Act 4:23-37 | KingComments | STEP | When Peter and John are released, they go directly to “their own [companions]”, their own people, the people with whom they are connected, their own spiritual family. They form the company brought together by the Holy Spirit, of which the Lord Jesus is the center. Their connections no longer are with the Jewish people who have turned in enmity “against the Lord and against His Christ” ( ). They are separated from them and from the world. They did not have to wonder where their brothers and sisters were to be found. The believers often came together. It is possible that Peter and John went to the upper room, the familiar place where we have seen the believers together before ( ). Later we see that Peter knows where to find the believers when he has been in prison again and has been delivered from it ( ). What a blessing to belong to such a company where you can go and where they receive you and where you can share your experiences because they have a warm interest in them. Peter and John give a detailed account of everything the chief priests and elders have said to them. We do not hear about their own clear and fearless testimony. There are no great stories of a courageous performance. The apostles are concerned with the threat of not being allowed to testify anymore. That is their need and what they want to share.

‏ Acts 4:23-37

Their Own

When Peter and John are released, they go directly to “their own [companions]”, their own people, the people with whom they are connected, their own spiritual family. They form the company brought together by the Holy Spirit, of which the Lord Jesus is the center. Their connections no longer are with the Jewish people who have turned in enmity “against the Lord and against His Christ” (Acts 4:26). They are separated from them and from the world.

They did not have to wonder where their brothers and sisters were to be found. The believers often came together. It is possible that Peter and John went to the upper room, the familiar place where we have seen the believers together before (Acts 1:13). Later we see that Peter knows where to find the believers when he has been in prison again and has been delivered from it (Acts 12:12). What a blessing to belong to such a company where you can go and where they receive you and where you can share your experiences because they have a warm interest in them.

Peter and John give a detailed account of everything the chief priests and elders have said to them. We do not hear about their own clear and fearless testimony. There are no great stories of a courageous performance. The apostles are concerned with the threat of not being allowed to testify anymore. That is their need and what they want to share.

The Need Presented to the Lord

The reaction of the disciples to the message of Peter and John shows the great connectedness with each other. When they have reported on the events, the whole company turns to God in a spontaneous prayer. It has now become a common need. This prayer comes from the testimony and service for the Lord. If we testified more and shared our experiences with each other, our prayers would become more like the prayer described here. There is unity in praying. God hears as it were one voice.

When they address Him, they address Him with “Lord”, which literally means “despot”, that is absolute ruler, sovereign owner and possessor of everything. In connection with their need that is the right form of address. Earthly authorities have threatened that they are no longer allowed to speak about the Lord Jesus. Now they turn to the supreme authority and appeal to it as the highest and absolute authority.

In their prayers they are led to the Scriptures, to also appeal to the authority of the Word. God and His Word are inextricably linked. The situation in which they find themselves reminds them of Psalm 2 (Psa 2:1-2). In the direct sense, the psalm describes the situation in the last days, the end time, but they quote the psalm in their prayers for its application to their days. In the same way, we may also cite Scripture in our prayers. There is no better way to come to God than in connection with His Word. He wants us to come to Him that way. This means that we stand before Him on the same ground as He.

Here we learn that Psalm 2 is of David, because that is not apparent from the psalm itself. We also hear again that David is the mouth of the Holy Spirit in this psalm (cf. Acts 1:16). Quoting God’s Word only has an effect if it happens in full faith in the inspiration of that Word. They speak to God about David as “Your servant”, making an even closer connection with their current situation in which opposition to God’s “holy servant Jesus” manifests itself.

David wonders why the nations are in an uproar and the peoples are devising a vain thing. Surely it is foolishness to rebel against the Most High, isn’t it? Yet the kings and rulers, the authorities of the world, are in rebellion against the Lord of heaven and earth and against His Christ. For although in practice only the two apostles Peter and John have been threatened by the religious leaders of Israel, it truly is as stated in the psalm, that the whole power of the enemy has gathered against the Lord Jesus. The apostles have to suffer, but the real reason is the hatred of God’s ”holy servant Jesus”.

Christ is also God’s holy Servant in heaven Who from heaven through the Holy Spirit continues His work on earth for the glory of God. God anointed Him when He was on earth. That anointing still rests on Him. To the world, however, He is the rejected and despised Jesus. He was that on earth and He still is.

The disciples mention the names of Herod and Pontius Pilate as the persons who are model for the enmity of both the apostate religious world and the rebellious political world. They mocked, abused and condemned the Lord Jesus when He stood before them on earth. They did this together with the “Gentiles and peoples of Israel”. The disciples speak of Israel as belonging to the world of the Gentiles because together with the Gentiles they killed the true Servant of God, indeed, they were the instigators to that end.

In their prayer, the disciples present the acts of the hostile people to God. At the same time they also know that God is not out of control. The enemies have believed that they have been able to carry out their own plans and intentions, but the reality is that they have only done what God wanted. They have carried out His work.

Question to the Lord and His Answer

It is wonderful to note the conclusion the prayers come to. They poured out their heart before the Lord (Psa 62:8) and placed their needs with Him. It is enough for their heart that they have asked His attention for the threats. They do not ask if He wants to intervene in power and destroy the enemies or take away the threats. They entrust it all to Him with the peace of mind that He knows what is needed.

All they ask is boldness to speak, despite all opposition. After all, they have been threatened by the religious authority to no longer speak or teach in the Name of the Lord Jesus. Now they ask the Supreme Authority to be bold enough to resist the authority of these people and not to take any notice of the threats. All this with the aim to “speak Your word”. The disciples are full of the Word of God. Against this, the enemy tries to raise a dam; but it must be spoken with the view to salvation of people.

The disciples also ask the Lord for proof of His consent to their prayer. They would like Him to further manifest Himself with irrefutable proof of His power through the Name of the Lord Jesus. They ask if He wants to make the Name of His “holy servant Jesus” even greater by healing and doing signs and wonders.

As they pray, God answers. The answer is slightly different than what they have been praying for. There is a manifestation of His power, but it is only noticeable to the praying believers. It is not a manifestation of power against their opponents, but for themselves. That manifestation consists of shaking the place where they are. They feel how the place is being shaken.

The part of the prayer asking for boldness is fulfilled. Therefore they are filled with the Holy Spirit. Being filled with the Holy Spirit means that there is no more room for the flesh to assert itself. Through being filled with the Holy Spirit they do not speak in languages, but they speak the Word of God. Two apostles have spoken the Word and that is forbidden to them. After they have prayed, the whole company speaks God’s Word!

Church Unity

Here we find more characteristics of this new company. Everything breathes the presence of Him Who deigned to come to earth to dwell in the believers. Without Him, all those believers would have remained just as many individuals, but now there is unity. That unity concerns not only the new life in the spiritual sphere, but also the whole of life in the community and social sphere. Their faith connects the crowd of heart and soul.

If there is such unity, it cannot but be experienced also in practice. From within there is a desire to share everything with each other. This is very different from the law, which prescribes that certain things must be shared with each other. Sharing is then an obligation. The law also states that every Israelite has a piece of land that has been given to him as a blessing from God. The fact that the believers give up this piece of land shows what a big change in the thinking of these Jews of origin has taken place anyway.

Here, grace is the origin of all facets of life. Love for Christ goes hand in hand with love for His own. That love proves itself in giving. They know that their true riches are elsewhere. There is no ‘Christian communism’ here because the sale takes place entirely voluntarily. Communism is: ‘All yours is mine’; Christendom is: ‘All mine is yours’ and that on a voluntary basis. The right to private property has not been taken away. The community did not have the money until it had been voluntarily placed at the feet of the apostles.

The sharing of earthly goods gives extra strength to the apostles’ testimony concerning the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. It is only possible to consider earthly possessions as meaningless if there is a great impression of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Through His resurrection a territory has opened up that is outside of this world. Whoever is connected to it, knows that all his blessings are there.

This truth irresistibly breaks through all opposition in the early days of Christendom. The great resistance this truth evokes is proof of its great significance. The result is only that the apostles bear witness to this truth with great power.

That the enmity against the preaching of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus is great should not surprise us. The resurrection of Christ confirms the total corruption of man. What remains for a man today is either the acknowledgment of this, which at the same time brings him the full deliverance that God has worked in Christ, or resisting and dying. That is why the resurrection is fundamental in the preaching. Whoever acknowledges the resurrection of Christ will acknowledge it as a proof of “great grace”.

It is remarkable what is called “great” in the early days. There is “great power” and “great grace” (Acts 4:33); there is “great fear” (Acts 5:5 ; 11); “great persecution” (Acts 8:1); “great joy” (Acts 8:8 ; Acts 15:3); “a great number” who believed (Acts 11:21).

The “great grace” refers not only to the eternal salvation of the soul, but also to the earthly life of the church. God takes care of eternity, the believers take care of each other for the time on earth. This does not mean that the church is a select group of people who do good works. What they do for each other is an effect of the great grace that is over them. It may have been the case that something was sold only when there was a need. In such a case, the Spirit could make clear to someone what he had to sell in order to be able to provide for the needs of others. No wish lists were submitted and no wishes were fulfilled, but they were distributed according to everyone’s needs.

In general we are not asked to sell our possessions. The rich in the present day are not called upon to get rid of their wealth, but to deal with it in the right way and not to fix their hope on it (1Tim 6:17-18). Nor do we read anywhere that we should put our gifts at someone’s feet. However, it is important that we use our possessions for the Lord’s work and the needs of fellow believers.

It is still important to see our possessions as entrusted to us by the Lord to manage for Him. The way we deal with them shows whether we are focused on the Lord and His own, or whether we live for ourselves. He who closes his heart to a brother or sister who is in need does not have the love of God in him (1Jn 3:17).

Barnabas

Among all those who sell their possessions and bring the money to the apostles’ feet, there is also Joseph, who was nicknamed “Barnabas” by the apostles. His name is mentioned at least twenty-five times in Acts and five more times in Paul’s letters.

Luke gives the meaning of his name. Literally in Aramaic his name means ‘son (bar) of prophecy (naba)’. So Luke does not give a literal translation, but he immediately gives the fully permitted specific meaning to ‘prophecy’ of ‘encouragement’ (cf. 1Cor 14:3). This will be because from his performance mentioned below it appears that encouraging is his specific gift (Acts 11:23).

Barnabas is a Cyprian by birth, i.e. he was born in the dispersion and later came to Israel. He was born outside the land, but is a descendant of Levi. The fact that he owned land is remarkable because a Levite was not allowed to have land of his own (Num 18:20; Deu 10:9). How Barnabas got it is not clear. Possibly he had a piece of land on Cyprus, to which the Jewish law did not apply. Like the others who sell their land, he shows that the blessing is no longer earthly, but that he participates in heavenly, spiritual blessings.