.. God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.” Acts of the Apostles 3:26 ESV
In addition to the tongues of fire, a lame man made to walk and the Apostles walking out of a locked prison without explanation, EVERYONE begins to see signs of the power of GOD at work though them. When reports of the deaths of two disciples of the Apostles reach the ears of Jerusalem, MANY fear what could happen as these signs and wonders continue.
12 Now many signs and wonders were done among the people through the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. None of the rest dared to join them, but the people held them in high esteem.
14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.
Signs and Wonders since Pentecost have already caused a stir in Jerusalem
parrēsia -all out-spokenness, i.e. frankness, bluntness, publicity; by implication, assurance:—bold confidence, × freely, × openly, × plainly
Jerusalem’s officials also fear the Apostles, not only because of their own wickedness, but since undeniable signs and wonders already performed in their midst in Herod’s temple threaten their tenuous political leadership of the temple..
from ACTS 5 – AFTER GOD STRUCK DOWN ANANIAS AND SAPHIRA
“Look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”
[Peter has convicted them of their complicity in Jesus’ Sacrifice on the Cross; however the Apostle had also stated that God the Father had allowed it AND that JESUS had been raised from the grave!]
But Peter and the apostles answered,
“We must obey God rather than men.
Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.
ACTS 4:30 NIV + Prayer of the Apostles
Signs and Wonders from GOD!
And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
ACTS 4:31 NKJV
ACTS 5:14 And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,
15 so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them.
16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem,
bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits,
and all of them were healed.
17 Then the high priest took action; he and all who were with him (that is, the sect of the Sadducees), being filled with jealousy, arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors, brought them out..
Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 As they left the council, they rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.
42 And every day in the temple and at home they did not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah.
ACTS 6: Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number..
7 The word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem,
and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.
So they arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.
But an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail during the night, brought them out..
Acts of the Apostles 5:18-19a – CSB
ACTS of Arrests witnessed by the Apostles
Politically motivated religious leaders of Jerusalem now begin to develop a dossier of accusations against Peter, John and the Apostles, because as disciples of the Messiah Jesus they boldly proclaim the Lord’s resurrection from His horrific death on a cross.
As they once again imprison the Apostles, let’s look back briefly at what Annas, Caiaphas and the ruling council of Jerusalem have on them. Herod’s palace records also add evidence.
Simon, a Galilean fisherman, aka Peter, had been a disciple of John the Baptist.
John baptized disciples, even JEWS, to REPENT about three years ago.
Herod had John the Baptizer beheaded.
Pharisees report that Simon and John were part of Jesus’ inner circle of Apostles.
The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling to His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?”
Gospel of Luke 5:30 NASB20
Simon Peter identified near Jesus’ trial
Witnessed just three months ago just prior to the Passover feast by a servant of the High Priest:
Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, “This man was also with Him.”
Gospel of Luke 22:55-56 NKJV
A Noteworthy Sermon from Solomon’s Portico
Just days ago the Sanhedrin, Jerusalem’s High Court, orders Peter NOT to say anything about Christ Jesus. Although Peter and John were arrested for preaching repentance, Jerusalem’s leaders released them from prison as a politically palatable concession to the crowds who had witnessed Peter healing a man lame from birth.
12 At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all together in Solomon’s portico…
And increasingly believers in the Lord, large numbers of men and women, were being added to their number, to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any of them. The people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together as well, bringing people who were sick or tormented with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed. But the high priest stood up, along with all his associates.. laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public prison.
Previously, the authorities brought Peter and John before the council, however on this occasion the Lord sends an angel to open their prison door!
and leading them out, he said,
“Go, stand and continue to speak to the people in the temple area all the words of the whole message of this Life.”
At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.
ACTS of the Apostles 5:21 NIV
(Of course, these same officials of Jerusalem’s political elite who had seized them believed that the Apostles were still imprisoned as before.)
Not just another day at the office
BIG political victory last evening. Those Apostles opposed to OUR LEADERSHIP of JEWISH JERUSALEM await OUR VERDICT of what to do with them.
(Or so they thought, as these religious officials arrived at work in a Jerusalem guarded by Roman centurions.)
ACTS 5:21b
Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.
But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported,
“We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.”
(REMEMBER their dilemma of JESUS’ EMPTY TOMB just a couple of months ago?)NOW what?
Who does this Galilean we arrested think he is?
Narrative of this private conversation is a speculative fiction behind the scenes in ACTS 5.
On that day when we arrested this Simon of Capernaum the first time what was it I said?
When we released him after he drew crowds to himself in the Portico of Solomon proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead, he challenged our very authority to hold or releasehim.
So when the others asked, “What are we to do with these men?”
I insisted, DO NOT release them to cause more trouble.
But when they couldn’t find cause to keep these men in prison I said, “You had better start a dossier on them, because we will just have to arrest them again.”
For this Simon Peter had confirmed my distrust when he answered:
“Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, make your own judgment; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
So I was all prepared to tell you, “I WARNED YOU about these men.”
But what’s this we hear now after having arrested these crowd-stirring Galileans again so soon? Listen to this new report as we assembled this morning:
The Captain of the Temple Guard’s Report
But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported,
“We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.”
ACTS of the Captain of the Temple Guard 5:22-23 NIV
Even though it seems impossible, these rabble-rousers must have escaped and run home to Galilee.
(Maybe not such a bad thing for us.)
NOW what do we do?
Now when the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them as to what would come of this.
25 But someone came and reported to them, “The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple area and teaching the people!”
The Apostles Now have Thousands of Disciples
And Peter, John and the others are preaching boldly as the Angel has commanded them to continue with the words of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as they return to preach in the Temple.
IT IS YET ANOTHER SIGN, not to be taken lightly by those who had seized them the previous day, throwing the Apostles into Prison.
26 Then the captain went along with the officers and proceeded to bring them back without violence (for they were afraid of the people, that they might be stoned).
(A riot against the capitol police? Roman soldiers in Jerusalem would certainly never condone such RAGE by any Jewish crowd throwing stones at Jerusalem’s politicized religious police.)
Would you, the arrested, convict US?
27 After they brought them in, they had them stand before the Sanhedrin, and [Caiaphas, or possibly Annas] the high priest asked,
“Didn’t we strictly order you not to teach in this name?
Look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”
[Peter had convicted them of their complicity in Jesus’ Sacrifice on the Cross; however the Apostle had also stated that God the Father had allowed it AND that JESUS had been raised from the grave!]
But Peter and the apostles answered,
“We must obey God rather than men.
30 The God [theos] of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you put to death by hanging Him on a cross. He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince [archēgos] and a Savior [sōtēr], to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
32 And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
GUILTY!
When they heard this, they were furious [diapriō – cut to the quick] and wanted to put them to death.
It is what we should have done the first time we jailed them.
WE know that these men have escaped, but HOW? Never-the-less, WE cannot allow them to continue to sway all of Jerusalem to become disciples of this JESUS we hung on a Roman cross just two months ago.
But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time.
Now as they observed the confidenceG3954 of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.
Acts of the Apostles 4:13 NASB20 – Reaction of the rulers and elders of the people to Peter preaching at Solomon’s Portico, filled with the Holy Spirit
Luke’s account of events in Jerusalem has already revealed boldness in the Apostles not seen before Pentecost.
(Of course if YOU had seen the RISEN Crucified Christ Jesus in His flesh and received the HOLY SPIRIT in Jerusalem’s upper room, YOU would have had some added confidence as well.)
Invite the Holy Spirit of God and Christ Jesus into your life; and then boldly ACT for Him.
The believers continue to lift their voices together with the Apostles to God:
30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
ACTS of the Believers in Jerusalem 4:31 NIV
Where will 21st. Century Christians find such BOLDNESS?
Christian confidenceseems hard to come by in this world opposed to GOD and Jesus Christ, doesn’t it?
The Apostles and many first century saints who became their disciples gained such boldness because they knew Jesus Christ personally.
And like us, first century believers receiving the Holy Spirit came to know Christ through the Holy Spirit. New believers met the Apostles as living witnesses, God’s anointed shepherds of Christ’s living Church.
ALL feared God and basked in the light of Christ’s grace and unfailing eternal love.
all out-spokenness, i.e. frankness, bluntness, publicity; by implication, assurance:—bold (X -ly, -ness, -ness of speech), confidence, × freely, × openly, × plainly(-ness).
freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech
openly, frankly, i.e. without concealment
without ambiguity or circumlocution
without the use of figures and comparisons
free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance
the deportment by which one becomes conspicuous or secures publicity
Conspicuous Confidence of Christian Witness
The fear of their Messiah in the flesh and blood always infected the multitudes who surrounded Jesus, along with recognition of God’s love in His Person.
The Apostle John tells us in his Gospel:
And there was a great deal of talk about Him in secret among the crowds: some were saying, “He is a good man”; others were saying, “No, on the contrary, He is misleading the people.”
However, no one was speaking openly [G3954] about Him, for fear of the Jews.
So some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is this man not the one whom they are seeking to kill? And yet look, He is speaking publicly [G3954] , and they are saying nothing to Him.
Gospel of John 7:12-13, 25-26a NASB + talk of JESUS at the Feast of the Booths in Jerusalem
And just two months earlier in Jerusalem, at Jesus’ trial (when Peter cowered secretly beyond the gaze of official witness by the powers that be who cross-examined Jesus):
The high priest then questioned Jesus about His disciples, and about His teaching.
Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly G3954 to the world; I always taught in synagogues and in the temple area, where all the Jews congregate; and I said nothing in secret.
This is Annas, the same High Priest who now recognizes Peter and John as Jesus’s Disciples.
More Miracles and Boldness
ACTS 2:2 And suddenly a noise like a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
2:3 And tongues that looked like fire appeared to them, distributing themselves, and a tongue rested on each one of them.
3:8 And leaping up, he stood and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them..
4:4 But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
4:13b-14 ..they [Annas, the High Priests and ruling Council] were amazed, and began to recognize them [Peter and John] as having been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply.
22 for the man on whom this miracle of healing had been performed was more than forty years old.
4:31 And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken,
and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.
4:33 And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,
and abundant grace was upon them all.
34-35 For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each to the extent that any had need.
A Witness of Grace by the saints
Five thousand disciples of the Apostles of Christ SPEAK the word of God with much BOLDNESS!
These confident new Christians share Christ’s love as a community of faith in Jerusalem SHARING all blessings of the Lord God as if their money is not their own, but solely the LORD’S. And the saints, disciples learning of Christ JESUS from the APOSTLES trusted them completely with EVERYTHING.
From his introduction to the church in Jerusalem in second account, next Luke will insert a caution to believers about NOT being ‘ALL IN.’ But for our conclusion noting these ACTS of BOLDNESS we will proceed just a little ahead in Luke’s list of signs and boldness of ALL.
Luke wrote ACTS of the Apostles about three decades after these signs in the Temple.
AD 44 Judaea is annexed as a Roman province after the death of Herod Agrippa.
Luke’s readers may not have seen the temple prior to it’s destruction.
Opposition to our Boldness
Many signs and wonders were being done among the people through the hands of the apostles. They were all together in Solomon’s Colonnade. No one else dared to join them, but the people spoke well of them.
Acts 5:12-13 CSB
The NASB states:
But none of the rest dared to associate with them
Acts 5:13A NASB20
‘WHY NOT,’ Luke’s readers must have wondered?
Do you ever feel like the crowds do NOT want to associate with you once you boldly claim faith in Jesus Christ?
14 Believers were added to the Lord in increasing numbers—multitudes of both men and women. As a result, they would carry the sick out into the streets and lay them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them.
ACTS 5:14-15 CSB
Luke tells us that these accompanying signs of miracles from God also occurred in towns surrounding Jerusalem as well.But of course, ALL of this had taken place prior to Rome completely eliminating any threat of these Judean Jews.
Luke then makes the opposition to Christian boldness in Jerusalem apparent to any now persecuted by Rome. Once again, the powers that be in JERUSALEM meet to reign in the boldness of these ‘Galileans.’
Their persecution of these BOLD opponents begins
Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.
They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.
ACTS of the Apostles 5:17-18 NIV
Arrested AGAIN!
To be continued...
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