Acts 5:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said,

NIV: But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out.

NASB: But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison, and leading them out, he said,

CSB: But an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail during the night, brought them out, and said,

NLT: But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then he told them,

KJV: But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said,

NKJV: But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said,

The chief priests have arrested the apostles for teaching and healing in the name of Jesus. The apostles' continued confinement is not in God's plan right now, so He arranges to have them released.

The story of the Bible proves that God provides miraculous escape and safety only when it serves His plan. When Jesus was very young, God sent Joseph a dream, warning him that Herod the Great was looking to kill Jesus. Joseph followed God's instructions and took Mary and Jesus to Egypt. God did not rescue the other baby boys in Bethlehem. Although there wouldn't have been very many boys under the age of two in that tiny town, the massacre was still heartbreaking. We're not told why God didn't spare the other boys, other that it fulfilled prophecy (Matthew 2:13–18).

While Jesus slept in a boat, the disciples grew more and more terrified of a storm on the Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:35–41). Finally, they awakened Jesus who responded, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?" (Mark 4:40). Jesus calmed the storm, and all was well. Jesus didn't mean that God would always keep them safe. He meant that when they have work to do, God will make sure they are able to do it.

The apostles lived this out through their ministries. The Sanhedrin arrested Peter and John, and then let them go with a warning (Acts 4:1–3, 21). Later, Herod Agrippa I will arrest Peter and James; he will kill James, but an angel will rescue Peter (Acts 12:1–11). In Philippi, the local authorities will arrest Paul and Silas (Acts 16:19–24). While Paul and Silas worship God, an earthquake will open all the prison doors. But none of the prisoners will leave (Acts 16:25–28). And yet, church tradition says all the apostles will die as martyrs except for John who will survive being burned in oil.

The Bible doesn't promise God will keep Jesus-followers safe. It promises He will equip us for the work He has assigned us (Ephesians 4:12). Sometimes, that work is best accomplished with hardships and even death. We need to decide what we value more: our comfort and safety or His plan of reaching the world with the message of repentance and salvation. If we follow Him, we can affirm Job's words: "Though he slay me, I will hope in him" (Job 13:15).

Acts 5:17–26 occurs after the chief priests arrested Peter and John for preaching and healing in Jesus' name, and ordered them not to do so again (Acts 4:1–22). Now, all the apostles are healing and preaching in Jesus' name (Acts 5:12–16), and so the priests arrest them all. At this point, the Sanhedrin is still afraid of the people (Acts 5:26); after all, the apostles are so powerful the people believe even Peter's shadow can heal the sick (Acts 5:15). Soon, the council will get bolder. A mob will kill Stephen (Acts 7:54–60), and then a Pharisee named Saul will help the council drive almost all the Jesus-followers out of Jerusalem (Acts 8:1–3).

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.