5On the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; 6and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent. 7When they had placed them in the center, they began to inquire, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?” 8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people . . .”
The careful time notations in Luke’s writing point to his credibility as a historian, “having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order” (Luke 1:3). This same investigative procedure served him well in the book of Acts, as we saw in Acts 1:1–3. The ad hoc inquisition of Peter and John took place the day after the healing of the lame man. It was not a knee-jerk reaction by the Jewish religious leaders but a contemplated, premeditated inquisition with the intended purpose of shutting down the apostles and stopping their preaching.
Notice the makeup of the interrogators: rulers, elders, scribes. Although some of those present may have belonged to one of the well-known religious-political parties, they were present in the governing, authoritative capacity. The inner circle of the high priestly class was there (with their considerable weight of influence). This was the “who’s who” of Israel, the ruling elite, the top-level decision makers. When they acted in agreement, the results were compelling to all Jews. They were not going to be bullied by anyone! Little did they realize, though, that the psalmist was describing them:
The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us!” He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them. (Ps. 2:2–4).
The demand was simple and unsurprising—in Luke 20:2, the same group of men asked Jesus the same question about His teaching. What happens to the Master happens to the disciples. This is nothing other than a power play, a question of authority. While today we have the concept of “political correctness,” the Jews at that time had “religious correctness” that controlled how people behaved—and the apostles were breaking the “rules;” they were not kowtowing to that pressure.
No ordinary Jew would have dared go against the accepted norms as prescribed and enforced by such a formidable conglomerate of religious leaders, scholars, and influencers. But the Holy Spirit took over and spoke confidently and mightily through Peter. The rebuke is now coming.
Lord, please convict me of areas in my life where I have been resisting You.
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