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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadBob Utley You Can Understand the Bible - Acts 5:17 - 5:26
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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Act_5:17-26
17But the high priest rose up, along with all his associates (that is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy. 18They laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public jail. 19But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison, and taking them out he said, 20"Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life." 21Upon hearing this, they entered into the temple about daybreak and began to teach. Now when the high priest and his associates came, they called the Council together, even all the Senate of the sons of Israel, and sent orders to the prison house for them to be brought. 22But the officers who came did not find them in the prison; and they returned and reported back, 23saying, "We found the prison house locked quite securely and the guards standing at the doors; but when we had opened up, we found no one inside." 24Now when the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them as to what would come of this. 25But someone came and reported to them, "The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!" 26Then the captain went along with the officers and proceeded to bring them back without violence (for they were afraid of the people, that they might be stoned).
Act_5:17 "they were filled with jealousy" The Greek word simply means "to boil." Therefore, context must tell us it is zealousness or jealousy. This shows the true motivation of the religious leaders, jealousy! In Luke's Gospel Jesus' main enemies were the Pharisees, but in Acts His followers' main enemies were the Sadducees.
The verb "filled" is used in a variety of ways by Luke to show what characterizes or describes a person or personified entity.
1. John the Baptist, even before his birth, was filled with the Holy Spirit – Luk_1:15
2. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit – Luk_1:41
3. Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit –Luk_1:61
4. all in the Synagogue who heard Jesus speak were filled with rage – Luk_4:28
5. those in the house where the paralytic was lowered through the roof were filled with fear – Luk_5:26
6. Pharisees and Scribes traveling with Jesus on a Sabbath were filled with rage – Luk_6:11
7. those in the upper room on Pentecost were filled with the Holy Spirit – Act_2:4
8. those who heard Peter speak in the temple were filled with amazement – Act_3:10
9. Peter speaking before the Sanhedrin was filled with the Holy Spirit – Act_4:8
10. all in the upper room were filled with the Holy Spirit – Act_4:31
11. Satan filled Ananias' and Sapphira's hearts – Act_5:3
12. Peter and John spoke to the Sanhedrin again and they were filled with jealousy – Act_5:17
13. Jerusalem filled with the gospel – Act_5:28
14. the seven full of the Spirit and wisdom – Act_6:3
15. Stephen full of faith and the Holy Spirit – Act_6:5; Act_6:8; Act_7:55
16. Ananias lays hands on Saul/Paul and he is filled with the Holy Spirit – Act_9:17
17. Paul preaches filled with the Spirit – Act_13:9
18. Jews in the crowd who Paul preached to were filled with jealousy – Act_13:45
19. the disciples were continually filled with joy and the Holy Spirit – Act_13:52
20. Ephesus was filled with confusion – Act_19:29
In the presence of the gospel what are you "filled" with?
Act_5:18 These first chapters in Acts show the problems faced by the early church. The problems differ from age to age, culture to culture, but God is for us, with us, and empowers us to overcome. Nothing—prison, attempted humiliation, threats, etc.—can rob believers of the presence and peace of Christ (cf. Rom_8:31-39).
Act_5:19 "an angel of the Lord" This phrase is used two ways in the OT.
1. an angel (cf. Gen_24:7; Gen_24:40; Exo_23:20-23; Exo_32:34; Num_22:22; Jdg_5:23; 1Sa_24:16; 1Ch_21:15 ff; Zech. 1:28)
2. as a way of referring to YHWH (cf. Gen_16:7-13; Gen_22:11-15; Gen_31:11; Gen_31:13; Gen_48:15-16; Exo_3:2; Exo_3:4; Exo_13:21; Exo_14:19; Jdg_2:1; Jdg_6:22-24; Jdg_13:3-23; Zec_3:1-2)
Luke uses the phrase often (cf. Luk_1:11; Luk_1:13; Luk_2:9; Act_5:19; Act_7:30; Act_8:26; Act_12:7; Act_12:11; Act_12:23; Act_10:3; Act_27:23), but in the sense of #1 above. The NT does not use sense #2, except in Act_8:26; Act_8:29, where, "an angel of the Lord" is paralleled to the Holy Spirit.
▣ "opened the gates of the prison" This is similar to Paul and Silas' experience at Philippi (cf. Act_16:26). In many ways the life of Peter is paralleled in Paul. This may have been Luke's literary intentionality.
Act_5:20 "Go, stand and speak" These function as three imperatives.
1. Go, present middle (deponent) imperative
2. Stand, aorist passive participle used as an imperative (Friberg's, Analytical Greek New Testament, p. 379)
3. Speak, present active imperative
The angel had an evangelistic mission for the early church (and for today's church).
▣ "speak to the people" This was the major thrust of the Apostles' ministry. Boldness (see Special Topic at Act_4:29), not fear, characterizes their new spirit-filled lives.
NASB "the whole message of the Life"
NKJV "all the words of this life"
NRSV "the whole message about this life"
TEV "all about this new life"
NJB "all about this new Life"
This phrase is speaking about the new life (zôe, eternal life) found only in the gospel of Jesus Christ. They had been freed both spiritually (salvation) and physically (out of prison). Now they were to tell all to all (cf. Mat_28:18-20; Luk_24:47; Act_1:8)!
Act_5:21 Notice that being supernaturally freed did not imply that they would not be imprisoned again. Even God's provision does not mean that all difficulties will be solved or removed in ministry (cf. Mat_5:10-12; Rom_8:17; 1Pe_4:12-16)
▣ "the Council. . .the Senate of the sons of Israel" See Special Topic: Sanhedrin at Act_4:5. To whom does "the Senate" refer? Curtis Vaughan, in Acts, pp. 39-40, says it was the elders of Jerusalem who were not members of the Sanhedrin at that present time (cf. M. R. Vincent, Word Studies, Vol. 1, p. 234), but the NASB and NIV translations assume that Council and Senate are synonymous.
Act_5:23 "locked" This is a perfect passive participle. The idea was that the prison doors were secure and the guards set (perfect active participle), but the prisoners were gone.
Act_5:24 "they were greatly perplexed" Luke uses this term several times. It is an intensified form of aporeô (cf. Luk_24:4; Act_25:20) with dia (cf. Luk_9:7; Act_2:12; Act_5:24; Act_10:17). Its basic meaning is doubt, uncertainty, or perplexity.
▣ "as to what would come of this" The grammatical form of the phrase is an incomplete Fourth class conditional sentence (an plus aorist middle [deponent] optative). The optative mood expresses perplexity (cf. Luk_1:61-62; Luk_3:15; Luk_8:9; Luk_15:26; Luk_22:23; Act_5:24; Act_8:31; Act_10:17; Act_21:33, see James Allen Hewett, New Testament Greek, p. 195).
Act_5:26 "they were afraid of the people, that they might be stoned" This showed the popularity of the early church (cf. Act_5:13; Act_2:47; Act_4:21) and the source of the continuing jealousy of the Jewish leaders.