Introduction

Let’s review the context so far. (1) “Many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles” (2:43). One example is the healing of a man crippled from birth. (2) Peter addressed the crowd that had gathered. He explained that the man’s healing was by to the power of the resurrected Jesus and taught that the national salvation of Israel would bring about the Second Coming of the Messiah and the Messianic Kingdom. (3) Peter’s message was interrupted in the middle.

The arrest

“As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them.” (1) The first persecution came from religious leaders. Luke lists three groups: (a) The priests. According to Josephus, there were about 20,000 priests at the time. They were divided into 24 divisions, and therefore there were 24 chief priests. Here, “the priests” likely refers to some of these chief priests. (2) The captain of the temple guard, known in Hebrew as “Ish Har Habayit” (Man of the Temple Mount). This person was the head of the temple police and held authority second to the High Priest within the temple area. (3) The Sadducees. Both the priests and the captain of the temple guard were part of the Sadducee. Here, “the Sadducees” refers to other members of this group. (2) The Sadducees were politically pro-Roman and lacked popularity from the general public. Theologically, they acknowledged only the Pentateuch as the word of God and denied the existence of angels, demons, the immortality of the soul, and the resurrection of the body. They strongly opposed the Pharisees’ oral law. (3) W. Graham Scroggie (1877–1958, a British pastor and theologian) commented, “The priests represent religious intolerance; the captain of the temple guard symbolizes political hostility; and the Sadducees are a symbol of rationalistic unbelief.” “Being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them and put them in prison…” (1) The leaders were greatly disturbed because uneducated men were teaching in the temple area. They were also antagonistic towards the apostles’ teaching about the resurrection of the dead. (2) According to Jewish law, trials after sunset were prohibited, so the Sanhedrin (Jewish council) decided to hold the trial the next morning and detained Peter and John in the temple’s jail. (3) However, the number of those who believed grew to about 5,000 men. Although Peter and John were imprisoned, the word of God was alive and active. This is a central theme of the Acts of the Apostles. In this, is a lesson for us.