Acts 4:1-12
This portion of Scripture declares to us that Jesus alone saves. These words were spoken by the apostle Peter as he and John stood on trial before the ruling council of the Jews, the Sanhedrin, to explain the miraculous healing of a crippled man. We want to examine three points from this passage: the prosecution of the Sanhedrin, the power for defense, and the proclamation in defense. First, though, we must recognize the context of this trial, which marked the beginning of persecution for the church of Jesus Christ.
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| P.G. Mathew, founder and senior minister of Grace Valley Christian Center. |
The Promise of Persecution
In the third chapter of Acts we read that the apostles Peter and John had instantly and miraculously healed a forty-year-old congenital cripple in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. As soon as he was healed, the man began to walk, leap and praise God, attracting the attention of a great crowd who gathered around Peter, John and the man to find out what had happened. Because of this good deed the apostles were arrested by the Jewish authorities and put in jail to await trial the next day.
This event marked the beginning of persecution for the disciples of Jesus Christ. Jesus himself had foretold persecution for his disciples while he was still on earth. In Luke 21:12-17 we read, “But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. This will result in your being witnesses to them. But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of me.” Jesus never guaranteed his disciples health, wealth, fame, position, and power. In this passage he was promising persecution, including arrest, imprisonment, flogging, and death.
Persecution is part of the normal Christian life. We recently visited the site of ancient Smyrna, which is the modern city of Izmir in Turkey. The early church in Smyrna experienced persecution as promised by the Lord of the church in Revelation 2:10, “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
To all who believe in him, Jesus promises eternal life and entrance into his eternal kingdom, which is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. But we must recognize that what the world did to Jesus Christ of Nazareth it will also do to his followers. Didn’t Jesus say, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up the cross and follow me”? Christians will be persecuted.
The Prosecutors
Acts 4:3 tells us the Jewish leaders seized Peter and John and put them in jail. The next day they were brought before the Sanhedrin to stand trial for preaching the gospel. The enemies of the gospel were coming out in full force against the apostles. But who were these prosecutors who so vehemently opposed the apostles and the Lord Jesus Christ?
First, there were the priests. Animated by the devil, the priests and captain of the temple police, who was the second-most powerful person next to the high priest, were all united against the apostles and their message. Then there were the rulers of the people, the elders, and the scribes–the professional theologians who said they knew it all and yet knew nothing.
Next, there were the Sadducees, who were arch-enemies of the gospel. They were the ones who had initiated this first persecution. Descendants of the Maccabees, they believed that the messianic age began during the Maccabean period, around 168 B.C., and continued to the present day. However, they were not trusting in a personal Messiah or in any divine intervention for salvation. They were the forerunners of today’s liberation theologians who rely on human authorities and power rather than on the true and living God. Wealthy aristocrats and members of the ruling class, they were known for their unprincipled collaboration with Rome. In order to protect their own power, position, and wealth, they had already opted to put one person to death–Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
Sadducees were materialists and rationalists. They denied the realm of the supernatural, including the existence of angels and demons. They denied divine ordination, grace, and any judgment to come, including any future reward or punishment. Like many modern people, the Sadducees also asserted that miracles could not happen, and, therefore, in their minds the miracle of the resurrection of Jesus Christ could not happen, even though they were well aware that it had and had even given bribes to the soldiers to keep them quiet. I am sure they told themselves: “We have made up our minds: Jesus did not rise from the dead. Don’t disturb us with the facts!”
The Sanhedrin also included the powerful high priest Annas whose five sons, one grandson and son-in-law, Joseph Caiaphas, were also high priests at one time or another. This supreme court of Israel, convened at this time to try the apostles, was made up of seventy-one of the most wealthy, powerful, educated and cultured Jewish leaders and had the power to try all non-capital offenses.
United by Hate
All of these–priests, captain of the temple police, rulers, scribes, elders, and high priests–stood united against the apostles and their gospel, and, ultimately, against Jesus Christ of Nazareth. If we ask why there was such hatred, the Scripture will tell us it is because their hearts were evil.
In John 3:19-20 the Lord Jesus Christ gives us this analysis of the unbelieving heart: “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light.” Loving darkness and hating the light–that is a clear description of the rottenness of a fallen human heart.
Unbelievers hate the messengers of the gospel and the message of the gospel. Additionally, they hate that which results from the gospel message, which, in this case, was the healing of a forty-year-old congenital cripple. They hated seeing this man instantly healed and standing with the apostles as proof of the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
These unbelieving people were blind to everything God was doing. They considered this good deed of healing a cripple by the power of Jesus a crime for which they had to convene the Sanhedrin and try the apostles. They refused to believe in Christ and be saved and they were determined to do everything in their power to prevent others from being saved. Jesus spoke about such unbelieving people while he was on earth, calling them hypocrites, blind guides, blind fools, whitewashed sepulchers, a brood of vipers, and those who murdered God’s prophets (Matthew 23).
Rejecting God’s Grace
In Acts 4:2 we read that these leaders were greatly disturbed when they heard Peter and John speaking to the crowd. Why were they disturbed? Were they grieving because of their sins? Were they mourning because they realized they had murdered the Son of God? Oh, no. They were upset because the apostles were teaching and declaring in the name of Jesus the resurrection from the dead. They were grieved because the apostles were proclaiming that in Jesus Christ there was, finally, a solution for the problem of humanity. What unbelief! What perversion! What hardness of heart! What blindness! These leaders should have been rejoicing that a congenitally crippled man, whom they could not help at all, was finally healed. And as religious leaders, they should have been rejoicing that God was revealing a gospel that offered all men forgiveness of sins in the name of Jesus.
But these leaders rejected Christ and the gospel of God’s grace. Why? Because they hated him and his apostles. Friends, our times are no different. The vast majority of leaders–powerful people, politicians, legislators, philosophers, media moguls, judges, and theologians–hate the gospel, the Bible, and the messengers of the gospel. Why? Because they hate Jesus Christ, the only Savior. They reject Christ and the salvation that he offers. At the same time, however, they welcome every human solution to man’s problems. They offer clean needles, “safe-sex” condoms, and abortions for all. They work hard to give everyone access to the Internet, as if that would solve all man’s problems. The only thing they hate is the declaration of the truth from the Holy Scriptures.
What are the results of this animosity toward Christ? Solutions which will not really solve human problems. These people want to help others by solving their problems but they fail because they are blind. Hating Jesus Christ, they want to spread their hatred to others and silence Christ’s messengers at the same time. But such people do not realize that they are the blind leading the blind straight into a pit.
The Trial
So Peter and John were brought before the Sanhedrin to stand trial. Imagine how intimidating it would have been to stand before this court. This body of seventy-one leaders were the most educated, most wealthy, most powerful, most cultured, and best-dressed people of the Jewish society. Who were Peter and John? Galilean fishermen–ordinary, non-professional, unsophisticated, powerless people. In fact, Luke describes them as aggrammatoi and idiwtai–unlearned and idiots.
The Sanhedrin began to question the apostles. What do you think they were interested in finding out? Were they marveling at the wonderful grace of God shown in this great miracle? Did they ask, “Was this man really born crippled? Was he really healed? Can anybody verify this miracle? How did you do this great and wonderful thing?” No.
These leaders were elitists who treated the common people with contempt. They had no compassion toward others. Rather than rejoicing at this great kindness God had shown to the crippled man, the leaders asked the apostles, “By what power or what name did you do this?” And what they were really saying was, “Peter and John, who gave you the authority to heal this crippled man? Don’t you realize that we, not you, are the authorities in religious matters? We are the trained professionals. We have all the degrees and credentials. What do you have? You are just like your master Jesus–he had nothing! Here you are, always teaching and preaching. You should get a license and pay us an annual fee before we allow you to tell anybody about this type of thing! We should be able to tell you what to say, not the other way around. Why? Because we are the official authorities, and you should respect that.”
What else do you think they said? “Hey, Peter and John, we did not authorize you to teach about Jesus Christ. We are against him. He was a blasphemer, so we crucified him out of obedience to God. He was doing miracles and teaching people without our authority. Don’t you remember how we asked him, ‘By what authority are you doing this?’ He refused to give us a straightforward answer, and so we did God a great service and crucified him.
The truth is, these prosecutors did not recognize any authority outside of themselves, even God’s authority. In fact, they did not even believe in a personal God, in heaven or hell, or in the resurrection from the dead. They were the rationalists, the scientific thinkers, the cultured, sophisticated philosophers of their time. And so these prosecutors asked the apostles, “By what power or what name did you do this?”
The Power for the Defense
The second point we want to examine is the power of the defense. Acts 4:8 tells us that Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, began to speak to the Sanhedrin. What was the power behind Peter’s defense? The Holy Spirit.
There are several verses which refer to this power which God gives his people when they are confronted by the mockers and opponents of the gospel. As we examine them, I urge you to remember them, because the same promises that Jesus Christ made to his disciples while he was on earth are relevant to us today.
In Luke 12:11-12 we find this promise, “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” We must have a biblical view of the Holy Spirit, the comforter and defense attorney who will come to our aid. May we trust in him to fill us with himself so that we know what to say and how to say it with great confidence and boldness!
In Luke 21:14-15 Jesus told his disciples, “But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words,” meaning Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit will give us words, “and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.” Our enemies may kill us but they will not be able to resist or contradict what we say.
In Mark 13:11 we read, “Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.” And in Matthew 10:19-21 we read, “But when they arrest you, 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,” meaning the Holy Spirit, “speaking through you.” In these verses we see that the Holy Spirit will give us sufficient strength for our defense.
Peter, along with all the other disciples, had been filled with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, as we read in Acts 2:4. But now a fresh inspiration was given to him as he stood before this august body of powerful, educated, cultured people who were trying to intimidate him. The Spirit of God came upon Peter and he began to speak with great boldness and clarity. He was not intimidated by the Sanhedrin. If we stand with the Spirit of God, the whole world becomes nothing, and we realize that even the most powerful men are but creatures and less than nothing.
We find this infilling of the Holy Spirit mentioned again in Acts 4:31. It says that the disciples were again filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. Such are the seasons of refreshing which come to us from the presence of God to help us through the crises of life. The infinite, eternal God, the Holy Spirit, comes upon us and gives us such wisdom, words and power that we can make a defense of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ before anyone.
The Proclamation in Defense
The third point we want to look at is the proclamation Peter made in his defense. In Acts 4:9 he said, “If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple. . .” In other words, Peter was asking, “Men of the Sanhedrin, why are you examining us? Have we committed a crime? Have we killed anyone or stolen anyone’s property or fomented a insurrection? No! We did a good deed, an act of kindness, by bringing healing to a cripple in the name of Jesus Christ.” These are words of the Holy Spirit given to Peter the fisherman–the unschooled, ordinary apostle of Christ.
Peter was telling the Sanhedrin that rather than committing a crime, John and he had done a good deed. This is what Jesus himself did. In Acts 10:38 Peter reminded the household of Cornelius that they knew “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.” Jesus had done many good works, and now , through the apostles, he was doing good by bringing salvation to the oppressed.
Peter told the Sanhedrin in verse 10, “then know this,” meaning “I want you, the Sanhedrin, as well as all the people of Israel to know something.” What should they know? “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.” Listen to Peter! Full of power and the Spirit of God and wisdom, Peter was on the offense, not the defense. What was he telling the council? “You killed Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah. You killed him! But God raised him up and he is back, doing the same things he did before. The sick are healed, the dead are raised, and the good news is being proclaimed to the poor. Jesus is back!”
The Stone You Builders Rejected
In verse 11 Peter quoted Psalm 118:22, saying, “He is the stone” referring to Jesus Christ, “you builders rejected.” The word “you” is not in the Septuagint text, but Peter added it by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. So Peter was saying, You Sanhedrin, you builders, rejected the stone, Jesus Christ, “which has become the capstone.” This word “rejected” in the Greek is an interesting word, exouqenhew, which means “to treat someone with contempt.” In other words, Peter was telling the Sanhedrin, “You considered Jesus Christ to be nothing. You are the builders, the authorities, the leaders who are supposed to point people to the way of salvation, but when Jesus Christ of Nazareth came, you treated him with contempt. He was the cornerstone, the foundation stone who can bear the weight of all our burdens, but like builders who examine a stone, you looked at him, consulted each other, and finally said, ‘He is no good. This Jesus Christ of Nazareth is a worthless blasphemer and a nobody. Let’s get rid of him.'”
Is Jesus nothing? No. He is the eternal God–the self-sufficient, self-existing, eternal God. In fact, we read in 1 Corinthians 1:28 that he “chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things–and the things that are not–to nullify the things that are.” This God chooses big zeros like us to nullify the claims of people who think they are great and powerful. Praise be to God, he chose me–a zero–and made me somebody, and he continues to do that today. God takes to himself the zeros of the world–the lowly things, the despised things, things that are not–and makes them the splendor-filled bride of Jesus Christ.
Peter was now on the offensive. He was, in effect, telling the Sanhedrin, “You builders, you authorities, are the ones who should be opening the gate to the kingdom of heaven, but what are you doing? You are closing it and refusing to enter yourselves. Not only that, you prevent anyone else from entering into the kingdom of God through faith in Jesus Christ. You rejected Jesus Christ, the only Savior, the only problem-solver, the stone chosen by God, but I have news for you: He is back, and he has become the chief cornerstone.”
Christ the Cornerstone
The Bible has much to say about this stone, which stands for Jesus Christ. This stone is a stone that judges every sinner, as we read in Matthew 21:42-44: “Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the Scriptures: “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes”? Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.'”
The Jewish leaders rejected the capstone, Jesus Christ, and crucified him, but God glorified him. Jesus was saying that God’s kingdom would be taken away from the Jews and given to those who would produce fruit. Then he said, “He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces. . .” What did Jesus mean? He was not speaking about placing one’s trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation; rather, he was saying that this stone has become a stone of stumbling upon which men fall and are broken into pieces. And in the same verse we read, “he on whom it falls will be crushed.” That means the stone the builders rejected, having said, “He is a nothing but a blasphemer,” would come back and judge those who rejected him. The Lord Jesus Christ, the chief stone of the building, the stone that bears the entire weight of the building, will deal with those who refuse to believe in him.
Isaiah 8:14 tells us this stone is a stone of stumbling for those who do not believe in him: “And he will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” Jesus ought to have been a sanctuary and salvation for his people, but they did not believe in him. Therefore, he has become a stone of stumbling and judgment.
In Daniel 2 we read about the stone that comes down from heaven and strikes every authority in the world, crushing them into powder. This stone will cause all the kingdoms of the world to disappear in a moment. Remember, this is speaking about Jesus Christ! So I must ask you: Why do you think this stone is a zero, a nothing? The answer is, because your heart is hard and you love darkness more than light.
This same stone will judge, crush, and punish all arrogant, rebellious, and stubborn people who say, “We are materialists and rationalists who use our minds and refuse to acknowledge the supernatural. Not only that, we don’t believe in judgment.” But it doesn’t matter whether you believe in judgment or not. You will be raised up and have to face him.
This stone is also a stone of salvation. In 1 Peter 2 beginning with verse 4 we read, “As you come to him, the living Stone–rejected by men but chosen and precious to him. . .” Peter was quoting from Isaiah 28 in reference to Jesus Christ, and we want to note that not only did the Sanhedrin reject Christ, but people throughout the centuries have rejected him, refusing to submit to him. But what does Peter say? Jesus was chosen and precious to God.
And in verse 6 we read, “For in Scripture it says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.'” That describes salvation. The same stone that the builders rejected will save you. He will bear the weight of your guilt, your punishment, your death and your hell. He is a powerful, foundational stone.
Then Peter says “to you who believe this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, ‘The stone. . .has become. . .a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.'” If you reject Jesus Christ, he will see to it that you fall. Some people may ask, “Why do you say God will make us fall? Isn’t God love, and isn’t it his business to forgive?” Wait and see. Try telling him on the day of judgment, “God, I thought you were love and that your job is always to forgive, no matter what we do.” See what God tells you then.
In the latter part of verse 8 of 1 Peter 2 we read, “They stumble because they disobey the message–which is also what they were destined for.” Every person whom God has chosen from the foundation of the world will believe in, submit to, receive, and worship the Lord Jesus Christ , but those who are not chosen will not. Therefore, if the Spirit of God is at work in your heart, telling you to put your trust in this living Stone, do so immediately, and you will discover that this Jesus is able to bear your burden. He is the one who said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Salvation in Christ Alone
In Acts 4:12 we find the final thrust of the sword of the Spirit in Peter’s defense speech. As Peter stood before these powerful, sophisticated, cultured, wealthy rulers of the Jewish people, the Holy Spirit gave him these words: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven,” meaning in the whole world, “given to men,” as a gift from God “by which we must be saved.”
Now, generally when we speak about this verse, people say, “This is too extreme for us. We believe in diversity and in accepting every way of salvation. This view is too absolute, and anyone who believes it is a narrow-minded exclusivist. Do you really think Jesus Christ is the only Savior of the Jews as well as the Gentiles, including Indians, Chinese, Tibetans, and so on?” Let me tell you, there are only two paths: the broad way, which goes to hell, and the narrow way, which leads to life.
Go ahead, then, call me an extremist, an exclusivist, and a narrow-minded preacher. Accuse me of believing in this absolute truth that Jesus Christ is the only Savior of the whole world. I do not mind because Peter’s statement is true: “There is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
What does it matter if this statement is true? Well, suppose a doctor discovers a sure cure for AIDS. He will tell his patients, “You cannot be healed by anything else. But if you come to me and take one of these pills, you shall be instantly healed. In fact, I can show you many people who were healed instantly. Not only that, this treatment is free. It is given gratis. Additionally, we welcome anyone who suffers from this disease.” If you were suffering from this debilitating disease, would you call this doctor an extremist, an exclusivist, and a narrow-minded person? Absolutely not, because everything he says is true, and you need his pill.
If Jesus Christ is the only Savior of the whole world, what else can I say as a minister of the gospel? Though it is exclusivistic, narrow-minded and extremist by your standards, it is the truth and so I must declare it. Can you show me anyone else who can give us true salvation? We need a God/man, a Savior, who can identify with God and with us. The only such Savior is the God/man Jesus Christ, true God and true man, who alone died for our sins, rose from the dead, is seated as king on the throne and even now is ruling the universe and his church. It is he who died for sins and was raised for our justification. It is he who saves us from the wrath of God, from hell and from death. He is the ruler of the kings of the earth and he holds the keys of hell and death.
Let Us Believe in Christ
You may call this view extreme, narrow-minded, and exclusive, but it happens to be true. And you will soon discover that if you don’t believe in God, you still have faith, but it is a perverted faith in dying men. Soon you shall die and stand before the great Judge of all the earth. Then you will have to face the fact that you rejected him, treated him with contempt, and considered him as nothing. You will have to acknowledge that you tried and crucified him, but God glorified him. Jesus Christ alone is the Savior who gives us salvation from God’s just wrath against sinners.
As Peter said, “Salvation is found in no one else,” meaning it is found in Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Let me assure you, Jesus alone saves, not Jesus and Mary, nor Jesus and Mary and the saints. Whether we believe it or not, Jesus alone saves, and his purposes shall be accomplished! No matter how much the enemies of the gospel oppose God’s plan of saving his people, they will all fail, and ultimately God wins by saving his people and judging those who must be judged.
May God help us to realize that salvation is found only in Jesus Christ. May we understand that we cannot save ourselves but we must receive this salvation through faith in Christ and administered by the Holy Spirit. And if the Holy Spirit is now granting you repentance and the gift of faith to trust in Jesus Christ alone, I urge you to act now. Tell him even now that you want to be saved, and you will be saved.
May God help us all to repent and be converted that we may emerge from death to life, from darkness to light, from hopelessness to peace, and from hell to heaven, to live with God for eternity. Amen.
Written By: P.G. Mathew
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