Peter’s Response
Careful study of Peter’s response before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4.8-12) shows that it bears many resemblances to the way Jesus himself answered the religious authorities. This is probably no mere coincidence. Peter lived for several years at the side of his Master and was deeply marked by his teaching and his way of speaking.
Here are some remarkable parallels.
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A calm and direct answer
Like Jesus before the Sanhedrin (Matthew 26.57-68), Peter is not intimidated by the prestige of those he faces. He answers with respect, but without any servile submission:
“Rulers of the people and elders of Israel” (Acts 4.8).
Here we find the assurance that Jesus had promised to his disciples:
“What you are to say will be given to you in that very hour” (Matthew 10.19-20).
Luke also stresses this:
“Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them…” (Acts 4.8).
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The miracle becomes a starting point for proclaiming Jesus
The Sanhedrin asks a technical question:
“By what power or in whose name have you done this?” (Acts 4.7).
Like Jesus, Peter moves beyond the immediate question and brings the whole discussion back to its central person:
“By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth” (Acts 4.10).
Jesus himself had often used questions or circumstances to lead his hearers toward deeper truths (Matthew 22.41-46; John 5.19-47).
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An accusation turned back on the accusers
Peter declares:
“Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead” (Acts 4.10).
This formula recalls the many confrontations between Jesus and the religious leaders, when he exposed their spiritual responsibility (Matthew 21.33-46; Matthew 23.13-36).
Like his Master, Peter does not seek to defend himself. He sets his judges face to face with their own responsibility.
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The appeal to Scripture
Peter quotes:
“The stone rejected by you builders has become the chief cornerstone” (Acts 4.11).
The reference is to Psalms 118.22.
Now Jesus himself had applied this passage to himself before these same leaders:
“Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone?” (Matthew 21.42).
It is hard not to see here a direct recollection of the Master’s words.
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An exclusive claim of salvation
Peter concludes:
“There is salvation in no one else” (Acts 4.12).
This exclusivity recalls the declarations of Jesus:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14.6).
“I am the door” (John 10.9).
The heart of Peter’s message remains exactly that of Jesus.
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The same adversaries
The parallel is even more striking when we notice that Peter is probably addressing several men who had taken part in the trial of Jesus:
- Annas (John 18.13);
- Caiaphas (Matthew 26.57);
- the elders and the scribes (Matthew 26.59).
A few weeks earlier, Peter had followed Jesus from a distance and denied him (Matthew 26.69-75). Now, before these very same men, he takes up the very arguments of his Master.
Conclusion
There are thus deep similarities between Peter’s defense and that of Jesus. The structure of his argument, his appeal to Scripture, his way of turning his accusers back to their own responsibility, and above all the central place given to the person of the Messiah strongly recall the teaching of Jesus himself. One truly gets the impression that Peter had absorbed his Master’s way of thinking and bearing witness.
This resemblance is perhaps one of the first fulfillments of the promise of Jesus:
“A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher” (Luke 6.40).
Thus, behind Peter’s words, it is in a sense the voice of his Master that continues to resound before the Sanhedrin, through the work of the Holy Spirit (John 14.26; Acts 4.8).
