Acts - Chapter 5
1 And a certain man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold their property,
2 He withheld from the price, with the knowledge of his wife, but brought some of it and laid it at the feet of the Apostles.
3 But Peter said: Ananias! For what you made it Satan to put in your heart thought lie to the Holy Spirit and hide from the price of the land?
4 What you owned was not yours, and what was purchased by sale was not in your power? Why have you put this in your heart? You lied not to men, but to God.
5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell lifeless; and great fear seized all who heard it.
6 And the young men stood up and prepared him for burial, and carried him out and buried him.
7 About three hours after this, his wife also came, not knowing what had happened.
8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, how much did you sell the land for?” She said: yes, for that much.
9 But Peter said to her, Why did you agree to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, those who buried your husband are entering the door; and they will carry you out.
10 Suddenly she fell at his feet and gave up the ghost. And the young men entered and found her dead, and carried her out and buried her next to her husband.
11 And great fear came over the whole church and all who heard it.
12 And by the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were wrought among the people; and they all remained with one accord in Solomon's porch.
13 But no one from outside dared to approach them, but the people glorified them.
14 And more and more believers were added to the Lord, a great multitude of men and women,
15 So they carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and beds, so that at least the shadow of Peter passing would overshadow any of them.
16 Many from the surrounding cities also came to Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those possessed by unclean spirits, who were all healed.
17 And the high priest and all with him who belonged to the heresy of the Sadducees were filled with envy,
18 And they laid their hands on the apostles, and shut them up in the people's prison.
19 But the Angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison by night and brought them out and said:
20 Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all these words of life.
21 When they heard it, they entered the temple in the morning and taught. Meanwhile, the high priest and those with him, having come, called the Sanhedrin and all the elders from the children of Israel and sent to bring them to prison Apostles.
22 But the servants came and did not find them in prison, but they returned and reported them,
23 saying, We found the prison locked with all precaution, and the guards standing before the doors; but when they opened it, they found no one in it.
24 When the high priest and the captain of the guard and other the chief priests wondered what this meant.
25 But someone came and told them, saying, “Behold, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.”
26 Then the captain of the guard went with the servants and brought them in without being forced, because they were afraid of the people, lest they should stone them.
27 Having brought them, they appointed them in the Sanhedrin; and the high priest asked them, saying:
28 Have we not strictly forbidden you to teach about this name? and behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and want to bring the blood of that Man upon us.
29 Peter and the apostles answered and said, “We must obey God rather than men.”
30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed by hanging on a tree.
31 God exalted Him with His right hand to be a Ruler and a Savior, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.
32 We are His witnesses of this, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.
33 When they heard this, they were torn with anger and plotted to kill them.
34 Standing up in the Sanhedrin, a certain Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, ordered the Apostles to be brought out for a short time,
35 And he said to them: Men of Israel! Think with yourself about these people, what you should do with them.
36 For not long before this, Theudas appeared, posing as someone great, and about four hundred people adhered to him; but he was killed, and all who obeyed him scattered and disappeared.
37 After him, during the census, Judas the Galilean appeared and carried away quite a crowd with him; but he died, and all who obeyed him scattered.
38 And now, I say to you, get away from these people and leave them; for if this enterprise and this work are from men, then it will collapse,
39 But if it is from God, you cannot destroy it; beware so that you do not turn out to be opponents of God.
40 They obeyed him; and, calling the Apostles, they beat their and, forbidding them to speak of the name of Jesus, they sent them away.
41 And they departed from the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of the Lord Jesus.
42 And every day in the temple and from house to house they did not cease teaching and preaching the gospel about Jesus Christ.
1 Ananias and Sapphira, their lies and death. 12 The people glorify the apostles for their healings. 17 The arrest of the apostles and their release by an angel. 26 Their testimony before the Sanhedrin; 33 Gamaliel's advice accepted.
1 And a certain man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold their property,
2 He withheld from the price, with the knowledge of his wife, and brought some of it and laid it at the feet of the Apostles.
3 But Peter said: Ananias! For what you made it Satan to put in your heart thought lie to the Holy Spirit and hide from the price of the land?
4 What you owned was not yours, and what was purchased by sale was not in your power? Why have you put this in your heart? You lied not to men, but to God.
5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell lifeless; and great fear seized all who heard it.
6 And the young men stood up and prepared him for burial, and carried him out and buried him.
7 About three hours after this, his wife also came, not knowing what had happened.
8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, how much did you sell the land for?” She said: yes, for that much.
9 But Peter said to her, Why did you agree to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, those who buried your husband are entering the door; and they will carry you out.
10 Suddenly she fell at his feet and gave up the ghost. And the young men entered and found her dead, and carried her out and buried her next to her husband.
11 And great fear came over the whole church and all who heard it.
12 And by the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were wrought among the people; and they all remained with one accord in Solomon's porch.
13 But no one from outside dared to approach them, but the people glorified them.
14 And more and more believers were added to the Lord, a great multitude of men and women,
15 So they carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and beds, so that at least the shadow of Peter passing would overshadow any of them.
16 Many from the surrounding cities also came to Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those possessed by unclean spirits, who were all healed.
17 And the high priest and all with him who belonged to the heresy of the Sadducees were filled with envy,
18 And they laid their hands on the apostles, and shut them up in the people's prison.
19 But the Angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison by night and brought them out and said:
20 Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all these words of life.
21 When they heard it, they entered the temple in the morning and taught. Meanwhile, the high priest and those with him, having come, called the Sanhedrin and all the elders from the children of Israel and sent to bring them to prison Apostles.
22 But the servants came and did not find them in prison, but they returned and reported them,
23 saying, We found the prison locked with all precaution, and the guards standing before the doors; but when they opened it, they found no one in it.
24 When the high priest and the captain of the guard and other the chief priests wondered what this meant.
25 But someone came and told them, saying, “Behold, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.”
26 Then the captain of the guard went with the servants and brought them in without being forced, because they were afraid of the people, lest they should stone them.
27 Having brought them, they appointed them in the Sanhedrin; and the high priest asked them, saying:
28 Have we not strictly forbidden you to teach about this name? and behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and want to bring the blood of that Man upon us.
29 Peter and the apostles answered and said, “We must obey God rather than men.”
30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed by hanging on a tree.
31 God exalted Him with His right hand to be a Ruler and a Savior, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.
32 We are His witnesses of this, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.
33 Hearing this, they were torn with anger and plotted to kill them.
34 Standing up in the Sanhedrin, a certain Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, ordered the Apostles to be brought out for a short time,
35 And he said to them: Men of Israel! Think with yourself about these people, what you should do with them.
36 For not long before this, Theudas appeared, posing as someone great, and about four hundred people adhered to him; but he was killed, and all who obeyed him scattered and disappeared.
37 After him, during the census, Judas the Galilean appeared and carried away quite a crowd with him; but he died, and all who obeyed him scattered.
38 And now, I say to you, get away from these people and leave them; for if this enterprise and this work are of men, then it will be destroyed,
39 But if it is from God, you cannot destroy it; beware, so that you do not turn out to be opponents of God.
40 They obeyed him; and, calling the Apostles, they beat their and, forbidding them to speak of the name of Jesus, they sent them away.
41 And they departed from the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of the Lord Jesus.
42 And every day in the temple and from house to house they did not cease teaching and preaching the gospel about Jesus Christ.
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Acts of the Holy Apostles, chapter 5
Ananias and Sapphira
1 One man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, sold his estate2 and he kept part of the proceeds for himself, and his wife knew about it. He brought the rest and laid it at the feet of the apostles.3 Peter said to him:
– Ananias, how could Satan have captured your heart so much that you lied to the Holy Spirit and kept part of the money you received for selling the land?4 After all, the land was yours before you sold it, and the money you received for it is also yours. Why did you plan this? You lied not to people, but to God.
5 As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell dead. Everyone present was very scared.6 Young people came up, wrapped his body, carried him out and buried him.
7 Three hours later his wife came, not knowing anything about what had happened.8 Peter asked her:
– Tell me, did you and your husband sell the land for such and such a sum?
“Yes,” she answered, “for this one.”
9 Peter said to her:
– Why have you agreed to test the Spirit of the Lord? Do you hear footsteps at the door? Those who buried your husband are returning. They will carry you too.
10 And at the same moment she fell dead at his feet. The young people entered and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her next to her husband.11 The entire church and everyone who heard about this was seized by great fear.
Signs and Wonders
12 Through the apostles many signs and wonders were performed among the people. All believers gathered together in Solomon's colonnade.13 And none of the random people dared to join them, although the people respected them very much.14 There were more and more believers in the Lord, both men and women.15 People carried the sick out into the streets, laying them on stretchers and mats, so that at least Peter’s shadow would fall on them when he passed by.16 And crowds of people came from the cities that were near Jerusalem. They brought the sick and those possessed by unclean spirits, and everyone was healed.
Persecution of the Apostles
17 The high priest and all his associates, who belonged to the group of Sadducees, were filled with envy.18 They arrested the apostles and imprisoned them in the people's prison.19 However, an angel of the Lord opened the prison gates at night and brought them out.
20 “Go, stand in the temple,” he said, “and tell people all about thisnew life.
21 They obeyed and, coming to the temple early in the morning, began to teach.
When the high priest and his entourage arrived, they called the High Council and all the elders of Israel and sent for the apostles to prison.22 But when the guards came to the dungeon, they did not find them there and, returning, reported:
23 – The prison gates are securely closed, there is a guard at the gate, but when we went inside, we didn’t find anyone there.
24 After listening to them, the head of the temple guard and the high priests were perplexed - what did this mean?25 Then someone came and told them:
– The people whom you imprisoned stand in the temple and teach the people.
26 Then the captain of the guard went with the guards and brought the apostles. They did not use force because they were afraid that the people might stone them.
27 The Apostles were brought in and placed before the High Council. The high priest told them:
28 – We strictly forbade you to teach in this name, but you filled all of Jerusalem with your teaching and, moreover, accuse us of the death of This Man.
29 Peter and the other apostles responded:
– We must obey God more than people!30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging on a tree# 5:30 See Deut. 21:22-23; Gal. 3:13.. 31 But God exalted Him and seated Him at His right hand as Leader and Savior to give Israel the opportunity to repent and forgive their sins.32 Witnesses of this are we and the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.
33 When those present heard this, they became furious and wanted to kill them.34 But then one of the members of the High Council, a Pharisee, stood up# 5:34 A Pharisee is a member of a religious group characterized by strict adherence to the Law, adherence to the customs of their ancestors, and strict adherence to ritual purity.named Gamaliel, teacher of the Law, respected by all the people. He ordered the apostles to be taken out for a while.35 Then he said:
– Israelis, think carefully about what you are going to do with these people.36 Not long ago, Fevda showed up here, posing as someone great. About four hundred people followed him, but when he was killed, all his followers fled, and everything ended in nothing.37 After him was Judas from Galilee. He appeared during the census and carried the people along with him. He too died and his followers scattered.38 Therefore, in this case, here is my advice to you: leave these people. Let them go. If their initiative is from people, then it is doomed to failure.39 If it is from God, then you will not be able to stop them, but you yourself will turn out to be opponents of God.
His speech convinced those present.40 They called the apostles and ordered them to be beaten. Then they once again forbade them to speak in the name of Jesus and released them.41 The Apostles left the High Council, rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer such dishonor for the sake of the name of Jesus.42 And every day in the temple and from house to house they continued to teach and proclaim the Good News that Jesus is the Christ.
1 And a certain man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold their property,
2 He withheld from the price, with the knowledge of his wife, but brought some of it and laid it at the feet of the Apostles.
3 But Peter said: Ananias! Why did you allow Satan to put into your heart the idea of lying to the Holy Spirit and hiding from the price of the land?
4 What you owned was not yours, and what was purchased by sale was not in your power? Why have you put this in your heart? You lied not to men, but to God.
5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell lifeless; and great fear seized all who heard it.
Death of Ananias. The artist Masaccio 1425
6 And the young men stood up and prepared him for burial, and carried him out and buried him.
7 About three hours after this, his wife also came, not knowing what had happened.
8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, how much did you sell the land for?” She said: yes, for that much.
9 But Peter said to her, Why did you agree to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, those who buried your husband are entering the door; and they will carry you out.
10 Suddenly she fell at his feet and gave up the ghost. And the young men entered and found her dead, and carried her out and buried her next to her husband.
Death of Sapphira. Artist Nicolas Poussin 1652 11 And great fear came over the whole church and all who heard it.
12 And by the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were wrought among the people; and they all remained with one accord in Solomon's porch.
13 But no one from outside dared to approach them, but the people glorified them.
14 And more and more believers were added to the Lord, a great multitude of men and women,
15 So they carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and beds, so that at least the shadow of Peter passing would overshadow any of them.
16 Many from the surrounding cities also came to Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those possessed by unclean spirits, who were all healed.
17 And the high priest and all with him who belonged to the heresy of the Sadducees were filled with envy,
18 And they laid their hands on the apostles, and shut them up in the people's prison.
19 But the Angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison by night and brought them out and said:
20 Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all these words of life.
21 When they heard it, they entered the temple in the morning and taught. Meanwhile, the high priest and those with him, having come, called the Sanhedrin and all the elders from the children of Israel and sent them to the prison to bring the Apostles.
22 But the servants came and did not find them in prison, but they returned and reported them,
23 saying, We found the prison locked with all precaution, and the guards standing before the doors; but when they opened it, they found no one in it.
24 When the high priest and the captain of the guard and the other chief priests heard these words, they were perplexed as to what this meant.
25 But someone came and told them, saying, “Behold, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.”
26 Then the captain of the guard went with the servants and brought them in without being forced, because they were afraid of the people, lest they should stone them.
27 Having brought them, they appointed them in the Sanhedrin; and the high priest asked them, saying:
28 Have we not strictly forbidden you to teach about this name? and behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and want to bring the blood of that Man upon us.
29 Peter and the apostles answered and said, “We must obey God rather than men.”
30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed by hanging on a tree.
31 God exalted Him with His right hand to be a Ruler and a Savior, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.
32 We are His witnesses of this, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.
33 When they heard this, they were torn with anger and plotted to kill them.
34 Standing up in the Sanhedrin, a certain Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, ordered the Apostles to be brought out for a short time,
35 And he said to them: Men of Israel! Think with yourself about these people, what you should do with them.
36 For not long before this, Theudas appeared, posing as someone great, and about four hundred people adhered to him; but he was killed, and all who obeyed him scattered and disappeared.
37 After him, during the census, Judas the Galilean appeared and carried away quite a crowd with him; but he died, and all who obeyed him scattered.
38 And now, I say to you, get away from these people and leave them; for if this enterprise and this work are from men, then it will collapse,
39 But if it is from God, you cannot destroy it; Beware lest you also turn out to be enemies of God.
40 They obeyed him; and calling the Apostles, they beat them and, forbidding them to speak about the name of Jesus, sent them away.
41 And they departed from the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of the Lord Jesus.
42 And every day in the temple and from house to house they did not cease teaching and preaching the gospel about Jesus Christ.
b. The Lies of Ananias and Sapphira (5:1-11)
This story is reminiscent of the story of Achan recorded in Joshua. N. 7 (compare Num. 15:32-36; 16:1-35).
Acts 5:1-2. The sin of Ananias and his wife Sapphira is explained in verses 3-4, 9. They could, of course, keep for themselves part of the income from the sale of property, but, having agreed among themselves, they chose to lie to the apostles, saying that they were giving them all the proceeds, while part it was hidden. What they laid at the feet of the apostles they laid with lies; the use of the highlighted phrase in the case of Barnabas (4:35,37) and in their case emphasizes the contrast of feelings and motives that guided the “son of comfort” and this couple.
Acts 5:3-4. Peter places the responsibility on Ananias, who allowed Satan to place the temptation of lies in his heart. This was all the more a temptation since there was no need for this lie, for Ananias and his wife had the right to dispose of what belonged to them at their own discretion. They lied to the Holy Spirit (verse 3), succumbing to the enemy's suggestion. In verse 4, Peter says that Ananias lied to God. Thus, in the context of verses 3 and 4, the Deity of the Holy Spirit is confirmed.
Acts 5:5-6. Hearing these words, Ananias fell lifeless. As Peter would write later, it was necessary for “judgment to begin at the house of God” (1 Pet. 4:17). In that situation, what Aiania and Sapphira did was “a sin unto death” (1 John 5:16). The severity of the judgment is explained by the fact that this crime and the punishment that followed it were destined to become an example under the conditions of the New Testament, just as the fate of Achan became an example for Old Testament Israel (1 Cor. 10:6).
Acts 5:7-10. Sapphira, not knowing about her husband's sudden death, lied after him.
But Peter said to her: Why did you agree to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? To "tempt the Spirit of the Lord" (or the Holy Spirit) means trying to find out how far a person can go without being judged by the Spirit (compare Deut. 6:16; Matt. 4:7).
Acts 5:11. At the news of the punishment that befell Ananias and Sapphira, great fear seized the entire church and all who heard it (that is, believers and unbelievers). This is mentioned twice (verses 5 and 11). Talking about this incident, Luke pursued several goals: 1) to show the unacceptability of sin for God, especially the sin of deception, dishonesty within His Body - the Church; 2) show the difference between the Church and Israel, where they have forgotten how severe punishment God can resort to for educational purposes.
The word church is used here for the first time in the book of Acts of the Apostles. Here, as in 9:31, and also in 20:28, it is used in relation to the Church as the Body of Christ; in 11:26 and 13:1 this word refers to the local community of believers; 3) using the example of the sad fate of Ananias and Sapphira, Peter showed that God began to act in the new human union created by Him.
3. PROSPERITY OF THE CHURCH (3:12-42)
A. The apostles provide "certificate" of themselves (1:12-16)
By what is reported in this section, readers are prepared for what follows.
Acts 5:12. Time and time again God performed through the Apostles...many signs and wonders; It is curious that the temple, more precisely, became the place of constant meetings of those who formed the first church in Jerusalem. Solomon's covered gallery in the temple.
Acts 5:13. Outsiders, that is, non-believers, did not dare to approach (out of curiosity, not having the same feelings as them) these unusual people - out of reverent fear of them. Especially after the incident with Ananias and Sapphira!
Acts 5:14. But more and more people believed in Christ. And they - multitudes of men and women - were “not afraid” to join the Lord. It was phenomenal that the early Church grew so rapidly in numbers (2:41,47; 4:4; 6:1,7; 9:31).
Acts 5:15-16. The miracles performed by the apostles were primarily aimed at establishing the truth of God's word. People became convinced that they had been given extraordinary healing powers. They thought (and, perhaps, they were convinced of this by experience, although, according to some theologians, this was a manifestation of superstition) that those whom the shadow of the passing Peter overshadowed were also healed. One way or another, the apostles restored health to the sick and cast out unclean spirits from the possessed. They did all this as the Lord promised them (Matt. 10:8; Mark 16:17-18).
b. The second imprisonment of the apostles and their release (5:17-20)
Acts 5:17-20. For the second time they were detained and imprisoned... The Apostles, apparently all 12, but the Angel of the Lord who appeared to them supernaturally freed them, commanding them to continue the public proclamation in the temple (obviously, in its courtyards, near the places where members of the community gathered) all these words of life (literally - “this life”; an unusual designation for the Gospel). in the book of the Acts of the Apostles this is the first of three “prison miracles” (compare what happened with Peter; 12:6-10, as well as with Paul and Silas; 16:26-27).
f. The test of the apostles and their words in their defense (5:21-32)
Acts 5:21a. Obeying God's messenger, the apostles appeared in the temple in the morning and began to teach.
Acts 5:21b-25. The following description is full of irony. 1) We see servants searching the dungeon, which turned out to be empty, despite the fact that it was locked and guarded from the outside by guards. 2) Before us are Jews invested with power, gathered to judge those who were not at their disposal. 3) And so they, in anger asking each other where these people went, are informed that they are standing in the temple and teaching the people.
Acts 5:26-27. Without resorting to force out of fear of the people, the captain of the guard... with his servants... brought the apostles and brought them before the Sanhedrin to interrogate them. (On the Sanhedrin in the interpretation of 4:15.)
Acts 5:28. Have we forbidden you... to teach about this name? - the question of the high priest sounded. And after this the accusation: you... want to bring the blood of That Man upon us.
Acts 5:29. Here Peter again proclaims the fundamental principle of the apostles (compare 4:19-20). It is also true that Christians should obey their civil authorities as long as it does not involve them in sin against God (Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Pet. 2:13-17).
Acts 5:30-31. In the original, the words of Peter... you were killed by hanging on a tree... sound with particular force as an accusation against the “judges” who reproach the apostles for “wanting to bring on them the blood of that Man.” Peter again, as the representative of the apostles, repeats what he said before: “you ... killed him, but God raised him up” (compare 2:23-24; 3:15; 4:10), in order to give Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins (compare 2:38; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18).
Acts 5:32. The apostles were well aware of their responsibility before God, as follows from the words of Peter: We and the Holy Spirit are his witnesses of these things, in the sense that He strengthened their testimony, giving the apostles supernatural power, which manifested itself both in their bold preaching and in they perform miracles. Peter says that the Holy Spirit is given to all who obey God, that is, those who believe in Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:9).
d. Deliverance of the Apostles (5:33-42)
Acts 5:33. Seized with rage, the religious leaders plotted to kill them. Everything was repeated according to the same “pattern” as a few weeks earlier in relation to Christ. As resistance to Him grew, so it now grew towards His disciples.
Acts 5:34-35. Gamaliel, a Pharisee... and a well-respected teacher of the law, tried to influence the members of the Sanhedrin so that they would not persecute the apostles. Guided not by sympathy for the church, but by a sense of spiritual intuition, he was afraid of interfering with God's work on earth (verse 39).
Acts 5:36. Nothing is known about this Theudas with his 400 rebels, whose uprising did not lead to any result. The 1st century Jewish historian Josephus records a rebellion led by Theudas, but it occurred later and was on a much larger scale. And, in addition, it took place earlier than the one that Judas led (verse 37).
Acts 5:37. Josephus wrote in some detail about the rebellion led by Judas the Galilean, which Gamaliel cites as a second example, talking about the execution of Judas and the fact that these riots added fuel to the fire of new rebellions.
Acts 5:38-39. Gamaliel ends his speech impressively. This new movement will itself show whether it is of men or of God, he declared. And in the first case, it will end as ingloriously as the rebellions raised by Theudas and Judas the Galilean. But if it is from God, then your resistance to it is meaningless and beware lest you turn out to be... opponents of God. It is curious that Gamaliel’s speech was, in a sense, an apology for the Church of Jesus Christ, sounded from the lips of one who was in the camp of its opponents.
Acts 5:40. And the members of the Sanhedrin released... The apostles, however, not being satisfied with one more warning, first subjected them to scourging (and... beat them). When they released, they repeated their previous prohibition against them speaking about the name of Jesus (regarding the “name of Jesus” interpretation on 3:16).
Acts 5:41-42. And so, despite the painful physical punishment, the apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing. (The “theme of joy” sounds again, characteristic of the book of the Acts of the Apostles; interpretation on 2:46-47.) The apostles considered dishonor ... for the name of the Lord to be an honor for themselves. Peter would later encourage Christians to “rejoice” in their participation in “Christ’s sufferings” (1 Pet. 4:13; cf. 1 Pet. 2:18-21; 3:8-17). Despite the repeated prohibition, the apostles did not stop teaching and preaching the gospel about Jesus Christ. However, what Luke wrote in Acts. 5:17-42 was intended to show that Israel as a whole continued to follow the unfortunate path of rejecting Jesus as the Messiah.