Acts 4:1-21

Before the Sanhedrin

Peter and John were brought before the Sanhedrin.Here are three observations on this event.

Peter spoke with a boldness that was no where to be found on the night he betrayed Jesus. He was so bold that the leaders of the nation were astonished. Yes, they had been with Jesus. There were a couple of His disciples, but they had also been with Jesus on that fateful night. Something was now different. What? Ah! There it is. Peter was now “filled with the Holy Spirit.” Jesus had said they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. Of course, Sampson received power when the Spirit came upon him. Peter received power after the Holy Spirit came upon him. I wonder if it would work for us as well? Uh, yes.

Peter said that there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved. This is the rub. If we really believe this then there is an inevitable clash coming between believers and the world. There are certainly many questions to be resolved and many are legitimate questions that can’t always be answered by human reasoned doctrine or theology. My answer for the tough questions is simple. I trust God to do what is right. However, I do believe that Jesus is the only way and the world doesn’t want this. Anything but this. Yet, it is the one thing we cannot jettison.

They threatened Peter and John not to preach in Jesus’ name anymore. A bit of a problem here. Jesus had told them to preach in His name, and since He is God... When push comes to shove there are many times when we must choose to obey somebody or obey God. The right answer (every time) is God.