Bold Witness for Jesus

Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, boldly testifies to Jesus’s power before the priests, proclaiming Him as the only name by which salvation comes. Discover the courage of the early church’s witness.

[Scripture]

[1] And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, [2] greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. [3] And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. [4] But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand. [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?” (Acts 4:1-7, ESV)

[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 4:8-12, ESV)

[Daily Word]

Through his sermon, Peter announced that Jesus had already been proclaimed as the Messiah through the prophets. Therefore, the people needed to understand this truth. The people of Israel are the descendants of the prophets who followed Samuel. (24) In other words, as stated in verse 25, they are the children of the covenant who are to walk according to the word of God.

At that moment, the priests who were in charge of the afternoon sacrifice blamed the commotion among the people on Peter’s sermon, concluding that his preaching had disrupted the temple sacrifices. The one who reacted most sharply to the disturbance was the “captain of the temple.” Although not a priest himself, this official oversaw the temple guards who maintained order during worship, managed the selection of temple personnel, and was responsible for guarding the temple treasury. As such, he held an authority second only to the high priest.

The Sadducees traced their origins to Zadok, who served as high priest during the reigns of David and Solomon. After the prophet Ezekiel foretold that the sons of Zadok would oversee the temple in the restored new Jerusalem (Ezek 40:46), the descendants of Zadok did indeed come to assume the temple duties, monopolizing the priesthood. They also became involved in religious politics and came to preside over the Sanhedrin.

Because the Sadducees were so deeply invested in the operation of the temple, they despised the apostles for disrupting temple worship. Above all, since the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection, they were greatly displeased that the apostles were teaching about the resurrection of the dead.

The Pharisees, by contrast, did believe in the resurrection. However, they could not accept the truth that the resurrection of the dead had come through Jesus.

The Examination Before the Sanhedrin

In the end, Peter and John were arrested on the grounds that they had caused a disturbance in the temple and proclaimed the resurrection. The following day, when they were brought before the council for questioning, the man who had been healed at the Beautiful Gate of the temple was also present at the hearing. (14) Peter’s sermon, delivered in Solomon’s Portico, had stirred up hostility among the leaders of the day, yet for many of the people it became the occasion for genuine faith. As a result, from the day of Pentecost up to that point, the number of those who had come to believe through the influence of Peter’s sermon had grown to five thousand. (4)

The Sanhedrin council, composed of rulers, elders, and scribes, assembles in Jerusalem.(5) Notable among them are the high priests Annas and Caiaphas. The substance of the Sanhedrin’s interrogation is recorded in verse 7: “By what power or by what name did you do this?” This question concerns the source of the healing and the authority behind it. Jesus Himself had previously been questioned about “by what authority” He did such things.(Luke 20:2)

Peter’s Bold Message

Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, then begins to speak boldly before the council. He addresses the assembly with the phrase “rulers of the people and elders,” directing his words particularly toward the Sadducees.

Peter explains that what they had done for the sick man was a “good deed.”

Here, a “good deed” refers to an act of grace extended by one who holds power. In this sense, the reason the sick man was healed mirrors God’s work of salvation. It is because God bestowed His salvation that this man was made well. That is, [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. (Acts 4:10, ESV)

In particular, verse 11 quotes Psalm 118:22: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” Jesus was the “stone rejected” by the religious leaders, yet through His resurrection He has become “the cornerstone.” Therefore, no one can be saved apart from Him. It is God’s plan that there is no other name under heaven given among all people by which we must be saved.

Therefore, today let us fix our eyes on Jesus alone, who is our head. May we remember that it is only in the name of the Lord that we are guided along the good and right path, and that He causes us to dwell in His kingdom. As we hold onto this truth, I pray that you would find peace today in the Lord, who is the cornerstone, and let us pray together.

Peter’s boldness, the filling of the Holy Spirit, the name of Jesus, the witness of the early church, the only salvation

Originally published in Korean at bible2u.com