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Sunday, May 30, 2004

Acts 4:5-12

On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (ESV)

by Linda Harris

After healing the crippled beggar, Peter and John were brought before the Sanhedrin and asked by what power they healed. Knowing that the Jewish leaders would be familiar with the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah as a rock or a stone, Peter referred to Jesus as a capstone.*

The capstone is the uppermost part of an arch, holding the whole arch together. Not only does Christ, as the capstone, hold all of creation together, he holds each of our lives together. Not only does his power heal those who are crippled, he gives us his power for daily living. We can pray for and receive help for victory-overcoming whatever obstacles we face.

*The phrase translated "capstone" in the NIV is more frequently translated as an equivalent of "corner stone." While the image changes with this difference of translation, the point remains: there is salvation in no one other than Jesus-editor.



Copyright Information

Daily Bible Meditations are taken from The Helping Hand,a Sabbath School student quarterly for youth and adults. Copyright © 2008, Seventh Day Baptist Board of Christian Education, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked "ESV" are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Text provided by the Crossway Bibles Web Service .