All Grown Up

In the first reading today, the apostles have begun preaching about Jesus. Filled with the Holy Spirit, they are stepping out on their own. Unfortunately, the guys in charge (the high priests and court officers of the Sanhedrin) are less than thrilled. They must have hoped to end all this with the very public crucifixion and death of this band of outcasts' leader. Yet here we go again!

So they call the apostles to the court. Now remember, the priests and officials are probably not expecting much from this motley crew. So far, the apostles have allowed their leader to be arrested, they've run away as he was brutally tortured and killed, they denied him publicly, and then they locked themselves away in a room somewhere. They certainly don't send out a threatening or even worrisome vibe. That brings us to today's exchange,

Acts 5:27-33

When the court officers had brought the Apostles in
and made them stand before the Sanhedrin,
the high priest questioned them,
“We gave you strict orders did we not,
to stop teaching in that name.
Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching
and want to bring this man’s blood upon us.”
But Peter and the Apostles said in reply,
“We must obey God rather than men.
The God of our ancestors raised Jesus,
though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree.
God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior
to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.
We are witnesses of these things,
as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”

When they heard this,
they became infuriated and wanted to put them to death.

Imagine the surprise! The apostles have clearly come into their own. The Holy Spirit is working through them, and they are ready to act.

It seems to me that the apostle's journey mirrors the growing of a child into adulthood. They began their walk with Christ as men with a kind of spiritual innocence. They were wild and careless often needing to be redirected . They missed the point on more than one occasion, were distracted by thoughts of power and fame, wanted to act and react violently when challenged, lied, ran, and eventually hid when things got tough. They behaved like willful children, rebellious teens, and carefree young adults. Now we see them standing tall--grown into a new spiritual maturity.

Unlike our physical bodies, spiritual growth is not necessarily related to age. Do you see yourself in the apostles? Where are you on your spiritual journey?