Whom Is It More Right to Listen To?

Peter and John heal a sick man in the name of Jesus, and the religious leaders throw them into prison. Persecution comes, not the results the miracle seemed to promise, and people are confused because they thought it was God’s will that those who obey would have peace. But when the gospel challenges established authority, people grow uncomfortable with it and make threats.

Before the council, the apostles boldly testify that what happened came about in the name of Jesus Christ, not by their own authority. What drives them is not academic training or social standing. It is the charge to tell what they have seen and heard, and before that charge they do not fear human threats. They judge that, before God, listening to God’s word is more right than listening to people.

This faith leads the community to pray and causes them to experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit. They do not ask for the threats to be removed. Instead, they ask for strength to speak God’s word boldly. A community that believes the gospel shares its possessions to meet one another’s needs, and its members do not love in word alone but live in deed and in truth.