Homily 10 — Acts 4, verses 1 to 22

“And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple came to them.” [a]

Before they have even had time to catch their breath after their first trials, they are at once plunged into others. And notice how events are arranged. First, they were all mocked together, and that was no small trial. Second, they go into danger. And these two things do not come one right after the other. First the apostles win admiration by their two speeches, and after that they perform a remarkable miracle; and only then, once they have grown bold, by God’s arrangement, do they enter the contest.

But I want you to consider how those same men who, in Christ’s case, had to look for someone to hand him over to them, now arrest the apostles with their own hands. Since the crucifixion they have grown more daring and more shameless. The truth is that sin, while it is still struggling to be born, carries some sense of shame with it; but once it is fully born, it makes those who practice it more shameless.

“And the captain of the temple,” it says. Their aim, once again, was to make what was being done look like a crime against the public order, and not to prosecute it as the act of private persons. That, in fact, was always their way of going about things.

“Being grieved that they taught the people” (verse 2). Not merely because they taught, but because they declared not only that Christ himself had risen from the dead, but also that we rise again through him. [c]

“Because they taught the people, and proclaimed through Jesus the resurrection of the dead.” So mighty was his resurrection that he is the cause of a resurrection for others as well.

“And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening” (verse 3). What shamelessness! They were not afraid of the crowd; that is why the captain of the temple was with them as well. Their hands were still reeking with the blood of the earlier victim. “For it was already evening,” it says. Those men did this, and kept them under guard, because they wanted to break their spirit; but the delay only made the apostles more fearless.

And consider who these men are who are arrested. They are the leaders of the apostles, who now become a pattern for the rest, so that they would no longer crave one another’s support or need to be always together.

“But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand” (verse 4). How did this happen? Did they see them honored? Did they not see them put in chains? How, then, did they believe? Do you see the power plainly at work? And yet even those who had already believed might well have grown weaker. But no, that is no longer the case. Peter’s sermon had sown the seed deep in them and had taken hold of their minds.

That is why their enemies were enraged: because the people were not afraid of them and made no account of their present troubles. For the people reasoned: if the one who was crucified does such great things, and makes the lame walk, we are not afraid of these men either. This, again, is God’s arrangement. For those who believed now were more numerous than those before. That was the reason the rulers bound the apostles in the people’s presence: to make them more fearful as well. But the opposite happened. And they examine them not before the people but in private, so that those who heard would not profit from their boldness.

“And it came to pass on the next day that their rulers and elders and scribes, and Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the high priest’s family, were gathered together at Jerusalem” (verses 5 and 6). For by now, along with the other evils of the times, the law was no longer being kept. And once again they dressed the affair up in the form of a court, so as to make them guilty by their unjust sentence. [d]

“And when they had set them in the middle, they asked, ‘By what power, or by what name, have you done this?’” (verse 7). And yet they knew it well; for it was because they were “grieved that they proclaimed through Jesus the resurrection” that they arrested them. Then why do they question them? They expected that the sheer numbers present would make them take it back, and they thought that this way they would have set everything right again.

Notice, then, what they say: “By what name have you done this?” “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them” (verse 8). And now, I beg you, call to mind Christ’s saying: “When they hand you over to the synagogues, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you” (Luke 12, verses 11 and 12). So it was a mighty Power they had with them.

What, then, does Peter say? “Rulers of the people, and elders of Israel.” Mark the Christian wisdom of the man, and how full of confidence it is. He does not say a single insulting word, but speaks respectfully: “Rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, if we are being called to account today for a good deed done to a crippled man…” He takes them on very bravely. By the opening of his speech he exposes them and reminds them of what they had done before: it is for an act of kindness that they are calling them to account. It is as if he had said: “In all fairness we ought to have been crowned for this deed and proclaimed benefactors. But since we are actually put on trial for a good deed done to a crippled man — not a rich man, not a powerful man, not a man of rank — and yet who could feel envy in a case like this?”

It is a most forceful way of putting the case, and he shows that they are wounding themselves. “By what means this man has been made well — let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth…” This is what would annoy them most. For this was what Christ had told the disciples: “What you hear in the ear, proclaim on the housetops” (Matthew 10, verse 27). “That by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,” he says, “whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead — by him this man stands here before you whole” (verse 10).

Do not think, he says, that we are hiding his home town, or the kind of death he died. “Whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead — by him this man stands before you whole.” Again the death; again the resurrection. “This is the stone,” he says, “which was treated as nothing by you builders, which has become the head of the corner” (verse 11). He also reminds them of a saying that was enough to frighten them. For it had been said: “Whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder” (Matthew 21, verse 44).

“And there is no salvation in any other” (verse 12), Peter says. What wounds, do you think, these words must have dealt them! “For there is no other name,” he continues, “under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Here he also speaks lofty words. For when the aim is not to carry some point but only to show boldness, he does not hold back; he was not afraid of striking too deep. Nor does he say simply, “By another”; he says, “There is no salvation in any other” — that is, he is able to save us. In this way he beat down their threats.

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ordinary men, they marveled; and they recognized them, that they had been with Jesus” (verse 13). The two unlearned men beat down both them and the chief priests with their eloquence. For it was not they who spoke, but the grace of the Spirit. [h]

“And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say against it” (verse 14). Great was the boldness of this man, that even in the court he has not left them. Had they said that the thing had not happened, there he was to prove them wrong.

“But when they had ordered them to go out of the council, they conferred among themselves, saying, ‘What shall we do to these men?’” (verse 15). See the difficulty they are in, and how once again the fear of men decides everything. In Christ’s case they were not able, as the saying goes, to undo what had been done or to cast it into the shade; for all their hindering, the faith only gained ground the more. And so it was now.

“What shall we do?” What folly! To suppose that men who had already tasted the struggle would now take fright at it! To expect — when their efforts had proved powerless at the beginning — to achieve something new, after such a display of speaking as they had just witnessed! The more they wanted to hinder, the more the business grew in their hands.

But what do they say? “For that a notable miracle has been done by them is plain to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us strictly threaten them that from now on they speak to no one in this name. And they called them, and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus” (verses 16 to 18). See what brazenness these men show, and what greatness of mind the apostles show.

“But Peter and John answered and said to them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you be the judges. For we cannot help speaking about the things we have seen and heard.’ So when they had threatened them further, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people” (verses 19 to 21). The miracles shut their mouths. They would not even let them finish their speech, but cut them off in the middle, most insolently.

“For everyone glorified God for what had been done. For the man on whom this miracle of healing had been performed was more than forty years old” (verse 22). But let us go back over what has been said from the beginning. [i]

“And as they were speaking to the people,” and so on. “Being grieved that they taught the people, and proclaimed through Jesus the resurrection of the dead” (verses 1 and 2). So at first they did everything for the sake of what people thought of them; but now another motive was added: that they should not be thought guilty of murder. As they said later, “Do you mean to bring this man’s blood on us?” (Acts 5, verse 28).

What folly! They were convinced that he had risen, and they had received this proof of it; and yet they expected that he whom death could not hold could be cast into the shade by their schemes! What could match the folly of this? That is the nature of wickedness: it has eyes for nothing, and on every occasion it is thrown into confusion. Finding themselves overpowered, they felt like men who have been outwitted, as happens to people who have been beaten to it and made fools of in some matter.

And yet everywhere the apostles declared that it was God who raised him; but it was “in the name of Jesus” that they spoke, showing that Jesus was risen. “Through Jesus, the resurrection of the dead” — for the Jews themselves also held a resurrection. It was a cold and childish teaching, to be sure, but still they held it.

Why, was this alone not enough to persuade them to do nothing to them — I mean, the great boldness with which the disciples carried themselves? Tell me, you Jew, why do you not believe? You ought to have paid attention to the sign that was done and to the words spoken, not to the ill will of the many. “Because they taught the people.” For the rulers were already in bad repute with the people because of what they had done to Christ; so they were only adding to their own disgrace.

“And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening” (verse 3). In Christ’s case, however, they did not do this. They seized him at midnight and led him away at once, with no delay, because they were terribly afraid of the crowd. But in the case of the apostles here, they were bold. And they no longer take them to Pilate, because they were ashamed and blushed to think of that earlier affair, for fear they might also be called to account for it.

“And it came to pass on the next day that their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together at Jerusalem” (verse 5). Jerusalem again — and it is there that men’s blood is poured out. They had no reverence even for their city. “And Annas and Caiaphas,” and so on (verse 6). “And Annas,” it says, “and Caiaphas.” It was his maidservant who questioned Peter, and he could not stand up to her; it was in his house that Peter denied, when Another was held in chains there. But now that he has come into the middle of them all, see how he speaks! [k]

“By what name have you done this?” Why do you not say what the name is, instead of keeping it out of sight? “By what name have you done this?” (verse 7). And yet Peter had declared, “It was not we who did it.”

“Rulers of the people,” and so on (verse 8). Notice his wisdom. He does not say outright, “We did it in the name of Jesus.” How, then? “In his name this man” — he does not say, “was made well by us,” but — “stands here before you whole.” And again: “If we are being called to account for a good deed done to the crippled man” (verse 9). He strikes them hard, because they are always making a crime of acts like this and finding fault with kindnesses done to people. And he reminds them of what they had done before: that they are quick to commit murder, and not only that, but they make a crime of doing good.

Do you also notice, as a matter of speaking, with what dignity they express themselves? Even in their use of words they were becoming skilled through practice, and from then on they were not to be beaten down. “Let it be known to you all,” and so on (verse 10). By this he shows them that it is rather they themselves, in spite of themselves, who are preaching Christ; by their examining and questioning they themselves are exalting the teaching.

What boldness! “Whom you crucified!” “Whom God raised” — this is bolder still! Do not think, he means, that we hide what there is to be ashamed of. He says it almost tauntingly; and he does not merely say it, but dwells on the matter. “This,” he says, “is the stone which was treated as nothing by you builders.” And then he goes on to teach them, adding, “which has become the head of the corner” (verse 11) — that is to say, the stone has been approved after all!

Great was the boldness they now had because of the miracle. When there was need to teach, notice how they speak and bring forward many prophecies; but when the point was to speak boldly, then they speak only in brief, decisive words. So: “There is no other name,” he says, “under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (verse 12). It is plain to everyone, he says, because that name was not given to us alone; he calls even them as witnesses. For since they asked, “In what name did you do it?” he answers: “In Christ’s. There is no other name. How can you ask? On every side this is plain. For there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

This is the language of a soul that has turned its back on this present life. His great outspokenness here proves that when he speaks of Christ in humble terms, he does it not out of fear but because he is wisely stooping down to meet his hearers. But now that it was the fitting time, he does not speak in humble terms, and by this very thing he means to strike dismay into them. Look, here is another miracle, no less than the first! “And seeing the boldness of Peter and John,” and so on.

“And they recognized them, that they had been with Jesus” (verse 13). The evangelist did not set this down without a purpose. In saying, “they recognized them, that they had been with Jesus,” he means with him in his suffering. For only these two were with him at that time, and back then the rulers had seen them humbled and downcast. And this is what surprised them most: the greatness of the change. For Annas and Caiaphas and their company had been there then, and these two had stood by him as well; and so their boldness now amazed them. [m]

“And seeing the boldness.” For it was not only their words that showed it, but their very bearing: that they should stand there so fearlessly to be tried in such a cause, with the gravest danger hanging over them! Not only by their words, but by their gestures too, by their look and voice — in short, by everything about them — they showed the boldness with which they faced the people.

It was perhaps from the things they said that the rulers marveled, “perceiving that they were unlearned and ordinary men.” For a man may be unlearned and yet not an ordinary, private man; and he may be an ordinary man and yet not unlearned. “Perceiving,” it says. From what? From what they said? Peter does not draw out long speeches; but by his very manner of speaking and the way he frames his words he makes his confidence plain.

“And they recognized them, that they had been with Jesus.” This made them believe that it was from him the apostles had learned these things, and that they did everything as his disciples. But no less than the voice of these men, the miracle spoke with a voice of its own, and that sign by itself stopped their mouths. “And seeing the man,” and so on. So they would have come down hard on them if the man had not been with them. “We cannot deny it.” So they would have denied it if the thing had not been so — if the testimony had not come from the people as a whole.

“But so that it spreads no further among the people” (verse 17). And yet it was plain to everyone! But that is the nature of wickedness: everywhere it is put to shame. “Let us strictly threaten them.” What are you saying? Threaten? And do you expect to stop the preaching that way? And yet all beginnings are hard and trying. “You killed the Teacher, and you did not stop it; and now, if you threaten, do you expect to turn us back? The prison did not bring us to speak submissively, and will you succeed?”

“And they called them, and ordered them,” and so on (verses 18 and 19). It would have been much better for them to let them go. “And Peter and John answered and said to them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you be the judges.’” Now that the terror had eased — for that order amounted to letting them go — the apostles, too, speak more mildly. So far were they from any mere show of daring.

“Whether it is right,” he says; and, “We cannot help speaking.” “Whether it is right in the sight of God to obey you rather than God” (verse 20). By “God” here they mean Christ, for he was the one who had commanded them. And once more they confirm the fact of his resurrection: “For we cannot help speaking about the things we have seen and heard” — so we are witnesses who have every right to be believed. [o]

“So when they had threatened them further” (verse 21). Again they threatened in vain. “They let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people; for everyone glorified God for what had been done.” So the people glorified God, while these men tried to destroy the apostles — such fighters against God they were! And by this they made them more conspicuous and more famous. “For my strength,” it says, “is made perfect in weakness” (Second Corinthians 12, verse 9).

Already these men have borne their witness as martyrs. Set in battle against everyone, they said, “We cannot help speaking about the things we have seen and heard.” “If the things we say are false, prove them wrong; if they are true, why do you hinder them?” That is what philosophy is! The rulers were at a loss; the apostles were glad. The rulers were covered with utter shame; the apostles did everything with boldness. The rulers were afraid; the apostles were confident.

For who, I ask you, were the frightened ones? Those who said, “So that it spreads no further among the people,” or these who said, “We cannot help speaking about the things we have seen and heard”? The apostles had delight, freedom of speech, a joy beyond all others; the rulers had dejection, shame and fear, for they were afraid of the people. But the apostles were not afraid of the rulers. On the contrary, while the apostles said what they wanted, the rulers could not do what they wanted. Which of them, then, were the ones in chains and in danger? Was it not the rulers?

So let us hold fast to virtue. Do not let these words end only in pleasure and in a certain lifting of the spirits. This is not the theater, with its singers to the lyre, its tragic actors and its lyre players, where the whole fruit is the enjoyment, and the enjoyment itself passes away with the passing day. No — if only it were enjoyment alone, and not harm along with the enjoyment! But that is how it is. Each man carries home with him a great deal of what he has watched there, and it clings to him like the infection of a plague. One of the younger sort gathers up, here and there, whatever snatches of song from those satanic shows he can fix in his memory, and goes about the house singing them. Another, an older man, too dignified, of course, for such frivolity, does not do that; but everything that was said there, the speeches and the very words, he remembers it all. And another again remembers some filthy and absurd little song. But from this place you go away taking nothing with you. [q]

We have laid down a law — no, not we. Far from it! For it is said, “Call no one on earth your master” (Matthew 23, verse 8). Christ has laid down a law that no one should swear. Now tell me, what has been done about this law? For I will not stop speaking of it, or else, as the apostle says, “if I come again, I will not spare” (Second Corinthians 13, verse 2). So I ask you: have you taken the matter to heart? Have you thought it over seriously? Have you been in earnest about it, or must we take up the same subject again? No — whether you have or not, we will take it up again, so that you may think it over seriously; or, if you have taken it to heart, so that you may do so all the more firmly, and urge others to do the same.

Where, then, I ask you — where shall we begin? Shall it be with the Old Testament? For this too is to our shame: the commands of the law, which we ought to go far beyond, we do not keep even to that extent. We ought not to be hearing things like these at all. These are commands fitted to the plain and humble level of the Jews. We ought to be hearing those counsels of perfection: “Throw away your property; stand firm with courage and give up your life for the good news; despise all the goods of earth; have nothing in common with this present life. If anyone wrongs you, do him good; if anyone cheats you, bless him; if anyone insults you, show him honor; rise above everything.” These, and things like these, are what we ought to be hearing.

But here we are, talking about swearing! Our case is just as if someone who ought to be a philosopher were taken away from the great teachers and set to spell out syllables letter by letter. Just think what a disgrace it would be for a man with a flowing beard, staff in hand and cloak on his shoulders, to go to school with the children and be given the same lessons as they are. Would it not be ridiculous beyond measure? And yet the ridicule that belongs to us is even greater. For the difference between the Jewish way of life and ours is not like the difference between philosophy and the spelling lesson. No indeed; it is like the difference between angels and human beings. Tell me: if someone could bring an angel down from heaven and tell him to stand here and listen to our preaching, as one whose duty it was to shape himself by it, would that not be shameful and absurd? But if it is ridiculous still to be taught about these things, like children, what must it be not even to pay attention to them? How great the condemnation, how great the shame! To be Christians still, and to have to learn that it is not right to swear! Still, let us put up with that, so that we do not bring on ourselves ridicule even worse.

Well then, let us speak to you today from the Old Testament. What does it tell us? “Do not accustom your mouth to swearing, and do not make a habit of naming the Holy One.” And why? “For as a servant who is continually beaten will not be without a bruise, so is the one who swears” (Sirach 23, verse 10). Notice the discernment of this wise man. He did not say, “Do not accustom your mind to swearing,” but “your mouth,” because the whole thing is an affair of the mouth, and so it is easily remedied. For in the end it becomes a habit, done without any intention. There are many, for instance, who make the sign of the cross on themselves the moment they have crossed the threshold of the public baths. The hand has learned to do this with no one telling it to, by force of habit. Again, when a lamp is lit, the hand often makes the sign while the mind is intent on something else. In the same way the mouth, too, without the mind joining in, forms the word out of sheer habit, and the whole business lies in the tongue. [u]

“Do not make a habit,” he says, “of naming the Holy One. For as a servant who is continually beaten will not be without a bruise, so is the one who swears.” He is not speaking here of false oaths. He cuts down every oath, and assigns a punishment to these too. So then, swearing is a sin. For that is truly what the soul is like: full of all these sores, all these scars. You do not see them? Yes, that is the harm of it. And yet you could see them if you wished, for God has given you eyes. It was with eyes of this kind that the prophet saw, when he said, “My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness” (Psalm 38, verse 5).

We have despised God. We have hated that good name, we have trampled Christ underfoot, we have lost all reverence; no one names the name of God with honor. Yet if you love someone, you start to your feet at the mere mention of his name; but God you call on constantly in this way, and think nothing of it. Call on him for the good of your enemy; call on him for the salvation of your own soul. Then he will be present, then you will delight him; whereas now you provoke him to anger. Call on him as Stephen did: “Lord,” he said, “do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7, verse 60). Call on him as the wife of Elkanah did, with tears and sobs and prayers (First Samuel 1, verse 10). I do not stop you; on the contrary, I earnestly urge you to it. Call on him as Moses called on him — no, cried out to him — pleading for the very people who had driven him into exile.

If you mention some person of rank at random, it is taken as an insult. And do you toss God about in your talk, in season and out of season? I do not want to stop you from keeping God always in your mind. No, this I even desire and pray for — only that you do it so as to honor him. It would have done us great good if we had called on God only when we ought, and for what we ought. For why, I ask, were such miracles worked in the apostles’ times, and not in ours? And yet it is the same God, the same name. But no, the case is not the same. For they called on him only for the things I have mentioned, while we call on him not for these, but for quite other purposes.

If someone refuses to believe you, and that is why you swear, say to him, “Believe me.” But if you absolutely must take an oath, swear by yourself. I say this not to set up a law against Christ’s law — far from it! For it is said, “Let your yes be yes, and your no, no” (Matthew 5, verse 37). I say it by way of coming down to where you are now, so that I may more easily lead you into keeping this command, and draw you away from the tyranny of this habit. How many who did well in every other respect have been undone by these practices!

Shall I tell you why the ancients were permitted to take oaths? (For false oaths were not permitted to them either.) Because they swore by idols. But are you not ashamed to rest content with laws by which they, in their weakness, were being led on toward something better? It is true that when I take a pagan in hand, I do not lay this command on him at once; first I urge him to know Christ. But if the believer, who has both learned Christ and heard him, must beg for the same allowances as the pagan, what is the use, what is the gain, of his being a Christian?

“But the habit is strong, and I cannot tear myself away from it.” Well then, since the tyranny of habit is so great, turn it into another channel. “And how is that to be done?” What I have said often, I say again now: let there be many to keep account of you, many to examine you and look you over. Tell me: if you happen to put on your cloak inside out, you let your servant correct the mistake, and you are not ashamed to learn from him, though there is much to be ashamed of in that. And here, when you are being hurt in your soul, are you ashamed to be taught better by someone else? You let your servant put your clothes in order and fasten your shoes, and will you not put up with the one who would put your soul in order? Let even your servant, your child, your wife, your friend, your relative, your neighbor be your teachers on this point.

When a wild beast is hunted down from every side, it cannot possibly escape. In the same way, the man who has so many watching him, so many correcting him, who is open to attack from every side, cannot help being on his guard. The first day he will find it hard to bear, and the second, and the third; but after that it will come more easily, and once the fourth day is past, there will not even be anything left to do. Try it, if you doubt me; take it to heart, I beg you. It is no trifling matter to go wrong in this, nor yet to get it right; either way, it is great, for evil or for good. May the good be accomplished, through the grace and love for humankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be glory, power, and honor, now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.