First Allegiance
Acts 5:27-32
Tony’s Overview Video
How to Use
Preparing to teach
- Read the Bible Lesson by Tony Cartledge in this month’s issue of the Nurturing Faith Journal
- Watch Tony’s Video for this session
- Select either the Adult or Youth teaching guide and follow the directions
Click to read the Bible Lesson by Tony Cartledge
Key Text: Acts 5:29
“But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.”
Would you go to church if it was against the law? Would you stand up and take a leadership role if you knew that spies were in the congregation and the police would be waiting? We can hardly imagine such a scenario, but we also know there are places where such scenes continue to be played out. Struggling Christians who face government censure in oppressive nations take comfort from the examples of early apostles who chose to obey God even when it meant imprisonment, or death.
Most of us face no such obstacles in our walk of faith. We are free to worship, to evangelize, and to live out our faith. Our greatest opposition comes in the form of common selfishness, greed, and peer-pressure. Perhaps a closer look at the faith and courage of these early apostles may give us greater motivation to obey God rather than any human person – even when that person lives inside our own skin.
Imprisoned apostles
Let’s set the stage for today’s short study passage. [DD] Freshly empowered by the Spirit after Pentecost, Jesus’ disciples preached boldly, though the leading Jewish authorities tried to squelch them. They arrested them once and let them go with a warning, which the disciples ignored. Peter and John insisted that they could keep from proclaiming what they had seen and heard (4:19-20).
As the Jesus movement continued to grow, high priest Caiaphas and his closest supporters felt a need to act. They ordered the temple police to arrest the apostles and lock them in the public prison for a hearing on the next day. However, before dawn an angel quietly appeared to the disciples, unlocked the prison doors, and instructed the apostles to go and preach in the temple as they had before (5:17-20).
In the meantime, the high priest had called the full Sanhedrin into session to deal with the advocates of Jesus. How surprised they were when the temple police could find no prisoners! The prison doors were still locked, and the guards were unaware that their charges were missing. To their great chagrin, the council heard reports that the impudent apostles were preaching as usual in the courts of their own temple, so they sent the police to arrest them again, though carefully (5:21-26).
A telling charge (vv. 27-28)
In his capacity as president of the Sanhedrin, the high priest reminded the apostles of his emphatic order that they should desist from preaching about Jesus, though he seemed to find it distasteful to use Jesus’ name. “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said (v. 28a). [DD]
The high priest was concerned that the disciples’ preaching seemed calculated to blame the Sadducees for Jesus’ death and to turn the tide of public opinion against them: “you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us” (v. 28b). [DD] The disciples were not concerned with vengeance against the Jewish leaders for Jesus’ bloody death, but they were very much interested in proclaiming the significance of Jesus’ death, and why he was willing to shed his blood for the sake of others.
The issue of motivation raises an important issue. Why do we proclaim the gospel or support the church? Do we do it to preserve a cultural icon? To improve our reputations? To keep up with other churches? Or, do we testify of our faith and support the church’s ministries to express our natural love for Jesus and our willingness to obey him?
A no-nonsense response (vv. 29-30)
Peter seems to have spoken for the rest of the apostles, declaring “We must obey God rather than any human authority” (v. 29b). Jesus had instructed them to proclaim the gospel throughout the world, beginning in Jerusalem (1:8). The angelic messenger had just commanded them to continue preaching in the temple, and they planned to obey.
As Hebrew men, the disciples had been taught to respect the rabbis and the priests as God’s spokespersons, but they recognized that the temple leaders were just another level of human authority. Without question, the Sanhedrin was powerful, but the apostles no longer felt themselves subject to its control. They lived under the direct authority of God.
Peter’s response contrasted the difference between God’s command and the Sanhedrin’s instructions by recounting the recent activities of both. He reminded the Jewish leaders that they were in fact responsible for the death of Jesus, “whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree” (v. 30b). By using this terminology, Peter insisted that they not only caused Jesus’ death, but in a most disgraceful manner. The law, as expressed in Deuteronomy 21:23, pronounced a curse on anyone who was hanged on a tree. The passage actually had to do with those who were executed for capital crimes and then apparently hung up for public display, but Peter thought it applicable to crucifixion, too.
Thus, in Peter’s mind, the Sanhedrin was guilty of bringing great shame on Jesus, but God, in contrast, had raised Jesus from the dead. When Peter said “the God of our ancestors raised up Jesus” (v. 30a), it was a reminder that Jesus’ followers worshiped the same God as the Jewish leaders. It was “the God of our ancestors” – that is, the Hebrew ancestors – who had not only sent Jesus to the earth but raised him from the dead.
Why should the disciples listen to a power-hungry cartel of religious authoritarians when they could listen to God? Why should they obey a group of men so insecure that they would kill Jesus, when they could obey the very God who raised Jesus from the dead? For Peter and the other apostles, the answer was simple: “We must obey God rather than any human authority.”
Peter’s statement should lead us to ask ourselves: “Who (or what) has the most influence (authority) when we make decisions about life?”
An implied invitation (vv. 31-32)
As Peter continued to describe the difference between what human authorities had done with Jesus and what God had done, he reminded the Jewish leaders that they could also repent and accept Jesus as Savior. “God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins” (v. 31).
Peter’s choice of words is significant: God had exalted Jesus as “Leader and Savior.” The Greek ‘archēgos’ is derived from the words for “first” and “to go.” As such, it could be used in the sense of “leader,” “pioneer,” or “originator.” [DD] The issue has to do with authority. Whom should we obey? The apostles had chosen to follow Jesus, whom God had exalted to the first position.
Christ’s position of leadership derived from his willingness to become our Savior. For hundreds of years, Hebrews had longed for a messianic savior to set them free from the domination of stronger nations. Peter reminded the temple authorities that their greatest concern should be with the power of sin, not of nationhood. Jesus had come as Savior to redeem people from the power of sin through repentance and forgiveness. While the dignified assortment of Sadducees, Pharisees, priests, and scribes were troubling themselves with personal reputations and political strategies, they had failed to perceive that Jesus’ purpose was to save them from their sin.
Peter closed his bold address with words of confidence: “and we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him” (v. 32). Peter believed those things about Jesus because he was an eye-witness. He had been with Jesus as he taught the people and healed the sick. He had seen Jesus die, and had witnessed the empty tomb. He had been present when Jesus reappeared to the disciples, and according to John 21:15-19, had received a particular challenge from the risen Lord.
The gospels recall a brief time when Peter was so afraid that he denied knowing Jesus, but those days had passed. The apostles had not only witnessed those things, but they were determined to be witnesses in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. The presence of the Holy Spirit continued to witness of God’s presence and to inspire their continued boldness in preaching.
Today’s lesson text ends here, but the story does not. The religious leaders were so enraged by Peter’s speech that they wanted to kill the apostles outright (v. 33). They were saved only by the intercession of Gamaliel, a wise rabbi who advised caution (vv. 34-39). The authorities then subjected the apostles to the humiliation of a public beating and commanded them to cease from preaching (v. 40). Yet, the apostles rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for Christ (v. 41), and “every day in the temple and at home they did not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah” (v. 42).
Again the apostles’ experience should challenge us to ask how easily our own public witness for Christ is intimidated. Does it take much to keep us silent when an opportunity to share or defend our faith arises? What can we learn from the apostles’ example?
Adult Teaching Resources
Download the PDF of teaching resources for this lesson.
This PDF contains the Teaching Guide, Digging Deeper, and Hardest Question pages.
Read Scripture online: Acts 5:27-32
Youth Teaching Resources
Parent Prep
Whose authority do your students follow? There are a lot to choose from: school, coaches, friends, societal pressures, parents, God…the list could continue. All of these authorities are also valid and have some authority in their life. Maybe the better question is then, which authority should be the highest authority? As you parent, how do you guide your students to make decisions by viewing God first? Is this the lens that you use, because your students will first emulate what you are doing?
Additional Links/Resources
Read Scripture online: Acts 5:27-32
Download the PDF for youth teaching resources using the button below. This PDF contains the Teaching Guide for this lesson:
Video
Encourage youth to check out this video ahead of the lesson.
“Fireworks” from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
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