Acts 5:1
Ἀνὴρ δέ τις Ἁνανίας ὀνόματι σὺν Σαπφίρῃ τῇ γυναικὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπώλησεν κτῆμα
Now a certain man, named Ananias with Sapphira, his wife, sold a property.
Paraphrase: Now during this time, the church continued to meet regularly and were rejoicing in the miracles that were done at the hands of the apostles. The generous giving continued so that those who had needs were generously provided for. Men like Barnabas and others sold property and gave the proceeds to the apostles for the relief of those who needed it. Amongst the believers at this time, were a couple named Ananias and Sapphira. They also were caught up in this spirit of giving and decided to sell a piece of property they owned and to give the money to the benevolent fund.
Comments:
Acts 5:2
καὶ ἐνοσφίσατο ἀπὸ τῆς τιμῆς, συνειδυίης καὶ τῆς γυναικός, καὶ ἐνέγκας μέρος τι παρὰ τοὺς πόδας τῶν ἀποστόλων ἔθηκεν.
and he divided from the price, even with the knowledge of his wife and bringing a certain part, he laid it at the feet of the apostles.
Paraphrase: When the money came in, however, they changed their mind. “Look at all this money,” said Ananias. “Certainly it would be a shame to give all this away and to receive no benefit from it ourselves! We have our own bills to pay too!” So together, they agreed to keep some of the money for their own use and to give the rest of it to the benevolent fund. “No need,” said Ananias, “to tell them that this is only part of the money we made on the sale. Let’s just stick to the story that this is the entire sum we earned from this property.” Sapphira agreed, so Ananias divided up the money, packaged up the donation, and brought it to the apostles.
Comments:
Acts 5:3
εἶπεν δὲ ὁ Πέτρος· Ἁνανία, διὰ τί ἐπλήρωσεν ὁ Σατανᾶς τὴν καρδίαν σου, ψεύσασθαί σε τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον καὶ νοσφίσασθαι ἀπὸ τῆς τιμῆς τοῦ χωρίου;
and Peter said, “Ananias, for what reason has Satan filled your heart to lie against the Holy Spirit and to keep from the price of the field?”
Paraphrase: When Ananias arrived at the place where the apostles were, he cheerfully entered and gave the money to Peter. “Here is the entire sum of money we earned from a sale of property. My wife and I would like to donate it all to the benevolent fund, and you can use it as you see fit.” Peter looked at the money and frowned. He then said to Ananias, “Why did you let Satan take over your heart and lead you down this dark path of evil and deception? Why would you claim to have given all the proceeds of your land sale to us knowing that you have really only given part? Isn’t this a dreadful sin against the ninth command? Do you think that the Holy Spirit who has come down on our assembly with so much power in these days has no knowledge of this? Do you really think you can play such a trick on the One before whom all things are open and laid bare? (Hebrews 4:13) Let me put it very simply, Ananias. You have chosen to lie, not to us, but to the Holy Spirit Himself.
Comments:
The pronoun in ψεύσασθαί σε is the agent of the infinitive; cf principle 23.
Acts 5:4
οὐχὶ μένον σοὶ ἔμενεν καὶ πραθὲν ἐν τῇ σῇ ἐξουσίᾳ ὑπῆρχεν; τί ὅτι ἔθου ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου τὸ πρᾶγμα τοῦτο; οὐκ ἐψεύσω ἀνθρώποις ἀλλὰ τῷ θεῷ.
not remaining, to you it remained and being sold, was it in your power? Why, that you fixed in your heart this deed? You have not lied to men, but to God.
Paraphrase: Think about this, Ananias. When the property belonged to you, you could have done with it whatever you wanted. No one had any right to tell you what to do with your own property. Furthermore, even after you sold the land, you still retained the right to do whatever you wanted with the proceeds. You could have donated none of it, part of it, or all of it. It wouldn’t have mattered; it was in your power to do whatever you chose. No one would have had any grounds to accuse you of anything. Instead, you decided on this wicked plan of deception. How incredibly foolish! Again, I repeat; you have not lied to us, but you have lied to God Himself!”
Comments:
Acts 5:5
ἀκούων δὲ ὁ Ἁνανίας τοὺς λόγους τούτους πεσὼν ἐξέψυξεν· καὶ ἐγένετο φόβος μέγας ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς ἀκούοντας.
Then, Ananias, hearing these words, fell and expired, and great fear came on all who heard.
Paraphrase: Then, Ananias was horrified to hear that his deception had been discovered; and when Peter finished speaking, Ananias collapsed to the floor and died. Again, the news of this astonishing judgment of God spread rapidly, and the people of Jerusalem trembled to hear these stories.
Comments:
πεσὼν = participle of attendant circumstance
Acts 5:6
ἀναστάντες δὲ οἱ νεώτεροι συνέστειλαν αὐτὸν καὶ ἐξενέγκαντες ἔθαψαν.
Then the young men arose and wrapped him and carrying out, they buried.
Paraphrase: Peter then motioned to some of the younger men present in the assembly. They took the corpse, wrapped it up in some cloth, carried it out to the cemetery, and buried him.
Comments:
Acts 5:7
Ἐγένετο δὲ ὡς ὡρῶν τριῶν διάστημα καὶ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ μὴ εἰδυῖα τὸ γεγονὸς εἰσῆλθεν.
Now there was an interval of nearly three hours, and his wife, not knowing what had happened, entered.
Paraphrase: As time passed, Sapphira came to wonder what was keeping her husband. She waited almost three hours, and still he did not return. Finally, having no idea what had happened to him, she went to the place where the apostles were to inquire about her husband.
Comments:
Acts 5:8
ἀπεκρίθη δὲ πρὸς αὐτὴν Πέτρος· Εἰπέ μοι, εἰ τοσούτου τὸ χωρίον ἀπέδοσθε; ἡ δὲ εἶπεν· Ναί, τοσούτου.
Then, Peter answered to her, “Speak to me if of such [a price] the field was sold? and she said, “Yes, for so much.”
Paraphrase: When Sapphira arrived, Peter spoke to her and gave her an opportunity to confess her sin and to distance herself from her husband’s deception. “Tell me,” he said, “Is this money here, which your husband brought and donated to our benevolent fund, is it the same amount as the price you received on the sale of your property?” “Yes,” replied Sapphira, “Our property did sell for that amount, and we have given all of it to you in hopes that it can be used in the benevolent work of the church.”
Comments:
Acts 5:9
ὁ δὲ Πέτρος πρὸς αὐτήν· Τί ὅτι συνεφωνήθη ὑμῖν πειράσαι τὸ πνεῦμα κυρίου; ἰδοὺ οἱ πόδες τῶν θαψάντων τὸν ἄνδρα σου ἐπὶ τῇ θύρᾳ καὶ ἐξοίσουσίν σε.
Then Peter to her, “Why it was planned together between you to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who buried your husband [are] at the door, and they will carry you out.
Paraphrase: Then, Peter was deeply grieved. “Why would the two of you ever think that you could possibly succeed in a plan to better the Holy Spirit who comes to us from Jesus who is Lord over heaven and earth? Have you never read that the Lord searches the heart and tests the mind? (Jeremiah 17:10) that He alone knows the hearts of all men? (1 Kings 8:39) that God searches all hearts and understands every intent and thought? (1 Chronicles 28:9) that God does not see as a man sees but that He can see the heart?” (1 Samuel 16:7) As Peter was saying this, everyone heard the sound of the young men returning from their burying of Ananias. Peter again looked at Sapphira, “Alas, the very men who just finished burying your husband have returned. Now, they will take your body out and bury it as well.”
Comments:
Acts 5:10
ἔπεσεν δὲ παραχρῆμα πρὸς τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐξέψυξεν· εἰσελθόντες δὲ οἱ νεανίσκοι εὗρον αὐτὴν νεκράν, καὶ ἐξενέγκαντες ἔθαψαν πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα αὐτῆς.
Acts 5:11
καὶ ἐγένετο φόβος μέγας ἐφ’ ὅλην τὴν ἐκκλησίαν καὶ ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς ἀκούοντας ταῦτα.
Acts 5:12
Διὰ δὲ τῶν χειρῶν τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐγίνετο σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα πολλὰ ἐν τῷ λαῷ· καὶ ἦσαν ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἅπαντες ἐν τῇ Στοᾷ Σολομῶντος·
Now through the hands of the apostles, many signs and wonders were taking place among the people, and they were all together in the porch of Solomon.
Paraphrase: Now at this time, the apostles were regularly performing different kinds of miracles. Many of these were healing miracles (Acts 4) but also miracles of judgment such as had occurred with Ananias and Sapphira. These miracles were all the buzz amongst the general population; everywhere people were talking about them. Each day, the believers assembled together in Solomon’s porch
Comments:
ὁμοθυμαδὸν only occurs in Acts; see here.
Who is the ἅπαντες here? all believers? or all the apostles?
Acts 5:13
τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν οὐδεὶς ἐτόλμα κολλᾶσθαι αὐτοῖς, ἀλλ’ ἐμεγάλυνεν αὐτοὺς ὁ λαός,
but the rest, no one was bold to join with them but the people magnified them.
Paraphrase: while the rest of the people, who had heard the apostles preaching and seen the miracles and yet had not believed, were too fearful to join them, especially after they heard what had happened to Ananias and Sapphira. This caused many to have great respect for the apostles.
Comments:
Now the question is who are τῶν λοιπῶν? Those people who were not believers and were not gathering with the Christians? or all the people both believers and unbelievers? I have put λοιπῶν over against ἅπαντες in v12 so ἅπαντες is all the believers and λοιπῶν is those who had also heard and seen the apostolic message but had not believed in Jesus. They were not gathering with them in Solomon’s porch for prayer and worship. This is confirmed by the next verse which clearly relates that many people were joining the church.
In what sense did the people ἐμεγάλυνεν the apostles? Were they frightened of them? or did they think highly of them? It’s hard to see how unbelieving people would have thought highly of the men who had presided over a meeting in which two people were struck dead. For all that, μεγαλύνω does not ever have the meaning of to be frightened by or intimidated. The word is always used in a positive sense of praising someone or holding them in high esteem.
Acts 5:14
μᾶλλον δὲ προσετίθεντο πιστεύοντες τῷ κυρίῳ πλήθη ἀνδρῶν τε καὶ γυναικῶν·
But more believers in the Lord were being added, many men and women.
Paraphrase: Many others, however, heard the preaching of the apostles, saw the miracles, repented of their unbelief, and put their full trust and confidence in Jesus as the resurrected Lord over all the earth and the only Savior of mankind. Both men and women alike came forward, confessed their faith in Jesus, were baptized with their families, and were added to the number of those who named the Name of Christ.
Comments:
Acts 5:15
ὥστε καὶ εἰς τὰς πλατείας ἐκφέρειν τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς καὶ τιθέναι ἐπὶ κλιναρίων καὶ κραβάττων, ἵνα ἐρχομένου Πέτρου κἂν ἡ σκιὰ ἐπισκιάσῃ τινὶ αὐτῶν.
so that even in the streets, to carry out the sick and to place on beds and cots in order that when Peter came, even his shadow might shadow on certain of them.
Paraphrase: The respect for the apostles (Acts 5:14) grew so strong, that people even brought their sick loved ones and those who had handicaps out into the streets. What a sight it was to see all these sick folk laying on beds and cots in the streets. The reason they did this was so that when Peter and the other apostles would walk down the street, even their shadow might fall on these sick people and heal them.
Comments:
Acts 5:16
συνήρχετο δὲ καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν πέριξ πόλεων Ἰερουσαλήμ, φέροντες ἀσθενεῖς καὶ ὀχλουμένους ὑπὸ πνευμάτων ἀκαθάρτων, οἵτινες ἐθεραπεύοντο ἅπαντες.
and the multitude gathered from the villages of the city of Jerusalem, carrying sick and those who were oppressed by unclean spirits, which were all healed.
Paraphrase: The word spread into the suburbs of Jerusalem and to the villages beyond. People came flooding into Jerusalem bringing their sick and injured to the apostles for healing. Even those people possessed of devils were brought in for healing. All of these received healing by the power of the Spirit of God working through the apostles; no one went away without the blessing they had sought.
Comments:
Acts 5:17
Ἀναστὰς δὲ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς καὶ πάντες οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ, ἡ οὖσα αἵρεσις τῶν Σαδδουκαίων, ἐπλήσθησαν ζήλου
Now the high priest, rising, and all those with him, being the body of the Sadducees, were filled with zeal.
Paraphrase: As all this was taking place, the entire city of Jerusalem nearly came to a standstill. The entire populace was now asking about this new movement, hundreds of people were abandoning the Jewish religion and finding their life (Acts 5:20) in Christ. The Jewish leadership could no longer dismiss this as a mere flash in the pan, a temporary hysteria. Even the high priest was moved to action especially since nearly the entire body of the Sadducees were outraged at what was happening and were demanding that this movement be checked.
Comments:
Acts 5:18
καὶ ἐπέβαλον τὰς χεῖρας ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀποστόλους καὶ ἔθεντο αὐτοὺς ἐν τηρήσει δημοσίᾳ.
and they land hands on the apostles and placed them in jail publicly.
Paraphrase: Under this pressure, the Jewish leaders again ordered the arrest of the apostles. With a show of decisive action, the temple guard seized the leading apostles and committed them to the jail for arraignment the next day.
Comments:
Vincent insists that τηρήσει δημοσίᾳ is not a prison, but a temporary custody. source It’s the same word as in Acts 4:3. Whatever it was, it certainly had gates as is clear in the next verse. δημοσίᾳ could also be taken as an adverb and thus be understood that they were placed in jail publicly. (cf Acts 16:37)
Acts 5:19
ἄγγελος δὲ κυρίου διὰ νυκτὸς ἤνοιξε τὰς θύρας τῆς φυλακῆς ἐξαγαγών τε αὐτοὺς εἶπεν·
But an angel of the Lord, at night, opened the doors of the jail. After leading them out, He said,
Paraphrase: God, however, sent an angel to open the gates of this jail and to lead the apostles out safely. He then instructed them, …
Comments:
Acts 5:20
Πορεύεσθε καὶ σταθέντες λαλεῖτε ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ τῷ λαῷ πάντα τὰ ῥήματα τῆς ζωῆς ταύτης.
“Go and standing, speak in the temple to all the people the words of this life!”
Paraphrase: “Go back to the temple, stand there boldly, and proclaim to all the people that Jesus is the great Messiah-King, the Son of God, and that all those who believe in Him will have eternal life. (John 20:31) Leave nothing out; preach boldly the entire gospel.
Comments:
Acts 5:21
ἀκούσαντες δὲ εἰσῆλθον ὑπὸ τὸν ὄρθρον εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν καὶ ἐδίδασκον. Παραγενόμενος δὲ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ συνεκάλεσαν τὸ συνέδριον καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γερουσίαν τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ, καὶ ἀπέστειλαν εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἀχθῆναι αὐτούς.
“G
Paraphrase:
Comments:
Acts 5:22
οἱ δὲ παραγενόμενοι ὑπηρέται οὐχ εὗρον αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ, ἀναστρέψαντες δὲ ἀπήγγειλαν
“G
Paraphrase:
Comments:
Acts 5:23
λέγοντες ὅτι Τὸ δεσμωτήριον εὕρομεν κεκλεισμένον ἐν πάσῃ ἀσφαλείᾳ καὶ τοὺς φύλακας ἑστῶτας ἐπὶ τῶν θυρῶν, ἀνοίξαντες δὲ ἔσω οὐδένα εὕρομεν.
Acts 5:24
ὡς δὲ ἤκουσαν τοὺς λόγους τούτους ὅ τε στρατηγὸς τοῦ ἱεροῦ καὶ οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς, διηπόρουν περὶ αὐτῶν τί ἂν γένοιτο τοῦτο.
Acts 5:25
παραγενόμενος δέ τις ἀπήγγειλεν αὐτοῖς ὅτι Ἰδοὺ οἱ ἄνδρες οὓς ἔθεσθε ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ εἰσὶν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ ἑστῶτες καὶ διδάσκοντες τὸν λαόν.
Acts 5:26
τότε ἀπελθὼν ὁ στρατηγὸς σὺν τοῖς ὑπηρέταις ἤγαγεν αὐτούς, οὐ μετὰ βίας, ἐφοβοῦντο γὰρ τὸν λαόν, μὴ λιθασθῶσιν.
Acts 5:27
Ἀγαγόντες δὲ αὐτοὺς ἔστησαν ἐν τῷ συνεδρίῳ. καὶ ἐπηρώτησεν αὐτοὺς ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς
Acts 5:28
λέγων· Παραγγελίᾳ παρηγγείλαμεν ὑμῖν μὴ διδάσκειν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τούτῳ, καὶ ἰδοὺ πεπληρώκατε τὴν Ἰερουσαλὴμ τῆς διδαχῆς ὑμῶν, καὶ βούλεσθε ἐπαγαγεῖν ἐφ’ ἡμᾶς τὸ αἷμα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τούτου.
Acts 5:29
ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ Πέτρος καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι εἶπαν· Πειθαρχεῖν δεῖ θεῷ μᾶλλον ἢ ἀνθρώποις.
Then Peter and the apostles, answering, said “It is necessary to obey God rather than men.”
Paraphrase: Hearing this command from the High Priest, Peter again spoke for all the apostles. “Fathers and brothers, with all due respect, we cannot obey this command. We certainly are ready to submit to any instruction you might give us (1 Peter 2:13; 5:5), but to stop proclaiming the Name of Jesus as Messiah is not something we are at liberty to do. This is a command we received from God Himself (Acts 5:20); and therefore, we must carry on as He has instructed us to do. Certainly we all agree that God’s authority is higher than the authority of any man or any body of men.
Comments:
Acts 5:30
ὁ θεὸς τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν ἤγειρεν Ἰησοῦν, ὃν ὑμεῖς διεχειρίσασθε κρεμάσαντες ἐπὶ ξύλου·
The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you handled violently, hanging him on a beam.
Paraphrase: Now the truth of the matter is this. God has clearly marked Jesus the Nazarene as Israel’s Messiah-King by raising Him from the dead. It was you who treated Him with so much violence and disrespect. It was you who finally took His life by nailing the innocent One to a cross.
Comments:
Note the ὑμεῖς put out front for emphasis; cf principle 2.
Acts 5:31
τοῦτον ὁ θεὸς ἀρχηγὸν καὶ σωτῆρα ὕψωσεν τῇ δεξιᾷ αὐτοῦ, τοῦ δοῦναι μετάνοιαν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν·
This One, God has lifted up to His right hand as a Prince and Savior to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
Paraphrase: Now you men and leaders of Israel, see what God has done with the crucified Jesus. This Man, God has highly honored by giving Him the place of privilege and glory at His Right hand. This Man, God has charged with setting up His glorious kingdom and administering it to His glory. (1 Corinthians 15:27-28) This Man, God has setup to be the Savior of the world so that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16) Fathers and brothers, I am sorry to say that it is not the religion which you teach which will bring salvation to Israel. On the contrary, this Man and the good news of life in His Name will bring the nation of Israel to repentance and give them the blessed assurance that all their sins are forgiven only for the sake of His one sacrifice on the cross.
Comments:
Again, note the emphasis “τοῦτον…”
Acts 5:32
καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν μάρτυρες τῶν ῥημάτων τούτων, καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ὃ ἔδωκεν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς πειθαρχοῦσιν αὐτῷ.
Even we are witnesses of these words and the Holy Spirit who God gave to those who obey Him.
Paraphrase: Now, we were eyewitnesses of the risen Jesus; and therefore, we know that these words are true. Furthermore, we can never forget what we experienced on the day of Pentecost when we received from God that baptism which we were earnestly desiring and expecting; i.e. the gift of the Holy Spirit, who God gave only to those who confessed their sin and placed all their trust in Jesus.
Comments:
Acts 5:33
Οἱ δὲ ἀκούσαντες διεπρίοντο καὶ ἐβούλοντο ἀνελεῖν αὐτούς.
Acts 5:34
ἀναστὰς δέ τις ἐν τῷ συνεδρίῳ Φαρισαῖος ὀνόματι Γαμαλιήλ, νομοδιδάσκαλος τίμιος παντὶ τῷ λαῷ, ἐκέλευσεν ἔξω βραχὺ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ποιῆσαι,
Acts 5:35
εἶπέν τε πρὸς αὐτούς· Ἄνδρες Ἰσραηλῖται, προσέχετε ἑαυτοῖς ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τούτοις τί μέλλετε πράσσειν.
Acts 5:36
πρὸ γὰρ τούτων τῶν ἡμερῶν ἀνέστη Θευδᾶς, λέγων εἶναί τινα ἑαυτόν, ᾧ προσεκλίθη ἀνδρῶν ἀριθμὸς ὡς τετρακοσίων· ὃς ἀνῃρέθη, καὶ πάντες ὅσοι ἐπείθοντο αὐτῷ διελύθησαν καὶ ἐγένοντο
εἰς οὐδέν.
Acts 5:37
μετὰ τοῦτον ἀνέστη Ἰούδας ὁ Γαλιλαῖος ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τῆς ἀπογραφῆς καὶ ἀπέστησε λαὸν ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ· κἀκεῖνος ἀπώλετο καὶ πάντες ὅσοι ἐπείθοντο αὐτῷ διεσκορπίσθησαν.
Acts 5:38
καὶ τὰ νῦν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἀπόστητε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τούτων καὶ ἄφετε αὐτούς· (ὅτι ἐὰν ᾖ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἡ βουλὴ αὕτη ἢ τὸ ἔργον τοῦτο, καταλυθήσεται,
Acts 5:39
εἰ δὲ ἐκ θεοῦ ἐστιν, οὐ δυνήσεσθε καταλῦσαι αὐτούς·) μήποτε καὶ θεομάχοι εὑρεθῆτε. ἐπείσθησαν δὲ αὐτῷ,
but
Paraphrase:
Comments:
“On the one hand, he [Gamaliel] had a clear perception of the fact, that all fanatical movements are generally rendered more violent by opposition, and that what in itself is insignificant, is often raised into importance by forcible attempts to suppress it. On the other hand, the manner in which the apostles spoke and acted made some impression on a man not wholly prejudiced; while their exact observance of the law, and hostile attitude towards Sadduceeism, must have disposed him more strongly in their favor, and hence the thought might arise in his mind, that after all there was something divine in the cause they advocated.” source
Acts 5:40
καὶ προσκαλεσάμενοι τοὺς ἀποστόλους δείραντες παρήγγειλαν μὴ λαλεῖν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Ἰησοῦ καὶ ἀπέλυσαν.
Acts 5:41
οἱ μὲν οὖν ἐπορεύοντο χαίροντες ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ συνεδρίου ὅτι κατηξιώθησαν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος ἀτιμασθῆναι·
Therefore, they went out from the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to be dishonored for the Name.
Paraphrase: Then, they left the Sanhedrin and began to make their way home. The way home was slow and painful since their bodies ached and their skin bled from the beating they had received. Nevertheless, they still spoke of the privilege they had received. They spoke of how God had perfected the Founder of their salvation by many sufferings. (Hebrews 2:10) Another one reminded the brothers of what Jesus had taught them that in this world they were to expect many sorrows but that Jesus had overcome the world. (John 16:33) Peter also gave this encouragement, “Brothers do not be surprised at this fiery ordeal which is happening to us. This is happening to us so that we will be tested. We should not think that this is some kind of unusual thing. On the contrary, to the extent that we share in the sufferings of Christ, we should rejoice because we know that when Jesus returns in His glorious coming, we will be exalted to a position of unspeakable glory! If we are insulted for the name of Christ, we are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on us. (1 Peter 4:12-14) John also reminded the group that they were born from God (1 John 4:7); and therefore, they had already overcome the world because the One in us is greater than the one who is in the world. (1 John 4:4) With these thoughts and many others like them, they made their way home full of joy and gladness at what God had done through them and at the privilege of suffering for the Name which they loved to proclaim.
Comments:
Acts 5:42
πᾶσάν τε ἡμέραν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ καὶ κατ’ οἶκον οὐκ ἐπαύοντο διδάσκοντες καὶ εὐαγγελιζόμενοι τὸν χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν.
Every day, in the temple and at each house, they did not stop teaching and bringing the good news, Jesus, the Messiah.
Paraphrase: Then, the apostles returned to the temple and once again proclaimed the Name of Jesus to all who would hear. Other of the apostles went from door to door teaching people about Jesus and bringing the good news that the long expected Messiah-King had come and was now calling every man to turn from His sin and to place their full trust and confidence in Him. This was life indeed; a life lived on the strength of a saving union with Jesus and aimed at the glory of God.
Comments: