NLT Illustrated Study Bible - Book of Acts - Flipbook - Page 16
A cts 3 : 2 3
1972
said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for
you a Prophet like me from among your own
people. Listen carefully to everything he tells
you.’* 23 Then Moses said, ‘Anyone who will
not listen to that Prophet will be completely
cut off from God’s people.’*
24 “Starting with Samuel, every prophet
spoke about what is happening today. 25 You
are the children of those prophets, and you
are included in the covenant God promised
to your ancestors. For God said to Abra
ham, ‘Through your descendants* all the
families on earth will be blessed.’ 26 When
God raised up his servant, Jesus, he sent him
first to you people of Israel, to bless you by
turning each of you back from your sinful
ways.”
Peter and John before the Council
While Peter and John were speaking
to the people, they were confronted by
the priests, the captain of the Temple guard,
and some of the Sadducees. 2 These leaders
were very disturbed that Peter and John were
teaching the people that through Jesus there
is a resurrection of the dead. 3 They arrested
them and, since it was already evening, put
them in jail until morning. 4 But many of the
people who heard their message believed it,
so the number of men who believed now to
taled about 5,000.
5 The next day the council of all the rul
ers and elders and teachers of religious law
met in Jerusalem. 6 Annas the high priest was
there, along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander,
and other relatives of the high priest. 7 They
brought in the two disciples and demanded,
“By what power, or in whose name, have you
done this?”
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit,
said to them, “Rulers and elders of our
4
people, 9 are we being questioned today
because we’ve done a good deed for a crip
pled man? Do you want to know how he
was healed? 10 Let me clearly state to all of
you and to all the people of Israel that he
was healed by the powerful name of Jesus
Christ the Nazar ene,* the man you crucified
but whom God raised from the dead. 11 For
Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures,
where it says,
‘The stone that you builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.’*
12 There
is salvation in no one else! God has
given no other name under heaven by which
we must be q saved.”
13 The members of the council were
amazed when they saw the boldness of
Peter and John, for they could see that
they were ordinary men with no special
training in the Scriptures. They also rec
ognized them as men who had been with
Jesus. 14 But since they could see the man
who had been healed standing right there
among them, there was nothing the council
could say. 15 So they ordered Peter and John
out of the council chamber* and conferred
among themselves.
16 “What should we do with these men?”
they asked each other. “We can’t deny that
they have performed a miraculous r sign,
and everybody in Jerusalem knows about
it. 17 But to keep them from spreading their
propaganda any further, we must warn them
not to speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.”
18 So they called the apostles back in and
commanded them never again to speak or
teach in the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John replied, “Do you
think God wants us to obey you rather than
3:23
Lev 23:29
Deut 18:19
3:25
*Gen 22:18; 26:4
Rom 9:48
3:26
Mark 7:27
Acts 13:46
Rom 1:16
4:1
Luke 22:4
4:3
Acts 5:18
4:4
Acts 4:21
4:6
Matt 26:3
Luke 3:2
4:7
Matt 21:23
4:10
Acts 2:24; 3:6
4:11
*Ps 118:22
Isa 28:16
Matt 21:42
1 Pet 2:4, 7
4:12
Matt 1:21
Acts 10:43
1 Tim 2:5
q so-zo- (4982)
Rom
1:16
4:13
Matt 11:25
4:15
Acts 5:3435
4:16
John 11:47
Acts 3:610
r se-meion (4592)
Acts
8:6
4:1719
Acts 5:2829
3:22 Deut 18:15. 3:23 Deut 18:19; Lev 23:29. 3:25 Greek your seed; see Gen 12:3; 22:18. 4:10 Or Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
4:11 Ps 118:22. 4:15 Greek the Sanhedrin.
3:23 Refusing to heed Jesus, God’s final
Prophet, would have disastrous conse
quences (John 3:16, 17, 36).
3:25 all the families on earth will be
blessed: God’s blessings on the covenant
people were not intended to be selfishly
hoarded, but were to be shared with the
world.
4:122 Persecution was a common
experience of God’s people throughout
the Bible. God’s servants often faced
hostility and opposition (Deut 30:7;
1 Kgs 18:13; Neh 4:13; Jer 37–38;
Matt 23:3437; Luke 11:4951; 1 Thes
2:1415). Jesus himself was persecuted
(Luke 4:29; John 5:16), and he told his
disciples to expect the same kind of
treatment (Matt 10:23; 24:9; Mark 13:9;
Luke 21:12; John 16:2), but he promised
T H E P E N TAT E U C H
that the Holy Spirit would provide
strength (Acts 1:8; Luke 12:1112; 21:15).
Acts records frequent times of persecu
tion (Acts 4:3; 5:1741; 7:54–8:3; 9:12;
11:19; 12:2; 13:50; 14:19; 16:1924), but
Acts also reiterates that the Holy Spirit
empowers disciples to bear witness in
such circumstances (2:44; 4:813; 6:10;
7:55). The boldness of Peter and John
before the hostile high council exempli
fies facing persecution with courage and
power (4:20). See “Persecution,” 4:1331.
4:1 Sadducees: See “The Sadducees,”
Matt 16:112.
4:4 the number of men who believed
now totaled about 5,000: See note on
Matt 14:21.
4:13 ordinary men with no special
training in the Scriptures: That is,
ISRAEL’S HISTORY
they were not scholars or ordained
teachers—they were working men
without higher education. The edu
cated members of the Jewish high
council were treated as authorities on
the Scriptures and matters of religion,
so it amazed them to see uneducated
men speaking with such boldness about
such matters.
4:1618 They recognize the miracle
but still stubbornly tried to prevent the
message. Jesus had encountered similar
resistance (Matt 19:8; Mark 10:5; see
also Deut 10:16; 30:6; Jer 4:4).
4:1920 The apostles stated a principle
that can guide God’s people in dealing
with hostile authorities (see also 5:40;
cp. 1 Sam 15:22; Jer 7:23; Luke 20:2026;
Rom 13:17). Jesus had predicted that
POETRY & WISDOM
