This was a tense moment, filled with the potential for impassioned
arguments, over-the-top accusations, and severe division. But how did
Peter respond? With a clear, step-by-step explanation. He knew his
actions were controversial, but he also knew that God was behind it. So
he remained calm, and walked the others through the situation as
objectively and patiently as he could. There was no sense of
defensiveness, fear, or guilt on his part. Neither did he try to pull
rank on them: “I’m the chief of the apostles, and what I say goes!” He
simply let the story speak for itself.
Peter’s balanced response shows us just how much he trusted in the
Holy Spirit’s work. He knew that God didn’t need someone to defend him.
He knew he shouldn’t treat his fellow believers as enemies. All he had
to do was testify to what he had seen and heard; God would take care of
the rest. Isn’t that the way we should treat all situations of tension
and conflict?
In John 6, Jesus fed a total number of five thousand men with five loaves of bread and two fish, and there were leftovers!! These people then came rushing to Jesus to force Him to be king, because they saw that He will fill them. However the Lord had a different plan. He showed them this miracle to draw their minds to the point; that He is the giver of life, the bread of life. However, these people meant to use Jesus for their own selfish gain.
Why do we seek after the Lord? Is it just because we want/need a miracle or because we want to have a relationship with Him. The Lord desires to give us what we need, but above all, He desires that we will believe in Him and have a relationship with Him. He desires that we will accept His offering of salvation and that we will regard Him, not as a means to an end, but He is that end in itself. Jesus Himself succinctly said : " Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the son of man will give you... The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent"(john 6: 27&29).
In Acts 4: 23-31, Peter and John were released from the meeting with the Sanhedrin after being warned not to speak in the name of Jesus. However, they returned and did not sit with their tails between their legs, but they presented their fears to the Lord, the one who had sent them. At the end of their prayer, we are told the place shook and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke about God, boldly.
Many times in our lives we have been faced with one problem or another. Unfortunately, we seem to cower in fear at these problems and more often than not, we allow these problems to rule over us. Today the Lord is asking us to lay these challenges before His feet. He wants to help us and give us the courage to face them head-on. Like Peter and John, may we realise that our only hope is in the Lord, and in Him alone, we can obtain our help.
After His resurrection, Jesus opened the minds of His disciples that they may understand the scriptures. This was evident in the book of Acts, where the they were seen making speeches and convincing arguments which were bringing people to believe in the Lord. However before they could fit all the pieces of scripture together to harness that understanding, they needed to know the scriptures. I believe that the disciples like most of the Jews, made a significant amount of time to study the scriptures. The only way we can understand is when we know. Then through the power of His Holy Spirit, we will be able to ascertain what the Lord has in store for us through His word. May we seek to improve our study of scripture.
In John 6, Jesus fed a total number of five thousand men with five loaves of bread and two fish, and there were leftovers! These people then came rushing to Jesus to force Him to be king because they saw that He will fill them. However, the Lord had a different plan. He filled their stomachs to draw their hearts. He showed them this miracle to draw their minds to the fact that He is the giver of life, the bread of life. However, these people meant to use Jesus for their own selfish gain.
Why do we seek after the Lord? Is it just because we want/need a miracle or because we want to have a relationship with Him? The Lord desires to give us what we need but above all, He desires that we will believe in Him and have a relationship with Him. He desires that we will accept His offering of salvation that we will see Him, not as a means to an end, but He is that end in itself. Jesus Himself succinctly said: " Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the son of man will give you... The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent" (John 6:27&29).
It is I. Do not be afraid(john 6:20). Jesus wants to speak these words to
you every time he reveals something new about who he is or what he wants
to do in your life. He wants you to focus on who he is, even as he
catches you off guard. He is all powerful, all knowing, all sufficient,
always good, always loving, always merciful, always just. Sometimes God
allows things to happen that redirect the paths of our lives. Sometimes
he invites us to find him in unusual places or unexpected people.
Sometimes he is “hidden in plain sight” in unlikely circumstances. Any
of these can be just as bewildering and unsettling as seeing Jesus
walking on water. And when it happens, we need to trust that the One
who is good and loving and kind and powerful and sufficient for
everything is with us. He will never leave us!
Crucifixion was an important method of capital punishment, particularly among the Persians, Seleucids, Jews, Carthaginians, and Romans from about the 6th century BC to the 4th century AD. Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor, abolished it in the Roman Empire in AD 337, out of veneration for Jesus Christ, the most famous victim of crucifixion. There were various methods of performing the execution. Usually, the condemned man, after being whipped, or "scourged," dragged the crossbeam of his cross to the place of punishment, where the upright shaft was already fixed in the ground. Stripped of his clothing either then or earlier at his scourging, he was bound fast with outstretched arms to the crossbeam or nailed firmly to it through the wrists. The crossbeam was then raised high against the upright shaft and made fast to it about 9 to 12 feet (approximately 3 meters) from the ground. Next, the feet were tightly bound or nailed to the upright shaft. A ledge inserted about halfway up the upright shaft gave some support to the body; evidence for a similar ledge for the feet is rare and late. Over the criminal's head was placed a notice stating his name and his crime. Death, apparently caused by exhaustion or by heart failure, could be hastened by shattering the legs with an iron club, so that shock and suffocation soon ended his life. Crucifixion was most frequently used to punish political or religious agitators, pirates, slaves, or those who had no civil rights. In 519 BC Darius I, king of Persia, crucified 3,000 political opponents in Babylon; in 88 BC Alexander Jannaeus, the Judaean king and high priest, crucified 800 Pharisaic opponents; and in about AD 32 Pontius Pilate had Jesus of Nazareth put to death by crucifixion.
This horrid style of capital punishment was meted out to our Lord, just for you and I. The essence of this article is not to glorify this act, but to bring out the extent of God's love for us. May we reflect on this boundless love especially during this period of Easter.
