The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
The God of the fathers raised up Jesus after the rulers and people killed him by hanging him on a tree, that is by crucifixion. Peter spoke it together with the other apostles standing before the Jewish council for the second time, continuing their defense that they must obey God rather than men after God by an angel had delivered them from prison and commanded them to teach in the temple. Their killing of Jesus is set in direct contrast to God's raising of him, and the resurrection stands as God's answer and vindication, exalting the rejected one as Prince and Saviour to give repentance and forgiveness of sins. The words fasten guilt for his death upon the priests, rulers and council as killers of the Son of God and Prince of life, confronting them with their responsibility and yet calling them to repent, for they were not cut off merely by that act but would be lost by persisting in rejecting further light and the Holy Spirit's conviction. Spoken boldly with the power of the Holy Spirit so that the accused became the accusers, the witness challenged the Sadducees' denial of resurrection and enraged the council to take the law into their own hands and kill the apostles until a man of learning and high position from their own council stayed the violence, while together with the whole fifth chapter of Acts the verse shows that when dealings in the Lord's work are deceptive, oppressive, unjust and fraudulent, God will surely punish and judge the wrongdoer.
Witness Before Council
Peter together with the other apostles spoke these words while standing before the Jewish council for the second time. It was the continuation of their defense that they must obey God rather than men, the same defense made at the former trial. In that setting the accused became the accusers.
They spoke because God by an angel had delivered them from prison and commanded them to teach in the temple. In following that direction they were obeying a divine command they must continue to obey at any cost to themselves and despite threats from the authorities. They had been brought from teaching in the temple to stand before the council, yet insisted they must obey God rather than men and serve as witnesses to Jesus' resurrection and exaltation.
They spoke boldly with the power of the Holy Spirit and by inspiration. Peter spoke with no fear nor hesitation in words or attitude, and boldly told the chief priests and rulers what God had done. So the accused became the accusers by charging those who composed the council with slaying Jesus.
God Raised Slain Jesus
The God of the fathers raised up Jesus after the rulers and people killed him by hanging him on a tree, that is by crucifixion, and the responsibility for putting him to death is placed upon the leaders of the council who were then resisting the teaching of the apostles. Peter boldly declared this before the rulers, identifying Jesus as the one God raised after the leaders had killed him in this way. His death and resurrection are presented together, with the people killing him by hanging him on a tree but God raising him.
The verse sets the rulers' act of killing Jesus in direct contrast to God's act of raising him. Their rejection and execution did not prevent God from raising and exalting him. The resurrection is God's answer to the council's rejection of him.
That resurrection stands as God's vindication and exaltation of the one the leaders rejected. It confirms that Jesus is God's appointed Prince and Saviour, exalted by God to give repentance and forgiveness of sins. The apostles proclaimed his crucifixion and resurrection together as central parts of his work and mission. They bore witness to these things with the Holy Spirit's power, as does the Holy Spirit whom God gives to those who obey him, insisting even under threats from the authorities that they must obey God rather than men and serve as witnesses to his resurrection and exaltation. His death on the cross, an instrument of shame and torture, became the means of hope and salvation for the world.
Guilt and Call to Repentance
The words fasten guilt for the death of Jesus directly upon the hearers, charging the priests, rulers and members of the council with killing Him whom God raised after they had put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree, that is by crucifixion. The charge confronts the council with its responsibility for His death and warns its members that in resisting the apostles' teaching they are continuing in opposition to God. The victim they killed is identified as the Son of God and the Prince of life, and the resurrection stands as God's vindication and exaltation of the One they rejected. That exposure of guilt is another call to repent, for the risen One has been exalted by God as Prince and Saviour to give repentance and forgiveness of sins, and even after the crucifixion God gave the leaders further evidence through the apostles bearing witness together with the Holy Spirit given to those who obey Him.
Those guilty of killing Jesus were not cut off from salvation merely because they had killed Him, but would be lost by persisting in rejecting further light and the Holy Spirit's conviction. The apostles' witness to Jesus risen from the dead also exposed the rulers' guilt and directly challenged the Sadducees' denial of resurrection. The bold charge enraged the council, explaining why they were enraged when Peter spoke and eager to kill His disciples as well. Already guilty of the blood of Christ, they were eager to stain their hands with the blood of His apostles, and without any further trial and without authority from the Roman officers they decided to take the law into their own hands and put the prisoners to death.
That violence was stayed when God raised up from their own council a man of learning and high position whose clear intellect saw the terrible consequences of their course. The verse belongs to the closing part of Acts 5, verses 17 to the end, which follows the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira for lying to the Holy Ghost and keeping back part of the price and the many signs and wonders and healings by the apostles. Together with the whole fifth chapter it shows that when dealings in the Lord's work are deceptive and not straightforward, but oppressive, unjust, using lawyers to take advantage, exacting exorbitant price, practicing fraud, hindering the triumph of truth, and diverting His means into a wrong channel, God will just as surely punish those people and pass His judgment against the wrongdoer.
The God of the fathers raised up Jesus after the rulers and people killed him by hanging him on a tree, that is by crucifixion. Peter spoke it together with the other apostles standing before the Jewish council for the second time, continuing their defense that they must obey God rather than men after God by an angel had delivered them from prison and commanded them to teach in the temple. Their killing of Jesus is set in direct contrast to God's raising of him, and the resurrection stands as God's answer and vindication, exalting the rejected one as Prince and Saviour to give repentance and forgiveness of sins. The words fasten guilt for his death upon the priests, rulers and council as killers of the Son of God and Prince of life, confronting them with their responsibility and yet calling them to repent, for they were not cut off merely by that act but would be lost by persisting in rejecting further light and the Holy Spirit's conviction. Spoken boldly with the power of the Holy Spirit so that the accused became the accusers, the witness challenged the Sadducees' denial of resurrection and enraged the council to take the law into their own hands and kill the apostles until a man of learning and high position from their own council stayed the violence, while together with the whole fifth chapter of Acts the verse shows that when dealings in the Lord's work are deceptive, oppressive, unjust and fraudulent, God will surely punish and judge the wrongdoer.
Witness Before Council
Peter together with the other apostles spoke these words while standing before the Jewish council for the second time. It was the continuation of their defense that they must obey God rather than men, the same defense made at the former trial. In that setting the accused became the accusers.
They spoke because God by an angel had delivered them from prison and commanded them to teach in the temple. In following that direction they were obeying a divine command they must continue to obey at any cost to themselves and despite threats from the authorities. They had been brought from teaching in the temple to stand before the council, yet insisted they must obey God rather than men and serve as witnesses to Jesus' resurrection and exaltation.
They spoke boldly with the power of the Holy Spirit and by inspiration. Peter spoke with no fear nor hesitation in words or attitude, and boldly told the chief priests and rulers what God had done. So the accused became the accusers by charging those who composed the council with slaying Jesus.
God Raised Slain Jesus
The God of the fathers raised up Jesus after the rulers and people killed him by hanging him on a tree, that is by crucifixion, and the responsibility for putting him to death is placed upon the leaders of the council who were then resisting the teaching of the apostles. Peter boldly declared this before the rulers, identifying Jesus as the one God raised after the leaders had killed him in this way. His death and resurrection are presented together, with the people killing him by hanging him on a tree but God raising him.
The verse sets the rulers' act of killing Jesus in direct contrast to God's act of raising him. Their rejection and execution did not prevent God from raising and exalting him. The resurrection is God's answer to the council's rejection of him.
That resurrection stands as God's vindication and exaltation of the one the leaders rejected. It confirms that Jesus is God's appointed Prince and Saviour, exalted by God to give repentance and forgiveness of sins. The apostles proclaimed his crucifixion and resurrection together as central parts of his work and mission. They bore witness to these things with the Holy Spirit's power, as does the Holy Spirit whom God gives to those who obey him, insisting even under threats from the authorities that they must obey God rather than men and serve as witnesses to his resurrection and exaltation. His death on the cross, an instrument of shame and torture, became the means of hope and salvation for the world.
Guilt and Call to Repentance
The words fasten guilt for the death of Jesus directly upon the hearers, charging the priests, rulers and members of the council with killing Him whom God raised after they had put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree, that is by crucifixion. The charge confronts the council with its responsibility for His death and warns its members that in resisting the apostles' teaching they are continuing in opposition to God. The victim they killed is identified as the Son of God and the Prince of life, and the resurrection stands as God's vindication and exaltation of the One they rejected. That exposure of guilt is another call to repent, for the risen One has been exalted by God as Prince and Saviour to give repentance and forgiveness of sins, and even after the crucifixion God gave the leaders further evidence through the apostles bearing witness together with the Holy Spirit given to those who obey Him.
Those guilty of killing Jesus were not cut off from salvation merely because they had killed Him, but would be lost by persisting in rejecting further light and the Holy Spirit's conviction. The apostles' witness to Jesus risen from the dead also exposed the rulers' guilt and directly challenged the Sadducees' denial of resurrection. The bold charge enraged the council, explaining why they were enraged when Peter spoke and eager to kill His disciples as well. Already guilty of the blood of Christ, they were eager to stain their hands with the blood of His apostles, and without any further trial and without authority from the Roman officers they decided to take the law into their own hands and put the prisoners to death.
That violence was stayed when God raised up from their own council a man of learning and high position whose clear intellect saw the terrible consequences of their course. The verse belongs to the closing part of Acts 5, verses 17 to the end, which follows the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira for lying to the Holy Ghost and keeping back part of the price and the many signs and wonders and healings by the apostles. Together with the whole fifth chapter it shows that when dealings in the Lord's work are deceptive and not straightforward, but oppressive, unjust, using lawyers to take advantage, exacting exorbitant price, practicing fraud, hindering the triumph of truth, and diverting His means into a wrong channel, God will just as surely punish those people and pass His judgment against the wrongdoer.