The Beginning of Persecution (Acts 4:1-22) By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

The Beginning of Persecution (Acts 4:1-22)

By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce    

Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts & Gospel music                                          3/11/2026

 

The persecution Acts 4:1-22

 

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. (vv.1-4)

 

5 The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. 6 Annas 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?”8 then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people!” 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, 10 then 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.” 12 Salvation is found in no one else for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

                 

13 When 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. 14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. 15 So 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. 17 But 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.” 18 Then they called them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus, 19 But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. 20 For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” 21 After 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. 22 For the man who was miraculously healed was over fourth years old.                          

                                             

 

Verse 1 the captain of the temple guard. An official second only to the high priest. He was responsible for order in the Temple. The Sadducees hated the idea of resurrection that the apostles were preaching (v.2)

Verse 5 this was a gathering of the Jewish Sanhedrin (v.15). In the four Gospels this Sanhedrin, composed of the Jewish leaders, became the strongest opponent of the Lord Jesus and His ministry and condemned Him to death (Matt.26:59). Now, in this book, the same Sanhedrin, with the same constituents, began the persecution of the apostles and their ministry (5:21; 6:12;22:30). This indicates that in Jesus’ time, Judaism had fallen into the hand of God’s enemy, Satan the devil, and was being used by him in his attempt to frustrate and even destroy God’s move in His New Testament economy for the carrying out of His eternal purpose, that is, to bring His kingdom to the earth by establishing and building up the churches through the preaching of the gospel of Christ.

Verse 6 John and Alexander might have been the kindred of the high priest. In any case, they must have been dignitaries among the Jews, since they are named with the leaders of the Jewish Sanhedrin (v.15)

Verse 11 stone. This word was spoken by the Lord in Matt.21:42, quoted from Ps.118:22. It unveiled the Jewish leaders’ rejection of Him and God’s honoring of Him for the building of His habitation among His people on the earth. By this word Peter learned to know the Lord as the precious stone held in honor by God, as he expounded concerning Him in his first Epistle (1Pet.2:4-7). Peter’s quoting of this word indicates that he preached Christ not only as the Savior for the sinners’ salvation but as the stone for God’s building. It is such a Christ who is the unique salvation to sinners, and it is in His unique name under heaven, a name despised and rejected by the Jewish leaders but honored and exalted by God (Phil.2:9-10), that sinners must be saved (v.12) not only from sin (Matt.1:21) but also to participate in God’s building (1 Pet.2:5)

Verse 8-12 in his answer, Peter actually puts his hearers on trial. He calls attention to the fact that the miracle was a good deed, not a crime (v.9) and that it was performed by the power of Jesus whom they had crucified (v.10). Jesus’ rejection was predicted in the O.T. (v.11; Ps.118:22) and salvation is only through Him (v.12)

         Verse 13 Unschooled, ordinary men. This means that Peter and John were not formally trained in the rabbinic schools, they were not professional scholars or ordained teachers (John7:15)

       Verse 15-17 Though the Sanhedrin forbade further preaching, they did not try to disprove the resurrection of Jesus, which would have been the simplest way to discredit the apostles.

Bibliography,

Lee, Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1985.

Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie Study Bible (NIV). Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986