Beyond Human Ability

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

BEYOND HUMAN ABILITY

Acts 5:21-26

When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin — the full assembly of the elders of Israel — and sent to the jail for the apostles. 22 But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, 23 "We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside." 24 On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were puzzled, wondering what would come of this. 25 Then someone came and said, "Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people." 26 At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.

NIV

There is no question that Peter and John were transported right out of a locked guarded cell right into the open street. What an experience that must have been. We wonder want did Peter and John feel doing the moment of their being lifted out of that cell by the power of God. If they ever wondered at all how Jesus just appeared to them in a locked room, they must not have wondered anymore, for they got the answer in an up-close and personal way. Of course, normal men, nonbelieving men could not even come close to grasping what had happened. They were going to find out, or at least question Peter and John if they could find them. As in most situations, someone is always going to be the tattletale, and sure enough, somebody gave the location of Peter and John to the Sanhedrin. So off went the Captain and the officers of the temple guard and found them just as the man had said, teaching the people about the resurrected Jesus. We are told no force was involved which means the Captian of the temple guard must have requested that Peter and John go with them and tell the Sanhedrin how they managed to get from a locked jail cell, under guard, into the temple courts. Of course, Peter and John had to be most eager to appear before the Sanhedrin so they could testify of the power of God. We are going to see more of this narrative which will reveal the power of God, rather than the power of men. But for now, we must consider that we have this same God who transported Peter and John. We also have the narrative, as we have already noted about Philip being lifted from one place to another. Of course, these were special situations, but still, if God did that for them, what could he do for us, if we had that same kind of faith as Peter and John. Their faith has to be some kind of key to the reason things like that happened to them and we do not see that same kind of display of the power of God. They were indeed filled with the Spirit, but then so are we. Maybe the difference is they allowed that power of the Spirit to flow through them and we are somewhat holding him at bay, or maybe we just don’t believe as strongly as Peter and John did. After all, they physically walked and talked with Jesus. They saw with their own eyes His dead body on the cross and put it into the tomb. They witnessed the fact that he was resurrected from the dead and they walked and talked and ate fish with the resurrected Jesus and they watched as he ascended into the clouds until he was out of their sight. They knew firsthand the power of God. But then so do I. I have experienced a miracle I cannot explain. I have felt the hand of God as he touched my heart at the moment of my public confession of faith. I have had the power of God raise me up from what the doctors said should have killed me. I have heard his voice on several occasions, once healing a broken finger instantly so as to show his power to others. I have heard his voice telling me to move to where I am now. Why then should I ever doubt the power of God working in my life? There are more times than just those that I have felt God directed my path and called me to serve him above my human abilities. So, I understand, in some way, how Peter and John must have felt, achieving beyond their own abilities because of the power of God.