Monday 24 April 2023

Psalm 113

Background

Today's reading tells of the very early days of the Christian Church and the apostles, especially Peter, taking every opportunity to preach and teach about Jesus. Just before today's reading, Peter and John had healed a crippled beggar. An astonished crowd gathered in the cloisters on the east side of the Temple, known as Solomon’s Portico, and Peter immediately addressed them. 

Peter was quick to ascribe the power that healed the man to Jesus, not to himself and John. His address makes strong links between the person of Jesus and the God known and revealed to the Jewish people (v.13), describing Jesus as the servant of God (a title Israel itself would seek to own), and going on to call Jesus "the Holy and Righteous One", leaving little room for doubt in the ears of the crowd that he was equating Jesus with God. 

Nor did Peter shrink from telling his listeners that they carried responsibility for the rejection of Jesus and his ultimate death. Perhaps there were some in this crowd who had some weeks previously shouted for the pardon of the prisoner Barabbas, rather than Jesus (Luke 23:18). Peter until recently had been a fisherman, but his point about the people giving life to a murderer while killing the "Author of life" is poetically made (vs 14-15); perhaps we have Luke (the author of Acts) to thank for that! 

But to all of this human folly, God had the final word, raising Jesus from the dead. Peter was a witness to that, along with his co-apostles and their role was not to heal in their own power, but to have faith in the name of Jesus and to witness to that name. 

Perhaps Peter began to sense the crowd’s displeasure at being held responsible for the death of someone who can heal and give life, for he says they and their rulers acted in ignorance (v.17) and to fulfil prophecies that said the Messiah would suffer (v. 18). But he doesn’t allow his audience to relax. The only fitting response to all that they have been party to – however unwittingly – is to repent. Here he uses a Greek word metanoēsate which means turning around, and says "turn to God so that your sins might be wiped out". (v. 19)

To Ponder:

• What are the signs of God’s power and glory which you might be able to use to share what you know of Jesus?
• How might living as a Christian mean choosing daily between death or life?
• Who do you want to mention today who can benefit from Jesus' ability to make whole and strong?

Prayer

Empower us, Jesus, to have faith in your resurrection and life and to speak your name to those who need your strength.  Amen.