Acts 4:1-22
We knew this was coming, but the opposition has begun. We’re coming right off the heels of Peter healing the lame man, after which he preached another powerful message. This morning we will see the first official persecution against the early church. It’s not quite as intense as what is to come, but it sets the stage for the conflict that continues between the Jewish leaders and the young church. As Peter is still preaching in the temple, the religious leaders barge in, arresting Peter, John, and presumably the now healed man. And while this was an attempt to stop the message, we’ll find out that what the Spirit had begun was impossible for man to stop.
Big Idea: Time spent with Jesus transforms timid followers into bold, fearless witnesses.
Read Acts 4:1-4
The stage is being set. Notice that we see 3 different groups of people mentioned here. In verse 6 we’ll see a few more added as well. All of these men made up what was called the Sanhedrin. Think of it like the Jewish supreme court. It was made up of 71 men, 70 being a mixture of elders, Sadducees, Pharisees, priests, as well as the High Priest, making it 71.
Along with them, we see the temple guard as well. These were the same men that were sent to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Think of them kind of like the Jewish religious police force.
The Greek phrase behind “came upon them” implies that they entered the room quickly and with force, and the reason they came so abruptly was because they were preaching the resurrection through Jesus. This was a huge deal in a few ways. First, the Sadducees denied any form of resurrection. They would have been upset that this teaching was being so well-received by the crowds. Second, the Pharisees believed in a future resurrection, but did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, the One who was resurrected and opened the door for believers to experience resurrection as well.
They had a huge problem. Much like what happened with Jesus, these religious leaders were being challenged in their influence, and were in danger of losing the power that their positions had afforded them. The people were listening and believing the apostles, and this was a threat to the religious institution! So, they throw them in jail to shut them up. I love how Luke adds this little detail in the midst of the impending trial, “but even so, many who had already heard the word preached, believed.” And about 2,000 more had been added to the church in just a matter of days if not just a few short weeks. It’s incredible.
Read Acts 4:5-7
Notice that we have a few more players added to the story. We also now have rulers, elders, scribes and the High Priest and his family. If you are up on New Testament history, you might notice that Annas is referred to as the High Priest, even though Caiaphas is the sitting High Priest. Historically, once a High Priest always a High Priest, and most likely Annas was still controlling things behind closed doors.
They bring the men out into this room where the Sanhedrin would have their meetings. The room was called the “Hall of Hewn Stones,” and was a large room in which they would sit in a semi-circle so they could all see each other during deliberations. This would make the perfect setting for Peter’s response that we’ll see in just a few minutes. They bring out Peter, John and the now healed man, and stand them in the middle of this room.
They see the healed man, they see these uneducated men, and they have to know, “how is this possible? By what power or by what name did you do this?!” I’m not sure what they are expecting to hear. Their concern is not the healed man but the response of the crowds to the message they are preaching. Whatever the motivation, whether curiosity, anger or fear, they are about to be faced with the irrefutable reality of the gospel.
Read Acts 4:8-12
Peter’s defense
1. Filled with the Holy Spirit
This doesn’t seem to be a separate filling from what we saw on the day of Pentecost. What most scholars believe is that Peter was indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and was walking closely with the Lord, and in this moment his mind and his speech were completely influenced by the Holy Spirit. There was no separate prayer, no supernatural momentary baptism, it was a direct result of Peter’s close connection to the Lord.
This should be an encouragement for us this morning. We’ve been talking a lot so far in our study of Acts about being emboldened by the Spirit, living out the gospel wherever we go. And while there are moments of weakness where we call on the Spirit to do something specific in our lives, there is also the reality that if we are walking closely with the Lord, we will be in tune with the Spirit and He will work in and through us when we need Him to.
2. Took no credit
Notice also that Peter immediately directs the listeners’ attention to Jesus. He begins by passively calling them out for the absurdity of this “trial.” “Are we being arrested for doing a good thing? Is that really why we’re here? This man stands next to us, fully healed, and you guys are mad about it?! Well let me tell you the truth about what you are seeing here.”
“The reason this man is healed, the reason why he is standing here before you today is not because of anything we’ve done, it’s not by our power, but by the name of Jesus, who you killed, but who the Lord raised from the dead…it is by His name that this man stands before you.”
What a great challenge for us this morning. We should be in a constant discipline of directing people’s gaze to Jesus. Whether it’s healing from an illness, an open door in our careers, college choices, relationship choices, safety on a trip, healthy delivery of a baby, we need to be directing people to Jesus. He is the Creator and Sustainer. He is the giver of life. He holds all things together in His hands. He is the Master Physician. He is the Great Shepherd.
Here they stand, in the midst of the “Hall of Hewn Stones,” and Peter continues to pile convicting truth onto his defense. He quotes Jesus who quoted Psalm 118:22, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the Cornerstone.” Peter’s like, “you guys rejected him! You guys threw him to the dogs. And you don’t know this yet, but He is the foundation upon which true faith is built.”
“A cornerstone was the principal stone, usually placed at the corner of an edifice, to guide the workers in their course. The cornerstone was usually one of the largest, the most solid, and the most carefully constructed of any in the edifice. The Bible describes Jesus as the cornerstone that His church would be built upon. He is foundational. Once the cornerstone was set, it became the basis for determining every measurement in the remaining construction; everything was aligned to it.” (Got Questions)
3. Salvation through Christ alone
Now that Peter has presented his defense, with a captivated Sanhedrin listening to his every word, he ties the final bow. You have the healed man, evidence of some miraculous power. You have the claim of a resurrected Jesus in whose name the man was healed. You have the connection of Jesus to Old Testament prophecy.
Peter then tells them that Jesus is the only way to salvation. It’s not by keeping the Law. It’s not by keeping the Jewish feasts. It’s not by making sacrifices. It’s by believing in Jesus alone. There is no other name. Not Mohammed, not Buddha, not Joseph Smith, not the Pope…salvation is found in Christ alone by faith alone because of grace alone. The Sanhedrin is absolutely dumbfounded.
Read Acts 4:13
I love this verse, and I have grown to love it even more this past week. Think about what this is saying. Uneducated: not learned, did not go to any special rabbinic school. Common: not from families with any sort of status or power. Astonished: amazed, greatly surprised or impressed. Why? Because it was obvious that they had been with Jesus!
Let me throw out a few names and see if they ring a bell: Charles Spurgeon, DL Moody, AW Tozer…have you heard those names before? They are just a few in a longer list of theologians and pastors who have no formal theological education. In fact, both Moody and Tozer only made it through 5th and 6th grade, respectively, because of their family’s poverty.
Uneducated, common men who, if you have read any of their writings, certainly had spent countless hours with Jesus.
What a legacy to leave! I want that to be said of me at my funeral, “Adam wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it was clear that he spent a lot of time with Jesus.”
The Sanhedrin, they don’t know what to do. They send the apostles out so they can discuss the matter. Even behind closed doors, they couldn’t think of a legitimate reason to punish them. The best they could do was to threaten them of consequence if they didn’t stop preaching. Verse 18, “So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.”
Read Acts 4:19-22
So they leave it in the hands of the Sanhedrin. “You must weigh what you have seen and heard today, and you must determine whether it is of the Lord or of man. All we can do is testify to the truth of what we’ve experienced. The scene ends with further threats given, the men released, and the crowds praising the Lord because of everything they have seen.
Application
Big Idea: Time spent with Jesus transforms timid followers into bold, fearless witnesses.
Here’s what I want to implore all of us with this morning: Let us be a people that is known for spending time with Jesus. As Christians, we have been gifted the Holy Spirit. We have been filled with the Spirit. We’ve been talking a lot about being a people with the gospel in our actions and on our lips. The more time we spend with Jesus, the more people will see Him in us. The more time we spend with Him, the more they will hear Him in our speech.
Prioritize spending time with Jesus. Carve time out of your day if you aren’t already.
