NLT Illustrated Study Bible - Book of Acts - Flipbook - Page 20
A cts 5 : 2 2
1976
Temple, as they were told, and immediately
began teaching.
When the high priest and his officials ar
rived, they convened the high council*—the
full assembly of the elders of Israel. Then
they sent for the apostles to be brought
from the jail for trial. 22 But when the Temple
guards went to the jail, the men were gone.
So they returned to the council and re
ported, 23 “The jail was securely locked, with
the guards standing outside, but when we
opened the gates, no one was there!”
24 When the captain of the Temple guard
and the leading priests heard this, they were
perplexed, wondering where it would all
end. 25 Then someone arrived with startling
news: “The men you put in jail are standing
in the Temple, teaching the people!”
The Apostles Arrested Again
and Examined
26 The captain went with his Temple guards
and arrested the apostles, but without
violence, for they were afraid the people
would stone them. 27 Then they brought the
apostles before the high council, where the
x high priest confronted them. 28 “We gave
you strict orders never again to teach in this
man’s name!” he said. “Instead, you have
filled all Jerusalem with your teaching about
him, and you want to make us responsible
for his death!”
29 But Peter and the apostles replied, “We
must obey God rather than any human au
thority. 30 The God of our ancestors raised
Jesus from the dead after you killed him by
hanging him on a cross.* 31 Then God put
him in the place of honor at his right hand as
Prince and y Savior. He did this so the people
of Israel would repent of their sins and be
forgiven. 32 We are witnesses of these things
and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God
to those who obey him.”
33 When they heard this, the high council
was furious and decided to kill them. 34 But
one member, a Pharisee named Gamaliel,
who was an expert in religious law and re
spected by all the people, stood up and or
dered that the men be sent outside the
council chamber for a while. 35 Then he
said to his colleagues, “Men of Israel, take
care what you are planning to do to these
men! 36 Some time ago there was that fel
low Theudas, who pretended to be someone
great. About 400 others joined him, but he
was killed, and all his followers went their
various ways. The whole movement came to
nothing. 37 After him, at the time of the cen
sus, there was Judas of Galilee. He got people
to follow him, but he was killed, too, and all
his followers were scattered.
38 “So my advice is, leave these men alone.
Let them go. If they are planning and doing
these things merely on their own, it will soon
be overthrown. 39 But if it is from God, you
will not be able to overthrow them. You may
even find yourselves fighting against God!”
The Apostles Beaten, Threatened,
and Released
40 The others accepted his advice. They called
in the apostles and had them flogged. Then
they ordered them never again to speak in
the name of Jesus, and they let them go.
41 The apostles left the high council rejoic
ing that God had counted them worthy to
suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus.* 42 And
every day, in the Temple and from house to
house, they continued to teach and preach
this message: “Jesus is the z Messiah.”
3. THE CHURCH GROWS FROM
JERUSALEM TO ANTIOCH (6:1–12:25)
The Role of the Greek-Speaking Jews
(6:1–8:40)
Seven Men Chosen to Serve
But as the believers* rapidly multiplied,
there were rumblings of discontent. The
Greek-speaking believers complained about
the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that
their widows were being discriminated
against in the daily a distribution of food.
2 So the Twelve called a meeting of all the
5:24
Acts 4:1
5:26
Matt 14:5; 21:26
5:27
x archiereus (0749)
Acts
23:2
5:28
Matt 23:35; 27:25
Acts 2:23; 4:18; 7:52
5:29
Acts 4:19
5:30
Acts 10:39
5:31
Acts 2:33, 38
Heb 2:10
y so-te-r (4990)
Acts
13:23
5:32
Luke 24:48
John 15:2627
5:33
Acts 7:54
5:34
Acts 22:3
5:36
Acts 21:38
5:37
Luke 2:12; 13:12
5:39
Prov 21:30
Isa 46:10
5:40
Matt 10:17
Mark 13:9
5:41
Matt 5:1012
John 15:21
1 Pet 4:13
5:42
Acts 2:46
z christos (5547)
Rom
8:35
6:1
Acts 2:45; 4:35
1 Tim 5:3
a diakonia (1248)
Acts
6:4
6:24
Exod 18:1326
6
5:21 Greek Sanhedrin; also in 5:27, 41. 5:30 Greek on a tree. 5:41 Greek for the name. 6:1 Greek disciples; also in 6:2, 7.
5:29 See note on 4:1920.
5:3032 We are witnesses of these
things: The apostles, as witnesses, were
required to testify to what they had seen
and heard (see Lev 5:1; cp. Acts 1:8; Matt
28:1820; Luke 24:4449; John 20:21).
5:3340 God once again thwarted
the Jewish leaders’ plans to stop the
apostles—this time through the counsel
of Gamaliel.
5:34 Gamaliel was an eminent Pharisee,
a leader in the Jewish high council, and
a famous teacher of the law. He was
T H E P E N TAT E U C H
Paul’s teacher during his rabbinical edu
cation (see 22:3).
5:3637 This Theudas is otherwise
unknown, although Josephus mentions
a different man by that name who
raised a revolt some years later (see
Josephus, Antiquities 20.5.1). Theudas
was a common Jewish name. • Judas of
Galilee appears in Josephus as a rebel
who opposed giving tribute to Caesar
about ad 6 or 7, following the census
of Quirinius (see Josephus, Antiquities
20.5.2; cp. Luke 2:2). His resistance, too,
was crushed.
ISRAEL’S HISTORY
6:1 The Greek-speaking believers were
Jewish Christians who had lived elsewhere
in the Greco-Roman world and prob
ably observed some Greek customs. The
Hebrew-speaking believers were more
traditional Jews, native to Palestine, who
spoke Hebrew or Aramaic and refrained
from Greek customs. • their widows were
being discriminated against: This injustice
threatened the growth and development
of the church with rumblings of discontent, and had to be addressed.
6:26 Wisely, the apostles called a meeting of all the believers to address the
POETRY & WISDOM
