Peter & John Before the Sanhedrin 1/2 (Acts 4:1-12)

While they were still speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees confronted them, 2 disturbed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.  3 They laid hands on them and put them in custody until the next day, since it was already evening.  4 But many of those who heard the word came to believe and [the] number of men grew to [about] five thousand. 

5 On the next day, their leaders, elders, and scribes were assembled in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly class.  7 They brought them into their presence and questioned them, “By what power or by what name have you done this?”  8 Then Peter, filled with the holy Spirit, answered them, “Leaders of the people and elders:  9 If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a cripple, namely, by what means he was saved, 10 then all of you and all the people of Israel should know that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead; in his name this man stands before you healed.  11 He is ‘the stone rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.’  12 There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.”

Opposition to Jesus’ ministry now being continued by the apostles began as the Jewish leaders turned their attention to the apostles who were teaching and speaking in the name of Jesus and proclaiming the resurrection of the dead.  The Sadducees, a prominent religious sect, were known for their denial of the resurrection, among other beliefs (Acts23:8).  Their opposition to Peter and John underscores the depth of the institutional resistance against the early Christian community whose teaching challenged the traditional beliefs of the Jewish leaders.  The authorities arrested Peter and John and put them in prison until the next day.   The Word began to spread and many were being converted despite the opposition.  

The next day they questioned Peter and John.  The Sanhedrin, the supreme council of the Jewish people in ancient Israel, normally convened in Jerusalem, particularly during important religious and legal matters.  It was comprised of the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes (Mk. 15:1), and the attendance of Annas, Caiaphas, and other important figures underscored the significance of the assembly  

Although the Sadducees did not acknowledge resurrection, the Pharisees did (Acts 23:8) and the Sanhedrin was comprised of both Pharisees and Sadducees.  Followers of Jesus preaching about the resurrection would not have been acceptable as it would have gone against the Sadducees’ doctrine.  The religious leaders questioned Peter and John about the source of their authority.  Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit as Jesus had promised (Lk. 12:11-12), acknowledged the authority of the leaders and then proclaimed that the healing of the man who was lame was done in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom they crucified.  God raised him from the dead and the lame man was healed through the power of the resurrected Lord.  Peter quoted Psalm 118:22, applying it to Jesus who was the rejected cornerstone and is now the foundation of their faith in Christ Jesus, linking Jesus’ ministry to the Hebrew Scriptures.  Peter concluded his response to the Jewish leaders by stating that salvation comes through the Risen Christ alone.  

Almighty God, grant us the courage and strength of the apostles to boldly proclaim your truth even in the face of adversity.  Help us to find refuge in the name of Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer, who is the cornerstone of our faith and the source of our salvation.  This we pray through Christ our Lord.  Amen!

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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.

                Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.