The Acts of the Apostles
by Ellen G. White
Chapter 6: At the Temple Gate
This chapter is based on Acts 3; 4:1-33.
The disciples of Christ had a deep sense of their own
inefficiency, and with humiliation and prayer they joined their weakness to His
strength, their ignorance to His wisdom, their unworthiness to His
righteousness, their poverty to His exhaustless wealth. Thus strengthened and
equipped, they hesitated not to press forward in the service of the Master. {AA 57.1}
A short time after the descent of the Holy Spirit, and
immediately after a season of earnest prayer, Peter and John, going up to the
temple to worship, saw at the gate Beautiful a cripple, forty years of age,
whose life, from his birth, had been one of pain and infirmity. This
unfortunate man had long desired to see Jesus, that he might be healed; but he
was almost helpless, and was far removed from the scene of the great
Physician's labors. His pleadings at last induced some friends to bear him to
the gate of the temple, [58] but upon arriving there, he found
that the One upon whom his hopes were centered, had been put to a cruel death. {AA 57.2}
His disappointment excited the sympathy of those who knew
for how long he had eagerly hoped to be healed by Jesus, and daily they brought
him to the temple, in order that passers-by might be induced by pity to give
him a trifle to relieve his wants. As Peter and John passed, he asked an alms
from them. The disciples regarded him compassionately, and Peter said,
"Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of
them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none." As Peter thus
declared his poverty, the countenance of the cripple fell; but it grew bright
with hope as the apostle continued, "But such as I have give I thee: In
the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. {AA 58.1}
"And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up:
and immediately his feet and ankle-bones received strength. And he leaping up
stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping,
and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God: and they
knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple: and
they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened." {AA 58.2}
"And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and
John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called
Solomon's, greatly wondering." They were astonished that the disciples
could perform miracles similar to those performed by Jesus. Yet here was this
man, for [59] forty years a helpless cripple, now rejoicing
in the full use of his limbs, free from pain, and happy in believing in Jesus. {AA 58.3}
When the disciples saw the amazement of the people, Peter
asked, "Why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as
though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?" He
assured them that the cure had been wrought in the name and through the merits
of Jesus of Nazareth, whom God had raised from the dead. "His name through
faith in His name," the apostle declared, "hath made this man strong,
whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by Him hath given him this
perfect soundness in the presence of you all." {AA 59.1}
The apostles spoke plainly of the great sin of the Jews in
rejecting and putting to death the Prince of life; but they were careful not to
drive their hearers to despair. "Ye denied the Holy One and the
Just," Peter said, "and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;
and killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we
are witnesses." "And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye
did it, as did also your rulers. But those things, which God before had showed
by the mouth of all His prophets, that Christ should suffer, He hath so
fulfilled." He declared that the Holy Spirit was calling upon them to
repent and be converted, and assured them that there was no hope of salvation
except through the mercy of the One whom they had crucified. Only through faith
in Him could their sins be forgiven. {AA 59.2}
"Repent ye therefore, and be converted," he cried,
"that [60] your sins may be blotted out,
when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." {AA 59.3}
"Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the
covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed
shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having
raised up His Son Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of
you from his iniquities." {AA 60.1}
Thus the disciples preached the resurrection of Christ. Many
among those who listened were waiting for this testimony, and when they heard
it they believed. It brought to their minds the words that Christ had spoken,
and they took their stand in the ranks of those who accepted the gospel. The
seed that the Saviour had sown sprang up and bore fruit. {AA 60.2}
While the disciples were speaking to the people, "the
priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them,
being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the
resurrection from the dead." {AA 60.3}
After Christ's resurrection the priests had spread far and
near the lying report that His body had been stolen by the disciples while the
Roman guard slept. It is not surprising that they were displeased when they
hear Peter and John preaching the resurrection of the One they had murdered.
The Sadducees especially were greatly aroused. They felt that their most
cherished doctrine was in danger, and their reputation at stake. {AA 60.4}
Converts to the new faith were rapidly increasing, and both
Pharisees and Sadducees agreed that if these new [61]
teachers were suffered to go unchecked, their own influence would be in greater
danger than when Jesus was upon the earth. Accordingly, the captain of the
temple, with the help of a number of Sadducees, arrested Peter and John, and
put them in prison, as it was too late that day for them to be examined. {AA 60.5}
The enemies of the disciples could not but be convinced that
Christ had risen from the dead. The evidence was too clear to be doubted.
Nevertheless, they hardened their hearts, refusing to repent of the terrible
deed they had committed in putting Jesus to death. Abundant evidence that the apostles
were speaking and acting under divine inspiration had been given the Jewish
rulers, but they firmly resisted the message of truth. Christ had not come in
the manner that they expected, and though at times they had been convinced that
He was the Son of God, yet they had stifled conviction, and crucified Him. In
mercy God gave them still further evidence, and now another opportunity was
granted them to turn to Him. He sent the disciples to tell them that they had
killed the Prince of life, and in this terrible charge He gave them another
call to repentance. But feeling secure in their own righteousness, the Jewish
teachers refused to admit that the men charging them with crucifying Christ
were speaking by the direction of the Holy Spirit. {AA 61.1}
Having committed themselves to a course of opposition to
Christ, every act of resistance became to the priests an additional incentive
to pursue the same course. Their obstinacy became more and more determined. It
was not that they could not yield; they could, but would not. It was not [62]
alone because they were guilty and deserving of death, not alone because they
had put to death the Son of God, that they were cut off from salvation; it was
because they armed themselves with opposition to God. They persistently
rejected light and stifled the convictions of the Spirit. The influence that
controls the children of disobedience worked in them, leading them to abuse the
men through whom God was working. The malignity of their rebellion was
intensified by each successive act of resistance against God and the message He
had given His servants to declare. Every day, in their refusal to repent, the
Jewish leaders took up their rebellion afresh, preparing to reap that which
they had sown. {AA 61.2}
The wrath of God is not declared against unrepentant sinners
merely because of the sins they have committed, but because, when called to
repent, they choose to continue in resistance, repeating the sins of the past
in defiance of the light given them. If the Jewish leaders had submitted to the
convicting power of the Holy Spirit, they would have been pardoned; but they
were determined not to yield. In the same way, the sinner, by continued
resistance, places himself where the Holy Spirit cannot influence him. {AA 62.1}
On the day following the healing of the cripple, Annas and
Caiaphas, with the other dignitaries of the temple, met together for the trial,
and the prisoners were brought before them. In that very room and before some
of those very men, Peter had shamefully denied his Lord. This came distinctly
to his mind as he appeared for his own trial. He now had an opportunity of
redeeming his cowardice. {AA
62.2}
Those present who remembered the part that Peter had [63]
acted at the trial of his Master, flattered themselves that he could now be
intimidated by the threat of imprisonment and death. But the Peter who denied
Christ in the hour of His greatest need was impulsive and self-confident,
differing widely from the Peter who was brought before the Sanhedrin for
examination. Since his fall he had been converted. He was no longer proud and
boastful, but modest and self-distrustful. He was filled with the Holy Spirit,
and by the help of this power he was resolved to remove the stain of his
apostasy by honoring the name he had once disowned. {AA 62.3}
Hitherto the priests had avoided mentioning the crucifixion
or the resurrection of Jesus. But now, in fulfillment of their purpose, they
were forced to inquire of the accused how the cure of the impotent man had been
accomplished. "By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?"
they asked. {AA 63.1}
With holy boldness and in the power of the Spirit Peter
fearlessly declared: "Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of
Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom
God raised from the dead, even by Him doth this man stand here before you
whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is
become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for
there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be
saved." {AA 63.2}
This courageous defense appalled the Jewish leaders. They
had supposed that the disciples would be overcome with fear and confusion when
brought before the Sanhedrin. [64] But, instead, these witnesses
spoke as Christ had spoken, with a convincing power that silenced their
adversaries. There was no trace of fear in Peter's voice as he declared of
Christ, "This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which
is become the head of the corner." {AA 63.3}
Peter here used a figure of speech familiar to the priests.
The prophets had spoken of the rejected stone; and Christ Himself, speaking on
one occasion to the priests and elders, said: "Did ye never read in the
Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head
of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?
Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given
to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this
stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to
powder." Matthew 21:42-44. {AA 64.1}
As the priests listened to the apostles' fearless words,
"they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus." {AA 64.2}
Of the disciples after the transfiguration of Christ it is
written that at the close of that wonderful scene "they saw no man, save
Jesus only." Matthew 17:8. "Jesus only"— in these
words is contained the secret of the life and power that marked the history of
the early church. When the disciples first heard the words of Christ, they felt
their need of Him. They sought, they found, they followed Him. They were with
Him in the temple, at the table, on the mountainside, in the field. They were
as pupils with a teacher, daily receiving from Him lessons of eternal truth. [65]
{AA 64.3}
After the Saviour's ascension, the sense of the divine
presence, full of love and light, was still with them. It was a personal
presence. Jesus, the Saviour, who had walked and talked and prayed with them,
who had spoken hope and comfort to their hearts, had, while the message of
peace was upon His lips, been taken from them into heaven. As the chariot of
angels received Him, His words had come to them, "Lo, I am with you alway,
even unto the end." Matthew 28:20. He had ascended to heaven in the form
of humanity. They knew that He was before the throne of God, their Friend and
Saviour still; that His sympathies were unchanged; that He would forever be
identified with suffering humanity. They knew that He was presenting before God
the merit of His blood, showing His wounded hands and feet as a remembrance of
the price He had paid for His redeemed ones; and this thought strengthened them
to endure reproach for His sake. Their union with Him was stronger now than
when He was with them in person. The light and love and power of an indwelling
Christ shone out through them, so that men, beholding, marveled. {AA 65.1}
Christ placed His seal on the words that Peter spoke in His
defense. Close beside the disciple, as a convincing witness, stood the man who
had been so miraculously healed. The appearance of this man, a few hours before
a helpless cripple, but now restored to soundness of health, added a weight of
testimony to Peter's words. Priests and rulers were silent. They were unable to
refute Peter's statement, but they were nonetheless determined to put a stop to
the teaching of the disciples. [66] {AA 65.2}
Christ's crowning miracle—the raising of Lazarus—had
sealed the determination of the priests to rid the world of Jesus and His
wonderful works, which were fast destroying their influence over the people.
They had crucified Him; but here was a convincing proof that they had not put a
stop to the working of miracles in His name, nor to the proclamation of the
truth He taught. Already the healing of the cripple and the preaching of the
apostles had filled Jerusalem with excitement. {AA 66.1}
In order to conceal their perplexity, the priests and rulers
ordered the apostles to be taken away, that they might counsel among
themselves. They all agreed that it would be useless to deny that the man had
been healed. Gladly would they have covered up the miracle by falsehoods; but
this was impossible, for it had been wrought in the full light of day, before a
multitude of people, and had already come to the knowledge of thousands. They
felt that the work of the disciples must be stopped or Jesus would gain many
followers. Their own disgrace would follow, for they would be held guilty of
the murder of the Son of God. {AA 66.2}
But notwithstanding their desire to destroy the disciples,
the priests dared not do more than threaten them with the severest punishment
if they continued to speak or to work in the name of Jesus. Calling them again
before the Sanhedrin, they commanded them not to speak or teach in the name of
Jesus. But Peter and John answered: "Whether it be right in the sight of
God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak
the things which we have seen and heard." [67] {AA 66.3}
Gladly would the priests have punished these men for their
unswerving fidelity to their sacred calling, but they feared the people;
"for all men glorified God for that which was done." So, with
repeated threats and injunctions, the apostles were set at liberty. {AA 67.1}
While Peter and John were prisoners, the other disciples,
knowing the malignity of the Jews, had prayed unceasingly for their brethren,
fearing that the cruelty shown to Christ might be repeated. As soon as the
apostles were released, they sought the rest of the disciples and reported to
them the result of the examination. Great was the joy of the believers.
"They lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, Thou
art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them
is: who by the mouth of Thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage,
and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the
rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against His Christ. For of
a truth against Thy Holy Child Jesus, whom Thou hast anointed, both Herod, and
Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered
together, for to do whatsoever Thy hand and Thy counsel determined before to be
done. {AA 67.2}
"And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant
unto Thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak Thy word, by
stretching forth Thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by
the name of Thy Holy Child Jesus." {AA 67.3}
The disciples prayed that greater strength might be imparted
to them in the work of the ministry; for they saw [68] that
they would meet the same determined opposition that Christ had encountered when
upon the earth. While their united prayers were ascending in faith to heaven,
the answer came. The place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were
endowed anew with the Holy Spirit. Their hearts filled with courage, they again
went forth to proclaim the word of God in Jerusalem. "With great power
gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus," and God
marvelously blessed their efforts. {AA 67.4}
The principle for which the disciples stood so fearlessly
when, in answer to the command not to speak any more in the name of Jesus, they
declared, "Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you
more than unto God, judge ye," is the same that the adherents of the
gospel struggled to maintain in the days of the Reformation. When in 1529 the
German princes assembled at the Diet of Spires, there was presented the
emperor's decree restricting religious liberty, and prohibiting all further
dissemination of the reformed doctrines. It seemed that the hope of the world was
about to be crushed out. Would the princes accept the decree? Should the light
of the gospel be shut out from the multitudes still in darkness? Mighty issues
for the world were at stake. Those who had accepted the reformed faith met
together, and their unanimous decision was, "Let us reject this decree. In
matters of conscience the majority has no power."—Merle
d'Aubigne, History of the Reformation, b. 13, ch. 5. {AA 68.1}
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This principle we in our day are firmly to maintain. The
banner of truth and religious liberty held aloft by the founders [69]
of the gospel church and by God's witnesses during the centuries that have
passed since then, has, in this last conflict, been committed to our hands. The
responsibility for this great gift rests with those whom God has blessed with a
knowledge of His word. We are to receive this word as supreme authority. We are
to recognize human government as an ordinance of divine appointment, and teach
obedience to it as a sacred duty, within its legitimate sphere. But when its
claims conflict with the claims of God, we must obey God rather than men. God's
word must be recognized as above all human legislation. A "Thus saith the
Lord" is not to be set aside for a "Thus saith the church" or a "Thus
saith the state." The crown of Christ is to be lifted above the diadems of
earthly potentates. {AA
68.2}
We are not required to defy authorities. Our words, whether
spoken or written, should be carefully considered, lest we place ourselves on
record as uttering that which would make us appear antagonistic to law and
order. We are not to say or do anything that would unnecessarily close up our
way. We are to go forward in Christ's name, advocating the truths committed to
us. If we are forbidden by men to do this work, then we may say, as did the
apostles, "Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you
more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have
seen and heard." {AA
69.1}
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"A Warning Against Hypocrisy"
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