It’s been a bit but today I am working a short shift and feeling sorta awake! We’ve had a busy weekend away and I’m feeling like just perhaps I can get back on track. Anyways, today we are looking at Acts 4:5-12. It continues the story of Peter and John being brough before the council.
5 On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:5-12
The Players
5 On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family.
So we have the rulers, elders and scribes gathered. Specifically Annas the high priest along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander and those of the high-priestly family.
Annas – appointed by the Roman legate Quirinus to be the high priest of Judea. He served for 10 years. This son of Seth’s death is unrecorded.
Caiaphas – son-in-law to Annas, also served as high priest three years after Annas stopped serving. He served for about 18 years. He’s also known as Joseph, son of Caiaphas. His family was known for opposing the Pharisees.
John and Alexander – We don’t know much about these two. John might have been Johanan ben Zaccai, who is reported to have been at the height of his fame forty years before the destruction of the Temple, and to have been President of the Great Synagogue after its removal to Jamnia. And Alexander may have been Alexander, the brother of Philo magistrate of Alexandria. But there is no real proof as to who they really are.
And as to who the members of the high-priestly families were? No one really knows. There was a lot of politics involved in those days with people struggling for power and/or influence.
The Setting
7 And when they had set them in the midst,
So here are Peter and John, surrounded by all these people of influence. They will be questioned these simple disciples of Jesus. I’m not sure where they were questioned other than somewhere in Jerusalem.
The questions
they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”
Kinda makes sense you know? These people of influence seeing these common men talking and raising up controversial issues. They’d want to know who told them to do this. Who gave them authority to talk and to heal people?
The answer given
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
See the power of the Holy Spirit? Peter was not quelled by the august people surrounding him (or maybe he was but the power of the Holy Spirit filled him so he didn’t act like it). He spoke out clearly and boldly to them proclaiming the power of Christ. He gave a brief synopsis of Christ’s death and resurrection, and how Jesus is now the cornerstone of their faith. Salvation comes through him alone!
Do we clearly understand this? And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
Jesus Christ, son of the living God, is the only path to salvation. By him we shall be saved. No one else can do this job. No other can be the propitiation for the wrong we do in our lives.
This one that it is so easy for us to reject is the very cornerstone upon which faith is built.
Trust in him today!
Follow the Series
If you are interested in the rest of the series you will find them here eh?
- Acts 1:1-5
- Acts 1:6-11
- Acts 1:12-26
- Acts 2:1-13
- Acts 2:14-41
- Acts 2:42-47
- Acts 3:1-10
- Acts 3:11-16
- Acts 3:17-26
- Acts 4:1-4
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