Bible Study Series: Acts 4:13-22. The apostles stood strong, in the face of the highest court and council in the land.
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I also translate to learn. The translations are mine, unless otherwise noted. If you would like to see many others, please click on this link:
At the link to the original post, next, I write more commentary and dig a little deeper into the Greek. I also offer a section titled Observations for Discipleship at the end. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided in the commentary section for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Acts 4:13-22
13 When they perceived the boldness of Peter and John and grasped with their minds that they were untrained and laymen, they marveled and recognized that they were with Jesus. 14 Seeing the man standing with them who had just been healed, they said nothing in opposition. 15 So, after ordering them to go outside of the council room, they regrouped and began conferring with each other, 16 saying, “What should we do with these men? This sign that has happened through them is publicly known to all the inhabitants in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But so that this does not spread throughout the people even more, let’s warn these men never to speak about this name to anyone else.” 18 When they summoned them, they ordered them not to speak nor teach the name of Jesus at all.
19 But Peter and John replied to them, saying, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to obey you rather than God, you judge. 20 For we cannot not speak about what we have seen and heard.” 21 Then after threatening them further, they released them, without discovering any grounds on which to punish them, because of the people, for they all glorified God for what had just happened. 22 For the man to whom this sign of healing happened was over 40 years old. (Acts 4:13-22)
Comments:
13:
They were untrained in the rabbinic schools and were not professional experts in the law. They also spoke with an unsophisticated Galilean accent, far from the holy capital!
“boldness”: it means boldness, outspokenness, frankness, plainness of speech, courage, confidence, fearlessness. This could be translated as “speaking freely” or “freedom of speech.” Please, please don’t back down or get discouraged when you confront opposition. In fact, if you don’t encounter opposition in preaching the gospel, then something is missing from your gospel. You will know when you have the Spirit’s power flowing through you when you are bold. If you get easily intimidated, pray each day for the inner strength and power and anointing to stand and not to fold or flag during satanic or broken human attacks. I pray this almost every day, and it works! God did not make you timid (2 Tim. 1:7).
This verse is profound because it addresses what the vast majority of believers feel. They say about themselves that they have not gone to Bible college. They barely made it through high school. Their education is minimal. But the answer is to be trained by Jesus. Spend time with him. Worship him. Study Scripture the best you can. Get Bible helps or study guides. Go to Bible studies at your local church. Listen to and hang out with those who are farther in their walk with God. Pray in the Spirit (your prayer language). Then you can make an impact, even before the highest court in the land, right in front of the best educated people of your day.
14:
A living example of a healed and saved man is the best testimonial. If you don’t have one standing next to you, tell your story of healing, deliverance, and salvation.
I like Longenecker here: “The miraculous, however, apart from an openness of heart and mind, is not self-authenticating. So the Sadducees’ preoccupation with protecting their own vested interests shut them off from understanding the significance of what occurred” (comment on vv. 13-14).
15-16:
Your testimonial can spread far and wide on social media, nowadays. It can be “manifestly known.” It will be undeniable. Who can deny your salvation and healing? If they try, you can simply chuckle at them.
Again, Longenecker: “What is certain about the council’s response is that (1) they would have denied the miracle if they could have; (2) they had no disposition to be convinced, either by what happened or by the apostles’ arguments; and (3) they felt the need to stop the apostles’ activities and teaching and so resorted to the measures allowed by Jewish law” (comment on vv. 15-17).
Peterson: “Although the speech of the apostles was Spirit-inspired, the authorities were not convinced about the need to acknowledge Jesus as the one responsible for this healing, nor ready to call upon his name for salvation themselves. Neither logic nor prophetic power necessarily undermines prejudice and moves hard-hearted people to faith!” (comment on vv. 14-15)
Longenecker and Peterson reminds us that sometime miracles and sound preaching do not work to convince and convert people. It takes time, and sometimes people never respond to salvation. But keep praying for your family, because although they seem to have hearts of stone in front of you, due, perhaps, to pride, they may respond on their deathbeds. Remember, 5000 people were saved at this time. Your family member may be one of them, but at a later time. Hope should never be ruled out.
17-18:
Sanhedrin: The Supreme Court of Jerusalem issued a warning that they will use later on as grounds to flog the twelve apostles (Acts 5:40). It was a setup.
“Name”: see v. 10 for a closer look.
It was an unreasonable demand because the report of the miraculous sign was already spread around. The Sanhedrin seemed to obsess over the name of Jesus. Many of them knew that they were the ones who ordered him or pushed the Romans to crucify him. Here’s a contrast: in Acts 2:37, the people, who included religious leaders, like priests, were cut to the heart. But the Sanhedrin had no such reaction, but they will after Stephen’s sermon (Acts 7:54). He preached against the temple, while the twelve and the Messianic Jews met there.
However people may react—positively, negatively or not at all (seemingly)—just preach Jesus, and leave the results up to God.
I like Bruce here and the resurrection and how the religious authorities could not disprove it:
It is particularly striking that neither on this nor on any subsequent occasion did the authorities take any serious action to disprove the apostles’ central affirmation—the resurrection of Jesus. Had it seemed possible to refute them on this point, how eagerly would the opportunity have been seized! Had their refutation on this point been achieved, how quickly and completely the new movement would have collapsed! It is plain that the apostles spoke of a bodily resurrection when they said that Jesus had been raised from the dead; it is equally plain that the authorities understood them in this sense. The body of Jesus had vanished so completely that all the resources could not produce it. The disappearance of his body, to be sure, was far from proving the resurrection, but the production of his body would have disproved it. Now the apostles’ claim that Jesus was alive had received public confirmation by the miracle of healing performed in his name. It was, for the Sanhedrin, a disturbing situation. (comment on vv. 15-17)
As Bruce notes towards the end, the disappearance of a body does not prove its resurrection. Of course not. But the healing miracle and the inability of the powerful Sanhedrin to produce the body goes a long way toward confirming the resurrection.
13. Do I Really Know Jesus? His Resurrection Changes Everything
19:
I like how John is said to have spoken, and not just Peter. John was one of the sons of Zebedee, son of Thunder, who with his brother James asked Jesus’s permission to call down fire on a Samaritan village, but Jesus rebuked him and his brother (Luke 9:51-55). John may have improved his temper, but I wonder whether he retained some sass before the council. Strength of soul is always needed and appropriate. John must have retained it.
In any case, when the law is unjust, like restricting freedom of speech at the right time and right place, then laws are meant to be disobeyed. It’s called civil disobedience. But don’t abuse this freedom.
20:
Perfect verse for every witness for God. Just speak about what you have heard and seen in your own life.
“For we cannot not speak”: Another translation is “We cannot give up speaking.” I went a little literal here.
Longenecker (again):
But the council had before it men whose lives had been transformed by association with Jesus, by God’s having raised Jesus from the dead, and by the coming of the Holy Spirit. As with the prophets of old, God’s word was in the hearts of Peter and John, like a burning fire, and they could either contain it not be restrained from speaking it (cf. Jer. 20:9). They had been witnesses of Jesus’ earthly ministry and resurrection (cf. 10:39-41). They had been commanded by their risen Lord to proclaim his name to the people (cf. 1:8; 10:42). When faced with this ban, their response was never in doubt.” (comment on vv. 18-20)
He then goes on to recall that Christianity often accommodated itself to established authority and to the earliest forms of Judaism, as a baby in its cradle. “But when established authority stood in opposition to God’s authority—thereby becoming, in effect, demonic—the early believers in Jesus knew where their positions lay and judged all religious form and function from a christocentric perspective” (ibid.). (“christocentric” means “Christ-centered”).
21-22:
It is as if the high council were very eager to find a basis for punishing (i.e. flogging and jailing) them, but they could not. What was morally wrong about a man just being healed? They appeared to break no law, like the Sabbath. But then Luke adds the little tidbit “because of the people” who were glorifying God for the visible healing. That is, the Sanhedrin was influenced by public opinion. Miraculous signs will prompt people to give glory to God, but let’s not overlook the important fact that Peter turned the attention away from him and the apostles and back towards God, where the glory belongs. Miraculous signs are meant to point and direct people to Jesus and his Father. They are indicators that he has broken into his own world and intervenes to heal. He loves people and wants them to know that a new way has opened up. As noted, a new sheriff is in town.
Healing miracles of “older” men somehow impress people. A man who was born blind was healed and though his age is not mentioned, he was “of age” (John 9:22-23).
Polhill is spot on about the “sign”:
The little word sign should not be overlooked in the Greek text of v. 22. That is what the man’s healing had been—a sign to the temple crowd in Solomon’s Colonnade that attracted them to the gospel and ultimately to faith. It had been a sign to the Sanhedrin as well, a pointer to the sole name in which salvation (ultimate ‘healing) is to be found (comment on vv. 20-22).
GrowApp for Acts 4:13-22
1. The Sanhedrin told Peter and John never to preach in Jesus’s name again. But Peter replied they must obey God rather than man. This is called civil disobedience.
2. Have you ever disobeyed civil authority for the furtherance of the gospel and righteous principles?
3. Have you heard about people doing this? What did you learn?
RELATED
The Historical Reliability of the Book of Acts
Book of Acts and Paul’s Epistles: Match Made in Heaven?
SOURCES
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