Acts 4: 1-22

(Acts 4: 1-22)

And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees , came upon them,  Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.  And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide.  Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.  And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes,  And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this? Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.  This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.  And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.  But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,  Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it.  But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.  And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.  But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.  For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.  So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done.  For the man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was shewed.

 

Whenever the apostles who witnessed the resurrection of Jesus this thousand years ago preached the gospel, they were persecuted and persecuted by the leaders of the Jewish society for the content and message of the gospel itself. Peter and John were imprisoned because they had healed a congenital paraplegic begging at the door of the temple in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rather than silver and gold, and preached the gospel and the resurrection of the dead in Jesus. The high priests, along with officials, elders, and scribes, who can be called high-ranking leaders of the Jewish society, told the apostles who boldly preached the gospel, saying, ``when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what. name, have ye done this? 』

In answer to this question, Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; 』Replied. Peter boldly says that it is the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth that healed the congenital paraplegic. Why could Peter, who ran away when Jesus was arrested and crucified, could testify so boldly? It is because Peter saw and experienced firsthand the risen Lord.

The resurrection of Jesus transforms Peter and other weak and suspicious apostles into bold and confident people. So, Peter said, ``Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. 』.

Today, the modern society we live in is an era of religious pluralism. In this age, if you boldly say that only Jesus is the name that gives us salvation to the unbelieving world like the apostle Peter, you may be accused of being selfish and self-righteous. So, if you avoid arguments and make moderate compromises and concessions, it's difficult. There can be no compromise or concession on the matter of truth with eternal life. There are no middle or gray areas.

As far as salvation is concerned, there is no name other than that of Jesus Christ. In addition, no matter what kind of criticism or persecution the church has for preaching the clear Gospel on the matter of truth with eternal life, if the church is a true church where Jesus is the true master and headstone, not just humans. Its vitality is never taken away.

『 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. 』 In ancient societies, illiteracy was very high, and Peter and many of his disciples were also ordinary people of Galilee fishermen who had not learned. The word ignorant men without learning means an ordinary person who has not learned. However, learning does not necessarily mean learning through writing and reading. Some things are learned by experiencing and learning with the body, and they are retained for a longer time. Although there were times as terrible as the apostles such as Peter and John ran away after denying Jesus, it is by no means in vain that they followed Jesus for three years and learned with ears, eyes, and bodies.

The apostles can preach the Gospel boldly by remembering and recalling their three years with the Lord with new eyes through the resurrection of the resurrected Lord. Thus, even if there is no progress in faith as it is proportional to the time that has passed right before your eyes, the past times are by no means in vain. There will surely be a time when the Lord spends the past life of faith.

Since Peter and John spoke boldly, and the healed stood with the apostles, the high priests had no reason to imprison the apostles. So, ``And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. 』