Evidence of transformation and confidence appears in today’s passage from Acts, which tells us of the works that the Apostles were doing boldly in the name of their risen Lord. Those works produced consternation among the religious leaders, in part because Peter and John were not part of their elite group and apparently were not that special. They were “uneducated, ordinary men,” but they were recognizable as companions of Jesus. (And isn’t that really preferable to being recognized as smart and accomplished? Orienting ourselves in that direction would be a good start, wouldn’t it?) Ironically, when Jesus himself was ministering before these same leaders, Matthew’s gospel tells us that they asked him for a sign. However, Jesus told them he would not give them a sign other than the sign of Jonah. (Matt. 16). Now the Apostles are there ministering among them and a “remarkable sign” has occurred that left these leaders speechless. The scripture tells us, “they could say nothing in reply.” As one who spends a lot of time around lawyers and theologians, it is rare indeed when there is nothing more to say. Don’t you just love moments like that? When there is no more to say, the time for doing comes. Doing generally reveals more than just talking. When we encounter the Gospel, sometimes we may struggle with unbelief. Like the Apostles, we can experience difficulty in getting our mind around what is real and true. But there is always evidence to confront us. Hope persists, when we think it should be lost, and meaning is found, although some mystery remains. Peace comes to us in the midst of difficulty. Miracles may even happen. We must deal with these phenomena, which we do not always understand or grasp right away. But for some, it is possible to recognize that the Gospel may be true, but you just can’t deal with the change that may require for you. This is really a more difficult position. The truth sometimes makes us uncomfortable because it may be disruptive. We may simply suppress what we know to be true in order to keep the peace, so to speak. But such peace is elusive and our discomfort remains. Encountering truth is harrowing. We cannot forget it, as much as we would like to try. In this sense, truth is a continuing witness. It can be suppressed, it can even be distorted, but it persists. For the believer, this persistent nature of truth is a matter of joy. God is truth and we worship a risen Lord who is the way, the truth, and the life. The world may resist the truth, but it can offer nothing in substitution that is worth having. It certainly cannot offer eternal life, or life that is desirable. Thanks be to God who gives us this life so richly. Let us go and behave as companions of Jesus today. |