Chapter 4 Acts 4
Peter and John Are Tried by the Council (vv. 1-22)
Peter and John were still speaking to the people when some priests, a the officer in charge of the Temple guards, b and some Sadducees c arrived. 2 They were annoyed d because the two apostles were teaching the people that Jesus had risen from death, which proved that the dead will rise to life. 3 So they arrested them and put them in jail until the next day, since it was already late. e 4 But many who heard the message believed; and the number of men grew to about five thousand.
5 The next day the Jewish leaders, f the elders, g and the teachers of the Law h gathered in Jerusalem. 6 They met with the High Priest Annas i and with Caiaphas, j John, k Alexander, l and the others who belonged to the High Priest’s family. 7 They made the apostles stand before them and asked them, “How did you do this? What power do you have or whose name did you use?”
8 Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, answered them, “Leaders of the people and elders: 9 if we are being ques- tioned today about the good deed done to the lame man and how he was healed, 10 then you should all know, and all the people of Israel should know, that this man stands here before you completely well through the power of the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth – whom you crucified and whom God raised from death. 11 Jesus is the one of whom the scripture says, m
‘The stone that you the builders despised
turned out to be the most important of all.’
12 Salvation is to be found through him alone; in all the world there is no one else whom God has given who can save us.”
13 The members of the Council n were amazed to see how bold Peter and John were and to learn that they were ordinary men of no education. o They realised then that they had been companions of Jesus. 14 But there was nothing that they could say, because they saw the man who had been healed standing there with Peter and John. 15 So they told them to leave the Council room, and then they started discussing among themselves. 16 “What shall we do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone in Jerusalem knows that this extraordinary miracle has been performed by them, and we cannot deny it. 17 But to keep this matter from spreading any further among the people, let us warn these men never again to speak to anyone in the name of Jesus.”
18 So they called them back in and told them that under no condition were they to speak or to teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “You yourselves judge which is right in God’s sight – to obey you or to obey God. 20 For we cannot stop speak- ing of what we ourselves have seen and heard.” 21 So the Council warned them even more strongly and then set them free. They saw that it was impossible to punish them, because the people were all praising God for what had happened. 22 The man on whom this miracle of healing had been performed was over forty years old.
Interesting Stuff:
a These were most probably the priests who were serving that week in the Temple. From the time of King David, the priests who came from the family line of Aaron, were divided into 24 divisions or sets. The number of priests and Levites was estimated at 18,000 and they each served at the Temple twice a year, a week each time according to a roster.
b Except in rare instances, Roman soldiers were not allowed in the Temple and so the Temple had their own Jewish soldiers, mostly selected from the Levites. These were called the Temple guards. Their role was something like that of a police force, to maintain order in the Temple.
The officer in charge was also called the captain of the Temple guards. He was the commanding officer. He was also a member of one of the leading priestly families and was considered next in rank to the high priest.
c The Sadducees were a religious political party who were essen- tially drawn from the nobility and the rich land-owning class (refer to ‘The Sadducees’, p. xxx). They dominated most of the highest positions in the priesthood, and many Sadducees who were not priests held positions of authority as elders in the Sanhedrin. The captain of the Temple guard was always a high-ranking Sadducee, and so were the high priests.
d Luke shows that the early opposition against the preaching of the Gospel came from the priestly and Sadducean ranks, i.e., the priests, the captain of the Temple guard and the Sadducees.
Although the Pharisees were the group most opposed to Jesus during his ministry, it was the Sadducees who became the leaders of the opposition after Jesus’ death.
The Sadducees objected to the idea of the resurrection, considering it a belief borrowed from the Pharisees. Thus they were upset that the apostles were claiming to have concrete evidence of the resurrection in the case of Jesus.
e The evening sacrifices ended at about 4.00 p.m. and the
Temple gates would be closed at that time. Any judgments regarding life and death must be begun and concluded in daylight hours.
f This was the gathering of the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish court in Jerusalem (refer to ‘The Sanhedrin’, p. xxix). It wielded both religious as well as legal authority. It comprised three groups of people: the elders, the teachers of the Law, and the chief priests.
The term ‘leaders’ or ‘rulers’ (in other translations) refers to the priestly group in the Sanhedrin. They were sometimes called the chief priests, those who held various official positions in the administration of the Temple. They were members of the privileged families from which the high priests were chosen.
g The elders were the leaders in the community who were not priests. They were essentially drawn from the leading influential families and were mainly Sadducees.
h The teachers of the Law or the scribes or lawyers as they were called, were those who studied, interpreted and taught the Law (refer to ‘The Scribes’, p. xxx). They were not a religious party but a professional group. They belonged mostly to the Pharisaic party.
i Annas was the high priest in A.D. 6-15 but was removed from his office by the Romans and succeeded by various members of his family, including his son-in-law, Caiaphas. Despite not having the position anymore, he still possessed great influence among the Jews and retained his title (cf. Lk 3:2).
j Caiaphas was high priest from A.D. 18-36. At this period in time, he was officially the high priest.
k This could refer to Jonathan, son of Annas who eventually succeeded Caiaphas in the high priesthood in A.D. 36.
l Nothing is known about who Alexander was.
m This was taken from Ps 118:22. Jesus himself used it to refer to himself (Lk 20:17-18). In the original OT context, the rejected stone was perhaps Israel, despised by the nations but chosen by God for the accomplishment of His purpose. Both here and in later Christian testimony, the builders are interpreted as the rulers of the Jewish nation who failed to acknowledge Jesus as the divinely sent deliverer. However, the ‘stone’ which they disregard- ed had now received from God the place of highest distinction – at His right hand.
n This refers to the Sanhedrin.
o This probably refers to the fact that they were not trained in the formal learning of the rabbinical schools. They had no training in theology or rhetoric, the art of public speaking.
Questions:
- Who came up to Peter and John as they were speaking to the people (v. 1)?
2. What did they do to Peter and John (v. 3)?
What was the reason for their action (v. 2)?
3. What was the reaction of the people who heard the message (v. 4)?
4. Before whom did Peter and John stand trial (vv. 5-6)?
What were they on trial for (vv 1-3, 7)?
5. What did the members of the Council ask them (v. 7)?
6. How did Peter answer them (vv. 8-12)?
7. What were these people to be saved from? Support your answer with reference to one other occasion when ‘salvation’ was taught.
8. Why were the members of the Council amazed (v. 13)?
9. Why were they unable to do anything (v. 14)?
10. What decision did they reach about what to do with the apostles (v. 18)?
How did they come to this decision (vv. 15-17)?
11. What was Peter and John’s reaction to what they were told (vv. 19-20)?
12. What action did the Council take in the end (v. 21)?
Why was it not possible for them to punish the apostles (vv. 21-22)?
Summary of Section:
- Peter and John were still speaking to the people when some priests, Sadducees and the officer in charge of the Temple guards arrived.
- They were annoyed because the two apostles were teaching the people that Jesus had risen from death, proving that the dead will rise to life.
- They arrested them and put them in jail until the next day.
- Many who heard believed and the number of men grew to about 5000.
- The next day, the apostles were made to stand before the Council, comprising the High Priest Annas and Caiaphas, John, Alexander and members of the High Priest’s family, and the Jewish leaders, elders and the teachers of the Law.
- They asked the apostles how they healed the lame man and what power they had or by whose name they used.
- Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, told them that:
i) The man was completely healed through the power of the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom they crucified and whom God raised from the dead.
ii) Jesus was the one of whom Scripture spoke concerning the stone which the builders despised but which had turned out to be the most important of all.}
iii) Salvation is to be found through Jesus alone for there is no one else in the world whom God had given who could save them - The Council members were amazed to see how bold they were and to learn that they were ordinary men with no education. They then realised that they had been with Jesus.
- They could not do anything because the man who was healed was standing there with the apostles.
- They discussed among themselves and decided that they could not deny the miracle since everyone in Jerusalem had heard about it.
- They agreed to warn the apostles never to speak again in the name of Jesus in order to prevent this matter from spreading any further.
- When Peter and John were given the warning, they answered that the Council was to judge for themselves whether it was right for them to obey the Council or God. They said that they could not help speaking of what they had seen and heard.
- The Council warned them even more strongly and set them free. They could not punish them because all the people were praising God for such a great miracle because the man was over 40 years old and had been lame since birth.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- The healing of the lame man and Peter’s sermon made a great impres- sion on the ordinary people, but it aroused the opposition of the Jewish leaders particularly the Sadducees.
- Luke makes it plain that both waves of persecution (4:1 and 5:17) were initiated by the Sadducees. They were the ruling class of wealthy aris- tocrats or noblemen and so they feared that the apostles’ teachings might provoke reactions from the Romans and make them lose their favour with the Romans. The Sadducees believed the Messianic age had already begun and so they were not looking for a Messiah. They also denied the doctrine of the resur- rection of the dead which the apos- tles proclaimed in Jesus. They thus saw the apostles as both agitators and heretics, both disturbers of the peace and enemies of the truth.
- Here we see the fulfilment of Jesus’ promise that when the Holy Spirit came upon his disciples, they would be empowered to be his witnesses and he would give them the words to speak in their defense (1:5; Lk 21:12- 15). Luke tells us that Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit who enabled him to effectively make his defense before the court. This completely astonished the court as they recognised that both he and John were uneducated men.
- Peter repeated for the third time here the fact that the Jews had killed Jesus but God had raised him from death. And he went on to declare that salvation is found in no other name but that of Jesus.
- Because the evidence of the healed cripple was before their eyes, there was nothing they could do to discredit the apostles. The only way out for them was to give a legal warning before witnesses to the apostles not to speak or teach in Jesus’ name anymore.
- Even when faced with the defiance of the apostles, they could not do anything except to threaten them again. They feared the reactions of the people because everyone was so overawed by the miracle that they were all praising God.
The Believers Pray for Boldness (vv. 23-31)
23 As soon as Peter and John were set free, they returned to their group and told them what the chief priests and the elders had said. 24 When the believers heard it, they all joined together in prayer to God: “Master and Creator of heaven, earth, and sea, and all that is in them! 25 By means of the Holy Spirit you spoke through our ancestor David, your servant, when he said, p
‘Why were the Gentiles furious;
why did people make their useless plots?
26 The kings of the earth prepared themselves,
and the rulers met together against the Lord
and his Messiah.’
27 For indeed Herod q and Pontius Pilate met together in this city with the Gentiles and the people of Israel against Jesus, your holy Servant, whom you made Messiah. 28 They gathered to do everything that you by your power and will had already decided would happen. 29 And now, Lord, take notice of the threats they have made, and allow us, your servants, to speak your message with all boldness. 30 Reach out your hand to heal, and grant that wonders and miracles may be performed through the name of your holy Servant Jesus.”
31 When they finished praying, the place where they were meeting was shaken. r They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim God’s message with boldness.
Interesting Stuff:
p This quotation is from Ps 2:1-2. Instead of regarding the attacks as directed against them personally, they looked to this passage of Scripture that spoke of the attacks made by earthly rulers on the Lord and the Messiah. They saw them fulfilled in the conspiracy of Herod and Pilate, of the Jews and Romans, against Jesus.
q This Herod is Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great (refer to ‘The Family of Herod the Great’, p. viii). He became ruler of Galilee and Perea at his father’s death in 4 B.C. until A.D. 39.
He thus ruled over Galilee during most of Jesus’ lifetime there.
r An immediate sign that their prayers had been heard and that they had God’s divine approval was seen in the meeting place being shaken and their being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Questions:
- What did Peter and John do as soon as they were set free (v. 23)?
2. What was the response of the believers when they heard what had happened (vv. 24-30)?
3. Who were the ‘kings’ and the ‘rulers’ who went against ‘the Lord and his Messiah’ (vv. 26-27)?
4. Mention one request made by the believers to God (vv. 29-30).
5. What happened when they had finished praying (v. 31)?
Summary of Section:
- As soon as Peter and John were set free, they returned to their group and told them what the chief priests and elders had said.
- When the group heard it, they all joined together to pray to God, their Master and Creator:
i) They praised God that what He had spoken through David that the kings and rulers would plot against His Messiah had been fulfilled through Herod and Pontius Pilate, together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel.
ii) They asked God to take notice of the threats and to allow them to pro- claim His message with boldness.
iii) They asked God to reach out His hand to heal and to perform miracles and wonders through the name of Jesus. - When they had finished praying, the place where they were meeting was shaken.
- They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim God’s message with boldness.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- The apostles went straight back to their friends, reported what had happened, and the group immediately turned to God in prayer. Having been bold in witness, they were now equally bold in prayer.
- Before they asked God for anything, they filled their minds with thoughts of God’s sovereignty. The word ‘sovereign’ was a term used of a slave owner and of a ruler of unchallengeable power. They recognised Him as the God of creation who made the heavens and the earth, the God of revelation who spoke by the Holy Spirit, and the God of history who had caused even His enemies to do what He had planned. They recognised that it was in accordance with His foreknowledge and by His permission that the Jewish leaders had attacked them.
- Instead of regarding the attacks as directed at them personally, they looked to a passage of Scripture which spoke of the attacks made by the earthly rulers on the Lord and the Messiah, and they saw them fulfilled in the unholy conspiracy of Herod and Pilate, of Jews and Romans, against Jesus. They thus regarded what was happening now as simply a continuation of this attack, and their prayer was that, despite it, they might carry on witnessing boldly and that God would perform miraculous signs and wonders to confirm His proclaimed word.
- In answer to their united and earnest prayers, three things happened:
i) The place was shaken
ii) They were all filled with the Holy Spirit again
iii) They spoke the word of God boldly
The Believers Share Their Possessions (vv.32-37)
32 The group of believers was one in mind and heart. No one said that any of his belongings was his own, but they all shared with one another everything they had. 33 With great power s the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God poured rich blessings on them all. 34 There was no one in the group who was in need. Those who owned fields or houses would sell them, bring the money received from the sale, 35 and turn it over to the apostles; and the money was distributed to each one according to his need.
36 And so it was that Joseph, t a Levite u born in Cyprus, v whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “One who Encourages”), 37 sold a field he owned, brought the money, and turned it over to the apostles.
Interesting Stuff:
s The great power accompanying the apostles’ witness of Jesus refers not only to the proclamation of the Good News but also to the power of a new life in the believing community. This new life of fellowship manifested itself in the sharing of possessions to meet one another’s needs. This was the kind of power Jesus had in mind when he told his disciples that all men would know that they were his disciples if they loved one another (Jn 13:35).
t Joseph was this man’s Hebrew name, which was used at home, in the synagogue and generally among the Jews. The apostles gave him a nickname perhaps to distinguish him from others of the same name (cf. 1:23) but which described the kind of person he was. Barnabas would later become an important companion of Paul.
u Although Levites were not supposed to inherit any land in Palestine, these laws might not have applied to the Levites in other countries. So perhaps Barnabas sold land he owned in Cyprus and brought the proceeds to the apostles (v. 37). Or he might have been married, and the land sold might have been his wife’s property. It could also be that the law against Levites owning
land in Palestine was no longer observed.
v Cyprus is an island in the northeastern part of the Mediterranean Sea.
Questions:
- How did the believers show that they were of one in mind and heart (v. 32)?
2. What resulted from that (vv. 33-35)?
3. Name the man who sold a field he owned and turned the money over to the apostles (vv. 36-37).
Who was he and where did he come from?
What was the nickname given to him by the apostles?
Who tried to follow his example (5:1)?
Summary of Section:
- The group of believers was one in mind and heart. No one said that their belongings were their own but they shared with one another everything they had.
- Thus with great power, the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of Jesus and God poured out His rich blessings on them all.
- There was no one who was in need. Those who owned property sold them and brought the money to the apostles.
- The apostles would then distribute the money to each one according to his need.
- Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles. They nicknamed him ‘Barnabas’ which means ‘One who Encourages’.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- Luke is concerned to show that the fullness of the Spirit was shown in action as well as word, service as well as witness, love for the family as well as testimony to the world. So, just as after the first coming of the Spirit he described the characteristics of the Spirit-filled community (2:42-47), so after they were filled again with the Spirit here, he gave a second description. In both cases, his emphasis is the same.
- All the believers formed a closely knit group. They had such unity of heart and mind and love for God and for one another that they were willing to share with one another everything they had. Although in fact and in law, they continued to own their posses- sions, in their heart and mind, they cultivated an attitude so radical that they considered their possessions as belonging to their needy brothers and sisters as well.
- Meanwhile, the apostles continued their witness of the resurrection of Jesus with great power despite the ban put on them by the Council. And God’s grace continued to be upon them.
- Their radical attitude led them to sacrificial action, so that from time to time when there was a need, those who owned land or property would sell their possessions and give the money to the apostles for distribution to those in need. Thus there were no needy persons among them.
- Having shown the unity of love and fellowship enjoyed by the early church, Luke now goes on to show two contrasting examples of generosity and openness, and greed and hypocrisy among the believers (5:1- 10).
- The first example of generosity was that of Barnabas. He was singled out for special mention possibly because it was an outstanding one and also because Barnabas would appear later as one of the early Christian leaders who had a very critical part to play in the growth of the church.
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