There are miracles and there are miracles. As “miraculous” as the resurrection, as Jesus beating back death, there was the almost-as-miraculous transformation of his disciples. They went from being a continually confused and clueless gaggle of followers, then a terrified remnant of traumatized, heartbroken believers hiding from the world, and then they are reborn as powerful, articulate, Spirit-filled witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection and messianic identity. Jesus rose from the dead, but his disciples also rose . . . from the ashes of despair to a new life of purpose and power.

In this week’s text from Acts the reading begins with v.14a before skipping forward to v.36. It is that brief half-sentence “But Peter, standing with the eleven” which reveals the new beings the post-resurrection disc…