Acts 5:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them.

NIV: As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.

NASB: to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any of them.

CSB: As a result, they would carry the sick out into the streets and lay them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them.

NLT: As a result of the apostles’ work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter’s shadow might fall across some of them as he went by.

KJV: Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.

NKJV: so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them.

The people of Jerusalem are flocking to Solomon's Portico, next to the temple, to see the lead Jesus-followers. They are notable for more than just the healings they perform. Two of them were arrested by the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling court, who ordered them to stop preaching in Jesus' name (Acts 4:18). And yet here they stand, boldly using Jesus' name to heal and telling the crowd about His resurrection. In addition, the men seem to have the ability to discern the intents of the people around them and even predict their deaths (Acts 5:1–11). God is obviously empowering these men.

Jesus promised the Twelve that after they received the Holy Spirit, they would be able to do greater works than He (John 14:12). Obviously, Jesus' works included dying on the cross for our sins and rising again for our redemption, and there is no greater work than that. But it's reasonable to conclude that over the course of their ministries, the disciples performed more healing miracles than Jesus in His three years.

The text doesn't say if Peter's shadow actually heals, only that this was something many in the public believed. It's not entirely impossible that it would. A very sick woman believed that just touching the hem of Jesus' robe would heal her—and she was right (Mark 5:25–29). In Ephesus, the Holy Spirit so blessed Paul's ministry that cloth that had touched Paul healed people (Acts 19:11–12). Throughout His ministry, however, Jesus was careful to say that it isn't the touch or the cloth that heals but faith (Mark 5:34). Such is the same case here, whether Peter's shadow was actually associated with healing or not. The text doesn't say if everyone who touches Peter's shadow understands the work of Jesus, but they certainly believe that the power of God is on Peter.

Acts 5:12–16 gives a short update of the state of the early church in Jerusalem. The first chapters of Acts alternate between highlights of the activities of the apostles and short summaries of indefinite periods of time. As in Acts 2:43–47 and Acts 4:32–35, Luke glosses over the events here. People are a little leery because of Peter and John's arrest by the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:1–22) and God's immediate judgment of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1–11), but both the miracles and the message are irresistible. Even more people come to saving faith in Jesus.

The apostles continue to make hard decisions in the name of Jesus, both inside and outside the church. When Ananias and Sapphira lie to God, the Holy Spirit inspires Peter to pronounce God's judgment on them, protecting the church from the love of the world. Despite the Sanhedrin's watchful eye—and direct orders (Acts 4:17–18)—the apostles continue to preach and heal openly. The guards arrest the apostles, but the Sanhedrin settles for beating them instead of capital punishment. The apostles consider it an honor to suffer on behalf of their Savior.

In Acts 5, persecution from unbelievers begins to accelerate. The Sanhedrin has become aware the apostles teach that Jesus rose from the dead (Acts 4). Now, they start to push back in earnest, arresting and beating the apostles. Soon, a mob will kill Stephen, a deacon (Acts 7:54–60), and the Sanhedrin will empower Saul to run down and arrest any Jesus-follower he can find (Acts 8:1–3). The apostles will stay in Jerusalem. Other Jesus-followers will carry His offer of forgiveness and reconciliation with God into the Roman Empire and beyond. The apostles' faithfulness and submission to the Holy Spirit is why we have the gospel message today.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.