What is the meaning of Acts 4:27? In fact, this is the very city Jerusalem is spotlighted as the precise stage where God’s redemptive drama unfolded. • The believers who are praying (Acts 4:23-26) connect their present persecution to what happened in this same city. • Jesus Himself said it was “necessary that repentance and forgiveness of sins be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47). • Jerusalem had long been prophesied as the place where God’s purposes would converge (Luke 13:33; Zechariah 9:9), so the mention of “this very city” underscores the accuracy of those prophecies. where Herod and Pontius Pilate conspired Two rulers—one Jewish, one Roman—joined forces. • Herod Antipas mocked Jesus and sent Him back to Pilate, cementing their alliance (Luke 23:7-12). • Pilate, though declaring Jesus innocent (John 19:4-6), still handed Him over to be crucified (Acts 3:13). • Their cooperation fulfills Psalm 2:2: “The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One.” with the Gentiles and the people of Israel All humanity is represented in this opposition. • Romans (Gentiles) wielded the hammer and nails; Jewish leaders demanded the sentence (Acts 2:22-23). • This shared guilt mirrors Isaiah 53:3, “He was despised and rejected by men,” and Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned.” • By including both groups, the verse prepares the way for the gospel to go to both groups (Acts 10:34-35). against Your holy servant Jesus Jesus is called “holy” and “servant,” echoing Isaiah’s Servant Songs. • Peter used the same phrase in Acts 3:13, stressing Jesus’ sinlessness and divine mission. • Holiness marks Him as utterly set apart (Hebrews 7:26), while “servant” recalls Isaiah 52:13, “My Servant will act wisely.” • Opposition to such a Servant shows the depth of human rebellion, yet God’s plan never wavered. whom You anointed “Anointed” signals Messiah, the Christ. • At His baptism the Spirit descended and the Father declared, “You are My beloved Son” (Luke 3:22). • Acts 10:38 affirms, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power.” • Psalm 2:2 foretold the world’s revolt “against the LORD and against His Anointed,” yet that very anointing guarantees His ultimate victory (Psalm 2:6-9). summary Acts 4:27 reminds us that in the very city God had chosen, every level of human authority—Herod, Pilate, Gentiles, and Israel—rose up against the holy, Spirit-anointed Son. Their conspiracy did not thwart God’s plan; it fulfilled it. The verse reassures believers that opposition, no matter how widespread, only serves to advance the sovereign purposes God has already set in motion. |
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