Speaking Up for Love
A Short Reflection on Acts 5:27–32
This short passage from Acts shows a moment of real tension: Jesus’ disciples are dragged in front of the high council – the very same leaders who helped arrange Jesus’ death. The council is angry. They had strictly warned the disciples not to speak about Jesus anymore. But the disciples kept going, spreading the message in the streets, the homes, and even the Temple itself. What we’re seeing here is an evolving power struggle – between religious authority trying to keep control, and a movement fuelled by the Spirit that refuses to be silenced.
Peter and the others respond with incredible courage: “We must obey God rather than human beings.” Even when it’s risky, even when they’re threatened, they speak up. They’re not just being rebellious. They’re following a deeper calling. They’re bearing witness to something life-changing: that through Jesus’ teaching, compassion, death and resurrection, we’ve seen what God’s love really looks like.
This is our calling too. The Spirit still moves among us, giving us the strength to live and speak with courage and kindness. We are not alone in this.
Peter makes an important point: Jesus was a man whom God exalted. That is, a real human being who was raised by God to be our guide and our source of new life. Jesus walked among us, fully human, yet filled with divine love.
And now, through the Spirit, that same love lives in us. So let’s speak it. Live it. Share it.
Ngā mihi
Philip
27 April 2025