Brave Enough to Follow: What Jesus Can Do When You Keep Your Eyes on Him

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Near the Temple in Jerusalem, the Great Sanhedrin was in session. As the high court of Israel, this group of formidable politicians was responsible for judging the civic and religious issues of the day on the basis of Jewish law. Simon Peter and John stood before a semi-circle of seventy inquisitors, facing open hostility. The members of the Sanhedrin were infuriated that Peter and John had performed a spectacular miracle, healing a crippled man, and had been preaching a powerful message to the crowds about Jesus rising from the dead. These wretched followers of Jesus were becoming more and more credible. Thousands were being persuaded. It was a major threat to the Sanhedrin?s power. The interrogation began. Referring to the miraculous healing of the cripple, members of the Sanhedrin asked imperiously, "By what power or what name did you do this?" After a respectful acknowledgment of the prestigious company before whom he was sta