Acts 4:1-4 ESV

And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.

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Habang si Pedro at si Juan ay nagsasalita pa sa taong-bayan, lumapit sa kanila ang mga pari, ang pinuno sa templo, at ang mga Saduceo, 2 na lubhang nayayamot sapagkat nagtuturo sila sa mga tao, at nagpapahayag na kay Jesus ay may muling pagkabuhay sa mga patay. 3 Sila'y kanilang dinakip at ibinilanggo hanggang sa kinabukasan sapagkat noon ay gabi na. 4 Ngunit marami sa mga nakarinig ang sumampalataya; at ang bilang nila ay mga limang libo.


ANNOYED

Like modern Christianity, Judaism had different sects with very different beliefs. Firstly, the Pharisees were very legalistic, so that they added details to the Law God gave Moses. They also hated that Rome had ruled Israel and they believed in the resurrection of the dead. On the other hand, the Sadducees took the Mosaic law as the Scriptures present it. They didn't mind the Romans. For them, their occupation had given them an opportunity to make money. Unlike the Pharisees, they absolutely rejected the concept of resurrection from the dead.

At this point of Peter’s preaching, neither the Sadducees nor the Pharisees had realized that their Messiah had come and returned to heaven (Acts 1:9). He came into His own but they received Him not. [John 1:12] Jesus, the Messiah, came first to provide spiritual salvation, that is, the peace with God through forgiveness of sins made possible only because of His work on the cross and His resurrection. Then, Jesus will return to bring the physical promises of peace made to Israel into a reality. The Pharisees' belief in the resurrection allows that they may come back to experience the fulfillment of God's promises to Israel.

Because they had rejected Jesus, they were disturbed when the disciples claimed that Jesus had risen from the dead. The good news for everyone was a bad news to them. So they imprisoned and persecuted Peter and John. Earlier, Jesus had told His disciples they would experience this kind of persecution. He said, "They will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake" (Luke 21:12). This is not the last time either Peter or John will face prison. Later, the Sanhedrin would arrest, question, and beat all the apostles (Acts 5:17–42). Then, Herod Agrippa I would kill James and imprison Peter. An angel will rescue Peter, and he will escape Jerusalem (Acts 12:1–19).

We should not be surprised for men loved darkness rather than light. Thus, they hate the proclamation of Christ, who is the light. But, the nature of light is to shine so that they would naturally persecute the bearers of light. Did not Paul say that believers who live godly lives would surely experience persecution? [2 Tim 3:12] God allows and will often increase our trials in order for us to develop and prove our faithfulness to Him. The reason is not that He needs to know how faithful we are. It is for us to know. As James said, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”[Jas 1:2-4]


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