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Acts 4:13-31

Peter and John had healed a man who was lame from birth at the temple in Jerusalem. Afterwards, Peter
preached to the crowd of Jews that had gathered about the One in whose name they had healed him - Jesus
Christ of Nazareth.

Boldly, Peter proclaimed Jesus to be the Servant of Jehovah, who was prophesied to suffer - which was
fulfilled in the suffering and death of Jesus, at the hands of His own people - the nation of Israel. But the
Servant of Jehovah was also prophesied to be raised from the dead - which God fulfilled in the resurrection
of Jesus.

Peter also proclaimed Jesus to be that Prophet, like unto Moses - a Redeemer-Deliverer, whom God had
sent to speak His truth to the people. Would the people this day hear the message of the Prophet, spoken
through Peter - that Jesus would heal them of their sin-sickness, as He had healed the lame man - if they
would repent, and put their faith in Him? That day, thousands chose to hear the Prophet, and believed into
Jesus, receiving His Life. Like the lame man, they too were now empowered to walk - with God.

Although many Jews made the decision personally to receive Jesus as their Messiah, their Lord, the nation as
a whole would continue in their rejection of Him - following their leaders, who walked according to the
course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air. That spirit now worked in the sons of
disobedience (Eph 2:2), specifically in the rulers at the temple, resulting in the first wave of persecution
against the young church.

The authorities had the temple guard arrest Peter and John, and perhaps even the healed man, imprisoning
them overnight. The following day, they were brought before the supreme judicial council of Israel - the
Sanhedrin - and interrogated.

By their initial question, it was apparent that the intention of the court was to intimidate the apostles,
presuming that they could cow these disciples of Jesus into submission to them, and in this way, obtain their
silence. But were the disciples intimidated? Quite the contrary - Peter=s response was fearless, and as he
spoke the Spirit=s words, it became clear that the ones really on trial were these rulers, in the court of God,
for their responsibility in crucifying Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Peter indicated that God had overturned the condemnation of Jesus by the rulers in raising Him from the
dead - a particularly sore point with the many Sadducees on the council, as the Sadducees did not believe in
the resurrection of the body.

Peter went on to show that the crucifixion and exaltation of Jesus was a fulfillment of OT Scripture
concerning Messiah: The stone which was set at nought - counted as worthless - by the builders - these
rulers - had become the head of the corner - the upper head stone, which united and finished the whole
building (Psalm 118:22). By His crucifixion, the rulers had set Jesus at naught; but by His resurrection, God
had made Jesus the head of the corner - the head stone of His kingdom.

The rulers of the nation saw themselves as the builders of God=s kingdom on earth. But having rejected
Jesus, the rulers were not building on the rock foundation, God=s Christ; they were building on the shifting
sands of this world system (Mt 7:24-26). And when judgment came, their building would be destroyed - and
them with it.
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Peter was showing these rulers, as he had all the people of Israel, that there was just one way of escape from
the condemnation that they were under. The way of escape was through Jesus Christ - the Name by which
men must be saved - or they will perish.

Now, we begin to see the response of the rulers to the words of Peter.

v. 13 Let me ask you this. Were these rulers moved by the words that Peter had spoken - words inspired by
the Holy Spirit, filled with the wisdom of God, and the power of God? No. But these were the words of
Life! Were these rulers moved by the sight of the man, lame from birth, who had been healed, who was
standing right there in front of them (v. 14)? No. But this was a miraculous work - a work of God!

How is it possible that these rulers were not moved in their hearts? Because their hearts were hardened -
through the deceitfulness of sin (Heb 3:13). These rulers had long ago begun on a course of pursuing the
rewards to be had in this world - position, power, knowledge, riches - worldly gain. That course had led
them deeper and deeper into this world system - and further and further from the truth, from the reality of
God - as they sought more and more gain.

That=s the deceitfulness of sin. Any sin only seems like a small compromise at first, for something quite
desirable; but eventually, it leads to ruin. To hardness of heart. It=s an evil heart - of unbelief, that stands
aloof to the living God (Heb 3:12).

The Psalmist said, if today you hear His voice - harden not your heart (Ps 95:7-8). But the rulers had to
harden their hearts - in order to resist the good seed of the Word penetrating them. For if they let the light
of the gospel shine into their darkened hearts, they would have to confess that Jesus is Lord and Christ - and
they would have to forfeit their position over the people - and they would have to give up their gain in this
world.

The rulers had already made their decision to harden their hearts when Jesus came speaking the words of the
Father, and doing the works of the Father. They had put Him to death, rather than give their hearts to Him.
Now it was a relatively easy matter for them to continue in their hardness of heart to what they heard and
saw.

So they listened to the words of Peter, but really didn=t hear them; and they observed the miraculously
healed man, but they really didn=t see him - for they would not allow their minds to consider the meaning.
Paul would later speak of this hardness of heart.

Turn to Acts chapter 28. Paul had just arrived in Rome, where he called the leaders of the Jewish
community there together, to testified to them about Jesus. The Jews could reach no agreement concerning
Jesus, and just kept reasoning among themselves about Him. This was what Paul said in response.

[Acts 28:25-27] Unlike the lame man, Israel and its rulers could not be healed. It will take great tribulation
to sharpen their senses - and then they will perceive their Messiah.

[Return to Acts 4]

So the rulers would not take in the truth concerning Jesus. But what the council did take in, and marvel at,
was the boldness of Peter and John - for that was something completely unexpected to them. The Greek
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word for Aboldness@ means freedom or frankness in speaking. It refers to confidence or boldness,
particularly in speaking.

Peter had spoken boldly before the council. John had stood with him, equally confident. Why would the
rulers have found this surprising, on the part of Peter and John? Well, one reason it was surprising was that
Peter and John were unlearned and ignorant men.

AUnlearned@ means that they were uneducated. Peter and John had never been educated in the rabbinical
schools; they had no formal training. How could it be that they were such masters of biblical argument?
That must have stumped the scribes and the Pharisees on the council.

And, Peter and John were also ignorant men - that is, they were just common men, untrained in the fine art
of rhetoric - unskilled at public speaking. How could it be that they were so completely at ease, with
powerful and polished speech before no less than the elite seventy-member judicial council of Israel? The
aristocratic Sadducees and elders must have been amazed by that.

But there was another reason that the Sanhedrin would have marveled at the boldness of Peter and John.
Surely they were aware that, on the night upon which their temple guard arrested Jesus, the disciples of
Jesus had all forsaken Him; they had all fled, for fear that they, too, would be arrested (Mt 26:56; Mk
14:50). Perhaps the council had even heard that Peter had denied ever knowing Jesus - three times (Mt
26:69-75, Mk 14:66-72; Lk 22:55-62; Jn 18:25-27).

These were fearful men; and the one who had displayed perhaps the greatest fear had just boldly proclaimed
Jesus to be the Messiah - whom, he told them, they crucified! Where had all that fear gone?

Perfect Love had cast it out (1 Jn 4:18). These men had seen Jesus risen from the dead, and they had seen
Jesus ascend to the right hand of the Father in heaven. These men had been baptized in the Spirit of Jesus,
and had been clothed with power from on High (Lk 24:49). And these men had learned to yield themselves
to God, and their members to Him as instruments of righteousness (Rm 6:13) - and, filled with His Spirit,
they no longer had the spirit of fear, but of power (2 Tim 1:7).

These men had the boldness of Jesus Himself. And that is what the rulers came to understand, as they
marveled over the boldness of Peter and John. They recognized that boldness - for they had seen it in Jesus.

Concerning Jesus, too, the rulers had marveled, saying, AHow does this man know letters, having never
learned?@ (Jn 7:15) - that is, how does He have learning, having never formally studied? They marveled over
the words of Jesus, just as they were marveling now over the words of His disciples.

At that time, Jesus had simply responded to the rulers, AMy doctrine is not mine, but His that sent Me@ (Jn
7:16) - Jesus= teaching was that of the Father. Now the disciples of Jesus teach His doctrine. It=s all the
same doctrine - it=s the wisdom of God - and when it is spoken by the power of the Holy Spirit, the bold
brilliance of it makes men marvel.

So the council marveled at Peter and John, while also considering the man who was with them.

v. 14 Notice that there is no record of the healed man saying anything. He simply stood with Peter and
John - a silent witness to the truth. Sometimes, it=s bold to be silent; and to just stand.
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Well, there the man was, at the court - the very evidence of Athe crime@ - that Peter and John had done a
good deed, healing him in the name of Jesus. What could the rulers say to that? Not a thing.
The man was the proof that Peter and John had done nothing wrong. And he was also the proof concerning
Peter=s words about Jesus.

But the rulers considered themselves to be the custodians of the temple - the custodians of Israel, in fact.
They felt it their duty to control the teaching that occurred on temple grounds - with their people. And Peter
and John were teaching that Jesus was the Messiah - and that He had been resurrected from the dead by
God. The council was determined to stop this teaching, for it threatened their power over the people.

Did you notice that the Sanhedrin made no attempt to argue against or deny the resurrection of Jesus - even
though this was the central theme of the preaching of the apostles? You see, the body of Jesus could not be
found.

If the authorities had been able to produce the body of Jesus, they surely would have - but it had seemingly
vanished from the face of the earth - which it had - quite literally. Therefore, the authorities had no means of
disproving the resurrection; while at the same time, the apostles had the miraculous works of God
confirming their witness to the resurrection.

v. 15-18 The rulers had Peter, John and the healed man taken out of the room. The council desired to have
a conference in private - why? Why not speak in front of the disciples, and the healed man? The rulers
wished to conceal their thinking - to keep their scheming in the dark.

Jesus had said, AEveryone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should
be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have
been done in God@ (John 3:20). The deeds of this council were not done in God - and they didn=t want that
exposed.

But the Lord had done a good deed, through Peter and John - He had made the impotent man whole (v. 9).
That deed was clearly done in God. And it was a notable miracle - it was known to all Jerusalem. What
were the rulers to do?

Well, the rulers knew they could not deny that this was a miracle. Isn=t that amazing? They recognized this
was a miraculous healing, and that it was done through the disciples - and yet ignored the significance of it.
How could they do that? Because the failure was not in their minds - it was in their hearts. The hard heart
can blind itself to even what the mind can see for a fact. Knowledge and belief are not the same. Seeing is
only seeing; it=s not believing.

But still, the rulers could not deny the miracle; they could not renounce it. Through that miracle, the light of
truth was shining out about Jesus, and was evident to those who saw it. Light is light; it shines. The rulers
could not change the light into darkness, but they could attempt to hide that light under a bushel (Mt 5:15);
to keep it from spreading, from going any further.

How do they propose to implement their scheme? By commanding the apostles not to speak at all, nor
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teach, in the name of Jesus. Notice the emphasis of the council on the name of Jesus. The name represents
the person. It is the person of Jesus that the council wants to cover up; the Light of the world, Himself.

So the apostles were ordered not to speak or teach in Jesus= name. What would happen if the apostles did
not obey the council? The council did not say - in verse 17, it merely says that the council Astraightly
threatened@ them - that is, they threatened them with a threat - AYou better not, or else ....@. This was a
remarkably weak and vague deterrent, don=t you think? But the council no doubt hoped that their authority
as the supreme court of Israel would carry weight with the apostles.

It didn=t.

v. 19-20 Both Peter and John responded to the threats of the Sanhedrin. And their answer was incredibly
bold. On the council were the very men who had engineered the condemnation and crucifixion of their
Master; yet Peter and John boldly declared that they would not abide by their judicial decision. In fact, they
couldn=t abide by it. Why not? Because the council=s words were diametrically opposed to the words of
their Master.

The Lord commands every soul to be subject to the higher powers - to the powers that be, because they are
ordained of God (Rm 13:1); but if those higher powers contradict God=s commands, man is responsible first
and foremost to obey God (Ex 1:15-17).

Jesus had commanded His disciples that as they went into all the world, they were to preach the gospel to
every creature (Mark 16:15). Jesus said that they were to be witnesses to Him, beginning in Jerusalem (Acts
1:8). They must hearken to Jesus - listen, and obey Him - for Jesus is God. Therefore, the disciples could
not obey this decision of the Sanhedrin - for it was not right.

But the disciples had an even stronger drive to obey their Master than simply because it was right. They
must obey Him, because the love of Christ constrained them (2 Cor 5:14). That word Aconstrained@ means
to be compelled, or pressed on.

In love, the Lord pressed upon the disciples= hearts a burden for those who are lost; and the disciples
responded in love, feeling compelled to act - laboring fervently in prayer, word and deed for those who
needed Christ.

Later in Acts, we will read of the apostle Paul being pressed in the spirit, and then testifying to the Jews that
Jesus is the Christ (Acts 18:5). As Peter and John said, they were unable to keep from speaking of the
things that they had seen - their Master, the risen, ascended Messiah - and the things they had heard - His
precious words.

Moreover, Peter and John asked this judicial council to judge the matter for themselves. The Sanhedrin
claimed to have been appointed by God, and to have no authority which was not derived from Him. So,
based on their claimed God-given authority, Peter urged them to judge - as the objective body that they were
supposed to be. What was right - to listen to them, or God? If the council was really in the business of
seeking out the truth, and issuing righteous decisions, there could be only one answer.

v. 21-22 Well, the Sanhedrin ignored Peter=s invitation to judge the matter, as you might expect. And
amazingly, in the face of the direct statement of the apostles that they will not obey their edict, they do -
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nothing. They simply reiterated their threats. Why didn=t the Sanhedrin punish Peter and John for this
effrontery?

Because of the people. As they had said, all of Jerusalem knew of this miracle, and knew that only God
could have wrought the healing of a forty-year-old man who was lame from birth - all the people were
praising God for it - in a wave of popular feeling.

If the Sanhedrin punished the ones responsible for the healing, it was likely that the people=s favor would
turn against the Sadducees and the Pharisees - and they might lose their authority over the people - and their
positions with the Romans. The worldly gain that they had so carefully accrued might be forfeit. You can
see they were in bondage to their own power.

So we see that the apostles feared God - with a holy awe - and they did not fear men, so therefore they
would not submit to the ruling of the Sanhedrin. But the Sanhedrin feared men rather than God, and so they
would go no further than threaten the apostles. Through both believer and unbeliever, the Lord worked to
realize His purposes. Peter and John were set free.

v. 23 We can be sure that the man who was healed accompanied Peter and John as they went back to
inform the brethren of what had happened. When the believers heard of the persecution against the apostles
of Jesus on the part of the religious establishment in Jerusalem, they would have immediately ascertained
that this would not be a one-time thing. The apostles in particular would have remembered that Jesus had
told them to expect persecution.

Turn to John chapter 15. Jesus spoke of this to His disciples just shortly before He went to the cross.

[John 15:18-16:4]

15:18-19 Is the religious establishment in Jerusalem of God, or of this world? It=s of this world; therefore,
it will hate the disciples of Jesus.

v. 20-21 Jesus came declaring the Father, and the world rejected Him. By the Spirit, the disciples declare
Jesus - and so the world will reject them as well.

v. 22-25 What Jesus is saying is that if He had not come into the world, speaking the words and doing the
works of the Father, then the world would not have incurred the sin of rejecting Him - and in rejecting Him,
rejecting the Father, who sent Him.

v. 26-27 The Holy Spirit would bear witness with their witness to Jesus as the Messiah.

16:1-4a Jesus told His disciples these things ahead of time, to prepare them for this very time - when the
hatred that the world directed against Jesus would turn upon them. The preparation would enable them to
not be offended - that is, not to stumble. They would not stumble, in turning to the One who is their
strength, their protection - their Rock.

[Return to Acts 4]

Knowing that the persecution had only just begun, and that it was certain to become more and more fierce,
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the believers turned to the only One who could help them.

v. 24 The whole company of believers prayed together as one to the Lord, most likely with one person
inspired by the Spirit to lead them, and the others agreeing with him. The beginning of the prayer is actually
a quote from Psalm 146 (v. 6), a psalm of praise that expresses God=s faithfulness to vindicate the weak and
the oppressed. Let=s look at it briefly.

[Psalm 146]

v. 1-4 The son of man here does not refer to Messiah, but to any man born on earth. Men are mortal; mere
created beings - here today, gone tomorrow. They=re not a dependable help.

v. 5-6 Verse 6 is the part of this psalm we see in the prayer in Acts. The LORD God is the Creator - that
makes Him all powerful and all wise - now that=s the kind of help men need.

v. 7-10 The LORD cares for those who are weak, who are oppressed; who are willing to turn to Him, to be
their help. And the LORD is just; He loves the righteous, those who are right with Him, but He overturns the
wicked. He is worthy of praise.

[Return to Acts 4]

In their prayer, the believers do not use the title Kurios for God, which corresponds to the Hebrew Jehovah,
as used in Psalm 136. Instead, they use an uncommon title also translated Lord - the Greek Despotes. This
word means absolute Master, and refers to one who possesses supreme authority.

In using this word, the believers are expressing their recognition of God=s sovereignty over them. Their
Sovereign Lord is God - He is the Creator of everything. That means He is in control of the whole world -
and also their lives - and of all their circumstances. The believers are getting everything in its proper
perspective - its eternal perspective.

The believers then pray concerning a prophetic utterance that their Sovereign Lord, the Creator, spoke
through David.

v. 25-26 This is the beginning of Psalm 2, a Messianic psalm which prophesies of the end times, when the
nations of earth will unite in rebellion against the LORD and His Christ. We=ll look at this whole psalm to get
some perspective. Turn to Psalm 2.

[Psalm 2]

This psalm is written in a typical Hebrew literary form, where each idea is expressed by parallel sets of
phrases. At the center of the psalm, the key idea is emphasized in that it is not in this parallel form, which
sets it off as the focal point of the psalm.

v. 1 You can see the beginning of the parallel forms. The heathen refers to the nations, the sea of humanity,
which is frothing with its agitated thinking - thinking which is against God.
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v. 2-3 The kings and rulers are uniting in their opposition against Jehovah and against His Anointed One -
the Messiah. They want to cast off the cords of His authority over them - they want to be without any
restraints. They want to have their own will be done.

v. 4-5 This is just laughable to the Lord - to Adonai, who is master. The creation intends to free themselves
of their Creator, and put themselves in control? Really. It is ridiculous - but it is also rebellion, and this
incurs the wrath of the Lord.

v. 6-7 These two verses are not in the parallel form. This is the center of the psalm, the focal point.
Jehovah will overrule this united opposition; He has decreed that His Son, the Messiah, whom He has
begotten from the dead, will rule as His Anointed King over the earth, from Jerusalem.

v. 8-9 The parallel form resumes. Jehovah will give His Son as King the nations as His inheritance. When
Jesus sets up His kingdom on the earth, He will rule with absolute righteousness; no rebellion will be
tolerated.

v. 10-12 The nations will have their choice - to submit to the Son, or be destroyed.

As mentioned, this psalm is prophetic of the period during the Great Tribulation, when the nations of the
earth will unite under the man of sin against God and His Christ, who will then return in His Second Coming
to the earth as the King of kings and Lord of lords. At that time, Jesus will cleanse the earth of His enemies,
and set up His kingdom on the earth. But as we will see in the continued words of the believers= prayer in
Acts, a part of this psalm also had a near-fulfillment in their day.

[Return to Acts]

The first two verses of Psalm 2 are quoted in the prayer, and their fulfillment seen in the uniting of enemies
against Jesus, when they put Him to death.

v. 27-28 The believers recognize that, as in Psalm 2, contrary factions had drawn together in united
opposition against the Anointed One of Jehovah - His holy Servant, Jesus (not child, as in the KJV; v.27 and
v.30). The Jews and the Gentiles; the Jewish rulers, Herod, and Pontius Pilate - all were regularly at odds
with one another, but all came together to bring about the crucifixion of Jesus.

But just as we have seen that Jehovah will overrule the will of the nations of the earth in the end times, God
overruled these enemies who put Jesus to death. He did so by raising Jesus from the dead. God had, in
fact, ordained the death of Jesus by His enemies. He foreknew that they would choose to reject Him -
which they did, freely choosing to do so, which makes them responsible for their decision.

In pondering the fact that the persecution of Jesus by His enemies was foretold, and therefore, foreknown,
the believers find great reassurance. They can see that the plans of man can never thwart God=s purposes -
and that gives them a reassurance about their own circumstances.
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God has a plan - He will see to it that His will is done. The believers know that Jesus has entrusted them
with the ministry of reconciliation - and they can trust God that it will be realized. So now, they seek to
cover with prayer their ministry - which is the ministry of Jesus.

v. 29-30 So, do they say, ALord, behold their threatenings; please protect us@? No - there is no request for
personal protection. They seek the Lord=s protection of His own work.

The believers request that the Lord would continue to make them bold - that they would freely speak His
word to men, as Peter and John had this day; and they ask that the Lord would continue to work signs and
wonders through them, to authenticate their words, as being of God.

Notice that this would have the indirect effect of exposing the believers to more danger - to more
persecution. But this is not a concern to them - only the furtherance of the gospel. There are no selfish
motives in this prayer.

The Lord indicated His approval of what the believers have requested.

v. 31 The Lord gave them a physical sign that their prayer was heard; He shook the place where they were
assembled. The word for Ashaken@ commonly denotes violent agitation, such as in an earthquake.

Among Jews, an earthquake was regarded as a impressive proof of the presence and power of God (Is 29:6,
Ps 68:8). Being so coincidental with their prayer, the believers would certainly have received this as a token
from God, that He was with them.

The believers were filled anew with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of power that would overrule any natural fear
in their hearts, as they let Him. This would enable them to continue to boldly preach the gospel - all the
while, constrained to do so by the love of Christ.