Author: Charlie Garrett

Kitchen at York house.

Friday, 4 March 2022

Now when the high priest, the captain of the temple, and the chief priests heard these things, they wondered what the outcome would be. Acts 5:24

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

No one was inside! The prison was shut securely, the guards were properly stationed, and yet the cell was empty! With that being the case, it next says, “Now when the high priest.” Some manuscripts leave out this designation. Further, for those manuscripts that contain it, the word here translated as “high priest,” hiereus, is one that is not used this way elsewhere. Rather, in the New Testament, this word is translated simply as “priest.”

However, in the Old Testament, the Hebrew word kohen, which also simply means “priest,” is used to refer to the high priest at times. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, this is then translated as hiereus. Luke would have known this, and the obvious nature of who it is referring to meant that calling him “the priest” was sufficient to convey the meaning of “the high priest.” Along with this individual is next noted, “the captain of the temple.”

It is the same word used in Acts 4:1. He had authority as the main officer of the temple complex and may have been the actual arresting officer on the previous day. Luke next says, “and the chief priests.”

This is the same word used to refer to the high priest when it is in the singular. It is also the same word in the plural used elsewhere already to refer to those “chief priests” that were not currently filling the role as the high priest, such as in Acts 4:23. All of these together are said to have “heard these things.”

The report is from the officers who had gone to collect the apostles. One can almost see it, “Well, we went to the prison, the guards were standing right there. The door was shut, bolted, and locked. We unlocked it and went in… but nobody was there!” It was as if they had been beamed out by Scotty. There wasn’t a trace of them, nor was there a trace of any escape. They were just gone. Because of this, Luke finishes the verse with, “they wondered what the outcome would be.”

It is the same word used by Luke in verse 2:12, diaporeó. It comes from dia (through) and aporeó, to be perplexed. As such, it is an intensive word signifying very perplexed or perplexed through and through. This group of leaders was completely confounded at what had happened, and they wondered what it all meant.

Life application: None of what is said here is without purpose. These men, the leaders of the nation, had all been gathered together to have a trial concerning the actions of the apostles. It is perfectly clear that they were locked away awaiting that trial, and it is fully evident that they were not where they were locked away.

As this is so, it is a sign to them that they should take these things to heart and to consider the force behind the actions. As will be seen, the apostles will be questioned concerning their actions at the temple, but the issue of them being brought out of prison will not even be addressed. No question concerning it will be raised, or at least as is recorded by Luke.

This exclusion of such an important and relevant question tells us all we need to know concerning the state of their hearts. They were unwilling to ask because they already knew the truth of what had happened. Jesus had broken through the greatest place of bondage of all, death. They were fully aware of this –

“Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. ¹² When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, ¹³ saying, ‘Tell them, “His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.” ¹⁴ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.’ ¹⁵ So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.” Matthew 28:11-15

Why should they ask about such a simple matter as a group of apostles being brought out of a locked prison cell when He had been brought out of the pit of Sheol itself? The answer for them would have simply been a further indictment upon them that they did not want openly exposed.

What is unstated in the Bible is often as telling as that which is stated. Because of this, and because it is recorded and considered a reliable document of actual history, there is no reason to not accept what is being stated. It is also a reason why such things no longer need to occur today. The record that it can be done is sufficient to tell us that when it is prophesied to be done again (meaning the rapture of the church), it will occur as prophesied.

Until then, we are to live by faith in what the recorded witness, the Holy Bible, states. And so, let us do so. Let us have faith in the word and never equivocate on our proclamation of it being the literal truth of God.

Heavenly Father, Your word says that someday Your faithful – of all of the ages – will be taken to glory. Some are in the grave. Some will be in prison on that day. Some will be in their offices working. There will be people around the world in seemingly impossible states of confinement or simply leading their lives in a normal way. And yet, they will be taken out and brought to You. It is a marvelous hope that we possess. Thank You for the surety of this. Your word proclaims it, and it shall be. Hallelujah and Amen!

Sgt York’s (and my!) Hero.

Thursday, 3 March 2022

saying, “Indeed we found the prison shut securely, and the guards standing outside before the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside!” Acts 5:23

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

It was just seen that the officers who were sent to retrieve the apostles from prison returned and reported. Their report is now given, beginning with, “Indeed we found the prison shut securely.”

This is the same word used in verse 5:21, indicating the actual place of imprisonment, such as a dungeon. There is probably a main building, and then within the building are individual cells, possibly with chains, and the cells were kept secure with doors or bars. It is the same word used to describe Paul’s incarceration in Acts 16 –

“But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶ Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.” Acts 16:25, 26

As can be seen, there were both chains and doors in this place. There are at least doors where the apostles were being kept, and those doors were securely shut when the officers arrived. Concerning the doors, the Greek reads “in all security.” If there were locks, they were untampered with. If there were bolts, they were in place. All of the measures that would be proper to lock up the apostles had been taken, and they had not been manipulated or removed. And more, it next notes, “the guards standing outside before the doors.”

Not only had every physical measure remained secure, but the guards were completely unaware of any change in the status of the occupants of the cell. They had been taken in, the guards had been posted, and they remained stationed just where they were posted. All is as it was when the apostles were ushered in. And yet, the officers next exclaim, “but when we opened them, we found no one inside!”

This would have been a complete shock to all. The dungeons may have been a part of a building made by hands, but they very well may have been cut directly into the earth, like a cave. From there, doors would be set. Either way, the utter impossibility of getting out of such a place, especially in just a few hours, would be obvious. And yet, the dungeon where they had been was empty.

This means that the apostles had been supernaturally transported out of the prison, or that the guards had gone into a type of supernatural blindness (as occurred in Genesis 19:11 and 2 Kings 6:18). If the guards were in a trancelike state, they could have been manipulated into allowing the apostles out without even knowing it.

Either way, the hand of God was upon what occurred, and the apostles were not where they had been placed only a few hours before.

Life application: Psalm 147, a psalm already cited in the Acts commentary over other points that have occurred, also speaks of the event found in this passage, saying, “The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners.”

How this event in Acts occurred is less important than the fact that it did occur. The Lord validated His ability to set the prisoners free from an otherwise impossible situation. It is unlikely that this was a life-threatening incarceration where the men may have faced execution. Rather, it more likely was a one-night stay in the local jail awaiting a trial that would have led to some type of minor punishment, at best.

And yet, the Lord intervened in order to show that He is willing to release His people from their bonds when He sees fit. At other times, He will allow His people to remain in jail, to be punished, or even to be executed – such as with John the Baptist or James the brother of John (see Acts 12:2).

Because the Lord acted as He did in this instance and not in others, we should ask, “Why now? Why at this time?” The answer seems to be that He was confirming to the leaders that He is in control, that the message of Jesus that the apostles proclaim is true, and that they must come to Him in order to be right with God.

In this, it is a dual-edged sword. They can either be cut to the heart and accept Jesus, being saved through Him, or they will be cut off from Him. Their failure to acknowledge His miracles, which further validate the message of Christ, will witness against them. God is at work! He is doing things to bring people either to repentance or to judgment. With His word now written, it stands as the ultimate tool for either.

Let us use this precious word to convict hearts, to witness to the truth, and to lead people to the gospel of Jesus. But this cannot happen if we do not share it with others. May we be wise and responsible in this most urgent of matters.

Lord God, You are great and Your ways are perfect. Everything You do has purpose and is carefully laid out so that the most beneficial avenue is available for people to come to You. And yet, how many take another path into perdition! Help us to be a part of keeping people from that sad end. Use us to get the message out now. Amen.

Bedroom of Sgt York, Tennessee

Wednesday, 2 March 2022

But when the officers came and did not find them in the prison, they returned and reported, Acts 5:22

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

It was just noted that the high priest and those with him, the council, and all the elders of Israel had sent to have the apostles brought from prison. With that noted, Luke next says, “But when the officers came.”

Luke’s thoughts are progressing through the sequence of time – “when…came.” The officers were dispatched. In coming to the place where they were sent, they got a big surprise. As Luke next records, “and did not find them in the prison.”

The word for “prison” now reverts to the term used in verse 5:19. To see the progression of his use of different words to show what is going on, the three different terms can be placed side by side –

5:18 – They were put in public custody.
5:19 – The angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison.
5:21 – The leaders sent to the dungeon to have them brought.
5:22 – The officers did not find them in the prison.

To get an idea of this, we could use the booking of someone today. “Sam was taken to the county jail. While he was in there, Tom opened the door of the cell. The police came to bring Sam from his confinement. But the cops didn’t find him in the cell.”

Luke is carefully recording what took place as if he was an eyewitness from a distance, like a spectator. Each word and each thought reflects what he had been told as he investigated the matter concerning this time of incarceration of the apostles. Because of this, his words are credible and there is no reason at all to not take them as they are written. With the officers not finding the apostles in the prison, Luke next says, “they returned and reported.”

Like the first clause, this is an aorist participle. It reads, “and having turned back.” Luke is still in the process of his careful annotation of each detail in the sequence of time in which it occurred. The text is alive and exciting as it reveals what occurred. With their having turned back, it closes with, “they reported.”

With the action of the events concerning the sending of the officers now coming to a logical point of conclusion, Luke sums up what transpired by noting that they gave their report. The details they will present in that report will be seen in the next verse.

Life application: Although you don’t need to read the Bible in the original languages, it is good to have a translation that at least reflects the original. But translations are a lot of work and even the best will erringly translate things at times. However, if you take the time to learn the basics of what various verbs mean, when someone says, “that is an aorist participle,” you can at least have an idea of what the text should say.

So, when you read a commentary and come across something you don’t understand, take a moment and do a general search on “What does aorist mean?”, “what does participle mean?”, and “What does aorist participle mean?” From there, you will find something like (using quotes from sources highlighted by Google) –

Aorist – “Aorist Tense. The aorist tense is the Greek grammarian’s term for simple past tense.”
Participle – “The Greek grammarians called a participle a μετοχή [metékhō] ‘participation, share’, because it shares the properties of a verb and of an adjective. Latin calqued the word as participium, from which English gets participle.”
Aorist Participle – “When an aorist participle is used adverbially, you will often find it appropriate to translate into English using the word ‘after,’ or perhaps ‘when,’ with the auxiliary verb ‘had’ (e.g., ‘when he had looked up’), or simply the auxiliary verb ‘having’ (e.g., having looked up).”

In doing a quick search like this, you still might not have any idea of how it all fits together, but you will slowly begin to get a sense of what is going on. And a lot of this is just a way of being more precise in relation to the original, but the difference between “they returned” and “they, having returned…” is not that great. The sense is still understandable. To know that one is more precise than the other may or may not even be something you really want to know. If not, then press on and continue to enjoy whatever commentary you are reading.

In the end, the words of Solomon tell us what is really important –

“Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh.
¹³ Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.” Ecclesiastes 12:12, 13

Sometimes one can study the details and miss the big picture. We are to love the Lord our God, fear Him, and keep His commandments (in the context of the dispensation in which we live). If knowing the minutest details of the word is a part of your fearing God, that is great. If a simple knowledge of the gospel is all you know and that leads you to fear God, then that is sufficient. Each person will deal with the Lord on the level that is suitable, but be sure to fear God always, at whatever level you are on. He is the great God after all!

Lord God, You are great and all that You do is marvelous! Amen.

Tuesday, 1 March 2022

And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught. But the high priest and those with him came and called the council together, with all the elders of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. Acts 5:21

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

The angel who had set the apostles free from the prison instructed them to go and stand in the temple in order to speak to the people “all the words of this life.” With that instruction, the apostles complied as is evidenced in this verse, beginning with, “And when they heard that.”

It is referring to the apostles. They heard the instruction they were given and having understood, they next immediately complied, as Luke next records that “they entered the temple.”

In this, there isn’t just compliance, but immediate compliance. One might think that they would tell the disciples how they were, what had happened, or where they were going. Or, maybe, after a long night of being in the prison, they might decide to get two hours of sleep or at least stop along the way for a bit of falafel. However, the record indicates that they immediately headed to the temple. Luke notes it was “early in the morning.”

The Greek reads, “at the daybreak.” It is a word used for the third and last time, othros. That comes from oros, meaning a mountain or hill. As such, one gets the sense of the rising of the light and thus the breaking of the day. It is literally as the sun is starting to shoot forth that they entered the temple “and taught.” The verb in Greek is imperfect. Literally, they “were teaching.”

Luke’s words give us the sense of immediate compliance and continued action. This then sets up the words to come. While everyone else was having a nice night of sleep, the apostles were in custody. By the time others were getting up, they were already at the temple teaching. And as the coming events are recorded, they were still in the temple teaching. The narrative continues to unfold with the words, “But the high priest and those with him came.”

This may be the same group noted in Acts 4:6, or it is some other group that happened to be with the high priest at the time. Luke didn’t feel it necessary to name them as he had in verse 4:6, and so it may be that either the eyewitness he interviewed was unsure, or the same people are again together. Having noted this, it says that they “called the council together.”

This would be the entire Sanhedrin. Along with them, Luke next notes, “with all the elders of the children of Israel.” This is a word found only this once in Scripture, gerousia. That is derived from the word gerón, an old man. Thus, it is the body of elders. Vincent’s Word Studies gives a detailed description of who these would be –

“From γέρων, an old man, like the Latin senatus, from senex, old. Taking on very early an official sense, the notion of age being merged in that of dignity. … The word in this passage is the name of the Spartan assembly, Gerousia, the assembly of elders, consisting of thirty members, with the two kings. ‘The well-known term,’ as Meyer remarks, ‘is fittingly transferred from the college of the Greek gerontes to that of the Jewish presbyters.’ They summoned, not only those elders of the people who were likewise members of the Sanhedrim, but the whole council (all the senate) of the representatives of the people.”

The obvious meaning is that the high priest and his associates wanted a full debate over what to do, and they certainly were hoping for a complete crushing of this sect that had arisen. With the elders of the land involved, every city would be apprised of the council’s decision, and they would then work to implement whatever was decided in each city they came from. Once this large body of men was gathered, Luke next notes that they “sent to the prison.”

This is the third description of the place of their incarceration. The first was verse 5:18 and it signified public custody. The next was in verse 5:19, and it was described as a prison. Now, the word desmótérion is used. It is a dungeon, a place of bondage. Hence, the different aspects of their confinement are carefully noted by Luke. First, there is the public custody, then being placed under guard, and finally their being put into bonds.

Noting this, then, adds weight to the miraculous delivery from incarceration. The angel didn’t just walk into a public custody and usher them out, but he loosed them from their bonds, delivered them from the guards, and didn’t stop to sign them out at the register. With them out of the prison, but without the knowledge of this, the great assembled council has sent “to have them brought.”

There will certainly be a surprise and curiosity ahead for all involved in this.

Life application: As has been often noted, Acts is describing the events that occurred. And they really happened. The apostles were safely brought out of a guarded dungeon and then they immediately went out to tell others about the good news of Jesus.

People claim all kinds of fancy things from Acts and apply them to their own doctrine or life situation, but it is not likely that they will ever claim that they fully expect to be delivered miraculously from prison. They may be brought out through the legal system, through an inventive escape plan, or delivered from execution, but it is doubtful people held in prison today go in expecting that an angel will transport them out of the cell and to safety.

In considering this, we see the folly of attempting to turn Acts into prescriptions over things we want to apply to our religious experience, like a visible manifestation of the coming of the Spirit. That is no more prescriptive than is the account now being evaluated. Both merely describe what occurred, they prescribe nothing, and neither is to be considered normative for the church today.

Let us carefully evaluate Acts because it gives us marvelous insights into how the church developed but let us never attempt to co-opt parts of stories for our own experiences when they are simply not going to happen.

It is so very wonderful to know that You have the power to deliver us from all trials and troubles, Lord. But we also know that we have been placed here to experience exactly such things in our walk before You. We are molded, shaped, and formed into more perfect followers of You through such times. And so, Lord, help us to accept such things as precious tools of instruction. Thank You for all such things as this that mold us for Your purposes! Amen.

Monday, 28 February 2022

“Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.” Acts 5:20

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

The apostles, having been brought out of their place of custody by an angel, are now instructed by him, saying, “Go, stand in the temple.”

This is the public place where the people would hear their message. It is also the place where things would be most carefully monitored by those on duty at any given time. This then speaks of both a public charge and one that is to be without fear of reprisal. They are to go back out and get about the business set before them by the Lord, which is to “speak to the people.”

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. The apostles are to speak forth this word that they had heard. They are to speak forth about the One they had seen. And they are to convey the message that He has commissioned them with. If the Lord can send an angel to deliver them all from the prison, then He will not abandon them as they stand in the temple that bears His name as they proclaim the word He has put into their mouths! There is to be no fear, but rather boldness on their part as they speak “all the words of this life.”

The words, “this life,” refer to the coming of the Messiah and of those who receive Him as being positionally “in Him,” saved from this fallen world and granted the guarantee of eternal life. Jesus spoke about the contrasting lives in John 6 –

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. ⁶⁴ But there are some of you who do not believe.” John 6:63, 64

Peter then followed up with his understanding of the matter –

“But Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.’” John 6:68

The words “this life” then do not refer to a new philosophy about how to live out our lives as better people. They do not refer to how we can obtain status, wealth, power, or any other such thing. They do not refer to how to be free from sickness or troubles, nor do they speak about how to be content and satisfied in all situations. These are earthly approaches to an earthly existence. Although any of these things may come upon a follower of Christ, none of them may come as well. And yet, the life that is now lived is one that has a hope that extends beyond what we now experience.

What “this life” means is atonement of sin, freedom from condemnation (resulting from sin), eternal life in a new and incorruptible body, and the hope of an existence that has been prepared by God for those upon whom His favor shall eternally rest. It is an existence that comes solely by faith in the completed work of Jesus Christ. And it is also a life that comes with a guarantee that it is so, the sealing of the Holy Spirit.

What the apostles are being charged to proclaim at the temple is the same as what has now been carefully recorded in the epistles for us to read and understand with perfect clarity. It is the hope of God in Christ.

Life application: Proclaiming the message of the gospel is the duty and responsibility of those who know it. We are not just to get saved and then spend the rest of our lives keeping it secret. It is a message that must be shared in order for others to receive what we have received.

And it is a message we are not to be fearful in speaking out. This is because “this life” is now an eternal one. If you believe that, then the persecutions we face are simply a step on the path to what lies ahead. What is there to fear? If we are guaranteed what God has granted, then to die is gain, not loss. Paul gives us words to consider in this matter –

“So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written:
‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’
⁵⁵ ‘O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?’
⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
⁵⁸ Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:54-58

God has our future taken care of. Let’s consider this as we live out our lives right now.

Heavenly Father, help us to look at the world as a temporary step on the way to a glorious new life. Christ has done the work, we have been granted reconciliation, and what happens now is only a temporary and transitory moment on the way to eternal glory. Help us to remember this always. We are Yours. Use us for Your glory and according to Your wisdom. Amen.