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In one short chapter Peter went from being placed on a pedestal to being put in prison for the same act of compassion and healing of
the lame beggar. It's a bit of a deja vu, for many of the same players who crucified the Lord were present in Peter's trial.
The irony of the scene is that it actually gave opportunity to Peter to fulfill his own words - of course, not in his own timing and not according to his own strength and power. (Eventually, based on the historical writings and Christian tradition, Peter was martyred during the time of Nero, being crucified upside down as he considered himself unworthy to suffer in the same way his Lord did.)
What a roller-coaster Peter's life is - from damaged-goods to dynamite, from pedestal to prison
But being elevated in the eyes of the people didn't get into
Peter's head, nor being in prison caused him to get depressed.
His message - obviously tweaked a little as he addressed
different audiences - remained pretty much the same:
You crucified Him.
But, God raised Him from the dead.
It's not too late to turn around, believe and receive the
gift of the Holy Spirit.
There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other
name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12
As we follow Peter along through the book of Acts and other New Testament writings, we understand that being filled with the Holy Spirit doesn't mean that Peter suddenly grew wings and became angelically perfect. He was still very much human like the rest of us.
He still argued with the Lord.
He still struggled with peer pressure so much so that the Lord sent him Paul as a booster vaccine.
But we see growth and maturity that enabled him to pen some
of the most profound words of hope, encouragement and the purpose of pain in a believer's life.
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