Acts Bible Study: Day 6
Today’s passage: Acts 4:5–22
Focus verse: “But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.” (Acts 4:17)
After healing the lame man and forever changing his life, Peter and John spend the night in jail for their good deed. The next day they’re dragged before the religious leaders to defend their actions.
Will they be released for doing something good or punished for upsetting the religious leaders who can’t see God at work? Will these people who killed Jesus also try to kill Peter and John? It’s possible.
The man they healed is at the hearing too. He spends the first day of his life as an abled-bodied man in court. Instead of celebrating his good fortune of being healed, he’s worried what the religious leaders might do to him because of it.
To begin their inquiry, the Jewish bosses demand that the two disciples explain themselves. “Under what power or whose authority did you heal this man?”
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter launches into a sermon. His court testimony becomes a faith testimony to all who sit there, pointing them to the saving power of Jesus.
Peter first reminds them that what he did—healing a man who couldn’t walk—is a good thing. Then he boldly affirms that he did so in the name of Jesus—who, by the way, the religious leaders killed.
Because of Jesus, this once lame man, who now stands before them, can walk. “Jesus is the cornerstone,” Peter says, “and only through him can anyone be saved.”
Peter, along with John, speaks with courage. Seeing how these unschooled commoners testify with such power astonishes the religious leaders. They realize these disciples had spent time with Jesus, suggesting their power did, in fact, come from him.
The religious council, the Sanhedrin, discusses what to do. With the formerly disabled man standing before them, they can’t deny that the miracle took place, but they want to squelch this growing movement before it spreads any more.
They give Peter and John a strict warning—a command—to not speak of Jesus again or teach anyone about him.
Peter and John don’t say “yes,” and they don’t say “no.” Instead they ask a question: “Should we obey you or God? Think about it. As for us, we must tell others about Jesus.”
The Council threatens them further, but in the end, they let Peter and John go. They can’t risk punishing the disciples, because everyone is praising God for the miracle that took place.
Being so focused on their religious institution and manmade traditions, the religious leaders are unable—or unwilling—to see God at work. May we never be like them.
Questions:
- How do we react when the new thing God is doing differs from what he once did?
- Do we fight the change or embrace it?
[Discover more about God doing a new thing in Isaiah 43:19.]
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Read more about the book of Acts in Acts Bible Study: Discover How the Early Church Can Inform What We Do Today, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.
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Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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