By What Power or Name Have You Done This? - Acts 4:7

Luke the physician wrote how Peter shared with the people who gathered together after lame man at the temple was healed, and many “which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand. And it came to pass on the morrow, 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 kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem”, and in chapter four and verse six of the book of Acts Luke shared the religious leaders asked, “by what power, or by what name, have you done this?” where we read:

And when they had set them in the midst, they asked,

By what power, or by what name, have you done this?

The verse begins, “And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, ...” Luke began with the words, “and when they had set them” which means “and at the time and moment the religious leaders place, fixed and established Peter and John” “in the midst” which means “in the middle of them”, “they asked” or “the religious leaders and council questioned and inquired of Peter and John” with the following words. Luke shared how the “religious assembly” put Peter and John in the middle of them, and began to ask them the following question.

The verse goes on to say, “... By what power, or by what name, have you done this?” Luke continued with the words, “by what power” or “through whose strength and ability”, “or by what name” which means “or through whose name which is used for everything which the name covers including the thoughts or feelings which are aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing and remembering,”, “have you done this” or “have you, Peter and John, performed, made ready and produced the miracle upon the lame man”? Luke shared how the religious leaders wanted to “know” by what means and through whose “name” they healed the “lame man”.

When we consider Luke's words in this verse, we learn how the religious leaders put Peter and John in the middle of them and asked them by what ability and through whose “name” they performed the miracle upon the lame man. They did not know, and Peter will answer them in our next verses. Just because someone does not understand the “power” of God nor His “name” does not mean He is unable to perform miracles. God sent His Son Jesus into the world to save people from their sins, and because “five thousand” people received Jesus as their “Lord and Savior”, these religious leaders were questioning. Everyone who carefully examines the life of Jesus and His disciples will find He is more than able to perform the greatest miracle of all – the salvation of all who believe.

Next time Luke shares how, “Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost” began to speak to the rulers, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".