Good morning,

We are on a journey through the book of Acts in a sermon series called “You will be My witnesses”. Last week we examined Acts 5:17-21a. All of the sermons for this series are available at our website if you’d like to get caught up. At this point in the biblical narrative, the apostles’ had been thrown into the public prison for disobeying the Sanhedrin by continuing to preach in the name of Jesus. But an angel of the Lord freed them in the middle of the night so that they could go back to the temple and start preaching again. The Sanhedrin was, however, unaware of their release. This morning we will look at what happened next in Acts 5:21b-33.

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Verse

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.

Commentary

The next morning the High Priest, Caiaphas, arrived at the Hall of Hewn Stone with his entourage. From there he sent message to the members of the Sanhedrin to gather to discuss how to deal with the apostles who disobeyed a direct order not to teach in the name of Jesus. When all the members of the Sanhedrin were present, including the senate members who were the elders of the nation of Israel, the high priest called for the apostles to be brought before them to explain their actions. The high priest sent officers which were Levites of temple police to the Public Prison to bring the apostles back. I said this before but at this point the high priest was unaware of the apostle’s angelic escape. He thought that they were still huddled together in a prison cell with Israel’s most wanted. He had no idea that they were actually back at Solomon’s Portico teaching in the name of Jesus. Look at what happened when the officers arrived at the prison to get the apostles. Look at verse 22:

Verse

22 But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported,

Commentary

Prisons in those days were usually fashioned from natural or man-made caves on along hillsides.

The prison mentioned in our text was known as the Public Prison which means that it was probably different from the others. The title “Public” denotes that this prison may have been set in a public setting where regular citizens passed by. This means that the prisoners would’ve been, to some degree, on display. Maybe like animals at a zoo. When the officers arrived at the prison they entered but could not find the apostles anywhere.

The text says that “they did not find them in the prison”. This means that the officers searched the entire complex. They looked everywhere making sure that the apostles had not been moved to another part. But a thorough search turned up nothing and they were forced to return the Sanhedrin empty handed. When they arrived at the Hall of Hewn Stone, they reported the news. Look at verse 23:

Verse

23 “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.”

Commentary

Back at the prison, everything was just as it should’ve been with the exception of the missing apostles. The doors were shut, locked, and showed no signs of being tampered with. There were also two correctional guards at the entrance. The text says they were “standing” which means that they were upright and awake rather than sitting or lying down asleep. They then told the Sanhedrin that after being let in, they found no one inside. The apostles were gone. Look at verse 24:

Verse

24 Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to.

Commentary

When the captain of the temple police and the chief priests heard the report, they were greatly perplexed. The Greek root for perplexed is diaporeō which means to be at a loss for words. The religious leaders had become dumbfounded or confused to the point of utter speechlessness. All they could do is shrug their shoulders and put their hands up. They then began to wonder what would happen next. John MacArthur gave great commentary on this verse.

John MacArthur

“Already at their wits end as to how to stop the spread of Christianity, the harried Jewish authorities wondered what was going to happen next. As their efforts proved futile, their panic and alarm mounted. The apostles were openly flaunting their authority.

They were powerless to stop the spread of what to them was the worst heresy imaginable and the greatest threat to their own credibility. People from all over the region were thronging Jerusalem to witness firsthand the miracles done by the apostles---miracles the Sanhedrin still refused to believe.”

Look at what happened next. Look at verse 25:

Verse

25 And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.”

Commentary

At the moment of their deliberation, someone came and reported how the apostles had escaped and then returned to teaching in Solomon’s Portico. The messenger led the religious leaders out of their meeting place and then pointed to the apostles who were in the distance. The messenger appears to have been a bit of an antagonist because of the way he informed them. He said (paraphrased):

“Look! Those men that you arrested and put in prison yesterday escaped and are back at Solomon’s Portico defying you as we speak!”

Apparently this guy disliked Jesus and the church too! Look at verse 26 to see how they responded to the messenger’s words.

Verse

26 Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.

Commentary

The Sanhedrin sent the chief of the temple police with officers to Solomon’s Portico to retrieve the apostles. The text says that they chose not to take them by force because they were afraid that the common people would pick up rocks and hurl them at them. The apostles were pretty well liked by the citizens of Jerusalem and the surrounding towns because they were ministering to the people in ways that the Sanhedrin never did and never could. They possessed miraculous powers and healed people from all their sicknesses. They exorcised demons and unclean spirits. They preached a message of hope and forgiveness in Christ Jesus, the gospel. These were desperate times in Israel. The Roman occupation combined with the empty promises made by the wealthy aristocratic religious leaders drove the people to the point of desperation and hopelessness.

The Sanhedrin had no message of hope or miraculous powers. They preached works righteousness. Do these things and you will be favored and blessed.

Obey our rules and you will be saved and secured. People with unclean spirits and infectious diseases were marginalized and sometimes banned from society. Those who were caught in open sin were shamed, condemned, and sometimes put to death. Bottom line: The message and works of the Sanhedrin were very much the opposite of that of the apostles and the people were experiencing the difference and then switching sides in droves. Well, the Sanhedrin may have been spiritually lost but they weren’t dumb. They knew that treating the apostles harshly in a public setting could cause a revolt so they had them escorted to the Hall of Hewn Stone peaceably. Look at verses 27-28:

Verse

27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us.”

Commentary

Verse 27 shows us that the apostles submitted to their request by coming with them to the Hall of Hewn Stone. They knew that their lives were in danger and yet showed no resistance what-so-ever. Why, because they knew that God controlled their circumstances. Their attitude was this:

“If God brings us home to heaven through the actions of the Sanhedrin, so be it. If God delivers us from their hands so that we may continue the ministry, so be it.”

The high priest, Caiaphas, questioned and reminded the apostles of the warning that they had previously received. “We told you guys not to teach in the name of Jesus again and yet you have filled all of Jerusalem with your teaching, you intend to bring this man’s blood on us.” The religious leaders thought that the purpose of the apostles teaching was to turn the public against them for murdering Jesus. They thought that they were seeking to make the public aware of their blood guilt. They misunderstood what the apostles were actually trying to do. The apostles were not trying to turn the public against the religious leaders by pointing out their responsibility in the death of Jesus. They were not trying to publicize their blood guilt. They were not seeking to have them condemned because they knew that they already stood condemned. The apostles wanted the religious leaders to be covered and cleansed by the blood of Jesus, not condemned by it. This is why Peter and John pointed out their sin and called for them to repent and believe in Acts 4:10-12.

Our mission is not to judge and condemn those who are outside of Jesus. We must remember that people already stand condemned (John 3:18). Our mission is to speak the truth about our fallen condition to others in love and to offer them the remedy which is the gospel. The gospel is the good news that Jesus has won and secured victory over sin, death, and Satan for sinners.

And that that victory can become a personal reality for any and all who turn from their sin and place their faith and trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ. That was the mission of the apostles and the early church and it is the mission of Redemption Hill.

Peter and the apostles then gave the religious leaders an explanation for their actions. Look at verse 29:

Verse

29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.

Commentary

Paraphrased, “God is the One who told us to do what we’ve been doing and we must obey Him rather than you.” Jesus had said this to them earlier:

Luke 24:46-48

“Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance andforgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

The apostles were doing exactly what the Lord commanded. They were proclaiming in Jerusalem that repentance and forgiveness of sins was available in the name of Jesus, the resurrected Lord and Savior. Another way to phrase the apostles’ words here, “We’re doing what God told us to do and you’re resisting God by trying to stop us.” This is the second time the apostles pointed this out to the Sanhedrin. The first time was back in Acts 4:19-20. The apostles then sought to reinforce that point by making a series of bold statements.

Let’s look at each of them. Look at verse 30:

Verse

30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.

Commentary

The apostles declared (paraphrased),

“You opposed God by rejecting and hanging Israel’s Messiah on a tree, but the God of our fathers, Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac, raised Him from the dead.”

This is the second time the Sanhedrin had been told this by the apostles. Last time it was Peter and John in Acts 4:10. The language here is a little different from before. In 4:10 Peter said they “Crucified Jesus” and here they used the term “Hanging Him on a tree.” There is no doubt the apostles had Deuteronomy 21:23 in mind. It says, “Anyone hung on a tree is cursed.” Crucifixion was the worst possible punishment for a capital offense. It was reserved for the worst of the worst. It was a humiliating and excruciating death. The end came slowly by suffocation as the person’s upper torso began to fold in against the lungs.

Victims spent their final moments trying to straighten up their bodies by balancing their weight on the nails through their ankles so that they could gasp for air.

The apostles used the phrase “Hanging Him on a tree” to paint a graphic visual for their hearers. They then contrasted the graphic death of Jesus with the glorious resurrection of Jesus. Paraphrased “You cursed Jesus to death on a tree, but the God of our fathers raised Him up in glory!” “You cursed Him, but God blessed Him.” Look at verse 31:

Verse

31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

Commentary

The one that they cursed by nailing to a tree, was not only raised by God, but He was exalted by God and put at His right hand as Leader and Savior. That is precisely what God the Father did for His Son after His ascension. The apostles repeated themselves here as well.

Acts 2:33

Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God.

Acts 4:12

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among menby which we must be saved.”

In verse 31 of our passage they added the title “Leader”. Leader is arch�"gos in the original language and it means initiator or pioneer. The term is applied to Jesus in Acts 3:15, the Arch�"gos or Author of Life. The ancient Greek’s gave this title to Mythological heroes, like Athena, the goddess of wisdom, war, and art, who supposedly founded or pioneered the city of Athens. God exalted and installed Jesus at His right hand as Leader Savior to do what? Look at the end of 31: “give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.”

Look at verse 32:

Verse

32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Commentary

The apostles’ claims to be witnesses to and proclaimers of the momentous events of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection were never disputed by their opponents. And not only were they witnesses, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey. Two interesting points are made here.

First, the saved are described as those who obey Him. The saved are characterized by obedience in God (Rom 1:5; Heb 5:9), which is synonymous with saving faith. Obey is not a generalized verb in the original language. It means to ‘obey one in authority’. Salvation is surrendering in obedience to the authority of Jesus Christ as Lord.

Second, the Holy Spirit is given to every saved person at salvation (Acts 2:4; Rom 8:9; 1 Cor 6:19, 20; 12:13).

So Peter makes obeying God and the gift of the Holy Spirit synonymous with saving faith. Let’s do a little recap before we hit verse 33. Up to this point the Sanhedrin believed that the apostles had committed at least four offenses against them.

1. They denied their doctrine by proclaiming the resurrection.

2. They defied their authority by preaching in the name of Jesus after they had ordered them to stop.

3. They threatened their power, influence, dominance over the people by winning large numbers of converts.

4. They assaulted their spirituality by charging them with the murder of Israel’s Messiah, Jesus.

The small sermon that the apostles’ preached in verses 29-32 became the tipping point. Look at how the religious leaders responded. Look at our last verse, verse 33:

Verse

33 When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.

Commentary

The religious leaders had had enough. Filled with rage they desired to kill and eliminate the troubling apostles’. Convicting preaching will inevitably provoke a violent reaction from those hardened in sin. When the religious leaders heard the apostles’ bold presentation, they heard it as blasphemy and became enraged. Diapriō (enraged) appears only here and in Acts 7:54. It literally refers to cutting something in two. Instead of yielding to the truth, the Sanhedrin hardened their hearts. As they had done to Jesus in spite of the abundant evidence, they rejected the apostles’ teaching and violently opposed them as blasphemers.

The apostle Paul would later face the same reaction. Acts 9:22-23 records that after his conversion he “kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ. And when days had elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him.”

I have some ending thoughts for us.

Our gospel presentations must be definitive enough that the world must take note, even if they reject our message. If the gospel we preach is not convicting enough to make some men angry, how can it be convicting enough to bring them to true salvation? Many pulpiteers offer salvation in Jesus for reasons that fall way short of the biblical rationale. Rarely are things like sin, depravity, helplessness, rescue, or hell mentioned. What you will here are these kinds of invitations:

Believe in Jesus so you can experience peace.

Believe in Jesus so you can have healthier relationships.

Believe in Jesus so you can be healed from your physical and emotional ailments.

Believe in Jesus so you can become a better person.

Believe in Jesus so you can become a moral person.

Believe in Jesus so you can become a religious person.

Believe in Jesus so you can become a better parent.

Believe in Jesus so you can become a loving neighbor.

Believe in Jesus so you can become a compassionate person.

Believe in Jesus so you can become a better employee.

Believe in Jesus so you can have your best life now.

The question I have for us is this:

What message are we sharing with those around us? Are we offering them the American gospel which is nothing more than moral therapy? Are we presenting Jesus as a helpmate who desires to improve our existing lives? A Jesus who desires to fix all our problems, and give us self-esteem, and relational satisfaction, and health, and money, and possessions, and the world wrapped around our finger tips?

The world loves that gospel. Why, because it allows people to add Jesus to their lives and remain in their sin which is what they love.

The only people that are offended by that gospel are biblical Christians and the Trinity. Friends, our message must be biblical. Jesus came as the Redeemer who lived a perfect law abiding life, died a horrific death on a cross to make atonement for sin, He was buried, and He rose on the third day defeating death and the devil. Why? To secure life and salvation for lost sinners.

What is necessary to obtain the glorious work of the Redeemer? Repentance and faith. There is no salvation apart from these two together.

Those who seek to be saved apart from dropping their life of sin, will not be saved. Biblical Salvation is new life that begins through new birth. Jesus called it “Being born of Spirit and born again”. A gospel presentation that lacks a forfeiture of one’s life of sin for a new life in Christ Jesus is a gospel presentation that does not meet biblical criteria.

Jesus said,

“For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

May we commit ourselves to preaching not for life change, but for life trade. That was the gospel that Jesus and the apostles boldly declared. May we, as a church, commit ourselves to proclaiming it as well. And may we trust that God controls our circumstances and know that whatever comes our way has already passed through His loving hands. May we be bold and fearless as we march forward to take the Truth into our community. Remember the words of Jesus my friends,

“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”