1Kým Peter a Ján hovorili k ľudu, kňazi a saduceji priviedli na nich veliteľa chrámovej stráže.2Ten ich zatkol,3a keďže už bol večer, uvrhol ich do väzenia. Kňazi i saduceji boli totiž veľmi rozhorčení, že Peter a Ján učia v chráme a hlásajú, že Ježiš vstal z mŕtvych.4Ale mnohí, ktorí počuli Božie slovo, uverili, takže počet veriacich vzrástol asi na päťtisíc.5Na druhý deň práve zasadala v Jeruzaleme židovská veľrada – politickí a náboženskí predstavitelia a znalci Zákona.6Predsedal im veľkňaz Kaifáš, bol tam aj jeho predchodca Annáš, Ján, Alexander a ostatní príslušníci z rodu veľkňaza.7Dali si predvolať Petra a Jána a začali ich vypočúvať: „Akou mocou a v akom mene ste to urobili?“8Tu Peter, keďže bol naplnený Duchom Svätým, odpovedal: „Vážení vodcovia a predstavitelia ľudu!9Ak nás vyšetrujete pre dobro, ktoré sme spôsobili chromému mrzákovi, a chceli by ste vedieť, kto ho uzdravil,10tak vyhlasujeme pred vami aj pred celým izraelským národom, že sa to stalo v mene Mesiáša, Ježiša z Nazareta, ktorého ste ukrižovali, ale Boh ho vzkriesil z mŕtvych. Vďaka jeho moci stojí tento človek pred vami zdravý.11Na Ježiša sa vzťahujú slová Písma:‚To je ten kameň, ktorý zavrhli stavitelia, ale ktorý sa stal základným kameňom celej stavby.‘12Len v ňom je záchrana. A niet na celom svete iné meno, ktorého by sa mohli ľudia dovolávať, ak chcú byť zachránení pre večnosť.“13Členovia veľrady boli prekvapení, ako jasne a smelo Peter hovorí. Vedeli, že Peter aj Ján sú jednoduchí, nevzdelaní ľudia, a uvedomovali si, že tú zmenu u nich spôsobilo to, že chodievali s Ježišom.14Pri nich stál uzdravený muž ako živý dôkaz ich slov, a tak boli celkom bezradní.15Dali apoštolov odviesť a radili sa,16čo s nimi urobiť. „Nemôžeme poprieť, že vykonali veľký zázrak,“ priznávali, „a celý Jeruzalem o tom vie.17Ale musíme zabrániť, aby sa tie ich reči ďalej šírili. Prísne im pohrozíme a zakážeme o Ježišovi hovoriť!“18Zavolali ich späť a zakázali im o Ježišovi hovoriť a učiť o ňom.19Ale Peter a Ján odpovedali: „Posúďte sami, či je v Božích očiach správne, aby sme viac poslúchali vás ako Boha?20Nemôžeme predsa mlčať o tom, čo sme videli a počuli!“21Vyhrážali sa im, ale napokon ich prepustili, lebo nenašli nič, za čo by ich mohli potrestať, a navyše sa báli, že by sa ľudia mohli búriť, lebo všetci oslavovali Boha za zázrak, ktorého boli svedkami.22Ten chromý, ktorý bol zázračne uzdravený, mal totiž už vyše štyridsať rokov.
Modlitba veriacich
23Len čo sa Peter a Ján dostali na slobodu, vrátili sa medzi svojich a porozprávali im, čo im veľkňazi a vodcovia ľudu prikázali.24Keď to veriaci počuli, jednomyseľne sa modlili: „Pane Bože, ty si stvoril nebo, zem, more i všetko, čo len jestvuje.25Ty si vnukol nášmu otcovi Dávidovi, tvojmu služobníkovi, tieto slová:‚Prečo sa búria ľudia a národy kujú márne plány?26Pozemskí králi povstávajú a vládcovia sa spolčujú proti Bohu a jeho Synovi.‘27A naozaj sa v tomto meste spolčil kráľ Herodes s miestodržiteľom Pilátom a Izraeliti sa spriahli s pohanmi,28aby zabili tvojho svätého Syna Ježiša. Ale vykonali iba to, čo tvoja svätá moc a vôľa dávno rozhodli.29Pane, a teraz sa vyhrážajú aj nám. Prosíme, daj nám, svojim služobníkom, odvahu, aby sme tvoje slovo hovorili smelo a bez zábran.30Dokáž svoju moc! Daj, aby sa diali uzdravenia a zázraky!“
Postoj k peniazom
31Už pri tejto modlitbe sa zatriasol dom, v ktorom boli zhromaždení, a všetci boli naplnení Svätým Duchom. A odvážne a neohrozene hlásali ďalej Božie slovo.32Všetci veriaci boli napodiv jednomyseľní a nažívali v láske. Nik z nich nepokladal nič za vlastné, ale všetko mali spoločné.33Svedectvo apoštolov o vzkriesení Pána Ježiša bolo veľmi pôsobivé a všetci zakúšali Božiu dobrotu.34Nikto medzi nimi netrpel núdzu, lebo tí, čo mali domy a pozemky, ich predávali35a peniaze odovzdávali apoštolom. Tí ich rozdeľovali podľa toho, ako kto potreboval.36Jedným z takýchto darcov bol napríklad Jozef, ktorého apoštoli nazvali Barnabáš, to znamená Syn potešenia. Bol z rodu Léviho, ale narodil sa na Cypre.37Ten predal pole a peniaze odovzdal apoštolom.
1And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, (1 Krn 9,11; Neh 11,11; Mt 22,23; Lk 22,4; Lk 22,52; Sk 5,24; Sk 5,26)2greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. (Sk 3,15; Sk 17,18)3And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. (Lk 21,12)4But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand. (Sk 2,41)5On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem,6with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. (Mt 26,3; Lk 3,2; Jn 18,13; Jn 18,24)7And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” (Mt 21,23; Sk 4,10)8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, (Mt 10,20)9if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, (Sk 3,7)10let 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. (Sk 2,24; Sk 3,6)11This Jesus[1] is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.[2] (Ž 118,22; Mk 9,12; Lk 23,11)12And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men[3] by which we must be saved.” (Lk 24,47; Jn 4,22; Jn 20,31; Sk 10,43; Sk 13,26; Sk 28,28; Gal 1,7; 1 Tim 2,5; Hebr 2,3; Júd 1,3)13Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. (Jn 7,15)14But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. (Lk 21,15; Sk 3,11)15But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another,16saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. (Jn 11,47; Jn 12,19; Sk 3,9; Sk 4,21)17But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” (Sk 5,28; Sk 5,40)18So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.19But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, (Sk 5,29)20for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” (Am 3,8; Jn 15,27; Sk 22,15; 1 Kor 9,16; 1 Jn 1,1; 1 Jn 1,3)21And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. (Mt 21,26; Mt 21,46; Mk 11,32; Lk 20,6; Lk 20,19; Lk 22,2; Sk 3,7; Sk 5,13; Sk 5,26)22For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.
The Believers Pray for Boldness
23When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them.24And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, (Ex 20,11; 2 Krn 2,12; Neh 9,6; Ž 102,25; Ž 124,8; Ž 134,3; Ž 146,6; Sk 1,14)25who through the mouth of our father David, your servant,[4] said by the Holy Spirit, “‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? (Ž 2,1)26The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’[5]— (Dan 9,24; Lk 4,18; Sk 4,5; Sk 10,38; Hebr 1,9; Zjv 11,15)27for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, (Mt 20,19; Mt 26,3; Mt 27,2; Lk 23,7; Sk 4,26; Sk 4,30)28to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. (Iz 46,10; Sk 2,23)29And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, (2 Kr 19,16; Sk 4,13; Sk 4,31; Sk 9,27; Sk 9,29; Sk 13,46; Sk 14,3; Sk 18,26; Sk 19,8; Sk 28,31; Ef 6,19)30while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” (Ž 138,7; Prís 31,20; Iz 1,25; Sof 1,4; Mt 7,22; Mk 9,39; Mk 16,17; Sk 3,6; Sk 4,27)31And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. (Ž 77,18; Sk 2,2; Sk 2,4; Sk 16,26; Flp 1,14)
They Had Everything in Common
32Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. (2 Krn 30,12; Ez 11,19; Sk 2,44; Flp 1,27)33And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. (Sk 1,8; Sk 1,22; Sk 11,23)34There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold (Sk 2,45; 2 Kor 8,14)35and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. (Sk 4,37; Sk 5,2; Sk 6,1)36Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, (Mk 3,17)37sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet. (Sk 4,35)