Acts 5:17-24 ~ An Angelic Accomplice

This week we retraced our steps in Acts 5:17-24 to more closely examine the second arrest story of the nascent church. We learned that Luke often uses a literary technique—the phrase “they/he rose up”—to emphasize a shift in the story line. We studied the motivation behind the second arrest and learned that it was more than mere jealousy. The religious leaders were indignant that the apostles were defying their orders and zealous to protect the status quo. During the second arrest, they were miraculously released from their holding cell by an angel of the Lord.

Released & Commissioned by the Angel of the Lord

We discussed how the phrase “angel of the Lord” was first used of the angel who visited Hagar after she fled from her home with Sarai and Abram (cf. Gen. 16). “The angel of the Lord” in the Old Testament is sometimes seen as a type of Christ; however, it is unclear in this context whether Luke was referring to an angel or to Jesus Himself. More than likely, he was referring to an angel, since there is zero reason not to identify the risen Lord as Himself in Acts.

Click to read this week’s passages in KJV, CSB, ESV, NIV:
Arrest #1: Acts 4:1-23 AND Arrest #2: Acts 5:1-17-42