No Other Name

Introduction

Back when Katie, the kids, and I first moved here, we planted a vegetable garden in our back yard. Every year we would plant green beans, peppers, tomatoes, and various other veggies. We’d go out every once in a while and weed, all the while getting eaten up by mosquitoes. We mostly had green beans because we’d eat them a few times a week, and so we’d can them for the year ahead.

After doing this for years, we finally stopped gardening. It wasn’t worth the hassle, the mosquitos, the heat, or the canning.

I cannot tell you how many projects I have quit because I decided they weren’t worth the time or the hassle or money or whatever other excuse I could come up with. They just weren’t worth “it,” whatever “it” may be.

Sadly, many people treat Jesus as I treat projects. They try him for a while and find that he is not worth “it,” whatever “it” may be. The time, the money, the sacrifice, the ridicule, whatever.

However, this morning, we see two men who thought Jesus was worth everything. Though they were arrested and threatened, they would not deny their Lord. Instead they engaged in a discussion with those who opposed them. This discussion we find has three parts. We first come to the examination, then the explanation, and finally intimidation.

Examination

Explanation

Intimidation

Examination

The first part of the discussion comes on the part of the Sanhedrin. Luke tells us that these men were greatly annoyed with Peter’s sermon. They were annoyed, not because it made them look bad—though it did—but because they were speaking in the name of Jesus. Imagine being one of the pharisees or Sadducees; everything has been quiet since Jesus was put on the cross. Yes, there was a hiccup about three days afterwards, but for the most part, life has settled back to normal. However, recently there was a great commotion during the festival of Pentecost. You had heard that some of the followers of Jesus were behind it, but now, here is their leader proclaiming that Jesus—the one you had crucified—had healed a lame man. Why can’t these people just keep their mouths shut?!

Someone’s got to get to the bottom of all this craziness and stop it before matters get worse!

Acts 4:3–7 ESV

And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand. On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”

I find it interesting that Luke wants us to know the number of believers before he gives us a description of the examiners. There are about five thousand believers now living in Jerusalem. Estimations vary, but that’s between 10 and 17 percent of the population! That’s a vastly bigger number than Jesus himself had when he was walking on earth. The Sanhedrin has a problem on its hands.

Now the Sanhedrin was like our Supreme Court and legislature all rolled into one. They had the final say over matters of the Torah and traditions—thus, the judicial side, but they also then developed rules and laws based on the Torah and traditions for the people to follow—the legislative side.

There were two types of men on the Sanhedrin: Pharisees and Sadducees. The Pharisees were made up of scribes (or lawyers depending on your translation). The Sadducees were aristocrats—typically well-to -do men with higher education playing politics. The high priest, a Sadducee himself, presided over the court, making the total number of men 71. Often times other scribes/lawyers were called in to advise, but they had no vote. The tradition goes all the way back to Moses when God called seventy elders (along with Moses, Aaron the high priest, and two of his sons) to the top of Mt. Sinai to commune with him.

Caiaphas was the high priest at the time, but Annas, his father-in-law was really the one who held the sway of the office. Annas had, at one time, been the high priest but was removed by the Romans. Yet he did not go away. He still held tremendous power. So Caiaphas held the title, but Annas held the power. We’re not exactly sure who John and Alexander were, though one of Caiaphas’s sons’ name was Jonathan.

At any rate, the smartest, most-elite minds in Judea had arrested Peter and John and were about to question them. They set them in the middle of their court surrounded by scholars and enemies.

How would you feel if you were Peter and John? I think most of us, if not all of us, would be terrified. I don’t think we’d sleep a wink the night before. How did I come to that conclusion? Because most of us—if not all of us—can’t stand before one or two antagonistic people and proclaim Jesus—most of whom have never dove into the Scriptures, but rely on influencers soundbites for their arguments. Standing before the most educated and religious minds of the day would be absolutely paralyzing.

Yet they had one question and one question only: “By what power or by what name did you do this?”

Here is Peter. He had come close to courtroom once before. It had been only a few months before and less than half a mile from this place. He was in a courtyard—not a courtroom—warming himself by a fire. He was asked about Jesus then by servant girls and a bystander, and he denied him three times. Now he stands in the middle of a courtroom before Caiaphas, Annas, and all the rest who had Jesus executed, and they want to know by what power or by what name he had healed this man. How would Peter respond this time?

Explanation

If the first part of the conversation involved the Sanhedrin, then the second part it has Peter as its speaker. He must respond and give an explanation of the events that took place. How could a man who cowered before slaves stand strong before the Sanhedrin? There was only one way.

Acts 4:8–12 ESV

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 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. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 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 was filled with the Holy Spirit. Now, what we need to understand is that this filling of the Spirit is different than other aspects of the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit does much for us as believers and so much for us as the body of Christ.

First there is the doctrine of being born of the Spirit. Jesus said that we must all be born of the Spirit. This is what is meant by regeneration. We are born again. This makes it possible for true repentance and true faith in Jesus Christ. Without being born of the Spirit, we cannot and will not believe in him.

Then there is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. That is when we put our faith in Jesus and repent of our sins. The Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us, sealing us for the day of redemption; he is our guarantee of heaven.

At the same time, there is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is when we are immersed by the Spirit (that’s what baptism means—immersion). He fully integrates us into the church—the Body of Christ and so unites us with Christ himself. This is in part why, when we baptize people at Highland View, we do not baptize them without membership into this local body. The baptism of the Spirit is a baptism into the universal body of Christ; the baptism of water, we see is a baptism into the local body of believers.

Finally, there is the filling of the Holy Spirit. This is when the Holy Spirit strengthens us in supernatural ways to fulfill our calling as believers—to love one another, to encourage one another, to submit to one another, but also to boldly proclaim the gospel, to overcome sin, and so much more.

That’s what is happening right now to Peter. He is filled with the Holy Spirit’s power to proclaim boldly the name of Jesus. Before the filling of the Holy Spirit, he denied even knowing Jesus. Afterwards, he stands without shame before a bunch men who have more education than a fisherman could have ever dreamed of having, and instructed them on the Messiah they crucified.

And he tells them straight up. If you want to know by what name we healed this man, it was by the name of Jesus, the Messiah, from Nazareth. You crucified him but God resurrected him. That resurrection remark was a sticking point, you see, because the Sadducees didn’t believe in resurrection. But he doesn’t give them a chance to respond. He continues with the fact that he was the stone that they rejected.

Here were the men who sought to build up the Kingdom of God through religion and politics. They sought to build up the righteousness of the people through religious and civil laws. That’s the way Peter saw them—ignorant, haughty builders—and so he quoted from Psalm 118.

And for three years Jesus was put before them to observe, to listen to, to imitate. It was as if God were saying “Here is the stone that you need for building up my people and my kingdom.” Rather than observing it for its value, they immediately rejected it as worthless. Like we saw last week, these who saw themselves as men of God were rejecting the very leading and work of God.

They rid themselves of this Jesus—rejecting the Rock of God—by killing him. But upon his resurrection, Jesus became the cornerstone. The very stone that would make the building straight and square—perfect in height, width, and depth—was disregarded.

Peter said, “If you want to know by what name this man was healed, it was the name of Jesus. One cannot be healed by any other name.”

You see, Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, repeated the Sanhedrin’s question in his own words. They asked by what power or name they did this, and Peter asked, by what means he has been healed. That word for healed is the word “sozo.” He could have used the word “therapeuo,” where we get our word “therapy” from, but he used “sozo,” which really means to be delivered or saved. So he asks, “by what means has this man been saved,” and answers it with “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” He’s using a play on words to move deeper. This isn’t simply about a man being healed physically, but humanity being healed spiritually. He moved from he to we. How was he saved to we must be saved. The man’s healing was a visual reality of something that needed to become a spiritual reality in every single one of us.

Intimidation

The third part of this discussion is once again on the side of the Sanhedrin. They ended up kicking Peter and John out while they deliberated about what they could do. But there wasn’t much they could do. But before we get to that, I want us to notice a sentence that might be easy to pass over.

Acts 4:13 ESV

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

They recognized that they had been with Jesus. It wasn’t their eloquence. It wasn’t their education. It was their boldness.

Church family, Christians often want to be known for their cleverness. “Watch so-and-so destroy this atheist’s argument!” They want to be known for having the all the answers. “Watch this evangelist dismantle evolutionist’s argument in one sentence!” Many Christians see that as the goal—as if they’ve arrived, but the greatest compliment that believers could ever receive is not that they were smart or exceptional, but rather that it was clear that they had been with Jesus.

Here were Peter and John, fearless in their proclamation. It was the very power of the the Holy Spirit at work in them when standing before courts and rulers, just as Jesus had promised. But it wasn’t simply that Peter was bold; he was bold in the way that Jesus was bold. He would write about this later in his first letter, stating that Jesus set an example for us when we are persecuted.

1 Peter 2:23 ESV

When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

No more hiding in the shadows for Peter, but also no more living by the sword. Whatever these men would do to him, he could face because he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He understood that which Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego understood when standing before King Nebuchadnezzar: he is able to deliver them, but even if he doesn’t, they will not bow down, for whatever our God ordains is right; and whatever he ordains we can face because he judges justly.

And we see that these religious and political men, as educated as they were, could not contradict what uneducated, common fisherman proclaimed.

Acts 4:14 ESV

But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.

Often when people cannot argue the facts, they choose one (or more) of three tactics typically. Generally, they will either denigrate, obfuscate, or intimidate.

In essence, they may denigrate the names or reputations of their opponents. They attack the person’s character rather than attacking the facts of the matter. If we find that one does this to us, it is likely that they have no defense for what we’ve presented.

If they do not denigrate the person, they may try to obfuscate the facts. If they cannot win an argument, they will confuse the issue. They will turn what is being discussed into a completely different topic in order to get the public on their side. This is often done in abortion debates. Opponents rarely talk about abortion; they talk about reproductive healthcare. They will not call the human a baby, but a fetus (as if the stage of development—whether a fetus, an infant, or a toddler is the issue). It’s not about murdering the yet born; it’s about women’s rights. Change the subject, obfuscate the facts.

But if they don’t denigrate or obfuscate, they will often intimidate. This is what the Sanhedrin chose.

Acts 4:15–18 ESV

But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

Do not speak or teach in the name of Jesus or else. It was, indeed, a warning. Worse consequences were to come if they were caught again. Lest we forget, these were the ones who paid off Judas to betray Jesus. They lied about what Jesus had said. They had him killed, demanding a murderer be let loose in his place. They paid false witnesses to stir up the crowds against Stephen and sent Paul out to persecute the church. These were no empty threats.

And what did Peter and John say in response?

Acts 4:19–20 ESV

But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

Once again, Peter and John have juxtaposed the Sanhedrin’s will with God’s. They not only rejected the stone of God that would become the cornerstone, but they now opposed command of God by seeking to silence his witnesses.

But when a person is so deep into his own self and sin, he rarely backs down. So we see these men threaten the apostles with greater intensity.

Acts 4:21 ESV

And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened.

Beloved, if you and I remain faithful to our calling as witnesses of Jesus, we will face persecution. It’s a promise.

2 Timothy 3:12–13 ESV

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

It’s not if we will be persecuted, but how will we respond when it happens? By giving a reason for the hope that is within us with gentleness and respect as Peter instructs in his first letter? Or by reviling and threatening as we are forbidden to do?

Conclusion

As we wrap up this portion of Acts 4, we have seen three parts of a discussion between seventy-one of the most powerful and influential men in Israel and two of Jesus’s apostles. This conversation went from an examination to an explanation and ended with an attempted intimidation.

Yet by the filling of the Holy Spirit, these men were able to respond in boldness and ignore the threats that were made toward them.

This kind of boldness, this kind of dauntless courage was not innate to these men any more than it is to us today. This is the bold and courageous witness that is empowered by the Spirit of God. And so brothers and sisters, if we are missing this in our lives, it doesn’t mean that we haven’t been with Jesus, but it may mean that we have grieved the Spirit, quenching his movement in our lives.

To be a Spirit-empowered witness means we will face opposition. So before that happens, let us ask ourselves, “Is Jesus worth it?” And if he is, let us entrust ourselves to him who judges justly.