The Acts of the Apostles 13

Subtitle: Arrested for Jesus

Acts 4:1-12.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on August 14, 2022.

If Jesus asked you to be arrested and thrown into jail for his sake, would you submit and serve him through it?  Or, if he just allowed it to happen, since he has told us in advance that this world would persecute his disciples, would you even then hold the faith?

In the audio, Evangelist Joe Pyott tells a story about a time when he was arrested for preaching on the street.

Mark 8:38 says, “For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”  What if you came to church and found out that your pastor had been arrested?  Some might say that they always knew he was no good.  Others might say that he could not have done anything wrong and is just being persecuted.  Others would be on the fence.  In all of this, God knows the truth.

Peter and John will be arrested for simply doing what God had told him to do.  They are still on the Temple Mount preaching to the crowds under Solomon’s Colonnade when we come to Acts 4:1.

Let’s get into our passage.

Peter and John are arrested.  (vs. 1-4)

While they are still preaching, a group approaches to take them into custody.  No doubt, the healing of the lame man, the gathering of the crowd around Peter and John, and their teaching had sent some witnesses scurrying to let the authorities know what was going on.

The problem here is not authority, or the person calling the authorities.  The problem is always whether both of these are done in honor of God and for His purposes.  Peter and John are serving the purposes of the King of kings, and the authorities here are not.  Thus, they were never authorized by God to thwart His purposes, and so their authority is null and void, in the eyes of God.

We are told who it is who arrests Peter and John.  The Sadducees is the larger group that is led by the High Priest and has many rich nobles of Jerusalem also in the group.  The priests are a subclass of the Sadducees, as most priests were, and were those serving in the temple that day.  Lastly, the captain of the temple is referring to a Jewish guard that kept the peace on the temple mount.  Of course, if things became too out of control, the Roman soldiers would make an appearance.

The terminology has a sudden connotation to it.  They come upon them and laid hands on them quickly.  There doesn’t seem to be much discussion.  They just move in, arrest them, and take them to a holding place.  It is evening by this time, so they will be held over night for a hearing in the morning.  They came to the temple around 3:00 PM, so they had been preaching for quite a long time by the time they were arrested.

What were they being arrested for?  Verse two tells us that they were arrested for teaching the people, and teaching in Jesus, resurrection from the dead.  There doesn’t seem to be any declaration of this by the captain of the temple guard.  Rather, Luke is telling us in advance.

These disciples teaching on the temple grounds was probably reminiscent of Jesus just 2 months ago.  The week leading up to his crucifixion was spent teaching in the courts of the temple.  These men were not “official teachers.”  We have to be careful that our systems and institutions do not lose connection to God and become an obstacle to what He is doing.  In fact, that care starts within each of our hearts.  Have I become an obstacle to what God is doing?  Have I come to play a wicked part in His plan, all the while thinking that I am doing good?

The second part mentions teaching resurrection in the name of Jesus.  They were definitely promoting that Jesus rose from the dead.  It is not clear that they were also teaching about the general Resurrection of the Righteous at the end of the age, but the Sadducees rejected this teaching as well.  Regardless, resurrection was a debated topic between the Sadducees and the Pharisees.  This could hardly be an arrestable offense, but such is power in the hands of people that are unworthy of it.

In verse 4, Luke gives us another commentary on the event.  Though they were trying to shut down the effectiveness of Peter and John’s teaching, another large group of people believe in Jesus.  The new number is 5,000 men as opposed to the 3,000 souls on the Day of Pentecost.  The first number most likely included women- “souls” is very general.  In this passage, we have the traditional counting method.  There are now 5,000 men who are believers in Jesus.  These men would represent wives and families. 

It is not just a sexist thing.  Numbers can hide the underlying dynamics.  The 5,000 number was not inflated by large families counting children, etc.  It would be like a politician saying that they have raised over a million dollars and presenting that as a mandate for their positions.  However, when you look under the number, you might find that there were only 4 people who gave and one of them gave a million dollars.  Or, conversely, you might find that they had 50,000 $20 donations.  This number is intended to hammer home the point that many people were taking this seriously and the total number of believers in Jesus at this time was most likely more than 20,000.

These are large numbers, but compared to Jerusalem and all of Israel, it is still just a remnant.  There is a mystery behind when people put their trust in Jesus.  There will be more people joining the believers over the years ahead, but at some point, they will not continue to see thousands joining them each time Peter preached.

Let’s now look at the hearing on the next morning before the leaders of Israel.

Peter and John defend themselves to the Sanhedrin.  (vs. 5-12)

These two fishermen from the sticks of Galilee are put in front of the highest human powers and authorities in Israel, not counting Jesus.  Think of how intimidating it is to be drug in front of amazing buildings created with the people’s money, and made to face those who have the power to quash you like a bug.

The examination begins with their main question.  “By what power or by what name have you done this?

There are several different words for power.  The one used here refers to inherent power such as strength.  It is dunamis power in the Greek, and in this case, refers to the powerful miracle.  With what power did they effect this man’s healing?

They also ask by what name did they do this.  Remember from last week that a name represents more than a person’s reputation.  It includes their position, authority, and power.  Thus, the question is essentially, by whose authority are you doing these things?  Who said you can do them?  Of course, these leaders would see themselves as the ones who could authorize Peter and John to be teaching at the temple.  However, the temple belongs to Yahweh, and He is the true authority, not to mention that He had never said that only priests could teach in the temple courts.  They would simply be responsible to make sure that heretical things were not being taught.

We again see Peter doing the speaking.  It is not that John can’t speak.  However, some believe that Peter is the older one between the two.  Regardless, Peter’s earlier impetuous mouth, is being put to sanctified use by the Holy Spirit.  Peter is now a man filled with the Holy Spirit.  Let us be careful to guard our hearts and seek God each day for the filling of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus had promised them that the Holy Spirit would help them know what to say in such intimidating situations (Luke 12:12).  This promise still holds true for us today.  The Holy Spirit can give us the words to say when we are put on the spot by the powerful of this world.

The question they are asked is a bit vague.  The power part, the dunamis, would say that the healing is the main issue.  The name part would say that their teaching is the main issue.  Peter touches on the surreal aspect of the examination by using the conditional “if,” which begs the question.  Have we really been arrested for a good deed done to a helpless man?  Is this what the great priesthood of Israel has been reduced to?  If that is the problem, then Peter has an answer for them.  He will let them know exactly what power, and what authority, led to this man being healed.

This man was healed by Jesus, Messiah of Nazareth.  These leaders hear this answer, but Peter emphasizes that all Israel needs to hear this answer.  It was the power and authority of Jesus.  It is too easy for us to hear the words Jesus Christ and simply think of Christ as his last name.  Rather, Peter is declaring that Jesus is the Messiah of God who was prophesied to come.  Lastly, he mentions Nazareth so that they will definitely understand that he is speaking of the man they executed months ago.

Just as Peter had been contrasting the actions of the crowd earlier to the actions of God the Father, so he does here with the rulers.  You crucified Jesus, Messiah of Nazareth, but God raised him from the dead.

Do you understand that no power on earth, or in the heavens, can thwart what God has determined in heaven?  Our country is trying to continue forward without Jesus, and without the word of God.  It is trying to take the blessings of those who trusted in Jesus, and dare God to try and stop them.  No matter what powerful acts the great powers of this earth, and the great powers of hell, can accomplish, they can do nothing without the decision of Jesus allowing it to go forward.  He is God’s anointed King, Lord of heaven and earth.  All power and authority have been given unto him.

Peter then quotes from Psalm 118.  It is the psalm that starts out with “Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!  For, His mercy endures forever!  It then has these antiphonal phrases where a worship leader would say, “Let Israel now say…,” and then they would respond, “His mercy endures forever!”  “Let the house of Aaron now say…His mercy endures forever!”  “Let those who fear Yahweh now say…His mercy endures forever!”  Can you hear it today?  Let the Church now say…His mercy endures forever.  Let the house of Jesus now say…His mercy endures forever.  Let those who fear the LORD now say…His mercy endures forever!

This is a spiritual battle psalm.  There in verses 21-22, the psalmist prophesies that God “will become” our salvation as a stone that the builders reject, but whom God makes the chief cornerstone.  It is the most important stone of the whole building.  You can’t keep building without this stone.  It won’t work.  If you do, it will fall apart in the end.  Ask yourself today, what am I building, and with what materials?  They may have rejected the stone, but they can repent, change their mind, and turn back to faith in Jesus.  We can have a foundational stone that can hold up all of humanity if they would simply put their faith in him instead of in themselves.

In verse twelve, Peter brings the message home that they can’t have their cake and eat it too.  They must make a decision.  They can no longer remain in the positions of leadership in Israel and stand in the way of God’s plan.  They will either repent and be saved or not and lose their place.  Jesus is the only name, the only power and authority, by which we must be saved.  He emphasizes the necessity of salvation, and the exclusivity of the person of Jesus.  There is salvation in no other power or authority, no other person, only Jesus!

Listen, salvation is life.  Yes, it is eternal life, but it is also eternal life in this present life.  We have already begun eternity because we have the eternal life of God dwelling in us (that is if we have put our faith in Jesus).  Friend, in these days ahead, you will be tested more and more.  It is a grace of God that will help you to get rid of what He is not building, and to build what He wants.  We must boldly and humbly proclaim the truth that Jesus is Lord, and he has become our salvation!

Arrested audio