that the leaders to whom he spoke were the very ones who had handed over Jesus for execution not long before and who could easily do the same to him. Peter does not count on protection from such a threat; he knows that some of the apostles will in fact be put to death (cf. Lk. 21:16). Yet he is free, and his freedom is undiminished by the danger he faces. Physical dangers cannot touch either the life that comes from the Holy Spirit (cf. Lk. 21:18–19) or the gifts that come with it. The apostles’