Shalomনমুনা

“The Shadow of a Great Rock …”

Did you know that there are prophecies in the Bible that you are supposed to fulfill? 

 One of the great tragedies of our modern understanding of Christianity is how few people realize that from the very beginning, God’s desire has always been to work alongside humanity. Many Christians are so amazed by the prophecies that Jesus fulfilled that they never realize there are other prophecies they’re supposed to fulfill themselves.

The early followers of Jesus understood this. They understood that they had been entrusted by Jesus to continue the work He started, knowing that nothing they did would be wasted, because someday He would return to finish the job. When we read the Book of Acts, we read the stories of the early Church doing the work of bringing shalom to chaos—partnering with God to rescue people from sin and restore His good creation. 

In the fifth chapter of Acts, we read about these early Christians empowered by God’s Spirit to perform signs and wonders, heal the sick, and cast out demons. And in this one paragraph, Luke, the author of Acts, includes what seems like a really weird detail.

As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Acts 5:15 NIV

In a paragraph about all these miracles being performed, why include this line about Peter’s shadow? That seems weird. Is Luke merely trying to show how desperate people are? Or is there more going on here? 

Luke includes this detail to show his readers that these early Christians were doing exactly what Isaiah prophesied about 700 years before: 

See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice. Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land. Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen. The fearful heart will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear. Isaiah‬ ‭32:1-4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Who’s the king who reigns in righteousness? Well, that’s easy. That is our crucified and risen king, Jesus. But the next part says “rulers will rule with justice.” And that each one of those rulers will be a shelter, a refuge, a stream of water, and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land. 

Do you know what Peter’s name means? It means rock. 

What is Luke wanting us to see? Through Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, He has been crowned king of all creation. As His followers, we have been empowered by His Spirit to rule alongside Him with justice. And every one of us has been called by God to be a shelter and a refuge for those in need, to be water and shade for those who are thirsty, to bring people to Jesus and to bring shalom to our chaotic world. 

You have been called by God to bring shalom to chaos. 

You have been invited by God and filled with His Spirit to continue the work of King Jesus. This is what it means to be the Church. To be a community dedicated to love, mercy, justice, and forgiveness. A community of cross-shaped people bearing witness to our crucified King.