow Jews, or even worse.

Peter and John responded in this way: “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” (vv. 19-20).

Peter and John chose the way of rebellion in this instance so that they might obey the Lord. The questions I have for us today are:

Who or what do we need to defy in order to obey God more fully?

Who is the person in our lives who may be hindering us from following Jesus more closely?

What are the forces (e.g. materialism, naturalism, individualism) that may be eroding our commitment to God and His Word?

Let’s be inspired by the rebellious courage of Peter and John and lovingly stand firm for truth, no matter what the cost.