Lutheran Devotional 22nd April 2025, Tuesday Message
TOPIC: Distractions
Acts 5:12a, 14-15a, 16b-20, 25-26, 27b, 29-32 – Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. … And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets …
and they were all healed. But … filled with jealousy, [the chief priests] arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” …
And someone came and told [the council], “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.” Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people. … And the high priest questioned them …
But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging Him on a tree. God exalted Him at His right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
This whole story cracks me up. The chief priests discover that crucifying Jesus has not stopped the movement He started, much to their surprise and jealousy—so they throw the apostles in jail. God lets them out by miracle and sends them straight to the temple, where they start preaching about Jesus again—and somehow the chief priests utterly miss this—where are they meeting, that they didn’t notice? And when they do find out, they ignore the miracle completely. Well, I suppose they couldn’t keep their dignity if they stopped to ask about it.
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It looks like the apostles didn’t say anything about the miracle, either. Peter just goes straight to the point and preaches the Gospel to the court: “The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging Him on a tree. God exalted Him at His right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.”
It’s easy for us to get distracted by the showy bits of God’s work—by miracles, visions, mountaintop experiences. But Peter knows better than to focus on that, now. He focuses on Jesus. Because that’s who it’s all about—Jesus, who is God Himself come down from heaven to become a human being, to give Himself into suffering and death for our sake. Jesus, who rose from the dead and has become the Source of everlasting life for everyone who trusts in Him. Jesus, who loves you and me so much that He continues to speak to the Father on our behalf, keeping us safely in God’s family until the day He comes back and we are with Him forever.
There is no God like this one, who loves people so much He gives us Himself, and makes us His own. Peter’s got it right. Who cares about miracles when we can have Jesus?
WE PRAY: Lord, give me Yourself forever—and take my heart in return! Amen.
Reflection Questions:
1. Do you find miracles helpful or distracting? Why?
2. Peter used to be easily scared and distracted. Now he isn’t. What changed him?
3. What matters most to you—God’s power or God’s love? Why?
Today’s Bible Readings: Ruth 1-4 Luke 17:1-19
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
