Acts 5:28
saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The Jewish authorities, when confronting the apostles, deliberately avoid saying Jesus' name, referring to him as "this man." This subtle choice reveals their discomfort and fear; it's a way of distancing themselves from the responsibility for his crucifixion, hinting at their own guilty conscience and perhaps echoing their past cry, "His blood be upon us." They accuse the apostles of wanting to bring that blood upon them, a projection of their own inner turmoil onto the faithfulness of God's messengers.
The religious leaders, having previously arrested the apostles and warned them not to speak in Jesus' name, are stunned to find them back preaching. They accuse the apostles of deliberately disobeying their command and spreading their message throughout Jerusalem, aiming to stir up public anger and hold the leaders responsible for Jesus' death. The leaders' fear of the crowds' reaction, stemming from their own past actions, drives their aggressive confrontation.
Why would the religious leaders, who condemned Jesus, react so strongly to the apostles speaking about 'this man's blood'?
The leaders in Acts 5:28 are deeply unnerved by the apostles' teaching. They accuse the apostles of intending 'to bring this man's blood upon us.' This isn't just a factual accusation; it's laced with their own fear and guilt.
A Guilty Conscience
Remember the crowd's cry during Jesus' trial: 'His blood be on us and on our children!' (Matthew 27:25). The leaders were present for that terrifying imprecation. Now, the apostles, preaching about Jesus' death and resurrection, are echoing that same terrifying reality back to them. The leaders aren't just hearing an accusation; they're hearing the potential fulfillment of their own curse.
The Shame of Avoidance
Notice how they refer to Jesus: 'this man.' They refuse to utter his name, Jesus, or the title 'Christ.' This avoidance is a stark contrast to Peter, who boldly proclaimed Jesus' name throughout his teaching. Their reluctance to speak His name reveals their discomfort and shame, a conscious effort to distance themselves from the one they crucified, yet whose blood they now fear.
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Fear of Vengeance
This fear isn't just about public opinion; it's a deeper dread of divine judgment. They understand that proclaiming Jesus' death and resurrection carries implications for those responsible. The apostles' successful preaching in Jerusalem, filling the city with their message, means more people are hearing the truth about the leaders' actions. This makes the leaders feel cornered and exposed.
The leaders assert they 'strictly charged' the apostles. What does this 'straitly' reveal about their authority and the apostles' defiance?
The phrase 'strictly charged' (or 'straitly commanded') isn't just a strong warning; it points to a significant tension in this confrontation.
A Hebraic Intensity
This language has a Hebrew or Aramaic flavor, meaning 'we charged you with a charge.' It’s an emphatic way of saying they gave a direct, serious, and official command. They believed they had the authority, as the religious council, to prohibit this new teaching entirely.
Authority vs. Obedience
The leaders’ authority was rooted in their position within the Jewish system. They saw the apostles' teaching about Jesus as a direct threat to that order and their own standing. Their command was an attempt to maintain control and suppress a message they found dangerous and blasphemous.
Defiance Rooted in Truth
However, the apostles’ response is one of unwavering obedience to a higher authority: God. They were commanded not to teach in Jesus' name, but their mandate from Jesus was to teach about Jesus. When human commands conflict with divine commands, the apostles consistently choose God. Their boldness isn't recklessness; it's conviction rooted in the resurrection and the command of Christ.
Understand the original words
didaskō · Greek Verb
The act of proclaiming the truth about God, Jesus Christ, and the kingdom of heaven, which is a central calling for those commissioned by Christ.
haima · Greek Noun
A central theme in the New Testament referring to the judicial and moral accountability for the death of Jesus, often associated with the rejection of the Messiah.
The Sanhedrin's fear is palpable here; they feel accused by the apostles' success and message, ironically echoing the crowd's earlier cry to 'let his blood be upon us.' They avoid Jesus' name, betraying their discomfort with the implications of his crucifixion and resurrection.
c. AD 30
Crucifixion of Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth is crucified by order of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, following pressure from Jewish leaders. This event is central to the Christian faith, seen as a sacrifice for sins.
c. AD 30
Resurrection of Jesus
According to Christian belief, Jesus is resurrected from the dead three days after his crucifixion. This event validates his claims and empowers his followers.
c. AD 30-33
Early Church Established in Jerusalem
Following Jesus' ascension, the apostles begin preaching in Jerusalem, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Their message of Jesus' resurrection and call to repentance gains many followers.
c. AD 33
Apostles Arrested and Tried
Peter and John are arrested by the Sanhedrin (the Jewish ruling council) for teaching about Jesus. They are threatened and commanded to stop preaching but boldly refuse.
c. AD 33— this verse
Apostles Confronted by Sanhedrin
The apostles, including Peter, are brought before the Sanhedrin again. They are accused of disobeying the council's orders and filling Jerusalem with their teaching about Jesus.
c. AD 33
Council's Fear and Fearful Action
The Sanhedrin, fearing popular backlash and potential riots, has the apostles beaten but released, after Gamaliel advises caution. They continue to threaten the apostles.
This passage directly echoes the Jewish leaders' fear in Acts 5:28, as it records their own self-cursing: 'His blood be on us and on our children!'
Acts 2:36Peter had previously proclaimed Jesus as the one the Jewish leaders 'crucified and killed,' making their accusation in Acts 5:28 a fearful recognition of their own culpability.
John 8:44The leaders' attempt to silence the apostles and their fear of being held responsible for Jesus' death reflects the deceptive and murderous spirit described by Jesus as originating from the devil.
Romans 1:18The wrath of God described here is what the leaders feared, as the apostles' preaching directly accused them of crucifying the Son of God, bringing them under divine judgment.
Acts 4:18This verse shows the earlier command given to the apostles not to speak in Jesus' name, highlighting the direct disobedience the council is confronting and condemning in Acts 5:28.
jfbActs 5:28: "Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us."
- intend to bring this man's blood upon us—They avoid naming Him whom Peter gloried in holding up [Bengel]. In speaking thus, they seem to betray a disagreeable recollection of their own recent imprecation, His blood be upon us," &c. (Mt 27:25), and of the traitor's words as he threw down the money,…
vincentActs 5:28: "Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us."
Did notThe best texts omit οὐ, not, and the question.We straitly chargedSo Rev. (παραγγελίᾳ παρηγγείλαμεν). Lit., we charged you with a charge. See on Luke 22:15, with desire I have desired.Intend (βούλεσθε)Or ye want. See on willing, Matthew 1:19.This man'sThe phrase is remarkable as furnishing t…
The Jewish authorities, when confronting the apostles, deliberately avoid saying Jesus' name, referring to him as "this man." This subtle choice reveals their discomfort and fear; it's a way of distancing themselves from the responsibility for his crucifixion, hinting at their own guilty conscience and perhaps echoing their past cry, "His blood be upon us." They accuse the apostles of wanting to bring that blood upon them, a projection of their own inner turmoil onto the faithfulness of God's messengers.
The religious leaders, having previously arrested the apostles and warned them not to speak in Jesus' name, are stunned to find them back preaching. They accuse the apostles of deliberately disobeying their command and spreading their message throughout Jerusalem, aiming to stir up public anger and hold the leaders responsible for Jesus' death. The leaders' fear of the crowds' reaction, stemming from their own past actions, drives their aggressive confrontation.
The religious leaders, having previously arrested the apostles and warned them not to speak in Jesus' name, are stunned to find them back preaching. They accuse the apostles of deliberately disobeying their command and spreading their message throughout Jerusalem, aiming to stir up public anger and hold the leaders responsible for Jesus' death. The leaders' fear of the crowds' reaction, stemming from their own past actions, drives their aggressive confrontation.
"saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”" — The Jewish authorities, when confronting the apostles, deliberately avoid saying Jesus' name, referring to him as "this man." This subtle choice reveals their discomfort and fear; it's a way of dista…
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