What I Noticed Today (Acts 4-6)
Acts 4
In verses 1-4, Peter, John, and the healed man were arrested while Peter was still speaking in Solomon’s Colonnade (Acts 3:11-26). The temple police, the priests, and the Sadducees arrested them because they were preaching the resurrection of the dead using Jesus as an example.
Note: Many of the priests were Sadducees. The Sadducees did not believe in bodily resurrection, angels, or spirits. They also only accepted the Pentateuch (the first 5 books of the Bible).
The number of men who believed that day was about 5,000.
In verses 5-12, the next morning, the Jewish rulers, elders, scribes, Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John and Alexander, and the high priestly family members came together in Jerusalem. They brought Peter and John forward and demanded to know by what power or name have you done this.
Note: We don’t know anything about the John, and Alexander mentioned among the group who questioned Peter and John.
The power of the Holy Spirit came over Peter, and he testified the healing of the man who had been lame came through the name of Jesus Christ, whom they had crucified, who was raised from the dead. He quoted Psalm 118:22, noting they had rejected the stone that became the capstone. Salvation comes only through His name. There is no other name under heaven that can save.
In verses 13-22, The authorities were astonished that Peter and John, who they considered unschooled, could speak with such courage. They ordered them to leave, and the Sanhedrin conferred among themselves. They could not deny the miracle, so they called Peter and John back and told them not to preach or teach in the name of Jesus. Peter and John said they must obey God rather than the religious authorities. After threatening them some more, they released them. They were afraid to punish them because the people in the crowd were giving glory to God for the miracle.
After they were released in verses 23-31, Peter and John returned to their people and reported what had happened. They realized the prophecy of their persecution spoken of by David was being fulfilled (Psalm 2:1-2).
Note: There are parallels between verses 25-26 and 27: nations (v. 25) = Gentiles v. 27), people (v. 25) = people of Israel (v. 27), kings (v. 26) = Herod (v. 27), rulers (v. 26) = Herod (v. 27).
Peter and John prayed for God’s power and the ability to heal and perform other signs in Jesus’ name. When they finished praying, the place where they were, shook, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking God’s message boldly.
In verses 33-37, the believers were of one heart and mind and shared what they had with each other. There were no needy among them because people sold possessions and gave the money to the apostles who distributed it to those in need. Barnabas, a Levite from Cypriot, sold a piece of land and gave the money to the apostles.
Note: Luke introduced Barnabas and his actions in verses 36-37 as a contrast to Ananias and Sapphira in Luke 5:1-10. Also, Levites were prohibited from owning land in Israel, so the presumption is the land he owned and sold was outside of Israel, probably his property in Cyprus. Another possibility is simply that the restriction of Numbers 18:20-24 was no longer being observed.
Acts 5
In verses 1-11, Ananias and Sapphira sold a piece of property and conspired to keep a portion of the proceeds and give the rest to the apostles. Peter asked Ananias why he lied when he said this was the entire proceeds from the sale. Ananias dropped dead on the spot, and men came to wrap his body and carry it away to be buried. Three hours later, Sapphira came and also lied, saying this was the full amount of the sale. She also dropped dead instantly and was carried out to be buried next to her husband. Great fear came on the whole church who heard about this.
Note: This passage reveals God’s immediate punishment for sin, in this case, for lying. The act of donating the proceeds was voluntary. There was no reason to lie about what they gave. They lied to man, but the greater sin was in lying to God.
Note: This is the first mention of the “church” (v. 11), referring to the universal body of believers.
In verses 12-16, many signs and wonders were being done as the apostles gathered regularly at Solomon’s Colonnade. People brought their sick to be healed just by being near Peter. Large numbers of men and women became believers.
In verses 17-21a, the high priest and the Sadducees arrested the apostles out of jealousy. But an angel of the Lord came and opened the door of the jail and told them to go to the temple complex and preach. So they did.
Note: This is the first of three jail miracles recorded by Luke (See also Luke 12:6-10, and Luke 16:26-27).
In verses 21b-32, the next morning, the high priests and the Sanhedrin met to conduct a trial of the apostles. They called for them to be brought from their jail cell, but they were not there. Someone told them the men you arrested are in the temple courts teaching. So they sent the temple police to get the apostles and bring them before the court. The high priest said, did we not tell you not to preach in this man’s name.
Note: The high priest usually referred to Jesus as “this man” rather than using His name.
Peter and the apostles said we must obey God rather than men. God raised up Jesus, whom you murdered, and exalted Him to His right hand as Savior over Israel with the power to forgive sin. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit.
Note: Testimony in a Jewish court was validated based on two witnesses. The apostles are testifying that what they said is true, and so is the Holy Spirit.
In verses 33-42, the priests and Sanhedrin wanted to put the apostles to death when they heard this. But a man named Gamaliel excused the apostles and spoke to the court, saying they should be careful what they did. If this preaching were of men, it would die away soon enough, but if this were indeed from God, they would be fighting against God. Based on this, they had the apostles brought in, flogged, ordered them again not to preach about Jesus, and released them.
The apostles left joyful that they had been worthy of being dishonored in Jesus’ name, and they continued to teach every day in the temple complex and in homes that Jesus is the Messiah.
Acts 6
In verses 1-7, as the number of disciples continued to grow, the Hellenistic Jews complained that their widows were being overlooked by the Hebraic Jews in their daily distribution.
Note: The Hellenistic (Grecian) Jews were likely Gentile proselytes who became Christians. The Hebraic Jews were natives of Israel who had become Christians. The Hellenistic Jews spoke Greek and their native tongues. The Hebraic Jews spoke Aramaic and Greek. The Hebraic Jews were ignoring the needs of the Hellenistic Jews.
The apostles called the disciples together and said they must continue to preach. So seven men full of wisdom and the Spirit were to be selected to oversee and administer the daily distribution. They chose Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas. The apostles laid their hands on the men and prayed over them, commissioning for their service.
Note: Based on their names, most of these men were Greek-speaking Jews which should have dealt with the complaints about the fairness of the distribution to the needy.
Note: There are three common interpretations of verses 1-7:
- These were the first deacons. The conclusion is based on words similar to the word for deacon (diakonos) that appear in the passage: diakonia (distribution or service) and deakonein (to wait).
- These are precursors to the office of deacon or elder. The conclusion is based on Luke 11:30, where deacons handled funds.
- These are temporary positions created to fulfill a specific need.
In verses 8-15, Stephen performed many signs and wonders and was full of grace and power. Men from the Freedmen’s Synagogue came forward to debate Stephen, but they were unable to dispute his wisdom which came from the Holy Spirit.
These men arranged for some men to testify that Stephen had blasphemed Moses and God to the point that they dragged Stephen off to appear before the Sanhedrin. They accused him again of speaking blasphemy against the temple (the holy place) and the law because he said that Jesus would destroy this place and change the customs handed down by Moses. As the court looked down on Stephen, he had the appearance of an angel.
Some thoughts for additional consideration:
- The religious leaders attempted to stop Jesus’ message by crucifying Him and rejecting Him through their persecution of the apostles.
- Barnabas’ gift stands in stark contrast to the gift of Ananias and Sapphira. The difference lay in their heart and their motives.
- We are each called to do specific work in the kingdom. The apostles recognized this and continued to do what God called them to do while making sure others were appointed to do other necessary work.
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.
