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Chapter 4 verses 1 thru 31, record the arrest of Peter and John. We knew that this open ministry of Peter and John right there in Jerusalem, would not go un-noticed by the authorities there at the Temple. Satan would use whatever instruments he could to work against the Gospel.
First lets look at the results of Peter's sermon. Many heard and believed and about 5,000 people accepted Christ. This seems unbelievable in an age when PA systems were unheard of, but God used these men and their voices and reached the hearts of those, whom the Holy Spirit had enlightened, with the truth.
Now lets look at who they were that appeared against the Apostles. Three groups are mentioned. First, the Priests, members of the Tribe of Levi. The authority of the Priests had become intolerable by the time of Christ. They demanded tithes and offering and forgiveness could be purchased, for a price. With the coming of Christ, their job was no longer needed. People no longer needed an intermediary. The thought of the loss of such a lucrative job was not taken lightly.
The second group were Roman officers, Captains of the Temple, they were called. They were powerful people because they had religious as well as civil authority. The third group were the Sadducees. These people did not believe in life after death, so you know how they felt about the resurrection. It really bothered them to see Peter and John right there in Jerusalem declaring that the man that they had killed, had raised from the dead. They thought that they had run these trouble makers back to Galilee.
Now, notice what they did. They arrested Peter and John and had them put into custody until the next day. The next day they were brought before the Judges of the Ecclesiastical Court. This court was made up of Rulers, Elders and Scribes. The Scribes were men of learning. The Rulers and Elders were men of power. Among this group were two men by the name of Annas and Caiaphas. These two were the ring leaders in the persecution. There appears to be a discrepancy in verse 6. Annas, here called the High Priest, was actually the President of the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of the Jews and Caiaphas, was actually the High Priest.
Into this court, Peter and John were brought. The court always set in a circle so that no one appeared to set at the head. It was in the middle of this circle that Peter and John were placed. The court was called to order and the question was put to them. "By what power or by what name have you healed the lame man?" They, of course, knew the answer but they hoped that in answering this question, Peter and John would incriminate themselves.
Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, answered the court. "Rulers of the people and Elders." Notice he does not address them according to their titles, but rather according to position and age. He did this to remind them of the responsibility of their position and to remind them to act their age. Notice his response to their question. "Are we being examined today because we did a good deed to a cripple, or has that gone un-noticed in your desire to know how he was healed?" Not waiting or really expecting an answer to this question, Peter answered theirs. "Be it known to you today that what was done, was done in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, the man you crucified and God raised from the dead." "He is the 'stone' that was rejected by the builders."
Peter was reminding them of what David wrote in his 118th. Psalm, that which was to become Israel's salvation would be the corner stone which the builders would reject, but their rejection did not keep Jesus from becoming that corner stone. Then Peter made it clear concerning Christ's place in the salvation of man in verse 12. "There is no other name under heaven, given among men, by which we must be saved." Peter makes it very clear that there is no salvation apart from Jesus. Works or a moral life will not save apart from Jesus.
Now notice how this effected the court. First, they could not believe what a change had come upon these Galileans. Their boldness, their knowledge, there was undoubtedly something very extra ordinary in the looks and attitudes of these two men. They were, among other things, not afraid or overwhelmed by this great body of Jewish leaders. Most common people would have been.
Isaiah described their faces many years before, when he said, "They set their faces like a flint." Their courage was reflected on the faces and this caused confusion and lack of confidence among the Sanhedrin. They knew that these were uneducated men from Galilee, yet they spoke as men who had studied in the religious schools in Jerusalem. They quoted scripture, spoke of the Messiah and His Kingdom with the assurance and accuracy of learned men. They remembered seeing them with the man called Jesus and gathered that He was the source of their education and boldness, and standing beside Peter and John, the healed lame man, was undeniable evidence of the power that these men possessed.
The court having obtained all that they needed to know from these men, they commanded that they be taken outside while they conferred in private. It was obvious to this high court of the Israelites, that they were no match for these Galileans who were led by the Spirit of God. David wrote in his Psalm 2, "The rulers of Israel will take council against the Lord and His Anointed."
It appears that after Peter and John left, that a debate arose among the members of the court. Everyone was given time to speak, for this was a very important issue. The question was, "What shall we do this these men?" They were litterly between a rock and a hard place for all who had seen the healing of the lame man knew that it was done in the name of Jesus and all of them glorified God for that which was done. How could this court imprison the servants of God? However, if this sort of thing was allowed to continue, all worship, all administration, all tradition, all sacrifices, all the prestige and power of the past would be gone from them.
So after much discussion, they called Peter and John back into the room. There they charged them to not speak or teach in the name of Jesus again. They gave Peter and John no reason for this decision. They could not find any fault in what they had done. It was not false, It was not un-healthy, it was not against Rome and it was not against God, but it was against hypocrisy, wickedness, pride and all that was so much a part of the men who made up that court.
Well, what did Peter and John do? There was no hesitation. They did not confer with each other or with a lawyer. Both immediately knew what they must do for both were led of the Spirit and both appeared to answer, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard." So in spite of the warning of imprisonment, they left no doubt in the minds of these men that they intended to go on preaching and witnessing of those things that they had heard and seen from their Lord.
Notice they justified this for two reasons. First, it was the commandment of God. God, the Son, had commanded them to witness to all the earth. Now, do they obey God or man? It was a decision that Peter and John made without hesitation. It was a decision that the Jews had to make. Secondly, it was a matter of conscience. Even if they had not received a direct command to witness, they could not help but speak, and speak publicly of what they felt in their hearts.
Why? Because they knew what a difference it had made in their own lives and because they knew what a difference it would make in the lives of others. Paul says in II Cor. 5, "Knowing the love as well as the wrath of God, I persuade men." What a position this decision by Peter and John must have placed these leaders. They would have liked to lock up these two and forgotten them but they were afraid of the people. They had become public heroes by healing the lame man even though they had not taken credit for doing it and gave God the phrase. They could not deny the miracle, for to many people had witnessed it. So they did to Peter and John all that they could do, they threatened them and let them go. Many lesser men would have been frightened into obedience for these Jewish leaders were well trained in the art of keeping people in line. They used their influence in all areas of life including excommunication. But Peter and John had a promise from the Lord and they believed the Lord would keep that promise and they would accomplish that for which they had been sent.
We have no record of what the Jewish leaders talked about when the two Apostles left, but we can guess that they must have debated long the events of that day. We do know what Peter and John did and it is recorded for us in verses 23 thru 31. They went back to where their friends were staying.
Notice several things here. Though God had called them out and given them power to heal, they were not "puffed up" which caused Matthew Henry to write in his commentary, "No gift from God should make us think that we are any better than our brothern." They did not seek to loose themselves in Jerusalem. They might well have considered the threats of the Sanhedrin and retreated to a less conspicuous place, but they did not. The life to which they had been chosen was a life of public witness.
Notice the report that they give to their brothern concerning their arrest and trial. "They reported all that the Chief Priests and Elders had said to them, and how God had given them courage and grace to reply. There were reasons why Peter and John related this to the brothern. They wanted them to know what they might expect from men and from God as they sought to witness for Christ. Also, they wanted it to be known that it might be recorded in the history of the church. These very events that we have been studying for the past several years, were handed down by word of mouth for several decades before they were written down. So Peter and John told the brothern. The brothern told others. Eventually it got to Antioch where Paul heard about it. Paul told Luke and Luke wrote it down.
Thirdly, they told the brothern so that they might join with them in prayer and phrase to God for what He had done. We need to share with others what God had done for us. We should share our joys as well as our sorrows.
Now, what do the brothern do when they hear this story? They had prayer. They lifted up their voices in one accord. They acknowledged God as creator of the world. They acknowledged the foreknowledge of God in the prophesies concerning the coming of Christ, the rage of the heathern, the attempts to quiet those who would witness, the rebellion of the kings of the earth against the Kingdom of Christ and the gathering together of the rulers of the world against Christ. All that was foretold they had seem come to pass for in that very city, both Herod and Pilate along with the Rulers of Israel and the Gentiles, gathered against God's Holy Servant, Jesus.
And now that all of that had come to pass, they prayed that God would grant them courage to stand up and speak the Gospel as Jesus had commanded them to do. Why did they want this power? That they might witness to the power of God in spiritual and physical healing. They knew they could not do this in and of themselves. Any healing that was accomplished, would come from God. As they prayed, God manifested His presence by shaking the place where they were. It is believed, like Pentecost, this shaking was caused by a mighty wind. it was done to wake up their expectations.
The coming of the Holy Spirit enabled them to speak with boldness. He tough them
what they should speak. He made them dependent upon Him to supply their needs each
day. This ends the study of the first arrest of the Apostles.
More of the Common Life
["Click here for Acts 4:32-37"]
Chapter 4 ends with an account of events in the early church. Verses 32 thru 37 brings a man by the name of Barnabas into our story. This is the first that we have heard of him, but we will hear much more as he and Paul team up to witness to the Gentiles.
Notice the conditions described here in the early church. No problems, no arguments, all of one accord with every need met. We have no way of knowing how many people there was here at the church in Jerusalem. Two accounts, so far, indicate that at least 8,000 people were saved plus others added to the church daily. However, many of the 8,000 were from all over the Middle East and surly by now had gone home. We believe that all had made a confession of faith and were baptized and certainly were filled with the same Spirit that had anointed the Apostles. To what extent these converts established churches other than Jerusalem, we are not told at this time. Tradition has it that they divided themselves into small congregations, according to the size of their dwellings, and each had a minister, whether they were Apostles or not we do not know.
We do know that these early converts were given great power and they witnessed of Jesus Christ and the resurrection and God's Grace came upon them all. As evidence of this Grace, each gave what they had to the church treasury. No one said that what he possessed was his own. Many of these people were poor and were probably getting assistance from the Jewish ministries. As one of the many ways that they would be persecuted, this assistance stopped when they became Christians.
It did not happen just by chance that this was the year of Jubilee in Israel. Every 50 years sense the Israelites settled in the land of Canaan, this custom had been practiced. This was the 28th. Jubilee Year. All land sold during the Jubilee Year, had a 50 year mortgage, and land that had been mortgaged during the past 50 years, and not paid for, reverted back to the original owner. Very few people ever paid completely for their land, but property sold during the Jubilee Year brought the best price. So these converts sold their property at a good price and brought the money and laid it at the Apostles feet. Each person was then given according to their need.
Now enter Barnabas into the picture. He is mentioned here as a person of great generosity. His name was Joses or Joseph and his name meant "peace maker". He was named by the Apostles, Barnabas, which meant "son of exhortation"(one who settled disagreements) He was a native of the Island of Cyprus. He is believed to have had a robust appearance and a magnetic personality. He was a Levite. The Levites were attendants to the Priests. They were spiritual leaders and stood quite high in the Jewish hierarchy. So Barnabas, at this time, was probably the highest Jewish official to become a Christian. I might remind us at this point, that these people were not, at this time, called Christians. They were, for some time, called "Followers of the Way" and were first called "Christians" at Antioch.
Barnabas had many holdings. It was the Apostles, out of respect for him, that first called him Barnabas. He had an excellent ability to heal and console. So we had two "Sons of Thunder" and now we have a "Son of consolation". It says here that Barnabas sold a piece of land and brought the money and laid it at the Apostle's feet. Now we must assume that the land he sold was in Cyprus as the Levites had no land given to them in the division of Canaan.
Barnabas knew his calling. He had been called to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles thus he needed to disentangle himself from the affairs of this world. He, in effect became like Paul, numbered among the Apostles.
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