We Must Obey God Rather Than Men
WE MUST OBEY GOD RATHER THAN MEN
ACTS 5:21b-32
Faced with opposition, Peter and the others did not soften what they had to say.
Verses 21b-26. The Sanhedrin had evidently expected a full arraignment of the apostles, and a summons to bring them out for trial was issued (5:21). To the dismay of their foes and captors, the apostles had disappeared and could not be traced anywhere—until it became all too apparent that they had not fled into safe hiding, nor slunk away in abject fear, but were to be found and heard in a public place (5:25). There is gentle irony here, as Luke records the reactions of those concerned.
5:27-32 give both the command to desist from preaching and the reply that Peter’s conscience found this injunction intolerable. The accusation which the high priest makes reminds us of what the Jews said in Matthew 27:25, and shows how widespread the gospel’s influence was spreading, much to the consternation of the Jewish leaders who saw their own place being undermined. We may recall a similar fear about the effect of Jesus’ ministry (John 11:48).
The brave response of Peter, again spokesman for the rest, in the face of such a threat, is quite in character—that is, in line with the new Peter, who has shed his pre-Easter cowardice and has received a baptism of the Spirit’s courage and strength. He repeats his earlier affirmation of loyalty to God (4:19) and proceeds to give the urgent reason why his voice cannot be silenced.
5:30. “Raised” refers to the sending of Jesus to Israel (as in 3:26); the resurrection is mentioned in the next verse. “A tree” = the cross of Calvary is meant, but the implication is clear. Jesus died under a curse (Deuteronomy 21:22-23; Galatians 3:13) voluntarily assumed for the sake of sinners, as Peter was later to teach (1 Peter 2:24).
The story of Jesus is told again in its impressive simplicity: “God sent him to Israel as their Messiah; the Jewish leaders rejected him and engineered his crucifixion; God stepped in, and reversed this judgment of condemnation by raising him from the dead and installing him as a life-giving Savior; we are the eyewitnesses of these facts under the guidance and empowering of the Holy Spirit.” How succinct and compelling is this statement! Note the effect it had.
Notes 5:21b: the “and” explains what follows. Translate “the council, that is, all the senate.” 5:28: the high priest refrains from saying whose name it is. 5:31: see on 3:15. Cf. Luke 24:47f. which includes the note of witness (in 5:32). The apostles were fulfilling their commission to the letter.