The risen Jesus is the stone that you rejected but whom God has made the cornerstone of his building. Today’s First reading from the Acts of the Apostles is a continuation of the unfolding of events which followed the healing of a crippled man at the hands of the apostles Peter and John (cf. Acts 3:1ff). The healing of the crippled man had brought some excitement in that section of the Temple where they were, and a large gathering was fast forming. Peter, sensing the awe with which the people were now looking at them, took the opportunity to proclaim to them the risen Jesus and to present the healing of the man as a consequence of Jesus’ resurrection. It was an opportunity that he couldn’t let go unutilized. But their preaching about the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth – especially Peter’s bold claim that their leaders had instigated Jesus’ death – did not amuse the religious leaders. Determined to put a stop to any “open” talk about the death of Jesus and/or his resurrection, the religious leaders promptly came to where Peter and John were preaching and whisked them away. The following day, the two apostles were brought before the Sanhedrin where they were questioned about their activities on the previous day. But unbeknownst to the religious leaders, they had unwittingly handed to Peter and James another opportunity to proclaim the risen Christ. Peter’s address before the Sanhedrin, which is the content of the First Reading, was an answer to the question which the Sanhedrin had posed to them: “By what power, and by whose name have you men done this?”
From their question, it is clear that even the authorities recognized that something incredible had in deed taken place. They also recognized that, since Peter and John were mere mortals (they addressed them as you men) and as such were in no position to work any miracle on their own power, some supernatural being had lent them the healing powers. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter reiterated the point he had made the day before: “It is in the name of Jesus the Nazorean whom you had crucified that we are able to work these mighty signs before your very eyes.” But Peter did not stop there. He went ahead to tell the authorities to their face that although they had rejected Jesus, God did raise him up and made his name the highest in the entire universe; that despite the authorities rejecting Jesus to the point of instigating for his death, God did raise him up as a vindication of what he had said and done in the course of his ministry. And most importantly, he proclaimed to them the Good News that God was going to make a new creation out of this very Jesus whom they had despised and rejected. The resurrected Jesus was going to be the cornerstone of God’s new building (the universe).
Peter’s address before the Sanhedrin was not given as an accusation of the authorities or the elders of the people. Peter was only intent on using the opportunity to witness to the great event of the resurrection as well as the transformation that it was bringing about in the lives of the people. For Jesus’ resurrection was not only about Jesus as an individual or about his small band of followers. The resurrection was an event that had ramification for the entire created universe. God was bringing the old order to newness in Jesus of Nazareth (salvation). The event of the healing of the crippled man needed to drive away from their hearts and minds any lingering doubts about the righteousness of Jesus. The time had now come for creation to benefit from Jesus’ resurrection. Peter’s address was thus an extension of an olive branch to the authorities and the elders of the people. It was not yet too late for them to repent from their sins and embrace the new way that Jesus was carving out for creation. Though guilty of trumping up charges against Jesus which led to his execution, their guilt and past actions were part of the old order that had died in the death of Jesus.
The two apostles were given a stern warning to desist from speaking to anyone about the risen Jesus of Nazareth. However, as we know from the accounts of their post-resurrection activities, it was a warning that they were not in a position to heed. Too much was at stake, and if rubbing shoulders with the authorities was what it was going to take to proclaim the risen Christ, so be it. They command they had been given by their Master was far much greater than the Sanhedrin’s warning (cf. Matthew 28:19: ‘Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations…’) The fear that had characterized their actions prior to Jesus’ execution was now replaced by courage that was out of the ordinary. Peter would go on to give a few more addresses as he continued to proclaim the risen Jesus. He became the symbol of the transformation that the Jesus’ resurrection effects in his followers.