Acts 4:1-22 Lesson 225

Acts 4:1-22
Lesson 225

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

Peter's second sermon ends (4:2).

Peter and John are arrested and brought before
the same Jewish council that condemned Jesus.

Should we obey God, or men (4:19)?

Peter and John are arrested.

By German engraver Johann Christoph Weigel (1654-1725).

Who was -

Annas -
The Jewish high priest for nine years (AD 6-15) until the Romans removed him from office. Many Jews resented Roman interference in their religious affairs and still considered Annas the rightful high priest. After being deposed, he continued to hold lesser positions (Acts 4:6), and four of his sons went on to become high priest after him. Jesus had His first hearing after being arrested before Annas. Annas' daughter married his successor, Joseph Caiaphas (John 18:13).

Caiaphas -
Joseph Caiaphas was the Jewish high priest appointed by Pontius Pilate's predecessor, the Roman governor of Judaea, Valerius Gratus. Caiaphas served as the leader of the Sanhedrin for eighteen years (AD 18-36). He plotted Jesus' arrest, illegally tried Him, and then pressured Pilate into crucifying Him. Later, he tried to cover up the resurrection (Matthew 28:11-15) and spent years persecuting Christians, including John and Peter (Acts 4:6-10). He was eventually removed from office by the Romans. What became of Caiaphas is unknown, although legend has it that he converted to Christianity.

Study Tip:

Apply passages to your life by asking yourself three questions.
Does this segment have instructions for me to follow?
Does it warn me of something to avoid?
What difference would it make in my life?

The Acts of the Apostles

The King James Bible

Acts 4:1-22
"A notable miracle hath been done."

1 And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them,

2 Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide.

4 Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.

5 And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes,

6 And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.

7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?

8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,

9 If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole;

10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

14 And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.

15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,

16 Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it.

17 But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.

18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.

19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.

20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

21 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done.

22 For the man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was shewed.

Margin notes:

"The captain of the temple." (4:1) - "The head of temple security."

"Sadducees." (4:1) - One of four Jewish sects (along with the Pharisees, Zealots, and the Essenes).  Mostly well educated, upper class, and aristocratic, the Sadducees wielded considerable political power due to their wealth. Although smaller in number than the Pharisees, they were more worldly and held a majority of the seats in the council of elders (the Sanhedrin).  The Sadducees only believed in the first five books of the Old Testament (the Pentateuch) and rejected the traditions of the Pharisees.  They mocked the Pharisees' burdensome rules. Unlike the Pharisees, they believed that souls died with the person and
denied such things as the resurrection of the body (Matthew 22:23; Mark 12:18; Luke 20:27), eternal punishment or reward, and the existence of angels, demons, and spirits (Acts 23:8).  Time and again, the Sadducees cast aside their religious beliefs to curry favor with the Roman occupiers. The Sadducees and Pharisees normally distrusted each other but came together to plot against Jesus (Matthew 22:34). The Sadducees vanished forever when the Roman army destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70.

"Grieved that they taught the people." (4:2) - The Sadducees were upset with Peter and John for teaching the resurrection. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead (Acts 23:8).

"They laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide." (4:3) - "They arrested them and because it was already evening they held them in jail until the next day." This was not the last time the apostles were arrested (5:17-18).

"Many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand." (4:4) - Five thousand converts in Jerusalem out of a population of two hundred thousand, not a bad beginning.
"Rulers, and elders, and scribes." (4:5) - The rulers were the chief priests, the elders were the lay leaders, and the scribes (usually Pharisees) interpreted Mosaic law, taught Judaism, and helped settle religious arguments.

"Kindred of the high priest." (4:6) - "Relatives of the high priest." Even the high priest's family wanted to see what would happen.

"By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?" (4:7) - The chief priests and elders asked Jesus the same question in Matthew 21:23 and Luke 20:2.

"Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost." (4:8) - As Jesus promised in Mark 13:11 and Luke 12:11-12.

"If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man" (4:9) - "Are we being questioned today because of the good deed we did for the crippled man?"

"This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner." (4:11) - "This is the stone (Jesus), rejected by the builders, which has become the cornerstone." Peter is paraphrasing Psalm 118:22, which tells us that although Jesus was rejected and crucified, He became the cornerstone of Christianity (Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10; 1 Peter 2:7).

"They saw the boldness of Peter." (4:13) - This is the same Peter who denied knowing Jesus just a few weeks earlier (John 18:27).

"They marvelled; and they took knowledge of them." (4:13) - "They were amazed and took notice of them." Again, the priests were in awe of Peter and John. These two "unlearned and ignorant men" appeared wise because the Holy Spirit talked through them (Mark 13:11).

"The man which was healed standing with them." (4:14) - The Sadducees saw the once crippled man standing in front of them. How could they condemn Peter and John with such proof before them?

"To go aside out." (4:15) - "To leave." The Sadducees ordered Peter and John out of the council while they decided what to do with them.

"The council." (4:15) - Refers to the Sanhedrin, the Jewish high court.  The Sanhedrin was a powerful religious, and political committee comprised of seventy chief priests, elders, scribes, and other religious leaders (Matthew 26:3; 26:59; Mark 14:53) headed by the high priest. They settled religious disputes and handled matters pertaining to Judaism.  The Sanhedrin was given far-ranging authority by the Roman occupiers and had a police force. But because they had abused their power and executed people friendly to Rome on trumped-up charges, they were no longer allowed to issue the death penalty (John 18:31). For that, they needed the Romans. The Sanhedrin disappeared after the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.

"Indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all." (4:16) - "It's obvious to all that a note worthy miracle has been performed." The Jewish leaders never denied that Peter and John performed a miracle.

"Let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name." (4:17) - "Let us severely threaten them so they don't talk in Jesus' name again."

"Commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus." (4:18) - "Ordered them not to teach or speak in the name of Jesus again." The apostles didn't heed the warning. They will be warned again, and beaten (Acts 5:40).

"Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye." (4:19) - "Is it right in the eyes of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge." This was not the only time Peter told the Sanhedrin that he would obey God, and not them (Acts 5:29).

New Living Translation

Acts 4:1-22
Peter and John before the Council

1 While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they were confronted by the priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and some of the Sadducees.

2 These leaders were very disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people that through Jesus there is a resurrection of the dead.

3 They arrested them and, since it was already evening, put them in jail until morning.

4 But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so the number of believers now totaled about 5,000 men, not counting women and children.

5 The next day the council of all the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law met in Jerusalem.

6 Annas the high priest was there, along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other relatives of the high priest.

7 They brought in the two disciples and demanded, "By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?"

8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers and elders of our people,

9 are we being questioned today because we've done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed?

10 Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead.

11 For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says,

'The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.'

12 There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved."

13 The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.

14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say.

15 So they ordered Peter and John out of the council chamber and conferred among themselves.

16 "What should we do with these men?" they asked each other. "We can't deny that they have performed a miraculous sign, and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it.

17 But to keep them from spreading their propaganda any further, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus' name again."

18 So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus.

19 But Peter and John replied, "Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him?

20 We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard."

21 The council then threatened them further, but they finally let them go because they didn't know how to punish them without starting a riot. For everyone was praising God

22 for this miraculous sign-the healing of a man who had been lame for more than forty years.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's Question:

1. Are these the same Annas and Caiaphas who condemned Jesus? (4:6)

Righteousness is not found by keeping the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. Yes, as leaders of the Sanhedrin (Jewish council), Annas and Caiaphas decided it was "expedient" for them to sacrifice Christ on the cross (John 11:49-51). But instead of ridding themselves of their problem, they made it worse. Less than two months after the crucifixion, Jesus' followers were performing miracles and preaching the same holy message. Christianity was growing (4:4), and the Sanhedrin couldn't crucify all believers! So once again, they arrested and questioned those they perceived as dangerous.

The questions the Sanhedrin put to Peter and John (4:7) are eerily similar to the ones the chief priests and scribes asked Jesus (Mark 11:28). With the help of the Holy Ghost (4:8), the two apostles didn't succumb to threats (4:21) and easily handled the hostile questions.

Application thought for the day:

The Sanhedrin marveled at what Jesus had done for Peter and John, two ordinary men (4:13).
Think of ways to apply Christian teachings into your life.
If you follow Jesus' guidance, people will be amazed at the changes in you, too.

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Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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