Act 5:20 | KingComments | STEP | The high priest and his companions, the Sadducees, rise up. This not only indicates a change of physical attitude, but indicates a spiritual reaction. They rise up against the work of the Spirit. The work of the Spirit always alternates with the counteractions of satan. Now comes the next opposition. In the world good always works in the presence of the power of evil. The spiritual authorities fear every threat to their position. They cannot stand by idly as the influence of the apostles undermines their influence. They either have to join or attack. Since they are so jealous, there is no question of joining and so they choose to attack. This time they do not only seize Peter and John, but all the apostles and imprison them. Again it seems to be toward the end of the day because the apostles are not immediately interrogated. As night descends over Jerusalem, the eye of God is on the prison. He laughs at the rage of the religious leaders ( ). To deliver His faithful apostles, He sends an angel. We see the irony of God to send an angel precisely here, where the Sadducees are the opponents who do not believe in angels ( ). The Lord does not give His apostles the power to deliver themselves. The angel does what people cannot do. He opens the doors of the prison and takes them out. It must have been completely dark in prison and impossible for the apostles to find their way out. The light of the angel shows the way. When they are outside, the angel gives a command to the apostles. This command shows that they have been delivered to continue their ordinary work and not to flee. He points out to them the place where they must preach and tells them what to talk about. They must take their place in the temple again and speak “to the people ... the whole message of this Life”. God’s grace for His people continues. He wants the people to hear the message of “this” Life. That are words of God Himself and about the Lord Jesus, through which everyone who hears and accepts them is saved ( ). It is also our privilege to speak these words of life to people who do not yet know Christ, that they may be saved. The words of the Lord Jesus are spirit and life ( ). Let us speak these words to the people and not lose ourselves in a wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers ( ). The apostles do what the angel said because they clearly recognize the Lord’s command. They will do it with pleasure and conviction now that they are so encouraged by this remarkable deliverance. Instead of going to bed, they will have prayed until they can go to the temple early in the morning. Once there, they don’t tell a beautiful story about their spectacular deliverance, but they teach the people. They continue their teaching to the people fearlessly, without fear of the religious leaders whom they of course expect. It will not take long before they come. Before that, Luke first mentions that those leaders have come together to judge the apostles. It is clear that none of them has the slightest suspicion of what happened that night. Assuming that they have the matter under control, they send officers to take the apostles out of the dungeon. When the officers come to the dungeon, they don’t find the apostles there anymore. This must have caused great surprise. They return to the priests and report their findings. They tell in detail what they found when they got there. At first glance, everything seemed perfectly in order. The doors of the prison house were not open, but were closed with great care. The guards were also at their post. There was nothing to indicate that the prisoners would no longer be there. But when they had gone inside and opened the inner doors to take the prisoners, there was no one there. This account by the officers of all the care and the guards provides additional proof that God was at work. No matter how well the case was secured, to God it doesn’t matter. He just makes the guards blind and deaf for the time He needs. It reminds us – and certainly should have reminded the chief priests – of the events around the tomb of the Lord Jesus. There they had made sure that the tomb was properly closed with a sealed stone and a guard to secure it ( ). But all their measures did not prevent the Lord Jesus from rising. On the contrary, their measures provided additional proof of His resurrection. They want to undo that evidence by bribing the soldiers and making them tell a lie ( ). Here the captain and the chief priests are embarrassed with the situation. Where are their detainees? Their question will not remain unanswered for long. Someone comes with the message that the prisoners are standing in the temple and teaching the people. The apostles do also what the Lord Jesus did. The teaching of the people means that they have explained the Old Testament to the people to prove that Jesus is the Christ (cf. ).

‏ Acts 5:20

Arrested and Released

The high priest and his companions, the Sadducees, rise up. This not only indicates a change of physical attitude, but indicates a spiritual reaction. They rise up against the work of the Spirit. The work of the Spirit always alternates with the counteractions of satan. Now comes the next opposition. In the world good always works in the presence of the power of evil.

The spiritual authorities fear every threat to their position. They cannot stand by idly as the influence of the apostles undermines their influence. They either have to join or attack. Since they are so jealous, there is no question of joining and so they choose to attack. This time they do not only seize Peter and John, but all the apostles and imprison them.

Again it seems to be toward the end of the day because the apostles are not immediately interrogated. As night descends over Jerusalem, the eye of God is on the prison. He laughs at the rage of the religious leaders (Psa 2:4). To deliver His faithful apostles, He sends an angel. We see the irony of God to send an angel precisely here, where the Sadducees are the opponents who do not believe in angels (Acts 23:8).

The Lord does not give His apostles the power to deliver themselves. The angel does what people cannot do. He opens the doors of the prison and takes them out. It must have been completely dark in prison and impossible for the apostles to find their way out. The light of the angel shows the way.

When they are outside, the angel gives a command to the apostles. This command shows that they have been delivered to continue their ordinary work and not to flee. He points out to them the place where they must preach and tells them what to talk about. They must take their place in the temple again and speak “to the people ... the whole message of this Life”.

God’s grace for His people continues. He wants the people to hear the message of “this” Life. That are words of God Himself and about the Lord Jesus, through which everyone who hears and accepts them is saved (Acts 13:26). It is also our privilege to speak these words of life to people who do not yet know Christ, that they may be saved. The words of the Lord Jesus are spirit and life (Jn 6:63). Let us speak these words to the people and not lose ourselves in a wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers (2Tim 2:14).

The apostles do what the angel said because they clearly recognize the Lord’s command. They will do it with pleasure and conviction now that they are so encouraged by this remarkable deliverance. Instead of going to bed, they will have prayed until they can go to the temple early in the morning. Once there, they don’t tell a beautiful story about their spectacular deliverance, but they teach the people. They continue their teaching to the people fearlessly, without fear of the religious leaders whom they of course expect. It will not take long before they come.

Before that, Luke first mentions that those leaders have come together to judge the apostles. It is clear that none of them has the slightest suspicion of what happened that night. Assuming that they have the matter under control, they send officers to take the apostles out of the dungeon. When the officers come to the dungeon, they don’t find the apostles there anymore. This must have caused great surprise.

They return to the priests and report their findings. They tell in detail what they found when they got there. At first glance, everything seemed perfectly in order. The doors of the prison house were not open, but were closed with great care. The guards were also at their post. There was nothing to indicate that the prisoners would no longer be there. But when they had gone inside and opened the inner doors to take the prisoners, there was no one there.

This account by the officers of all the care and the guards provides additional proof that God was at work. No matter how well the case was secured, to God it doesn’t matter. He just makes the guards blind and deaf for the time He needs.

It reminds us – and certainly should have reminded the chief priests – of the events around the tomb of the Lord Jesus. There they had made sure that the tomb was properly closed with a sealed stone and a guard to secure it (Mt 27:62-66). But all their measures did not prevent the Lord Jesus from rising. On the contrary, their measures provided additional proof of His resurrection. They want to undo that evidence by bribing the soldiers and making them tell a lie (Mt 28:11-15).

Here the captain and the chief priests are embarrassed with the situation. Where are their detainees? Their question will not remain unanswered for long. Someone comes with the message that the prisoners are standing in the temple and teaching the people. The apostles do also what the Lord Jesus did. The teaching of the people means that they have explained the Old Testament to the people to prove that Jesus is the Christ (cf. Acts 28:23).