[Alumni Bible Study] Acts 4:1-22

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Steve Killam TMTL

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Sep 15, 2010, 10:50:06 AM9/15/10

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Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen

Acts 4:1-22 (New International Version)

Acts 4

Peter and John Before the Sanhedrin

¹The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. ²They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. ³They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. ⁴But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand. ⁵The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. ⁶Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest's family. ⁷They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?"
⁸Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! ⁹If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, ¹⁰then 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. ¹¹He is
" 'the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the capstone.' ¹²Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
¹³When 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. ¹⁴But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. ¹⁵So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. ¹⁶"What are we going to do with these men?" they asked. "Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name."
¹⁸Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. ²⁰For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."
²¹After 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. ²²For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.

The apostles are causing trouble. Here is the issue: not only did they heal the lame man using the power of Jesus Christ (v.3:6) but the man followed Peter and John into church, and jumped and praised. Can you imagine that? Jumping and praising during prayer time? Obviously something had to be done. Okay, I am being a tad satirical here, but the priests and leaders of the temple had just gone through the troubles Jesus himself caused, now it looked like His followers were not being submissive.
They arrested Peter and John, (but curiously let the former lame man go,) to try and intimidate them. Instead of cowering, the apostles grew bolder. When asked by what power they healed the man Peter quoted scripture. He also tied Jesus to Abraham and Issac, giving their work validity in the eyes of the people. Peter and John were considered uneducated by the priests, (actually a better term would be "ignorant",) but they still understood prophesy and scripture. That could be a problem.
The rulers would release the two apostles, under the condition that they stopped spreading the news about Jesus. Peter and John were not interested in conditions, and basically left anyway. Bold.

Questions:
1. Why were Peter and John arrested?
2. What defense did they give for the day before?
3. Did this arrest and questioning of Peter and John go the way the leaders of the temple thought it would go? Why not?

Prayer- Lord, help us be bold. Help us spread the good news of Your Son, Jesus. Give us strength and wisdom to be modern apostles. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.