A Study of Acts: Fulfulling the Great Commision

Chapter Four: He Who Has Ears

What is it that blinds men’s hearts to the truth of God’s word? Why is it that some people can have the word of God told to them plainly and still not understand or believe? Jesus plainly told the twelve what his mission was, "‘We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.’ The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about (Luke 18:31-34)." But what was it that hid the truth from them? On another occasion the apostles did not understand when Jesus told them to, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees (Matt 16:6)." Later they understood that he didn’t mean their bread but their teachings. Then in the first chapter of Acts, after three and a half years of training and forty days of repeated instructions on what to do next, the apostles demonstrated a lingering lack of understanding when they said, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6)?" So what was it that was blinding them to the truth? Wasn’t it the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees? The Pharisees and Sadducees taught that the Messiah would remain (presumably on earth) forever (John 12:34), and that he would be a national hero who would liberate their nation from foreign rule and would establish his kingdom in Israel. But Jesus said that his kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). Wasn’t it this false teaching about the Messiah that blinded the apostles to the truth? Isn’t it always false teachings that blinds men’s hearts to the truth of God’s word?

We find in the fourth chapter of Acts that even though the hearts of many in Jerusalem had been opened to the truth about the Messiah, the Pharisees and Sadducees, the religious leaders of Israel, were still blind to the light of the gospel and the glory of Christ.

After spending the night in jail, Peter and John were brought before the council to answer for what they did and said in the temple. Presiding over the council were Annas and Caiaphas, the same men who presided over Jesus’ illegal trial. It had to occur to Peter and John that a fair hearing was not what these people had in mind. Indeed, they were arrested because "The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees … were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead (Acts 4:1-2)." If the rulers had put Jesus to death for claiming to be the Son of God and being able to rebuild the temple in three days (Matthew 26:60-66), what then was in store for the apostles for proclaiming this same message about Jesus? These circumstances at one time may have been cause for retreat and denial by the old Peter and John, but on this day two changed men stood before the council. These changed men remembered the teachings of Christ and laid claim to the promise of help that Jesus had made to them. "Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit (Mark 13:11)."

What a surprise it must have been when the apostles heard the question put to them by the council. There were no questions about the resurrection. Possibly the Sadducees remembered an earlier defeat when they asked Jesus about the resurrection (Matthew 22:23-33), or maybe they didn’t want to divide the council with questions about the resurrection since the Pharisees would be sympathetic to such a cause. Rather, they fell back on another tactic they had used against Jesus. They asked the apostles to disclose "by what power or what name did you do this (Acts 4:7)?" Without a moments hesitation and filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter seized the moment to proclaim the good news and in so doing turned the question to his advantage. With a double edged sword Peter replied, "If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: 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. He is 'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.' Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:9-12)."

If the council sought to trap Peter in his words while avoiding a discussion of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, coupled with their own guilt for the murder of one approved of God, they fail miserably. To make matters worse they now had to devise some way to bring this whole embarrassing episode to a conclusion. They could not deny the miracle for all of Jerusalem knew of it, nor could they disprove Peter’s explanation of the miracle. Having no legal grounds on which to punish Peter or John, they resorted to a tactic long honored by tyrants. They used the threat. They told Peter and John that they must stop speaking in the name of Jesus. Having once been warned, if the apostles ignored this command, then in the future the council would have the legal grounds on which to punish them for not obeying this command. But once again Peter was spurred on by the Spirit and answered the council’s threat. "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard (Acts 4:19-20)." To compound the council’s dilemma they could not count on the people’s support because "all the people were praising God for what had happened (Acts 4:21)." So after further threats the council had no choice but to let the apostles go.

One of the things the council had hoped to accomplish was to "stop this thing from spreading any further among the people (Acts 4:17)." At this too they failed. For when Peter and John returned to the rest of the believers, they told of all the threats made by the priests and elders of the people. Upon hearing what was said the whole assembly did what had become a characteristic part of their new life in Christ; they joined their voices in prayer to God. And characteristic of the way Jesus had taught them to pray, they praised God as Sovereign Lord. They praised God for His power and authority, and they asked God to continue to use them to boldly speak His word. "After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly (Acts 4:31)."

In this additional outpouring of the Holy Spirit we see the application of another of the Lord’s teachings. "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear. Consider carefully what you hear," he continued. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you-- and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him (Mark 4:23-25)." The meaning becomes suddenly clear. Anyone who is willing to hear, accept, believe the good news will be given the word freely. To the extent that you will open your ears and your heart to the word, the word will given to you. The more you drink the living water, the more it will become a spring welling up within you (John 7:38). This assembly of believers not only believed this teaching of Christ, but they laid claim to its promise.

In the actions of the council we can see an application of the balance of this teaching. For the priests and elders of the people were once God’s spokesmen. They powerfully declared the word of God to the nation of Israel. But at the point that they quit listening to God and started living by their own traditions and false teachings, they lost that special relationship with God. They had refused to accept Jesus as lord. In refusing Jesus they refused the word of God, and as a result even that portion of God’s word which was once theirs as His spokesmen was taken away. Their traditions and false teachings had blinded them to the truth of the word of God.

Before we leave chapter four we must notice a section of scripture that some have said rightfully belongs to chapter five, but we must remind ourselves that when the Spirit inspired Luke to write this book, he didn’t include chapter and verse divisions. A careful study of verses thirty-two through thirty-seven reveals that they should indeed be considered with the rest of chapter four. For in these verses we see a contrast between the fruit of unbelief, as depicted by the council, and the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22) as demonstrated by these early believers.

Luke records in the sixth chapter of Luke and verse thirty-eight that the Lord said, "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." This too was a promise that these believers laid claim to. "All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need (Acts 4:32-35 NIV)."

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A Study of Acts:

Fulfilling the Great Commission