Chapter 4 starts with Peter and John speaking to the people. They were confronted by the religious leaders who were disturbed by their teaching that resurrection of the dead was available through Jesus. As was the religious leaders' approach, they arrested Peter and John and put them in jail overnight.
Even though the religious leaders took Peter and John away, many people believed their message and the group of believers again grew now to 5,000 men, not counting women and children.
It strikes me that we can learn from this. Continuing to teach and speak the truth of what is available in Jesus cannot be stopped. Even though Peter and John were removed, people still believed because the truth had been taught and once out there, the Holy Spirit grew the people’s faith and belief.
The next day, the powerful and highly educated, religious counsel had the uneducated fisherman, Peter and John brought before them. Those on the counsel were Annas, Caiaphas (who was Annas' son in law), John, Alexander, and other relatives of Annas who was the high priest. Do these names ring a bell? This was some of the counsel that had Jesus put on trial. The council did everything it could to rid the world of Jesus and His teaching and was now confronted with the fact that even though Jesus was not around because He had ascended to heaven, His teachings and followers continued sharing His message.
The leaders didn't question their message, they questioned by what authority they taught the things they were teaching. Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, replied and asked them why they had been brought before them. He asked if they were there because they had done a good thing in healing the lame man. Peter again questioned them by asking them if they wanted to know how the man had been healed. He went on to declare the man was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene. Peter added, kind of an “oh by the way” it was the same Jesus you had crucified. The same Jesus God rose from the dead. And even more, Peter said it was this very same Jesus who is referred to in the Scriptures and quoted Psalm 118:22, “The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.” That scripture was a prophesy and I believe it refers to Jesus being rejected by the builders (the religious leaders often referred to themselves as the “Builders of Israel”) and despite that rejection, He has become the cornerstone of truth upon which all will be built.
Immediately after that, Peter said, “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
It is interesting that Peter just quoted Psalms about how the rejected stone has now become the cornerstone. I find it to be an amazing thing if we apply what Peter said.
What if we blend the two comments making a statement for our time? The truth so many of you have rejected, that there is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved, has now become the cornerstone of all things even unto eternity. In a sense it is true. The truth of Christ and who He is has been rejected over and over again for thousands of years. But rejected as it has been, it remains the only truth by which we can have life eternal. That truth is the cornerstone of our faith, our hope, and our eternal future.
His comments amazed the council in that they were so wise for unlearned men. They also realized Peter and John had been with Jesus. There was nothing more they could do because they saw the healed man standing before them. They ordered Peter and John out of the chambers so they could deliberate. They could not deny the miraculous sign they had done and all Jerusalem knew about it but they wanted them to stop teaching about Jesus. They brought them back in and ordered them to stop speaking and teaching in the name of Jesus.
Peter and John responded by saying, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than Him?” They then told the leaders they could not do what they asked. The council threatened them more but finally let them go. They had no idea how to punish them without starting a riot for the gathering was praising God for the miracle of healing the man who had been lame for 40 years.
If we notice, the only way the religious leaders handled such things was through intimidation, punishment, and pain. They were unable to lead by truth and love, the things Jesus promoted. Such responses to the teaching and speaking of Jesus are in play to this day. Attempts are continually being made to quiet believers down and to erase the name of Jesus by those who don’t believe. Such attempts have been tried for a couple thousand years and Jesus' name has not gone away. You would think they would realize He is here to stay.
Once freed, Peter and John met with the other believers and told them what happened. Verse 24 reads, “When they heard the report, all (emphasis mine) the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God.”
They prayed about who God was and about how the Holy Spirit spoke through David, about the nations that were so angry and how they wasted their time making futile plans to battle against God and Jesus, the Messiah. It was not outside God’s knowledge and will that Jesus would be opposed. Peter and John went on asking God for “great boldness” in preaching His word. They asked God to reach out with healing power and do miraculous signs and wonders in the name of Jesus.
The very next statement in verse 31 is this; “After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and all were filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.”
The attempted to stop the believers with threats and punishment. The believers' response was to pray and ask God to do miraculous things. They did not cower or quit because of the threats. They put it all in God’s hands and God spoke through them in boldness. These things had to have had an impact on the religious leaders and non believing community. It also had an impact on the believers.
We are told the believers were united in heart and mind. They felt their possessions were not their own and shared everything they had with each other. The apostles continued to powerfully testify about the resurrection of Jesus and God greatly blessed them.
We are told in such circumstances, no one in the believing community was in need. This was because people who owned things would share them with others who had needs. Some who owned land sold it and gave the money to the apostles to care for the ones who needed help. Joseph, from the tribe of Levi and the island of Cyprus sold a field he owned and gave the money to the apostles in just such a way.
Try to stop Jesus as they may, the people would not stop teaching and gathering together and God continued to move in and among them.