“For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."
Although the Sanhedrin could not deny what had happened that day, they wanted to put an end to the problem… so they went to confer privately about what to do. Considering their power, they decided the best course of action was to make Peter and John shut up. They didn’t want this attitude spreading. It was a threat to their position and authority. It was a threat to their very way of life. They couldn’t have a bunch of people running around proclaiming beliefs that went against everything they stood for! They had to nip this situation in the bud. They had to stop things before they got started. So they ordered Peter and John to stop talking about Jesus… to keep their big mouths shut. What did Peter say? He said, "Do you think we ought to obey you or God? We cannot stop doing what God told us to do. We cannot stop talking about Jesus."
Peter could have quietly said, "Okay, sir. Whatever you say." Anything to get away from them… and then he could have secretly continued teaching the gospel. Or he could have stopped altogether, preferring to stay safe and sound rather than continue to risk his life. But no matter what, he might have just agreed with the Sanhedrin while in their presence, just for safety’s sake… but he didn’t. Peter was bold in proclaiming the gospel of Christ, even in the face of death. He wasn’t going to be a closet Christian. He fearlessly stood in the most dangerous spot he could stand and refused to bend to the commands of the Sanhedrin.
Pray for boldness in your own life. Pray for the ability to stand in the midst of threatening circumstances and stand up for Jesus. And don’t worry about what you’re going to say. Jesus said, "do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you." Matthew 10:19-20 NIV
"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven." Matthew 10:32-33 NIV
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. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. "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. 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."
The men of the Sanhedrin were a hard-headed lot. They saw the change in Peter. They saw that this common fisherman could stand boldly before them and proclaim the truth. They saw that the beggar had been healed. They admitted that there was nothing they could say to refute the situation. But their minds were closed beyond that point. They refused to listen to the important part. They refused to acknowledge that they were wrong, and that Jesus - the very Jesus they had caused to be crucified – was the Messiah. Their ears were shut and their hearts were closed off as tight as a drum. There was no way Peter was going to get through to them. He was casting pearls before swine.
Have you ever been in a situation like that? I have. I worked in an office where, not only was I the only Christian, everyone else there was involved in more evil practices than you can imagine. Drugs, pornography, and witchcraft were among the long list of gross habits and hobbies and sidelines. Every sentence that was spoken was generously peppered with profanity. Every thought and opinion expressed was filled with perverseness and evil. They knew I was a Christian. They had found out my first day on the job when I refused an assignment my employer had given me because it went against everything Jesus stands for. I had even offered to leave right then, setting the president of the company straight when he claimed to be my boss, telling him that he was merely my employer and that Jesus was my boss. However, since he really needed my particular talents on staff, he asked me to stay on… so I did. And I went through six months of the worst persecution I have ever experienced. Every day, different employees would actually look for things they could do to try to upset me. As time went by, it became harder and harder to make myself go to work, knowing what I would face when I got there. But I kept telling myself that these people needed the Lord (and they did!) and that I had to stay there and continue to witness to them. Finally one day as I drove home, I had hit the end of my rope. Eleven different incidents had happened in that one day, with the final one at 4:30 in the afternoon being so vile that I can’t describe it to you here.
That night I went home and prayed and began to search the scriptures, looking for guidance as to what to do. And the Lord gave me several scriptures, including Matthew 10:14-16 (NIV) - "If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." That meant, separate myself from them… shake the dust off my feet in repudiation of their rejection of the message of Jesus Christ… turn my back because of their pointed rejection of the gospel. That was not an easy thing for me to accept or to obey. On the practical side, I needed that job. I needed the income. On the spiritual side, I had a hard time with the concept of not continuing to witness to those people. But I did obey, and I did leave. Because it was not me who would bring those people to Jesus - if they should ever come to Him. It was Holy Spirit. I had done all I was supposed to do.
If you find yourself in that same type of situation, pray for discernment and wisdom. And remember…. your job is only to plant the seed. The Holy Spirit is the one who will water it and make it grow.
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
This statement can arouse more opposition than any other statement a Christian can make. It did for Peter. It still does today. Just try making this statement in a group of people, including even some professing Christians, and watch how many hackles go up. Suddenly, you’re judgmental. Suddenly you’re narrow-minded. Suddenly you become one of those pious, self-righteous, hellfire and brimstone, Bible-beating Jesus freaks. Suddenly, you are trying to single-handedly condemn half the world to hell with your narrow minded doctrine.
But this isn’t a matter of man-made doctrine. It isn’t a matter of interpretation of scripture. It isn’t the same as the debate on whether Saturday or Sunday is the Sabbath. It isn’t the same as whether the world was created in six literal days or over a period of thousands or millions of years. It isn’t the same as the debate over which translation of the Bible is “correct”. And it isn’t about all the other arguments that have arisen over the years that split the Body of Christ into a multitude of segmented denominations. This is a statement of fact made by Jesus Himself. Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6 NIV
Jesus is not just a great teacher. He’s not just another great religious leader. He’s not the same as any other person who has ever lived. No other person is the only begotten Son of God. No other person was born of a virgin. No other person is God Incarnate, the great I AM. No other person fulfilled every prophecy made about His Incarnation. No other person is 100% God and 100% man. No other person died for our sins. No other person rose from the dead and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty making continual intercession for you and me. No other name will cause every knee to bow and every tongue to confess that He is Lord.
Although some may say that this is a narrow-minded view, in reality, it’s wider than any other. Because when Jesus was lifted up on the cross, He spread his arms wide enough to take in the whole world – if only they will accept Him. Praise God that He gave those of us who do believe such a sure and certain way to spend eternity with Him.
They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?" Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, 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. He is "the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
Peter was in a pretty sticky situation here. He and John were facing one of the most powerful groups of men in existence, a group that had just recently been successful in crucifying Jesus… the Sanhedrin - the Supreme Court of Israel. It was not unlikely that Peter could very shortly find himself nailed to a cross, too, with John hanging alongside him. Peter could have gotten really defensive at this point, crab-walking to try to get out of a sticky situation. He could have said, "Hey, guys, sorry we got carried away. We’ll keep it down from now on if you’ll just let us go." But he didn’t. Peter knew that the best defense is a good offense, so he allowed the Holy Spirit to take over and spoke up boldly for Jesus. Not only that, he put the group before him on the defensive, reminding them of the prophecies about Jesus and telling them that they were the very ones that scripture said would reject Jesus. He brought to their attention the fact that they were the ones who had crucified Jesus. And he told them that the very man they had crucified was the Messiah, the one and only Messiah… the only one in whom salvation could be found. The effect? Was Peter stoned to death right on the spot? Was he crucified that very day? No. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, he backed the chief priests and the Sadducees against the wall and shut them up. They couldn’t say anything!
That’s the whole key… through the power of the Holy Spirit. Peter, on his own, could not have stood up to that crowd. Remember, Peter was the one who denied Jesus three times while Jesus was on trial. Peter on his own, brash and bold as he seemed to be, was really a wimp. Peter on his own had not even had the nerve to admit that he knew Jesus. And yet, just a few weeks later, Peter could boldly stand in front of the most powerful group of men in the Hebrew community and not only speak up for Jesus, but turn the tables and put that very group on trial for crucifying the Lord. Peter was no longer on his own. He had the power of the Holy Spirit living in him, strengthening him, speaking through him.
In every situation, great or small, you and I have the same power to call on that Peter did - the Holy Spirit. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can be bold when we’d rather be weak. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can stand firm for Jesus when going along with the crowd would be a lot easier. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can recall scripture we didn’t realize we knew. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can witness when witnessing is the last thing we’d be able to do on our own.
If you‘ve been operating on your own power, stop. Call on power of God Almighty living within you. Allow the Holy Spirit to turn your defense into a great offense for Jesus.
The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.
Peter and John were taking a great risk. They were going up against the very people who had crucified Jesus. The priests mentioned here were probably the chief priests, close relatives of the high priests and very influential. The captain of the temple guard was the head honcho of the guards who were stationed around the temple. And the Sadducees were a small but powerful religious group who did not believe in resurrection. They thought they’d put an end to all that radical teaching when Jesus died. Now here come Peter and John proclaiming that Jesus had risen from the dead. Not only were these two messing with the basic beliefs of these three groups, Peter and John were threatening their wallets. Because along with power and prestige, the priests, the temple guards and the Sadducees found some tidy financial rewards in cooperating with the Roman government and keeping the people in line. They had to stop Peter and John, so they threw them in jail.
Over the long haul, both men would continue to take risks - and continue to suffer - in order to tell others about Jesus. Eventually John would be exiled and Peter would be crucified - just for sharing the greatest good news anyone ever shared. But on this day, because Peter and John were not afraid to risk their lives, 5,000 men were saved. And because it wasn’t the custom to include women and children in these counts, there could possibly have been another 10,000 saved in addition to the 5,000 men in these verses.
What risks do you and I take when we witness for Jesus? Generally, if we live in a country like the United States , the most we ever face is rejection and ridicule. A few people take it a few steps further and end up in jail. But let’s just look at rejection and ridicule. It’s hard to be the odd man out in a group of people, isn’t it? It puts us in a very lonely position to speak up for Jesus when we know that what we say will make us the object of someone else’s scorn. But if you were talking to a crowd of some 10,000 people, and you knew that if you just opened your mouth, half of them would be saved, wouldn’t it be a little easier to risk the rejection of the other 5,000? After all, when you got done, you’d have 5,000 on your side! That wouldn’t be so hard, would it? You could handle a little rejection and ridicule if you could lead 5,000 folks to Jesus in one day, right? But what if only one of those 10,000 would accept what you say?…
Changes the picture a little, doesn’t it?
Now let’s get down to reality. Very few of us will ever be faced with a crowd that large. But we are often faced with the reality of being the only person in our office who knows Jesus, including the boss. If we speak up for Jesus, we risk not only rejection and ridicule, we might also risk our jobs. But what if your witness is the very thing that would lead that boy in the mail room to Jesus? What if the things you say and do are the key to that one boy accepting Jesus? No one else. Just him. Would it be worth it to you? Think about it.
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Matthew 5:11-12 NIV
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,
We’ve all heard about the little boy who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He’s sorry he got caught, but he’s not sorry he had his hand in the jar… and the minute his mother’s back is turned, he’ll do it again.
You and I are just like that little boy… so many times, we do something we know is a sin. We feel guilty about it… sort of. At least we feel guilty about the sin being found out… so we do our form of "repentance", saying we’re sorry… but the minute that same temptation rears its enticing head, we dive right back in again without hesitation. We know stealing is a sin, right? So why do we all take things that don’t belong to us? I know a woman who continually took items from her employer… paper, pens, pencils, file folders, you name it. She gave these things to her children for school supplies. She didn’t need to steal. The combined salaries of herself and her husband were a very healthy living… but she did it anyway. Finally one day she was caught. And she was fired. She felt lousy about the whole thing. But what made her feel lousy was the fact that she got caught - not the fact that she was stealing. So, when she found another job, she started doing the same thing all over again, this time being much more careful not to get caught!
We’ve all done the same thing. We sin. We realize we’ve sinned. We’re sorry. We ask God for forgiveness. And then we go right back and do the same thing all over again… and again… and again… and when we do that, we haven’t truly repented… because repentance is more than just being sorry. It’s also turning away from that sin… turning our backs on it… refusing to do it any more… ever.
Impossible, you say? Not if you finish the turn. Read the rest of what Peter says here… turn away from sin, and turn to God. That’s a full 180° turn! When you turn away from sin and turn to Jesus, you’ve turned your back all the way on what is tempting you. You’ve turned your full attention to Jesus and away from what is tempting you. In that position, with your focus centered on Jesus, it’s easy to keep your hand out of the cookie jar.
By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.
The people who had witnessed the healing of the beggar had seen Peter take the man’s hand and pull him to his feet. They had watched the man jump and dance for joy, but their attention was focused on Peter. Realizing this, Peter turned their focus toward Jesus, the source of the power of healing. He said, "By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through Him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see."
In those days, a man’s name revealed his character. All names had meaning, just as Peter means - literally - "small piece of a big rock". Using a man’s name showed that person’s power and authority in a given situation. That’s why Peter called the people’s attention to Jesus’ name - to show them by whose power and authority the man was healed. He wanted them to know beyond any doubt that it was faith in Jesus that had healed the man and nothing else.
And that’s the key phrase - faith in Jesus. So many people are under the misimpression that if they call themselves Christians and attend church every week… if they give their tithes and give to the poor… if they visit people in prison and serve on a committee… if they teach Sunday school and give to the church building program… if they belong to a church - any church that has a Christian-sounding name - then they are Christians and headed for heaven. Somehow, the name of Jesus has become a magic incantation, something people think they can use as a password, along with a secret handshake, to get them past St. Peter at the Pearly Gates. But that’s not the way it works….
It’s not the name alone that brings salvation. It is Jesus Himself and faith in Him. It’s knowing who He really is - knowing Him… believing in Him… having faith in Him… giving Him your life… loving Him… this is the key to salvation. Without that key, any other use of Jesus’ name is like blowing in the wind.
When you call yourself a Christian, are you taking His name in vain? Think about it.
"Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in Heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your Name, and in Your Name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’" Matthew 7:21-23