Acts 4:7
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They had Peter and John brought in and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
By what power or . . . name have ye done this--thus admitting the reality of the miracle, which afterwards they confess themselves unable to deny (Act 4:16).
Open source ↗In going over the last two chapters, where we met with so many good things that the apostles did, I wondered what was become of the scribes and Pharisees, and chief priests, that they did not appear to contradict and oppose them, as they had used to treat Christ himself; surely they were so confounded at first with the pouring out of the Spirit that they were for a time struck dumb! But I find we have not lost them; their forces rally again, and here we have an encounter between them and the apostles; for from the beginning the gospel met with opposition. Here, I. Peter and John are taken up, upon a warrant from the priests, and committed to jail (Act 4:1-4). II. They are examined by a committee of the great sanhedrim (Act 4:5-7). III. They bravely avow what they have done, and preach Christ to their persecutors (Act 4:8-12). IV. Their persecutors, being unable to answer them, enjoin them silence, threatening them if they go on to preach the gospel, and so dismiss them (Act 4:13-22). V. They apply to God by prayer, for the further operations of that grace which they had already experienced (Act 4:23-30). VI. God owns them, both outwardly and inwardly, by manifest tokens of his presence with them (Act 4:31-33). VII. The believers had their hearts knit together in holy love, and enlarged their charity to the poor, and the church flourished more than ever, to the glory of Christ (Act 4:33-37).
Open source ↗Cross-references
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When Jesus returned to the temple courts and began to teach, the chief priests and elders of the people came up to Him. “By what authority are You doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave You this authority?”
“By what authority are You doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave You the authority to do them?”
At this, they yielded to Gamaliel. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and released them.
On account of this, the Jews demanded, “What sign can You show us to prove Your authority to do these things?”
then let this be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.
But the man replied, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you planning to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “This thing I have done has surely become known.”
When they heard this, they began to go away one by one, beginning with the older ones, until only Jesus was left, with the woman standing there.
The scribes and Pharisees, however, brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before them