We Cannot Help Speaking

Acts 4:1-22

Welcome! Today we continue our series in Acts, looking at the first part of chapter 4. As a reminder of what brings us to today’s passage, recall that the Holy Spirit came to the disciples at Pentecost, causing the sound of a strong wind in the whole house where they were, the representation of tongues of fire that separated and rested on each of them, and the enabling of the disciples to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them. A large crowd of Jews came to see the cause of the commotion, became amazed at hearing their own languages spoken, and then Peter spoke to the crowd, explaining that these events were prophesied by Joel. He went on to explain who Jesus was – that He did miracles, wonders, and signs, which they saw, but that He was also arrested and crucified, and the responsibility for this lay with them, though God was ultimately aware of and behind the plan for this to happen. Peter explained that God raised Jesus from the dead, because death could not keep its hold on Him, and He was exalted to the right hand of God. He added that he and the other disciples were witnesses of the resurrected Christ. The people were cut to the heart and asked what they should do. Peter told them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. And Acts tells us that about 3000 were added to their number that day.

The new believers joined the disciples in listening to their teaching, in fellowship, in breaking of bread, and in prayer. They gave freely of their possessions to those who had need. They praised God, and God continued to add to their number daily.

In Acts 3, Peter and John were going up to the temple to pray. Along the way, they came across a beggar who could not walk who asked them for money. Peter told him, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!” And the man, who had been lame since birth, was instantly healed and went with Peter and John to the temple courts, walking and jumping and praising God. A crowd ran to them, amazed at what they were seeing – the beggar was well known, and it was clear that they were witnessing a miracle.

Again, Peter spoke to the crowd. He explained that it was by their faith in Jesus that this man was healed. With similarities to his previous message, Peter explained that those who were listening were responsible for crucifying Jesus, and Jesus had indeed died, but God raised Him from the dead.  He also quoted multiple Old Testament passages that pointed to Christ.

This brings us to the start of today’s passage.

The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. – Acts 4:1-3

Now it was a different thing to proclaim this message at the Temple courts, at the busy time of prayer, than to proclaim it outside a house in Jerusalem. I want to talk a little about street preachers – not the stereotypical ones who focus solely on sin and only tell people they are going to hell, but the good ones – and yes, there are good ones – who, all around the world, yes, tell people that they are sinners, but also tell them about Jesus Christ. I watched a video of one such preacher who was proclaiming the gospel in England around the time of the death of the Queen, and in one instance, the police came and told him he had to move, because, although he was on a public sidewalk, a nearby store owner had complained. He had to stop preaching, and it took quite a long time in discussion with the police to understand the nature of the complaint, and what they wanted him to do. In another instance, he was proclaiming the gospel as large crowds of people were walking through the streets going toward a stadium in which a sporting event was soon to start. It was obvious that many of the men had been drinking. The preacher had several volunteers with him offering pamphlets explaining the gospel, and his pregnant wife was handling one of the cameras filming him. A presumably drunk man became very angry and strongly pushed his wife, apparently to try to get her to stop filming. The preacher stopped and, working hard to control his anger, told the man not to push his wife. The man had several friends, and they came to his aid and punched the preacher. The preacher ran from them, and they continued to pursue him. A large crowd was gathering, and the police came too. The men disappeared into the crowd, but the police focused on the preacher, questioning him for an extremely long time.

I see some similarities here – recall that it was 3 pm (the sixth hour) when they came up to the Temple area to pray, and now, it is suddenly evening. We don’t know exactly how much of that time Peter continued to preach, but I can imagine them detaining Peter and John, listening to various sides of what happened, and time moving on and on as they try to get to the bottom of everything, so that it was now evening.

You have here the priests, the captain of the temple guard, and Sadducees. None of them were happy about what is going on. The priests were upset because they thought they were done with this Jesus stuff when they conspired to have Him crucified. They hated anyone and anything that had anything to do with Jesus. He had repeatedly embarrassed them publicly, pointing out their hypocrisy and corruption. And His miracles and teachings and popularity threatened their honor standing among the people, their power, and seemingly their very roles. Possibly, if the crowd turned enough against them, their very lives might be in danger. The message of Peter was a direct threat to them, just as Jesus’ own messages were.

The temple guard were unhappy because the general peace was being threatened by this commotion, this crowd, this gathering. The Romans expected them to maintain order, and if they were unable to do so, they would send in their own people to do it. This would cause them not only to lose their roles, their jobs, but possibly their lives.

And then you have the Sadducees. They believed that there was no resurrection from the dead. Peter’s entire message hinged on the statement that Jesus had risen from the dead. If the crowds started believing him, they would no longer have any interest in or use of the Sadducees. Peter’s message was also a threat to their existence.

And so, I can picture multiple people shouting at once, each party trying to get their point in, and in the process dragging on until the sun was setting, with no resolution or even perhaps understanding of what the commotion was all about. And so discussion time was over. Peter and John were seized, and they were put in jail. They were the first believers in Christ to experience persecution in the church age, the age that began in Acts and continues to this day.

Jesus warned them that this would happen.

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. – John 15:18-19

If Peter had kept quiet and not preached the gospel to the crowds, he and John would not have been arrested. Peter, following the Spirit’s leading, addressed the crowds with the gospel. He and John had indeed been chosen by Jesus, chosen out of the world. At one time, the world “owned” them, as they belonged to the world. But no longer. Like the proverbial puppy in the window who is rescued and brought home by a loving new owner, Peter and John – and we – have a new owner that loves us infinitely more than our old owner ever did. And He paid the unthinkable price to take ownership – He paid with His life. We no longer belong to the world. And because of this, the world hates us too, especially so when we listen to the Holy Spirit and do what He wants us to do.   

Now, Peter and John were carried away, but Peter’s message had had a powerful effect. The Holy Spirit had affected many listeners.

But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand. – Acts 4:4

This is the number of men. As they went home to tell their wives and children, the total could have easily been 10,000 or more. This is the last time in Acts that any attempt is made to quantify the total number of believers, as the numbers continued to multiply, and counting became impossible.

The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family. They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?” – Acts 4:5-7

This was quite a collection. In fact, it was the group called the Sanhedrin. (This word is used later in today’s passage.) Who were the Sanhedrin? The Sanhedrin was the ruling council of the Jews, kind of like a supreme court. At this time it still had a lot of power, but its decisions could be overridden by Rome, and it had lost its ability to unilaterally declare a death sentence. We will see the Sanhedrin gather again against them in Acts 5, not just Peter and Paul, but all of the apostles.

Who were these characters? Annas was appointed as high priest by Quirinius, a Roman governor, around AD 6. But he was officially removed from this position in AD 15, by Valerius Gratus, a Roman officer in Judea. Yet, just like our presidents, he retained the title of high priest after he was removed, and he retained a great deal of power. Practically, if not officially, he kept many of the power benefits of being high priest. It is interesting how Luke refers to the situation in Luke 3:2: “During the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zecharaiah in the wilderness.” Caiaphas was the son-in-law of Annas. Really, a good way to think of their relationship was like an organized crime mob family. Annas may not have had the official position anymore, but in many ways, he was still the godfather. We see this at the time of Jesus’ arrest and trials. John 18:13 tells us that Jesus was bound and first brought to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was the high priest that year. So it is clear that Annas was really the person in charge. When Annas had finished interrogating Jesus, he sent Him to Caiaphas. These facts are backed up by Josephus, who tells us that after Caiaphas was removed, four more people from Annas’ family served as high priest, but each one was really controlled by Annas. In addition to this corrupt family, you have all of their friends, the “rulers, elders, and teachers of the law.” These are the same people who were so opposed to Jesus, who wanted to kill Him, and who, through their machinations, finally succeeded.

The location was likely their usual meeting place, which we know from Josephus was called the Hall of Hewn Stones, an interior place in the temple precincts. The stone seats were arranged so that the leader was on one side, the others were in a semicircle on the other, and the accused were placed in the middle. This arrangement was a form of psychological intimidation, psyops. Having no way to address everyone at the same time, a defendant is constantly off balance, at a disadvantage. The Greek in verse 7 implies this is the place, as literally, they were brought into their midst.

Imagine being Peter and John in this situation. How would you feel? Probably very fearful, overwhelmed. But Jesus had instructed them for such a day as this:

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On My account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. – Matthew 10:16-20

And so they were undoubtedly encouraged, not only by the memory of Jesus’ words, but by the Holy Spirit as well. The question, I’m sure spoken with a great deal of disdain, remained: “By what power or what name did you do this?” Note that the question admits that the miracle indeed happened, although they are loathe to call it a miracle.

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” – Acts 4:8-12

I am amazed by the degree of boldness exhibited here. I so love the wording. Peter’s use of the “if”, “If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame,” communicates incredulity at the situation. It is like saying, “Do I understand you here? Have you actually arrested us because of an act of kindness?” It is not a phrase designed to make friends. It is a way of shaming their interrogators, who I remind you were the most powerful Jewish people in the world at that time.

And then Peter doesn’t act like a politician and avoid the question or talk around it a long time. He is incredibly bold and to the point: “Then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Messiah of Nazareth.” He doesn’t just say Jesus of Nazareth. He calls Him the Messiah, which is what Christ means. But as amazingly bold as this is, he adds, “whom you crucified.” He has used this phrase twice before when talking to the crowds. But here, the “you” is truly the people he is addressing. Again, this is not how you should talk to the person who can ruin or even potentially end your life.

And Peter goes on, bringing what was amazingly good, gospel news, to those who had hearts ready to listen to the Spirit, “whom God raised from the dead.” But this was not good news to those listening, not good news at all. Did they believe it? No doubt they had heard rumors, of various appearances, including (according to I Corinthians 15) one where Jesus appeared to a crowd of more than 500 people. So how did they take this? I suspect with anger but also at least a little fear. If He had returned, if He had the emotions of a normal man, they were in real trouble.

But Peter does not tell them this to threaten them. He tells them this so that they would repent and believe in Him. Led by the Spirit, Peter quotes from Psalm 118:22 and encourages them to turn to Jesus for salvation.

There are multiple ironies in quoting from Psalm 118. The same Psalm says the following:

The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? The Lord is with me; He is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies. – Psalm 118:6-7

So appropriate for Peter and John at this moment! And:

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. – Psalm 118:8-9

Annas was surrounded by his powerful family and corrupted friends. But their power was nothing compared to the Lord. Which side was taking refuge in the Lord? Not Annas! And there is this:

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you. The Lord is God, and He has made His light shine on us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. – Psalm 118:26-27.

We know that “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” is what the crowds shouted as Jesus made His festal procession into Jerusalem. This Psalm has Jesus written all over it! And one more:

I will give You thanks, for You answered me; You have become my salvation. – Psalm 118:21

And this brings us back to Peter’s final bold words: Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.” – Acts 4:13-17

The healed man was standing there with them. Almost certainly, this means that he too was arrested and held overnight. I can just picture him there, taunting them, jumping around, giggling, wiggling his knees and hips, pointing to his legs and winking at them. I don’t know that any of this happened, but it is what I picture. In any case, he was there, standing, and not sitting. The healing hadn’t “worn off”. It wasn’t going to wear off.

Were they moved to repent? Not at all. This is despite their amazement at the boldness and eloquence of Peter. God is giving signs of His handiwork all around them, but they refuse to consider this possibility, to open their hearts to the reality of their great sin. Instead, what is their focus? To use a modern political phrase, damage control.

So what is their plan? To take them out entirely? No, these men are like superstars now, especially Peter. They have nothing against them, and the people see them as servants of God, which they are.

Instead, their plan is not-so-veiled threats, intimidation. Don’t do this, or else! What they pictured happening is that Peter and John would agree to get out of there. And from then on, they could have people constantly watch them, and let them know that they were being watched. Then, without a word even being said, Peter and John would be reminded of their situation, and keep quiet.

This kind of control is common in repressive governments. It goes on in many places today. It can be even more effective than torture, as sometimes, torture and release after a person confesses or agrees to stop what they were doing leads to the person feeling guilty for giving in, and that leads to them resolving to continue what they were doing, this time without any regard for their life. A person who has been tortured is also more likely to go to their friends who, seeing the marks of torture, love their friend and build him up. A person who has agreed to “behave” without any physical signs of torture is less likely to go to his friends, because, not only do they not want the authorities to know who their friends are, they also fear that maybe their friends won’t be supportive because there is no evidence that anything happened to them, and they may not understand why they caved in so easily. Satan can of course work hand in hand with persecutors in such situations, as he, the Accuser, can accuse them of this very thing, of being so weak; he can accuse them even if their friends do not, thereby keeping them in line.

Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to Him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old. – Acts 4:18-22

It's hard to believe that this is the same Peter that just a short while ago denied Jesus three times at even the hint of persecution. But this is Peter 2.0, Holy-Spirit-filled Peter. Was it necessary for John and Peter to respond in this provoking way? Couldn’t they have toned it down? I mean, they could have simply said yes, agreed to their terms. But that would be to lie, and they wouldn’t do that. That is not the “royal way.”

But they could have said something like, “We hear your warning. We understand what you are saying to us.” This would not be a lie. In my fleshly self, I can well imagine myself responding along these lines. But this was not how the Holy Spirit was leading them. Even then, the Holy Spirit wanted them to demonstrate the power of yielding to God, of living by faith in Jesus, both to encourage them one more time to repent, and to condemn them for their behavior if they did not.

“What is right in God’s eyes, to listen to you or to Him?” Peter, the man who had denied the Lord three times, was not going to deny Him a fourth. And John was never going to betray his Friend.

But what about the verses about obeying authority? Even Peter later wrote “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by Him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.” The answer is that we only obey the authority when his commands do not conflict with a higher command, a command from God. Daniel was commanded to bow down to an idol. What did he do? Not bow down. He was also commanded not to pray. What did he do? Pray.

When we are commanded to do something that violates the will of God, whom should we serve? Whom should we obey? God. Does God promise us that there won’t be consequences? No. The history of the church includes many, many martyrs. But there is a reward – an eternal reward that is beyond imagining.

The Sanhedrin tried to double down on their threats, but it had no effect on them. They considered more serious action, but with the healed man there, and the fact that people were praising God over this miracle, they – whose honor claim was that they knew God best – could take no action.

In our modern culture, few Christians take any action in which they could get in trouble for their faith; indeed, many Christians do not even let their co-workers know that they are believers at all. Even though they have never been brought in to the boss’ office, the fear of this possibly happening is enough for them to stay silent. This is the ultimate triumph of Satan, who certainly doesn’t want you out there sharing your faith or explaining the gospel. Even though very few people have had any sort of negative encounters with authority over their sharing their faith, they have heard stories, or think they have, and that is enough. Our very culture somehow is filled with this belief, even though other people share other personal beliefs and perspectives with others all the time.

A number of us in the church went to see the Jesus Revolution movie this past Tuesday. I highly recommend it, if you can stomach the rather awful ads before the movie starts. The movie focuses on the late 60s/early 70s when a revival began among the hippie culture. One reason I think this movement spread the way it did is that the hippies had already dropped out of society. They didn’t care what others thought of them. And so when their lives began to be changed by the gospel, by giving their lives to Jesus, they began to tell all their hippie friends and other young people all about it.

The Sanhedrin had hoped that the arrest and confrontation with Peter and John would cause them to be cautious, to care more about their position in society than the message they wanted to proclaim. Acts says that they referred to them as “unschooled” which was true because they had not followed any respectable rabbi. Instead, they had been with their non-conforming uncredentialed anti-establishment leader! How hippie-like! Like the hippies, Peter and John did not care about what the establishment told them to do at all. Indeed, as quote uncultured people from the backwater area of Galilee, identifiable by how they spoke and even by their clothing, they were perhaps constantly treated more like hippies than we might think. Filled with the Spirit of God, they really didn’t care what the “squares” thought of them. They were on a mission, a mission from God, to go and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that Jesus had commanded them. And so are we! And surely He is with us, always, to the very end of the age.