Lange Commentary - Acts 5:17

Lange Commentary - Acts 5:17 - 5:26

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Lange Commentary - Acts 5:17 - 5:26

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SECTION III

ANOTHER AND A MORE VIOLENT ASSAULT, CONDUCTED BY THE SADDUCEAN PARTY, IS FOLLOWED BY THE IMPRISONMENT OF ALL THE APOSTLES; THE MIRACULOUS DELIVERANCE OF THE LATTER, THEIR BOLD DEFENCE BEFORE THE GREAT COUNCIL, AND THE INTERVENTION OF GAMALIEL, ULTIMATELY LED (AFTER THEY HAD SUFFERED SHAME FOR THE SAKE OF JESUS), TO THEIR RELEASE.

Act_5:17-42

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A.—The Arrest of all the Apostles, who are, however, Miraculously Delivered by the Angel of the Lord; they are then Summoned to Appear before the Great Council, and Voluntarily Present themselves

Act_5:17-26

¹⁷Then [But] the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) [om. parenthetical marks] and were filled with indignation, ¹⁸And laid their [om. their] hands on the apostles, and put them in the [a] common [public] prison. ¹⁹But the [an] angel of the Lord by [during the] night opened the prison doors, and brought them, forth, and said, ²⁰Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. ²¹And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning [temple about daybreak], and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate [all the elders] of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. ²²But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned and told, ²³Saying, The prison truly [om. truly, ìὲí ] found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before [standing at] the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man [no one] within. ²⁴Now when the high priest [the priest] and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of [were in doubt concerning] them whereunto this would grow [what this would become]. ²⁵Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching [are in the temple, standing and teaching] the people. ²⁶Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without [not with] violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned [in order that they might not be stoned (the words: “for they feared the people”, viewed as a parenthetical remark)].

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

Act_5:17-18. Then the high priest rose up … prison.—This second interference of the highest Jewish tribunal with respect to the affairs of the Church, is marked by increased bitterness of feeling, and may be distinctly traced to the influence of the Sadducean party. The high priest rose up, ἀíáóôÜò , that is, proceeded to employ active measures; Annas is, no doubt, the individual meant, according to Act_4:6, although his son-in-law Caiaphas was, at that time [Joh_11:49; Joh_18:13], actually the high priest. Those who lent him their aid, ðÜíôåò ïἱ óὺí áὐôῷ , were, preëminently, the sect of the Sadducees. Luke does not say that the high priest himself belonged to that sect (and no evidence of his connection with it exists elsewhere), but simply informs us that the Sadducees coöperated with him on this occasion. If Annas was a Pharisee, it is quite possible that the public appearance of the Christians as a distinct body, temporarily influenced the party feelings of the Pharisees and Sadducees, in so far at least, that the distrust with which they regarded each other, was forgotten in the presence of a common enemy. When, therefore, the Sadducean party unequivocally assumed a hostile attitude toward the apostles, the high priest was easily persuaded to become the ally of the former. As the resurrection of Jesus was the central fact to which the preaching of the apostles continually referred, the most violent opposition which they encountered, naturally proceeded precisely from the sect of the Sadducees.

Act_5:19. But the [an] angel of the Lord.—In the course of the night which followed the arrest of the apostles, they were liberated by an angel who opened the doors of the prison. Interpreters who have deemed it necessary to trace this deliverance to natural causes, have suggested various agents, such as a flash of lightning, or an earthquake, or the keeper of the prison himself, or a resolute Christian. But all these explanations contradict the Scriptural narrative in direct and absolute terms; it might with equal propriety be asserted that the original facts had received legendary additions (Meyer), or that the whole narrative bore an unhistorical character (Baur; Zeller). Unless we concede the point that angels do not exist, and that, consequently, no miracles are wrought by them, the present narrative affords no grounds for the doubts of these interpreters. There are only two circumstances in the narrative which might, at first view, suggest doubts: first, when the apostles are subsequently examined in the presence of the Sanhedrin, Act_5:27 ff., no mention whatever is made of the mode in which they had been delivered from the prison. This circumstance certainly demonstrates that the account which Luke gives, is a mere summary of events, in which full details are omitted, but not that it is itself untrustworthy. Secondly, the liberation of the apostles appears to have been without a definite purpose, since they were, nevertheless, brought before the tribunal, after their escape, ver 27, and shamefully beaten, Act_5:40-41. This latter fact, however, by no means authorizes us to conclude that their deliverance had been effected without an object in view, for Luke expressly refers, Act_5:24, to the perplexity and confusion of mind which prevailed among the enemies of the apostles, when the event, occurred; with respect to them at least, the object of the miracle was attained. Further, it may be easily conceived that such a wonderful interposition of God, must have added new power to the faith of the apostles, and this effect is plainly seen in Act_5:20 ff. Lastly, when the apostles voluntarily appear before the great Council, Act_5:26-27, they occupy a very different position from that of prisoners who are carried from a place of confinement to the presence of the judges. Hence the alleged absence of an object, when the apostles were liberated during that night, is only apparent; the effects which it produced, indicate its object.

Act_5:20. Go, stand and speak.—The angel directs the apostles to stand forth with freedom and boldness ( óôáèÝíôåò ), and preach publicly in the temple [ ἱåñῷ , the sacred enclosure, as distinguished from the edifice itself, called íáüò ], in the presence of the people; ôὰ ῥÞìáôá ôῆò æùῆò ôáõôῆò are the words that refer to this life, this blessed life in Christ and through Christ. If an hypallage should be assumed to occur here [so that the true meaning would be thus expressed: ôὰ ῥÞì . ôáῦôá ôῆò æ .], (an assumption, which, however, is by no means necessary), the meaning would be: life-words: such a conception would scarcely have been expressed by Luke, or have originated in those primitive times.

Act_5:21-23. But the high priest came.—While the apostles were teaching in the temple, the high priest and his followers called a meeting of the whole Sanhedrin, for the purpose of instituting legal proceedings against the apostles. The expression ðᾶóá ἡ ãåñïõóßá ô . õἱῶõ Ἰóñ ., cannot, however, be reasonably understood as designating any others than the ðñåóâýôåñïé mentioned in Act_4:5. Meyer and Stier, it is true; assign the utmost latitude of meaning to the words, and suppose that the entire college or body of the elders is here meant. The sense would then be, that an extraordinary session of the Sanhedrin was held, at which even those elders of the people, who were not regular members of it, also assisted. Such additions to the actual members of the Council, are not recorded elsewhere, and the Sanhedrin uniformly bears the name of ãåñïõóßá in the Second Book of the Maccabees. That a tautology occurs in the present passage must be admitted, but the cause may be readily found in the purpose of the writer to indicate distinctly that the whole number of the members was present at the meeting [i.e. the council and all the senate, equivalent to: the council, including all the elders who were members of it.].

Act_5:24-25. Now when … heard these things.—The title ὁ ἱåñåýò doubtless designates the high priest himself, and ïἱ ἀñ÷éåñåῖò are high priests in the wider sense of the term [that is, predecessors of the high priest, who retained the title, and also the heads of the twenty-four sacerdotal classes, or courses, 1Ch_24:1-19; 2Ch_8:14; Luk_1:5.—Tr.]. The captain of the temple-guard, who was, no doubt, himself a priest, may have been personally engaged in effecting the arrest of the apostles; comp. Act_4:1 ff.

Act_5:26. Then went the captain.—The captain of the temple now conducted the apostles to the place in which the Sanhedrin was assembled, but without offering personal constraint; his motive in avoiding violent measures is indicated in the words: ἵíá ìὴ ëéèáóè . These words are much more naturally connected with ἤãáãåí — âßáò . than with ἐöïâïῦíôï . Even if instances can be produced from Greek writers who employed the Attic dialect, in which öïâåῖóèáé is connected with ὅðùò ìÞ , ἵíá ìÞ , the passive verb ëéèáóèῶóéí seems to indicate that the former construction was really intended; the words ἐöïâ . ãὰñ ô . ëá . may, without any difficulty be regarded as parenthetical.—The popular feeling which was manifested on this occasion, is truly remarkable. The guard must have considered it a possible event, that they would be stoned by the people, if they resorted to violence in their treatment of the apostles. The popular favor which the apostles enjoyed, had undoubtedly reached its culminating point at this time. The sources from which it proceeded, are readily ascertained: many benefits had been conferred, not simply on individuals, but on entire families whose sick relatives had been healed; and then, the apostles had been imprisoned on the previous day, but had been liberated, not by human aid, but by a direct interposition of God. We may conjecture that the latter circumstance inspired the apostles with unusual confidence, and augmented the power of their language when they addressed the people.

DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL

1. Christ is our Redeemer, preëminently as the Crucified One, [1Co_2:2], and the cross is the mark by which the Gospel is recognized; so, too, the history of the apostles and of the primitive church exhibits a development which proceeded under the sign of the cross. Every blessing was succeeded by a trial, either originating in the bosom of the church [Act_5:1 ff.], or produced by external causes. But the richest and most glorious consolations which the devout receive from heaven, are also imparted to them only under the cross.

2. The angel of the Lord here acts as a minister, not only of God the Father in his government of the world, but also of the exalted Son of God; he exerts an influence on occurrences in civil and daily life, but, at the same time, also on the progress of the kingdom of God, that is, the development of the church of Christ.

3. The angel encourages the apostles to speak all the “words of this life.” He belongs to the celestial world, in which death is not known; he neither manifests an interest, nor does he actively participate, in aught else, save that which is called life, and which possesses life. Hence the angels appeared in large numbers at the birth of the Redeemer, who is the life of the world, and at his resurrection, which was the most glorious manifestation of his life, and of his victory over death. The angels rejoice over one sinner that repenteth [Luk_15:7; Luk_15:10]; they take pleasure only in those words which refer to the life that was manifested [1Jn_1:2], and that imparts life to the world; such words alone claim their active and efficient aid.

HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL

Act_5:17. Then the high priest rose up.—When the Lord arises to build up Zion [Psa_102:16] through the instrumentality of his servants, the enemy also arises, in order to employ his servants in hindering the work, (Ap. Past.).—The sect of the Sadducees.—The carnal and sinful life of the Sadducees, both of ancient and of modern times, is sluggish, as long as the Spirit of God, and his warning messages, are withheld. But when the disciples of Christ, filled with the Holy Ghost, bear witness against that carnal life by their words and their deeds, it is at once aroused, openly avows its hostility, and manifests a Satanic zeal in its opposition to God and his Gospel. “How often, since that day, the Sadducean Annas, who lives after the flesh even when he assumes the Christian name, has attempted to bind believers and their faith with chains!” (Leonh. and Sp.).—And were filled with indignation.—The servants of Christ are filled with the Holy Ghost; his enemies with a hellish zeal [ æÞëïõ ; Germ. version: Eifer]!—A holy zeal, and a wicked zeal: I. The objects of each; II. The manifestation of each. [Gal_4:17-18].

Act_5:18. Put them in the common prison.—The bonds and chains by which men are confined for Christ’s sake, are truly honorable badges. (Quesn.).

Act_5:19. But the angel of the Lord.—There is a divine “But,” which often disconcerts the plans of men. When the latter have matured their evil counsels, this “But” defeats them all. Joseph says to his brethren; “Ye thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good.” David complains in the second Psalm: “The rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against his anointed; but He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.” (Ahlfeld.)—By night opened the prison doors.—Affliction is not of long continuance; be not dismayed, thou sorrowing soul! “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy Cometh in the morning.” Psa_30:5.—No bars nor bolts are so strong, that the Lord cannot open a passage for his servants. There are no sorrows so profound, no burdens so heavy, that the Lord cannot, in his own appointed time, give relief to the soul.—But He who holds the key which opens the prison doors of his servants, holds also the key of hell and death, yea, the key of heaven and eternal life. (Ap. Past.).—The angels of God, ministering unto our salvation, [Heb_1:14]: as, I. Friends of the devout; II. Guardians at night; III. Deliverers from danger; IV. Leaders in the path of duty, Act_5:20; V. Messengers of heavenly life in the world, Act_5:20; VI. Guides to heavenly life and eternal joy.—How precious man is in the sight of God, since an entire invisible world is at hand, and ready to afford him aid in seeking salvation! How full of comfort the assurance is, that they that be with us, are more than they that be against us [2Ki_6:16]. (Fr. Arndt.)—Brought them forth.—A strange beginning, but a glorious end! Thou sayest: The course of events is wonderful; what will the issue be? We reply: Unquestionably, it is wonderful, but is not God He who doeth wonders? (H. Müller).

Act_5:20. Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people.—The angel does not say: Go, seek concealment!—but—Go, and stand forth! He does not say: Speak to your own company!—but—Speak in the temple to the people! Such a commission is suited, not to men who confer with flesh and blood [Gal_1:16], but to those, who, at all times, promptly respond: Lord, at thy word! (Luk_5:5). These are the men through whom God accomplishes his great designs. (Williger).—All the words of this life.—The word of Christ, demonstrated in the history of the apostles as a word of life: by the power of that word, they, I. Were endowed with a divine life in the soul; II. Communicated a new life to the world; III. Joyfully ventured their temporal life; IV. Triumphantly gained eternal life.

Act_5:23. We found no man within.—Every persecution which believers endure for Christ’s sake, ultimately glorifies Him in them: I. Where Christ appears, the power of his life is speedily manifested, Act_5:16; II. The enemy, to whom that life is invisible (Act_5:17), attempts to fetter it, Act_5:18; III. But it is ultimately revealed in all its glorious freedom and power, Act_5:19-23. (Ahlfeld.).—Praise thy God, O Zion! I. Out of Zion God hath shined, [Psa_50:2,] Act_5:16; II. Let the children of Zion be joyful in their king, [Psa_149:2] Act_5:17-18; III. The Redeemer shall come to Zion, [Isa_59:20] Act_5:19 ff. (Leupold).

Act_5:24. They doubted of them where-unto this would grow.—How salutary this alarm of the enemies of the Lord might have been, if they had been willing to recognize the mighty hand of God, and bow in submission before his majesty and power! (Ap. Past.).

Act_5:25. Then came one and told them.—When an injury is to be inflicted on Christ and his people, a Judas can always be found.

Act_5:26. They feared the people.—Godliness converts men into heroes; ungodliness, into cowards. (Starke).—The Lord glorified alike in the joys and the sorrows of his servants: I. In the blessing which attends their labors; II. In the trials which accompany that blessing; III. In the protection which he grants to his suffering servants. (Langbein).—How the Lord builds up his church by his protecting care in seasons of persecution: I. He permits its enemies to rage, so that their unholy passions may demonstrate the innocence of his persecuted people; II. He opens a pathway for his messengers, so that their successful labors may reveal the helplessness of its enemies. (Lisco).

Footnotes:

Act_5:17. [For indignation (Tyndale; Cranmer; Geneva), the margin offers (as in Wiclif) the word envy. “The word ( æÞëïõ ) necessarily suggests the ideas of zeal, party spirit; and indignant jealousy or envy, etc.” (J. A. Alex.); Hackett, who refers to Act_13:45, where the same word is translated envy, here prefers indignation.—Tr.]

Act_5:18. áὑôῶí is wanting in important MSS. and versions [A. B. D., Cod. Sin., Syr., Vulg., etc.,], and is, without doubt, an addition made by a copyist. [Found in E; omitted by Lach., Tisch., Alf.—Tr.]

Act_5:23. ἔîù is undoubtedly an interpolation, and was suggested by ἔóù , which afterwards occurs, in the same verse. It is not found in any of the more important MSS.; [omitted in A. B. D. E., Cod. Sin., Vulg., and by Alf. as a “gloss”].— ἐðß [before ôῶí è .] is supported by the authority of the most important MSS. [by A. B. D. Cod. Sin.]; ðñü [of the text, rec., and found in E.] is a later correction, and was substituted as a more descriptive word.

Act_5:24. ὅ ôå ἱåñåýò [of the text. rec.] is wanting in many MSS. and versions, among which are some of the more important [A. B. D. Cod. Sin., Vulg., etc.]; but it was unquestionably cancelled [by copyists] simply for the reason that its presence in connection with ïἱ ἀñ÷éåñåῖò in the same clause was not comprehended. If it had not been originally employed in the text, it would certainly never have been inserted by a later hand. [No uncial MS. exhibits it; E reads ïἱ ἱåñåῖò ; it is omitted by Lach. and Tisch., but retained by Alf., and advocated by Meyer and de Wette, on the ground that the great variety of readings, intended as corrections, indicates its original presence.—Tr.]

Act_5:25. [ ëÝãùí after áὐôïῖò , inserted in the text. rec. is omitted in A. D. E. Cod. Sin. Vulg., and cancelled by recent editors, including Stier.—Tr.]

Act_5:26. Lachmann [but not Tisch.] omits ἵíá , following the authority of several MSS., and assuming that ìÞ is connected with ἐöïâïῦíôï , in which case, ἵòá would be inaccurate. [If ἵíá is retained, the phrase: ἵíá ìὴ ëéè . depends upon ïὐ ìåôὰ âßáò ; it is omitted in B. D. E. Cod. Sin., but found in A., and retained by Alf.—Tr.]