WE OVERWHELMINGLY CONQUER
ACTS 5:12-42
NASB
12[a]At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s portico. 13 But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem. 14 And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number, 15 to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any one of them. 16 Also the [a]people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick [b]or afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.
17 But the high priest rose up, along with all his associates (that is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy. 18 They laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison, and taking them out he said, 20 “Go, stand and [a]speak to the people in the temple [b]the whole message of this Life.” 21 Upon hearing this, they entered into the temple about daybreak and began to teach.
Now when the high priest and his associates came, they called the [a]Council together, even all the Senate of the sons of Israel, and sent orders to the prison house for them to be brought. 22 But the officers who came did not find them in the prison; and they returned and reported back, 23 saying, “We found the prison house locked quite securely and the guards standing at the doors; but when we had opened up, we found no one inside.” 24 Now when the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them as to what [a]would come of this. 25 But someone came and reported to them, “The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!” 26 Then the captain went along with the officers and proceeded to bring them back without violence (for they were afraid of the people, that they might be stoned).
27 When they had brought them, they stood them [a]before the Council. The high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and [a]yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, [a]whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a [b]cross. 31 He is the one whom God exalted [a]to His right hand as a [b]Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses [a]of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
33 But when they heard this, they were cut [a]to the quick and intended to kill them. 34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time. 35 And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men. 36 For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. [a]But he was killed, and all who [b]followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him; he too perished, and all those who [a]followed him were scattered. 38 So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or [a]action is of men, it will be overthrown; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.”
40 They [a]took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to [b]speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. 41 So they went on their way from the presence of the [a]Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. 42 And every day, in the temple and [a]from house to house, they [b]kept right on teaching and [c]preaching Jesus as the [d]Christ.
5:12 [a]Lit Through 5:16 [a]Lit multitude [b]Lit and 5:20 [a]Or continue to speak [b]Lit all the words 5:21 [a]Or Sanhedrin 5:24 [a]Lit this would become 5:27 [a]Lit in 5:28 [a]Lit behold 5:30 [a]Or on whom you had laid violent hands [b]Lit wood 5:31 [a]Or by [b]Or Leader 5:32 [a]One early ms adds in Him 5:33 [a]Or in their hearts 5:36 [a]Lit Who was killed [b]Lit were obeying 5:37 [a]Lit were obeying 5:38 [a]Or work 5:40 [a]Lit were persuaded by him [b]Lit be speaking 5:41 [a]Or Sanhedrin 5:42 [a]Or in the various private homes [b]Lit were not ceasing to [c]Lit telling the good news of [d]I.e. Messiah
NLT
12 The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 But no one else dared to join them, even though all the people had high regard for them. 14 Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord —crowds of both men and women. 15 As a result of the apostles’ work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter’s shadow might fall across some of them as he went by. 16 Crowds came from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil[*] spirits, and they were all healed.
17 The high priest and his officials, who were Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then he told them, 20 “Go to the Temple and give the people this message of life!”
21 So at daybreak the apostles entered the Temple, as they were told, and immediately began teaching.
When the high priest and his officials arrived, 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 reported, 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!”
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 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 authority. 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 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 respected by all the people, stood up and ordered 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 fellow 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 census, 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!”
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 rejoicing 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 Messiah.”
[5:16] Greek unclean. [5:21] Greek Sanhedrin; also in 5:27, 41. [5:30] Greek on a tree. [5:41] Greek for the name.
In Romans 8, Paul offers a striking image of Christians living in a hostile world: “‘We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us” (Rom. 8:36-37). I find that image both terrifying and comforting. We are powerless, yet we cannot be defeated. We face fearsome opposition, yet we should not fear. We could have been “slaughtered,” yet we overwhelmingly conquer. If that tension seems impossible to maintain, that’s because it is! As far as human ability goes, anyway.
The Lord doesn’t require us to have superhuman strength or genius-level intelligence or heroic bravery. He merely calls us to be faithful and obedient and to leave the business of conquering to Him. This was the lesson God taught the first Christians as they faced their next major challenge.
— 5:12-16 —
This segment of Luke’s narrative opens with a summary statement describing the rise of the church over a period of several weeks or months. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and in defiance of the Sanhedrin’s warning, the apostles continued to heal the sick and proclaim the resurrection of Jesus. These first Christians were Jewish, of course, so they continued to meet in the temple. In fact, they made it their custom to use the portico of Solomon, where Peter and John had earlier been taken into custody.
The believers had prayed for confidence (4:29); clearly, the Lord granted their request!
As Jews came and went, they could not have missed the large meetings taking place in the main courtyard. Many Jews lived in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas, but many others traveled from distant lands to sacrifice and to worship. Before leaving, however, they heard about Jesus, the Old Testament proofs about Him being the Messiah, and the eyewitness testimony of His rising from the dead. The number of Christians grew steadily as people responded in belief. Still, a great number feared the power of the religious officials and kept their distance. But no one could ignore the movement of God in the temple.
Not everyone understood what they saw. Superstition and rumor prompted people to line the streets with their infirm relatives, hoping that Peter’s shadow might bring healing. Luke doesn’t say Peter’s shadow healed anyone, only that people thought it possible. They could have approached any one of the apostles in the temple courtyard, but they feared retribution. The Sanhedrin didn’t approve of this growing sect of Jesus followers.
— 5:17-18 —
The teaching of the apostles challenged not only the religious power of the Sanhedrin —the growing movement also threatened to upset the fragile political balance the religious leaders were struggling to maintain. For decades, the Sadducees and Pharisees had successfully maintained a delicate balance of power between nationalistic Jews and Rome. They used the threat of Roman cruelty to discourage insurrection among the commoners, and they convinced Rome that keeping its distance would minimize the possibility of revolution. This arrangement gave the temple rulers incredible power and extreme wealth. As the popularity of the church continued to grow, however, the temple officials could do nothing but watch helplessly as their political power gradually slipped away with each new convert.
The religious leaders’ attempted shakedown of Peter and John (4:3-22) had failed to accomplish anything. In fact, the two men found themselves joined by ten more, and the evangelistic meetings continued right at the spot of the men’s arrest. So, the high priest decided to increase the pressure by arresting all twelve of the apostles and holding them in a “public jail” overnight before questioning (5:18). The Greek adjective translated “public” (dēmosios [1219]) has two primary meanings: “belonging to the state” and “open or visible to the public.” All jails belonged to the state; therefore, this must have been a jail where prisoners were put on display as a warning to others. The high priest hoped a night in jail would cause at least some to weaken or perhaps even split the group into factions. Then, a hearing the next morning might capitalize on their failing solidarity.
THE POLITICS OF RELIGION
ACTS 5:17, 34
Religion has always been a favorite tool of kings and governments. All you need is a visible institution to embody the beliefs of the people you want to control and the credibility to determine who can be in and who should remain out. If people believe that you hold their eternal destinies in your hands, you can make them believe almost anything, want almost anything, and most significantly, do almost anything. Some of the world’s greatest evils have been perpetrated by people who believed that their actions —however horrific or inhuman —were good and right because of their religion. A classic example is September 11, 2001.
In first-century Israel, two primary groups vied for religious control, which kept them locked in a symbiotic, love-hate relationship with each other. The aristocratic Sadducees occupied the official positions of power, which included authority over Herod’s magnificent temple, Israel’s most visible institution. But their open collaboration with Rome made them very unpopular with the Jewish population, who wanted nothing less than a free nation. The nationalistic Pharisees maintained control over the Jewish masses by becoming conspicuously Jewish. And if obedience to the Law of Moses made someone Jewish, they would remain kings of the moral hill at any cost.
The Sadducees controlled the temple only at the pleasure of Rome, and they needed the religious clout of the Pharisees to control the Jewish people. Although the Pharisees wielded heavy influence over the people, their pugnacious attitude toward Rome and lack of military might have kept them from doing much more than chanting slogans. Rome needed the Sadducees to keep Roman interference to a minimum. Of the two things needed to manipulate people —a religious institution and religious authority —neither party had both. So they jealously guarded what they did control.[37]
In the past, the tactic had probably worked well for the high priest. Who knows how many upstarts and rabble-rousers he had silenced? Only this time, he failed to take a critical factor into account —the power of God.
— 5:19-20 —
During the night, the Lord undermined the temple leaders. They were planning to humiliate the apostles by placing them in a public jail, so the Lord freed the men in a public declaration of His support. He sent an angel to miraculously open the locked doors and gates and march them past the guards and out into the street without being noticed. There was no natural way for them to escape without detection.
Notice, however, that instead of fleeing the city, they returned to the temple to resume their proclamation of Christ’s resurrection. A simple jailbreak would have proven nothing. As fugitives, the men would attract dissenters while compromising their standing among devout Jews. By resuming their activities with God’s blessing, they sent an altogether different message to potential believers.
The apostles returned to the very spot of their earlier arrest and resumed their ministry of preaching, teaching, and healing.
— 5:21-25 —
When the council convened later in the morning, they sent for the prisoners. Again, they hoped to intimidate the apostles because they needed them to recant their testimony. By now, many thousands of people had heard them declare Jesus resurrected. The Sanhedrin had already killed Jesus; now they had an enemy they couldn’t destroy —except by discrediting His witnesses.
When the report came back that the apostles had disappeared from their cell, the temple leaders were “greatly perplexed” (5:24; diaporeō [1280]). The word could also be translated “at a loss,” not only to comprehend or explain what had occurred, but also as to what might happen next. When they heard the news, they expected the men to be long gone, which created two potential outcomes. First, the men could begin an underground movement against them, not unlike the secret campaigns of the Zealots. Second, the men could flee to Galilee or further north and resume their ministry there. Either way, the Sanhedrin would have to respond in the same way: discredit the apostles as fugitive enemies of God’s temple.
Of course, the religious authorities didn’t expect these men to be teaching openly in the portico of Solomon, exactly where they had been taken into custody!
— 5:26-32 —
The captain of the temple guard and a contingent of soldiers politely requested the apostles to join the Sanhedrin for a meeting. The crowd undoubtedly knew what had occurred the day before; after all, the apostles had been thrown into a public prison. The temple guard, commissioned to keep the peace in the temple precincts, feared the potential reaction of the crowd gathered to hear the apostles (5:26).
When Caiaphas the high priest indicted the apostles, he carefully avoided speaking the name of Jesus. Instead, he used “this name” and “this man” (5:28). (Even today, the name of Jesus makes people uncomfortable.) All the same, everyone knew whom he had in mind.
The expression “bring this man’s blood upon us” refers to imputed guilt (5:28). The council had undoubtedly rationalized their conspiracy against Jesus, perhaps convincing themselves that His own words condemned Him or that Pilate was to blame. Regardless, they worried about the public blaming them for an innocent —even righteous —man’s execution. They feared the loss of power, not moral guilt or what the truth might be.
The apostles responded with words we would all do well to memorize: “We must obey God rather than men” (5:29). Peter didn’t avoid the issues that caused the Sanhedrin discomfort. He went on to overwhelm the indictment with a countercharge layered with messianic language. He said, in effect, “You’re worried about being blamed for crucifying the Messiah because you are, in fact, guilty of crucifying the Messiah!” But this same Jesus, Peter testified, had been raised from the dead by the power of God and had received all the power and authority promised to the Messiah in the Scriptures (5:30-31).
Peter didn’t offer any theological reasoning; he didn’t need to. The professional theologians understood the implications better than anyone. Peter and the apostles presented as evidence their personal experience, what they had witnessed firsthand. Jesus told them He would be arrested, tortured, and sacrificed for the sins of His people, and He predicted His resurrection. Jesus then fulfilled everything He promised (5:32).
Clearly the men would not back down.
— 5:33-39 —
The temple leaders almost decided to dispose of the believers as they had done with Jesus, but a highly respected teacher named Gamaliel intervened. Beginning with a short history of other failed movements, he reminded the men that their noninterference policy had served them well in the past. As each would-be messiah or populist movement had surfaced, the Sanhedrin had refused to lend its support for fear of Rome’s wrath. But they had also avoided taking sides with Rome to avoid angering the people. In each case, the deceptive leader was killed, his movement fell apart, and the crisis passed without the Sanhedrin’s involvement (5:35-37). Gamaliel therefore reasoned that if this movement didn’t have God behind it, the crisis would resolve itself. If, on the other hand, these Jesus followers had God on their side, the council would be wise to stay out of the Lord’s way (5:38-39).
While Gamaliel acted in the interests of communal self-preservation, he uttered more truth than he realized. As a leader of Israel, he was admitting that only divine power could help a group of simple, uneducated, unarmed civilians expand under the suffocating domination of Rome. Because the council wanted to remain free of Roman dominion as much as anyone, they saw no reason to quash any movement that might prove successful —that is, so long as Rome didn’t blame the Sanhedrin for failing to keep the peace. So far, this troublesome movement had remained politically peaceful.
— 5:40-42 —
The council accepted Gamaliel’s reasoning. Besides, their murder of Jesus had not only failed to destroy His following, but it had fueled deeper devotion and accelerated growth. They couldn’t imagine what twelve murders would do. So, they flogged the apostles and released them with another warning to stop teaching in the name of Jesus (5:40).
The word translated “flogged” (derō [1194]) means literally “to skin,” but it’s a general term for striking, beating, or whipping. It could have been as simple as a symbolic punishment, such as a few lashes with a leather whip, or as severe as the scourging Jesus received prior to crucifixion. Many references in classical Greek literature convey the idea of flaying or parting the skin. Taking all things into consideration, the apostles were probably whipped until they were bloody but were not subjected to the halfway-to-death scourging Jesus endured. The punishment undoubtedly left permanent scars.
Upon leaving the council chambers, the church leaders rejoiced (5:41)! They considered their ordeal a fulfillment of the Lord’s many predictions during His earthly ministry (Matt. 10:17, 22; 23:34; 24:9; Mark 13:9-13; Luke 12:11; 21:12, 17; John 15:19-21). And what did they do next? They returned to the temple courts —most likely the portico of Solomon where they had been arrested twice before —and continued their ministry of healing and proclaiming the resurrection of the Messiah, Jesus.
As we examine the history of the church, it’s easy to think of the first Christians as larger than life, even superhuman, especially when you consider the disadvantages they faced compared to our circumstances in the United States today. They had no building in which to meet. They had no governmental protection. In fact, their governments very much wanted them dead. They had no guarantee of privacy, no freedom of speech, no assurance of due process or fair hearings. They had little in the way of tangible resources. No political power. No impressive education. Not even a complete Bible —none of the New Testament had been written yet.
They had so much more working against them than we do today —yet they literally changed the world. Still, let us not forget that these were ordinary men and women not much different from us. These first Christians would not have been equal to the challenges they faced were it not for the Holy Spirit. They conquered because they relied upon the same power God has given us today.
APPLICATION: ACTS 5:12-42
Attention, Soldiers of the Cross!
Jesus didn’t fit the theological mold of the Messiah in first-century Israel. The ancient experts in Old Testament prophecy expected a larger-than-life political mogul, a muscular military commander, economic guru, prophetic sage, and moral champion, all rolled into one magnificent package. They expected this man to make life good again, to restore Israel’s military power, economic prosperity, and religious order. So, when a peaceful carpenter from the boonies of Galilee presented Himself as the long-awaited King announcing a very different kind of agenda, the religious leaders of Israel frowned, jeered, and rejected Him.
Even those who accepted Him as the Messiah didn’t understand His mission, regardless of how many times Jesus promised the exact opposite of health and wealth, comfort and ease. Even after His resurrection, they had wondered, “Is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” (1:6).
After receiving the Holy Spirit, with His power and wisdom, the followers of Jesus gained a very different view of the Messiah and His mission. They now had the transforming mind of God. Consequently, as I observe Acts 5:12-42, I see twelve men emerging from persecution bearing the scars of injustice not with curses or questions but with rejoicing. They considered their ordeal an indication of God’s favor! This suggests two principles for all those who suffer for the cause of Christ today. First, opposition may mean you’re in the will of God, not out of it. Second, the will of God may set you against popular opinion, not with it.
Difficult as it is to understand, Jesus never promised His followers —then or now —that living in a fallen world would be easy or bring popularity. Yet for some reason, we think that good fortune indicates God’s pleasure or confirms that we are in His will. And we continue to suspect that painful circumstances indicate God’s displeasure or that we have wandered outside His sovereign design. The fact is, God may will for His people to live as poor as dirt, to suffer rejection and sorrow, to endure outrageous injustice and then die painfully —just like His own Son and the apostles who followed Him. Isaac Watts expressed this well in one of his great hymns, first published about three centuries ago.
Am I a soldier of the cross,
A follower of the Lamb,
And shall I fear to own His cause,
Or blush to speak His Name?
Must I be carried to the skies
On flowery beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize,
And sailed through bloody seas? . . .
Sure I must fight if I would reign;
Increase my courage, Lord!
I’ll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by Thy Word.
Remain faithful in season and out of season. Don’t forget that —ultimately —we overwhelmingly conquer.