Acts 5:25 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.”

NIV: Then someone came and said, 'Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.'

NASB: But someone came and reported to them, 'The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple area and teaching the people!'

CSB: Someone came and reported to them, "Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple and teaching the people."

NLT: Then someone arrived with startling news: 'The men you put in jail are standing in the Temple, teaching the people!'

KJV: Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people.

NKJV: So one came and told them, saying, “Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!”

Many signs have surrounded the apostles lately. A couple of fishermen healed a man born lame (Acts 3:1–8) and then, despite having no training to speak of, gave an eloquent theological defense of the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth (Acts 4:8–13). A group of Jesus-followers from Galilee have joined well over five thousand people in proclaiming that Jesus rose from the dead (Acts 4:4). And when the priests arrested and imprisoned the leaders of this new sect, they disappeared from their prison cells without disrupting the locks on the doors or the guards standing in the hall (Acts 5:17–19).

Now, these men immediately return to the scene of the crime and continue preaching. Of all the signs, this is one that should give the council pause. Why would these men go back to the same place of their arrest and continue doing what got them arrested? If they were riling the people up to rebel against the Roman occupation, that would be one thing. But they're talking about the resurrection from the dead, which isn't illegal, and repentance from sins, which is certainly not illegal. How is this message worth getting arrested again?

Instead of stopping to figure out if the message these men is preaching is true, the council only hears rebellion against them and a threat to their authority. They value power and position more than God's truth. Both Jesus and Stephen accuse them of figuratively killing the Jewish prophets of God instead of listening to them (Luke 11:47–51; Acts 7:51–52). They did kill Jesus and Stephen (Acts 7:52–60), and they will be very tempted to kill the apostles (Acts 5:33).

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.