Only One Name Under Heaven (Acts 4:1-12)

Jacob Whitaker

Acts • Sermon • Submitted 7 days ago • Presented 7 days ago

Acts 4:1–12

Sadducees

Healed Lame Man

Jesus Was a Rejected Cornerstone

Sadducees arresting Peter and John

Exclusivity of Christ

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Introduction

English Standard Version Chapter 4

Peter and John Before the Council

4 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.

5 On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

This week we’re moving on from Acts chapter 3 and picking up in chapter 4, however, we’re still following Peter and John and the events that immediately followed their healing of a lame man at the Beautiful Gate. If you recall, a man who had been lame since birth was sitting on the steps of the Beautiful Gate, which lead up into to the Temple, and was asking for alms (asking for charity in light of his condition). The two disciples directed their gaze at him and Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” And then Peter took him by the hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.

This had all started during the hour of prayer, at the ninth hour, that is, about 3 o’clock in the afternoon. And after the lame man was healed we’re told that the people who saw it were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. The rest of chapter 3 is an account of Peter’s address to the people who were there, explaining to them why this had happened, that it wasn’t their own power or piety that made this man walk, but that it was by faith in Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom they killed, that this man was healed. That Jesus was the prophet Moses and the rest of the prophets had spoken about, and that they must listen to him. And that if they didn’t that they would be destroyed from among the people. That they therefore must turn from their wickedness and heed his words.

Attracting the Sadducees attention

And so what follows in chapter 4 is a continuation of those events, we read again there in chapter 4, starting in verse 1,

English Standard Version Chapter 4

In other words, Peter and John not only attracted the attention of the people, but eventually that of the priests and the captain of the temple. And I want you to imagine just how much attention this event would have garnered, and how it would have distracted from the normal activities of the temple sacrifices, prayers, and Levitical singing, that this event would have completely interrupted the activities at the temple, so much that the priests and temple guard were prompted to take action.

And we’re told that they come upon the disciples not simply because they were disrupting worship at the temple, but primarily because they were greatly annoyed that the disciples “were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.” You see, it wasn’t only the priests and the temple guard who came upon them, but Luke says, “and the Sadducees.” Now, this is particularly important to notice, because it explains a lot about their motivations.

You see, the Sadducees were a part of the ruling class, they were typically very wealthy aristocrats, and had significant influence over the Sanhedrin, that is, the Jewish Council, which was composed of 70 members, plus the high priest, and the majority of seats were held by Sadducees, whereas, the Pharisees were a minority party. As a result, they controlled the Temple, its finances, and the priesthood. Josephus, a Jewish historian from the first century, confirms this in his book Antiquities of the Jews when he wrote that the Sadducees “controlled the priesthood and the Sanhedrin.” (Antiquities 20.9.1–2) In fact, the high priest that year was Caiaphas, a Sadducee, the same high priest who had handed Jesus over to Pilate to be executed less than two months earlier.

It’s also important to note that the Sadducees were not theologically conservative like the Pharisees, they were more akin to the theological liberals of our day. They obviously claimed to be religious, but they were known for denying certain doctrines and denying the inspiration of certain books from the OT. For example, we’re told in Acts 23:6-8 that the Sadducees taught there would be no resurrection from the dead, and that angels and spirits did not exist. They also only accepted the first five books of Moses as authoritative, what we call the Pentateuch, and rejected the rest of the other writings, such as the Prophets, Psalms, and the other historical and poetic books. You see, what Christians call the OT, the Jews call the Tanakh, which includes three sections, the Torah (the first five books of Moses), the Nevi’im [ne-ve-eem] (that is, the Prophets), and the Ketuvim, (or what they call the writings, including Psalms, Proverbs, Job, etc.), and while the Pharisees embraced the entire Tanakh, the Sadducees denied all of it except for the first five books of Moses, or the Torah.

Again, all of this is important because it helps us to understand why the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon the disciples, and why they were greatly annoyed that the disciples were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead, and why they went so far as to arrest them and to put them into custody.

Contradicting the Sadducee’s teaching

For example, imagine I decided to attend a theologically liberal church while on vacation, and while I was there I started to teach those in the congregation particular doctrines that I knew they rejected, imagine how quickly the leaders of that church would usher me out the door, even if what I was teaching was true. Similarly, the disciples were teaching the people a particular doctrine that they explicitly denied, the doctrine of the resurrection, and with many of the people responding positively to it, with at least two thousand of them having believed them.

Jeopardizing the Sadducee’s control

And more than that, they weren’t just teaching about the doctrine of resurrection, but they were telling the people that Jesus had been raised from the dead, after the Sanhedrin had just put him to death weeks earlier. This was personal, and it threatened the Sanhedrin’s authority. And if that weren’t enough, they weren’t just making wild claims about Jesus being resurrected, but they had just miraculously healed a man in Jesus’ name! In other words, their claims carried weight as a result of this man’s healing, and it put the Sanhedrin’s authority into serious question. And by putting their authority into question the disciples were threatening their control. Therefore, the Sadducees had come, bringing the temple police with them, in order to silence the disciples.

The high priest and his family

Now, it was late in the day, so they took the disciples into custody until the next day, we pickup there in verse 5,

English Standard Version Chapter 4

Now we get a more detailed glimpse into the circumstances. Just as Jesus had been brought before the Sanhedrin and put on trial, the disciples were brought before the Sanhedrin for questioning. And what becomes particularly clear is how threatened the Sadducees feel as a result of this miracle and the disciple’s teaching. Luke tells us that “their rules and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest and the Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family.” Notice those whom Luke highlights, the disciples aren’t just put before the Sanhedrin, but also the high priest and his family are there.

Now, we know from other passages and from other outside sources that Annas was no longer the formal high priest at this time, that he was deposed from office by the Romans in AD 15. You see, though Numbers 35 indicates that a high priest was intended to hold his office until death, the Romans viewed the office of high priest as a political office, not just a religious office, that the office of high priest was politically sensitive. Therefore, to ensure loyalty and to prevent any single family from becoming too influential, Roman governors and earlier Herodian rulers would depose and appoint high priests at their discretion. The moment they felt a particular person was becoming too influential and posed a threat to Roman rule they replaced them with someone else. For example, there were at least 20 different high priests between 4 BC and AD 70, in the span of just 74 years. That’s a new high priest every 3-4 years on average.

With that in mind, it’s not surprising that Annas is still called the high priest here in Acts since he would have been seen by some as the rightful high priest, furthermore, he’s still very connected to the office. In fact, we know that Caiaphas, who was the formal high priest at the time, was Annas’ son in-law (John 18:13), so you can imagine the amount of influence Annas retained as a result. And if that’s not enough, after Caiaphas was deposed a few years later, two of Annas’s son’s held the office, one right after the other, until AD 41. So, you can imagine the kind of power and influence Annas had, despite no longer formally holding the office of high priest, and just how involved his whole family was in influencing the Sanhedrin, which is why it’s telling when Luke mentions that Annas, Caiaphas, and the high-priest’s whole family were there to questions the disciples.

Clash of authority, a power struggle

Now, why is this important? What’s the point? Well, I want you to see what’s really happening here. Not that Luke’s hiding something and that we have to read between the lines, no, what I mean is that I don’t want us to miss the forest through the trees. I want you to see the big picture as the Sadducees take the disciples into custody and question them. This is a clash of authority, a power struggle between the religious leaders and Jesus. This is why they ask the disciples, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” To put it another way, “We want to see your papers!” “We want to see your credentials!” “Do you have a permit to do this?” “On whose authority have you healed this man?”, because “it certainly wasn’t done on our authority! We didn’t give you permission to do this!”

Do not be anxious how you are to speak

Now, Jesus had prepared his disciples for moments just like this while he was on earth. He told his disciples back in Matthew 10:16-20,

English Standard Version Chapter 10

16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. 19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Now, this isn’t to say that we ought not study, or that we ought not to seek education, or that we shouldn’t be prepared to give an answer, in fact, later, it’s Peter who teaches us to be prepared to give answer, and the Apostle Paul who teaches us to study to show ourselves approved. This text is meant to teach the disciples that they shouldn’t be “anxious” about what they’re to speak or what they’re to say. Why? Because “what you’re to say will be given to you in that hour,” and that it’s the Spirit of God who will be speaking through you. Which is meant to comfort us as well. Whether we’re sharing the Gospel with someone or being persecuted for righteousness sake, we shouldn’t be anxious about what we’ll say, because the same Spirit that empowered the disciples for ministry dwells in you.

Condemnation for healing a lame man?

And so Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, answered them in verse 10 and said,

English Standard Version Chapter 4

“Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Peter’s like, “First of all, are you really going to condemn us for healing a lame man? And second, you want to know by whose authority we did this? Well, let it be known to all of you and to the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead - by him this man is standing before you well.” You see, this man’s healing bore witness to the disciple’s authority, that their authority came from God, that their authority came from Jesus of Nazareth.

Testimony to their opposition to God

In fact, notice who’s standing with the disciples when Peter says this, the man who was made well. Notice how this man had not disserted the disciples, but stood with them that following day while they were interrogated, and that his very presence bore witness against the high priest, his family, and all the members of the Sanhedrin. That his presence was a testimony that the religious leaders stood opposed to God. And then Peter goes on the offensive and reminds them that this Jesus, in whose name this man was healed, they crucified, and who God raised from the dead. That they stood opposed to God then, and that they stood opposed to him now.

Jesus a threat to their control and influence

It’s at this point we have to realize that these men only viewed Jesus and his disciples as a threat to their power and authority. They were not ignorant of the circumstances or what they had done, they didn’t need just another miracle to convince them, no, they had no intention of repenting, but simply to silence Jesus’ disciples, to protect their own skin, and to maintain their control and influence. They were men who had co-opted the temple system for their own gain, and Jesus and his disciples were merely a threat to that end. The religious leaders, who were supposed to be the builders of God’s kingdom had rejected Jesus, its chief cornerstone, in order to maintain their stranglehold on the Temple system.

Salvation in no one else, not even Rome

And then Peter concluded by telling them there in verse 12 that “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” In other words, make not mistake, if the leaders of Israel reject Jesus, salvation will be found in no other name under heaven, not even Rome. You see, Israel’s religious leaders not only feared losing their power and authority over the Temple system, but they also feared the Romans coming to take away their nation. They believed Jesus and his disciples put both of those aims in jeopardy. Listen to what the chief priests and the Pharisees said back in John 11:47-51,

English Standard Version Chapter 11

47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.”

You see, they feared the Romans more than God. In their minds, Rome was Israel’s only hope, a savior who they thought could protect their nation, yet they crucified their only true hope, their only true savior, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who they believed posed a threat to their nation. Therefore, Caiaphas reasoned that the best course of action was “that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” Little did they know that their nation would perish within their generation at the hands of the Roman army, whereas the church would ultimately prevail against and out-live the Roman Empire.

The State and divine prerogatives

You see, earthly authorities tend to think that the prerogative of salvation is theirs, not God’s. You see, all authorities have a sinful inclination to be god, as if they’re the sole rule and authority. This of course stems from mankind’s sin in the garden, which was a desire to be like God, to determine good and evil for themselves. This is why, for instance, Caesar worship was prevalent throughout the Roman Empire. While Julius Caesar, at first, resisted the people’s inclination to treat him as divine at the dawn of the Empire, it wasn’t long before a temple was built in his name, priests were appointed to service, and images of him were carried among the gods in procession.

You see, when men attempt to establish a government apart from God’s rule and authority, the State increasingly and inevitably takes on divine prerogatives. For example, the State will take on the prerogative of defining right and wrong, independent of God’s law, as if the State had the authority to define things like marriage, and as though there were no court higher than its supreme court. It becomes the sole authority over life and death, the sole provider of peace and security, the sole authority over the conscience, and so on. And as a result, the State becomes our only savior. We end up looking to government for everything.

You see, when we convince ourselves there’s no god above the State the government inevitably becomes a god to us, a god to which we will look to take care of our every need and to which we find our only hope, but Peter says here that there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven give among men by which we must be saved.

Jesus is Lord

An what I want you to see is that the miracles performed by Jesus and his disciples were fundamentally an authority claim that kicked against the authority of the religious leaders, and that would eventually kick against the authority of the Roman Empire. This is why the Apostle Paul, for instance, in Romans 10:9 would say that “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord ... you will be saved.” You see, Paul wrote that in a context where if Christians called Jesus Lord, but refused to call Caesar Lord, they could be put to death for treason. In other words, if your faith is genuine you must be willing to acknowledge that Jesus is Lord, not Caesar. Not that Christians shouldn’t submit to Caesar (or the government) in certain appropriate ways, but that it was Jesus who possessed supreme authority, not Caesar. So, what we’re witnessing here in Acts chapter 4 is fundamentally a clash of authority.

The exclusivity of Christ

Now, lastly, before we wrap up, I want to touch on one final related point, that is, the exclusivity of Christ, because I think most of us when we read or quote verse 12, that “there is salvation in no one else, [that] there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” we're immediately reminded of the exclusivity of Christ. That Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to the Father except through him. (John 14:6)

Now I bring this up because we encounter a lot of people who bristle against this idea, that “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” And as a result we frequently hear people say things like “it doesn’t matter what you believe, only that you’re sincere,” or that “there are many roads that lead to heaven.” Many have come to think that all beliefs are equally valid.

Now, there’s a reason be bristle against this concept of exclusivity, and it’s not admirable like many might want you to believe. By nature, we don’t like the idea that there’s only one way to God. In fact, it’s fundamentally offensive to us. Why? Well, those who oppose this idea of exclusivity would like us to believe that the notion there’s only one way to God is arrogant, bigoted, and narrow minded, but the truth is this is typically only a cloak to go our own way, or to chart our own path. You see, exclusivity is intolerable to us because it doesn’t make room for us to to go our own way, which is the fundamental issue.

You see, the exclusivity of Christ is only offensive to the natural man because by nature we don’t want to obey God, we would prefer to go our own way. Which gets at the heart of mankind’s first sin that I pointed out earlier, our desire to be like god, determining for ourselves what is good and what is evil, charting our own path, making our own rules, inventing our own ways, fabricating our own religions to suit our desires, but, you see, this is idolatry; we would rather have a god made in our own image, who will let us believe whatever we want. You may have noticed that society is willing to tolerate any form of idolatry, just not the truth.

In our last time, I pointed out that the agnostic blames God for his unbelief by claiming ignorance, well, you see, the reason he claims ignorance is to avoid any responsibility he has to obey God, and to go a way that suits his desires. So, be on-guard against unbelievers who frame their rebellion in terms of ignorance, humility, and open-mindedness; don’t be fooled by it. And also remember that when you’re witnessing to them, that most unbelievers have come to believe their own lies.

When it comes to the exclusivity of Christ we must, first, remember that truth is inherently exclusive, and, second, that while the Gospel is offensive to our sinful sensibilities, we ought to marvel that God has provided a way of salvation to us at all! What sinful men attempt to pass off as arrogant and narrow-minded is in fact an unfathomable mercy offered to us by God despite our sinful distain for it.

Conclusion

The same Jesus who healed this man who was born lame, offers us salvation. The disciples healed this man in order that we might know that there is a name under heaven by which man can be saved. We will have tribulation, we will face resistance from the world, but just as the Spirit gave the disciples courage and words to speak, that same Spirit dwells in us today.

Prayer

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