Book of Common Prayer
The clash of loyalties
13 When they saw how boldly Peter and John were speaking, and realized that they were untrained, ordinary men, they were astonished, and they recognized them as people who had been with Jesus. 14 And when they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply. 15 They ordered them to be put out of the assembly while they conferred among themselves.
16 “What can we do to these men?” they said. “This is a spectacular sign that has happened through them. All Jerusalem knows it, and we can’t deny it! 17 But we certainly don’t want it to spread any further among the people. So let’s threaten them with awful consequences if they speak any more in this name to anybody.”
18 So they called them in and gave them orders not to speak at all, or to teach, in the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John gave them this reply.
“You judge,” they said, “whether it’s right before God to listen to you rather than to God! 20 As far as we’re concerned, we can’t stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
21 Then they threatened them some more, and let them go. They couldn’t find any way to punish them because of the people, since everyone was glorifying God for what had happened. 22 After all, the man to whom this sign of healing had happened was over forty years old.
Look upon their threats
23 When they had been released, they went back to their own people, and told them everything that the chief priests and the elders had said. 24 When they heard it, they all together lifted up their voices to God.
“Sovereign Master,” they said, “you made heaven and earth, and the sea, and everything in them. 25 And you said through the holy spirit, by the mouth of our ancestor David, your servant,
Why did the nations fly into a rage,
and why did the peoples think empty thoughts?
26 The kings of the earth arose
and the rulers gathered themselves together
against the Lord and against his anointed Messiah.
27 “It’s true: Herod and Pontius Pilate, together with the nations and the peoples of Israel, gathered themselves together in this very city against your holy child Jesus, the one you anointed, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had foreordained to take place. 29 So now, Master, look on their threats; and grant that we, your servants, may speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand for healing, so that signs and wonders may come about through the name of your holy child Jesus.”
31 When they had prayed, the place where they were gathered was shaken. They were all filled with the holy spirit, and they boldly spoke the word of God.
16 “Not long from now, you won’t see me anymore. Then again, not long after that, you will see me!”
17 “What’s he talking about?” some of his disciples asked each other. “What’s this business about ‘not long from now, you won’t see me, and again not long after that you will see me’? And what’s this about ‘going to the father’?”
18 They kept on saying it.
“What is this ‘not long’?”
“What’s it all about?”
“We don’t know what he means!”
19 Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him.
“You’re discussing with each other what I meant, aren’t you?” he said. “You want to know what I meant by saying, ‘Not long from now, you won’t see me; and then again, not long after that, you will see me.’ That’s it, isn’t it? 20 Well, I’m going to tell you the solemn truth.
“You will weep and wail, but the world will celebrate. You will be overcome with sorrow, but your sorrow will turn into joy. 21 When a woman is giving birth she is in anguish, because her moment has come. But when the child is born, she no longer remembers the suffering, because of the joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 In the same way, you have sorrow now. But I shall see you again, and your hearts will celebrate, and nobody will take your joy away from you.”
Ask, and you will receive
23 “On that day,” Jesus went on, “you won’t ask me for anything. I’m telling you the solemn truth: whatever you ask the father in my name, he will give you. 24 Up to now, you haven’t asked for anything in my name. Ask, and you will receive, so that your joy may be full!
25 “I’ve been saying all this to you in picture-language. The time is coming when I won’t speak in pictures anymore. Instead, I’ll tell you about the father quite plainly. 26 On that day you will ask in my name. I won’t say I will ask the father on your behalf, 27 because the father himself loves you! That’s because you have loved me, and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the father, and I’ve come into the world. Now I’m leaving the world, and going back to the father.”
29 “Ah!” said his disciples. “Now you’re speaking plainly! You’re not talking in pictures. 30 Now we know that you know all things, and you don’t need to have anybody ask you anything. This makes us trust that you came from God.”
31 “So you do now believe, do you?” replied Jesus. 32 “Look here: the time is coming (in fact, it’s now arrived!) when you will be scattered, each of you to his own place. You will leave me alone—though I’m not alone, because the father is with me. 33 I’ve said these things to you so that you can have peace in me. You’ll have trouble in the world. But cheer up! I have defeated the world!”
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.