Acts 4:5-10 5And it happened on the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6and Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family, 7and when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”
Things got really bad the next day as all the big leaders of the Jewish people were called together for a general assembly to deal with Peter and John. The list is extensive, beginning in verse 5 with a summarizing comment about the rulers, elders, and priests–anyone of influence in Jerusalem. This statement might be another way of referring to the Sanhedrin (verse 15), the highest ruling council of the Jewish people. This was the same group that condemned Jesus in Luke 22:66. This extraordinary meeting included the highest leaders. Annas served as the high priest from AD 6-15, but still had significant influence at this time in the early 30s. Caiaphas was the acting high priest and was the son-in-law of Annas. Listing Annas first showed that he was the one who really held the power. John might be a version of “Jonathan,” who was the high priest after Caiphas and a son of Annas. Alexander is not mentioned elsewhere but was likely part of the same influential family.
All these powerful people gathered together, taking time out of their day, to deal with this growing problem. They brought Peter and John from jail and put them right in the middle of this intimidating group. Their question in verse 7 is significant because it assumed some power or name behind what happened. They could not deny the miracle. It was obvious to everyone that an incurable lame man was “walking and leaping and praising God.” These were the spiritual leaders who should have known God’s power, that there is only one God, and that miracles can only happen by God’s power. Anything else is a fabrication, imitation, or trick. It should have been obvious to them that this miracle came from the God whom they claimed to worship. The devil can imitate God’s work, but a true miracle like what happened to the crippled man can happen only through God’s sovereign intervention in the human struggle.
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