Peter's preaching to the Jewish leaders

Peter and John are arrested

1) The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. 2) They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 3) They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. 4) But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.

The captain of the temple refers to the "police force" of the temple precincts; the captain, together with the priests, and the Sadducees, all came together to arrest Peter and John.

The Sadducees would be greatly disturbed that Peter and John preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead; they did not believe in the afterlife or resurrection at all.

In the Gospels, the Pharisees were the primary opponents of Jesus. Radical fundamentalists, they claimed Jesus and His disciples violated their rituals and traditions. Here in Acts, however, the Sadducees are the primary opponents of the Church. Materialists through and through, they were upset with the Church because of the stories of miracles and resurrection, angels and healing which circulated throughout Jerusalem.

They put them into custody until the next day because it was illegal under Jewish law to have a trial by night, though this is what the Jewish rulers did to Jesus. From the Mishnah, Sanhedrin 4.1: "Judgments about money may be commenced in the day and concluded in the night, but judgments about life must be begun in the day and concluded in the day." There was nothing wrong in the way that the Jewish leaders were investigating the matter; it was their responsibility to do so. What they did after they found out the facts was wrong.

Despite the opposition coming against the gospel, the number of Christians keeps increasing; growing to 5,000 from 3,000 at last count (Acts 2:41). Opposition is not slowing the church down at all. In the Western world, Christians rarely face persecution. Satan instead has attacked us with wordiness, selfish pride, a need for acceptance, and status. The martyr can impress unbelievers with his courage and faith; the self-centered, compromising Christian is despised by the world.

Peter and John are brought before the Sanhedrin

5) The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. 6) Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest's family. 7) They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?"

These Jewish rulers are the same one who recently condemned Jesus to death. Peter and John, standing before the Jewish rulers, must have thought that the trial of Jesus was going to happen all over again, and they would be crucified like their Master. But it didn't seem to matter.

The ideas behind By what power and by what name are virtually the same; in their thinking, the power resided in the name, because the name represented the character of the person.

Peter boldly preaches to the Jewish leaders

8) Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! 9) If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, 10) then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11) He is
   ”‘the stone you builders rejected,
       which has become the capstone.’ 12) Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by whom we must be saved."

He is instantaneously filled with the Spirit again, evident by his supernatural boldness and ability to speak directly to the heart of the matter. The filling of the Holy Spirit Peter experienced in Acts 2:4 (along with other disciples) was not a one-time event; it was something God wanted to keep doing in their lives.

Quoting Psalm 118:22, Peter made reference to the construction of the Temple. He would later write that we as living stones are part of a spiritual house (I Peter 2:5). Sometimes we rub each other the wrong way. That's what living stones are supposed to do. That guy you married — the one you thought would be such a rock — turned out to be a blockhead. Why did you get stuck with him? Because that blockhead is the living stone who will knock the rough edges off you and prepare you for heaven.

Tradition has it that in the days of the construction of Solomon's Temple, although the engineers at the Temple Mount searched and searched, they couldn't find the cornerstone. A message was sent to the quarry: `Where is the cornerstone?'

Word came back to the Mount: `We sent it to you months ago.'

Then someone remembered: `Oh, maybe it was that stone we didn't know what to do with. It didn't fit anywhere so we rolled it down the hill into the Valley of Gehenna.'

The Valley of Gehenna was the place of burning, the place of rubbish, the place where babies were sacrificed in the days of Ahaz, the place of weeping and sorrow, refuse and stench. And the rejected stone was indeed found in the Valley of Gehenna.

The tone of Peter's reply - especially when he says If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man show that he is not intimidated by this court - though humanly speaking, he should be intimidated by the same court that sent Jesus to crucifixion. Peter's logic is piercing: why are we on trial for a good deed?

Peter preaches Jesus; the Jesus they crucified, the Jesus God raised from the dead, the Jesus who healed this man.

The quotation from Psalm 118:22 is appropriate; Jesus was rejected by men but exalted by His Father.

The idea that there is no salvation in any other, and that there is no other name under heaven given among men by whom we must be saved is an offensive one in our pluralistic, eclectic age; but it is the plain teaching of the Bible. What about the infant who dies? What about the person who has never heard about Jesus? God will deal with them fairly and justly, and those who are saved will be saved by the work of Jesus done on their behalf, even if they lacked a full knowledge of Jesus. But what about you? If you wish to believe that all are saved, and that there are many roads to heaven, and that you can take the best of all faiths and blend them into one, fine - believe so and bear the consequences, but please do not claim this is the teaching of the Bible.

The Jewish rulers react to Peter's sermon

The evidence of Peter and John's character

13) When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

They were uneducated and untrained men: indeed, Peter and John were Galilean fishermen with no formal education, but they had the one essential qualification for ministry: they had been with Jesus.

It was as if the Sanhedrin said, "These guys are just like Jesus! We thought we solved the Jesus problem when we crucified Him, but now it is worse than ever!" People should go to Jesus directly; but often they won't. The only Jesus they are going to see is what shines through us. We must work to make the fact that we have been with Jesus as obvious in our lives as it was in theirs.

Because they had been with Jesus, they are naturally bold; when you are a servant of the omnipotent God, what do you fear from the courts of man?

"It is particularly striking that neither on this nor on any subsequent occasion . . . did the Sanhedrin take any serious action to disprove the apostle's central affirmation - the resurrection of Jesus. Had it seemed possible to refute them on this point, how readily would the Sanhedrin seize the opportunity! Had they succeeded, how quickly and completely the new movement would have collapsed!"

The evidence of the man who was healed

14But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say.

They could say nothing against it: this miracle was examined by doubters, and stood up as a genuine miracle. This was not a case where the healing was "lost" in a few hours, as many claim today happens.

Previously, this man was completely lame, having to be carried wherever he went (3:2), and now he was completely healed - in contrast to many who get up out of wheelchairs at modern "healing services" yet are somewhat able to walk, and can do so much better because of the hype, emotion, and adrenalin - yet they leave the arena in the wheelchair, having "lost" their healing.

Taking counsel, the Jewish leaders respond to Peter and John with a command to cease preaching Jesus

15) So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. 16) "What are we going to do with these men?" they asked. "Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it. 17) But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name."
18) Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

The corruption of their hearts is plain; they acknowledge that a miracle has genuinely happened, yet they refuse to submit to the God who worked the miracle.

Their fear of the preaching of Jesus was rooted in their own sinful self-interest, not in any desire to protect the people.

How did Luke know the private discussions of the Sanhedrin? In all likelihood, there was a dynamic, brilliant young rabbi present among the Sanhedrin named Saul of Tarsus - who later told Luke. Even though Saul himself did not know it, God was working in his heart through Peter and John; they had no idea they were preaching to a future apostle and the greatest missionary the church would ever see. We have no idea how greatly God can use us!

Peter and John respond to the command to cease preaching Jesus

19 But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. 20) For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."

It is self-evident that they should listen to God instead of man; the appeal to this fact is effective.

They did not originate this message; they merely speak the things which we have seen and heard, as reliable eye-witnesses.

Peter and John are released with threats of future punishment

21) After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. 22) For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.

These Jewish leaders are completely unmoved by God, yet they are responsive to public opinion; they obviously care far more about man's opinion than God's opinion.

This whole situation started out looking pretty bad: Peter and John were on trial before the same court that sent Jesus to Pilate for crucifixion. Satan meant it all for great evil, but before it is all over, look what God does.

• Two thousand more people come to Jesus

• Peter is filled with the Holy Spirit

• Peter gets to preach Jesus to the leaders of the Jews

• A miraculous healing is confirmed by hostile examiners

• The enemies of Jesus are confused

• Peter and John are bolder for Jesus than ever

• God is glorified

The early church prays for boldness

Introduction: they acknowledge their God

23) On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24) When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.

They reported all that the chief priests and elders had said: we can just picture Peter and John saying, "They let us tell them about Jesus! The realized we were like Jesus! They told us not to tell others about Jesus!"

They raised their voice: their prayer was vocal; it is certainly possible for us to pray silently in our minds, but we can focus our thoughts more effectively when we speak out our prayers. It isn't that they all prayed, speaking at the same time; one person prayed, and all agreed with that one, so that they were really praying with one voice (voice is in the singular).

With one accord: their prayer was unified; there was no strife or contention among them.

Lord, You are God: they begin by reminding themselves who it is they pray to: the Lord of all creation, the God of all power. This word Lord is not the usual word for "Lord" in the New Testament; it is the Greek word despotes - a term used of a slave owner or ruler who has power that cannot be questioned. When we pray, we often forget just who it is we are praying to, or worse yet, we pray to an imaginary God of our own ideas.

They pray in light of the Scriptures

25) You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:
   ”‘Why do the nations rage
       and the peoples plot in vain?
    26) The kings of the earth take their stand
       and the rulers gather together
       against the Lord
       and against his Anointed One.' 27) Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28) They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.

They understand what is happening to them by seeing what the Bible says about it; they should expect this sort of opposition, because this passage from Psalm 2 (among others) prophesies it. When we pray, we must see our circumstances in light of God's Word. For example, when we are in conflict, perhaps we need to know we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age (Ephesians 6:12).

Seeing our circumstances in light of God's Word also means seeing when there is a sin problem; if we could say with the Psalmist When I kept it all inside, my bones turned to powder, my words became daylong groans. The pressure never let up; all the juices of my life dried up. (Psalm 32:3-4, Peterson), perhaps we are in the same place the Psalmist was: in sin and needing to confess that sin and get right with God. We also use Scripture in prayer to pray the promises of God; when we need strength, we can pray according to Ephesians 3:16: that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.

Because they saw their circumstances in light of God's Word, they could recognize that the wrath of man never operated outside of the sphere of God's control; these enemies of Jesus could only do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. This brings real peace: to know whatever comes my way has passed through God's hand first, and He will not allow even the wicked acts of men to result in permanent damage.

They ask for more boldness, more power, and (essentially) more trouble!

29) Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30) Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."

Grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word: this request is consumed with God's cause and glory, not the comfort and advancement of the disciples; they ask for things that will lead to more confrontation, not less!

By stretching our Your hand to heal: they do not ask to do miracles themselves; they understand that Jesus heals, by His hand - only He does it from heaven, through His people. It is a snare to long to be used to do miraculous things; it is often rooted in the pride that wants everyone to see just how greatly God can use me. I should be delighted in the power of God, not because He has used me to display it.

Their prayer is answered

31) After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

The place where they were assembled together was shaken: they are given a unique emblem of God's pleasure and presence: an earthquake; though this shaking may have been confined to the house itself. This earthquake is recorded in Acts 4:31; someone pointed out the that the significant Northridge earthquake happened at 4:31 in the morning!

They were all filled with the Holy Spirit: they are filled with the Holy Spirit, again. The idea that we are "Spirit filled" only at an experience known as the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit" is wrong (though that may be a wonderful and first yielded ness to the Spirit's power); we must be continually filled with the Holy Spirit, and make our "immersion" in Him a constant experience.

They receive the boldness they asked for; "The word boldness means lucid and daring statement. In the Greek the word is parresia, telling it all.'" What we need to be doing is telling it all. When we try to "hide" some of God's work in our lives from others, we aren't walking in the boldness the Lord would have us walk in. Their boldness was a gift from God, received through prayer; it was not something that they tried to work up in themselves.

The sharing heart of the early church

Their attitude towards each other and towards material possessions

32) All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.

Because of their unity, they regarded people more important than things.

They recognized God's ownership of everything; it all belonged to Him and His people.

There is a contrast between communism and koinonia; "Communism says, 'What is yours is mine; I'll take it.' Koinonia says, 'What is mine is yours, I'll share it.'" "The Greek here does not mean that everyone sold their property at once. Rather, from time to time this was done as the Lord brought needs to their attention."

Some people think that this radical sharing of possessions among the early church was a mistake, based on the idea that Jesus was returning immediately and leading to much poverty in the Jerusalem church later on.

The effective witness of the apostles

33) With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.

With great power: this is both the result and the root of the attitude in the previous verse - putting God first, people second and material things a distant third.

Gave witness to the resurrection: notice again the central place the resurrection of Jesus holds in the message of the first Christians.

Great grace was upon them all: God's favor - His smile from heaven - was evident everywhere.

Examples of early giving

34) There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35) and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.
36) Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37) sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet.

This sort of radical giving was absolutely necessary to meet the needs of this rapidly growing church, of which many members came as "refugees" from abroad, having responded to the gospel on Pentecost.

People didn't wait for someone else to give; when a need arose, they gave of their own possessions to help someone else. Unfortunately, this generosity of the early Christians soon began to be abused, and Paul had to give strict instructions to the churches on who should be helped and how.

Paul's directions are that the church must discern who the truly needy are (1 Timothy 5:3), that If one can work to support himself, he is not truly needy and must provide for his own needs (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12; 1 Timothy 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 4:11), that if one can be supported by family, he is not truly needy, and should not be supported by the church (1 Timothy 5:3-4), that those who are supported by the church must make some return to the church body (1 Timothy 5:5, 10), that it is right for the church to examine moral conduct before giving support (1 Timothy 5:9-13), and that the support of the church should be for the most basic necessities of living (1 Timothy 6:8).