Acts 4:1-4 "And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, 2 Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide. 4 Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand."

A. "And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them"

1. It is obvious from this passage that Peter was still in the midst of his sermon when he and John were arrested by the temple police.

B. “Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.”

1. It is also obvious that the Sadducees controlled the temple and the security forces. The Sadducees were primarily the priests who worked at the temple. They were not nearly as popular as the Pharisees, who were among the people in the Synogogues, but were more powereful, owing their power to the temple, its taxes, and the Roman authority.

2. Why were they so angry?

a. Peter and John were teaching the resurrection of the dead.

b. One of the keystones of Sadducee doctrine was a denial of the resurrection of the dead. They also did not believe in angels.

c. The Pharisees, on the other hand, were convinced in the truth of the resurrection and was often at odds with the Sadducees over it. Paul used that division to help deliver him when brought before the Sanhedrin. See Acts 23:6-9.

C. And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide.

1. The event of the day had started at 3:00 p.m. and must have continued for some time.

2. It was not accepted procedure for the Sanhedrin to meet at evening. This shows the exceptional nature of Jesus’ trial and death. The priest were so desperate to get rid of Jesus that they took extrodinary steps to kill him.

3. Peter and John remained in custody until the next day.

D. Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand."

1. The preaching of the word had its desired effect. We not told how man persons were baptized into Christ on this day, but it must have been substancial.

2. It is likely that Luke is referring to the number of men who were members of the church at Jerusalem.

3. Since the church began with 3,000 Christians (men, women, and children) the 5,000 men must be given to emphasize the growth on the early church.

E. Some comments on the phrase “heard the word believed.”

1. Some falsely believe that this shows that they became Christians simply by faith alone, without any obedience.

2. The passage also does not mention that these people repented. Does this mean that they were saved without any repentance of past sins.

3. Actually this is a figure of speech called synecdoche, where the part stands for the whole. Used extensively in the New Testament when it comes to salvation.

A. “And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes........

1. The mighty Sanhedrin met the next day to hear the case against Peter and John.

2. It consisted of two major parties - the Sadducees and Pharisees.

3. Both Annas and Caiaphas were spoken of in the New Testament as being the High Priest.

a. Annas was the real High Priest, but was deposed by the Romans and replaced by his son Caiaphas.

4. John and Alexander

a. John was probably one of Annas’ sons who held the high priesthood at one point.

b. Alexander was possibly a rich Jew who gave expensive gifts to the temple.

5. There were also a number of the relatives of Annas present, likely in addition to the Sanhedrin

B. “By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?”

1. The this spoken of here is likely the miracle, followed by the preaching about the resurrection of the dead.

2. The Sanhedrin wanted to know the authority for their actions and claims.

3. What the Sanhedrin was basicily want to do was accuse the Apostles of not having the authority of the Sanhedrin for preaching, thus being guilty of rebellion against the lawful leaders of the nation.

4. With Jesus having been murdered just a short time earlier this was not an idle threat to the apostles.

A. Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost”

1. Peter was not going to have to rely on only his own guidance in such a diffiuclt situation.

2. The Holy Spirit would guide his words.

3. The Spirit’s guidance in such situations was promised to the apostles by our Lord.

4. See Matthew 10:17-20

B. “Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, 9 If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole”

1. It is important that note that God will open door of opportunity to His people to preach the gospel. If Peter had requested the opportunity to speak to the grand Sanhedrin he would have most assuridly been refused. But now he will have the opportunity to preach Chrsit to them.

2. Peter does not begin with a defense of his teaching, but at the point of the validation of the teaching- the miracle of the healing of the lame man.

3. It was this miracle that probably kept the Sanhedrin from killing the apostles. They could not deny that a great miracle had taken place. See verse 16.

C. “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead"

1. Peter declares the authority for his preaching. It was the one who was responsible for the healing of the lame man.

2. Jesus made it clear that His works were a powerful testimony for his authority.

a. John 14:11 - "Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake."

3. Peter again returns to the very point that had made the Sadducees so angry. They had been responsible for the murder of Jesus, but that the Father had raised him from the dead.

D. "even by him doth this man stand here before you whole."

1. This tells us that the man had been brought before the Sanhedrin also for examination. Likely they were want to ascertain the details of the miracle and to check its authenticity.

2. Also notice the wording that Peter used.

a. KJV used the phrase “by him” to suggest the source of the miracle.

b. ASV used the phrase “in him” to suggest the fact that the man had become a Chrstian since his healing.

A. “This is the stone....”

1. Found in Isaiah 28:16- "Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste."

B. An understanding of what Peter was saying.

1. The stone, of course, was Jesus.

a. See Ephesians 2:20

2. The builders was the leaders of the nation.

3. They had rejected him, and had cast him aside as a useless stone.

a. See Psalm 118:22

b. Used by the Lord in Matthew 21:42

4. But God had made the rejected stone the primary one.

a. The head stone was the most important one, the one which all the others were aligned and rested on.

A. “Neither is there salvation in any other......

1. This excluded all other person, including Moses and the old law.

2. The phrase “in any other” is synonmous with being “in Christ.”

3. See Romans 3:24; 8:1; 1 Corintians 15:22; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 1:3, 7

B. “for there is none other name under heaven give among men, whereby we must be saved”

1. Peter is telling the Sanhedrin that the only way for them to be pleasing to God is to enter into a relationship to Him through Jesus Christ, the very one that they were responsible for crucifying.

2. See John 14:6

1. That it was by the authority that the lame man had been healed.

2. That the Sanhedrin was responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus.

3. God had raised Jesus from the dead.

4. Christ is the stone they had rejected.

5. Jesus is “become the head of the corner.”

6. There is no salvation in any other except Christ.

A. “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John”

1. They were bold in that they did not hesitate to preach the gospel ot even such a high assembly as the one they were with.”

2. See Philippians 1:20;

B. “and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men”

1. This did not mean that the apostles were stupid of had a lack of intelligence.

2. It meant that they were unschooled in the scholarship of the Scribes and Pharisees.

C. “they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus”

1. They saw that they had the same spirit as the one whom the had crucified shortly before.

2. This is the extent of the Sanhedrin’s hardness of heart. By marvelling at Peter and John, they surely knew in their hearts that they were right, but would not accept the one whom they had executed.

A. "And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it"

1. It was obvious that the lame man, whom was know to all, had been healed completely of his sickness. He was “standing.”

2. They were in a delima. If they publicly punished these men it would show that they working against the power of God. Everyone in Jerusalem was convinced of the validity of the miracle.

3. What they said among themselves, and what they further said to Peter and John, showed that they were guilt of gross hypocrisy.

B. “But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.”

1. They decided that if they privately threaten Peter and John they would probably refrain from preaching Christ out of fear.

2. Their main interest in threatening them was to keep the new doctrine from spreading among the populace and destroying their control and influence.

a. Sadduceeism was as religion of secularism, without any dependance on the afterlife or spiritual world. A belief in the resurrection insured that the people would look to God, rather than look to them.

3. It is likely, given to the most of the apostles cowardice during the trial and death of Jesus, that the Sanhedrin thought that it would be an easy matter to scare Peter and John.

A. “And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.”

1. The original language suggests that the Sanhedrin commanded Peter and John, to not let the name of Jesus pass from their lips again.

B. “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye...”

1. This is an example of a rhetorical question, one that need no answer because the answer was obvious. The Sanhedrin knew that a man’s first obligation was to obey God that them!

2. See Acts 5:39

3. See Matthew 10:28

A. “So when they had further threatened them....”

1. They sought to reinforce their threats with some further threats.

2. There was no charge that the Sanhedrin could use to punish Peter and John.

B. “because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done."

1. It was obvious to the public at large that this great wonder, and others like it, were from God and that the one’s doing them were sent of God.

2. Thus the Sanhedrin was helpless, without some excuse, to move against the apostles.

C. “For the man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was showed."

1. This fact, when combined with the truth that the man had been crippled from birth shows why the Sanhedrin could not deny the miracle, though they sorely wanted to.

2. For 40 years men and women saw this man as a cripple.

A. “And being let go.....”

1. Peter and John returned to report to the other apostles and other concerned brethren, concerning all that had take place.

2. Notice that they were not puffed up with self-importance because they had just humbled the foe. Neither had they been discouraged when they had been threantened. They kept the same attitude, whether in triumph and trial.

3. See Philippians 4:11-13

B. “And when they heard that they lifted up their voice to God....”

1. They prayed to the Lord for strength and boldness.

2. See Psalm 2:1-2

a. David speaks of Jesus typically. It is certain that David refers to his own situation here, but Peter uses it to refer to Jesus.

C. “For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus.....

1. They refer to the Jesus who entered the world as a child

2. Here were those who were guilty of Jesus’ death.

a. Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Gentiles (Romans), and the people of Israel.

b. All played a part in the murder of Jesus.

D. “For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done”

1. While those involved worked together for various reasons to plan and execute Jesus, it must be remembered that God had planned Jesus as a sacrifice for mankind long before anyone knew about him.

2. This gives the principle of providence, that God is working through situations and events to do his will. No mortal could have seen in the events that took place in the life of Jesus that it proceed according to exactly what God wanted.

A. “And now, Lord, behold their threatenings.......”

1. See 2 Kings 19:14ff where Hezekiah spread the insulting letter of Sennacherib before the the Lord in the temple.

B. “grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word”

1. They did not pray for revenge on their enemies.

2. They didn’t even pray for deliverance from their enemies.

3. They prayed for boldness to preach the truth.

a. Comes from the greek word, “ parrhesia, all out-spokenness, i.e. frankness, bluntness, publicity; by impl. assurance:--bold (X -ly, -ness, -ness of speech), confidence, X freely, X openly, X plainly (-ness).

C. “By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus."

1. The apostles were asking God to validate their message with further miracles, signs, ans wonders.

2. These miracles would enable to speak boldly before others. This showed conclusively that the power was not from them but God.

A. "And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together”

1. God showed his approval of their prayer by miraculous means.

2. The house they were assembled in shook.

3. This was a sign to the apostles and the others assembled with them.

B. “they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness."

1. This was not another outpouring of the Holy Spirit, as witnessed by Pentecost, but the Spirit working with them directly, to answer their prayers.

2. Under the influence of the Spirit - didn’t shout, dance, or speak in an unknown tongue.

3. Spoke the word with boldness.

Copyright 1999 by Grady Scott may be reproducted for non-commercial purposes at no cost to others.