Acts 4:7

‘And when they had set them in the midst, they enquired, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?” '

It had been one thing for the Sadducees not to like the Apostolic message. It was another when it was to come before the Sanhedrin. For this was a formal court and had to be conducted along legal lines. Furthermore the court had to decide the lines along which it would proceed, and the accused were entitled to put up a defence. All that the court appear to have been told was that there had been a mysterious healing in the Temple and that it had been done in ‘the Name of Jesus' (the question of the resurrection would not be brought up. Half the court believed in the resurrection from the dead).

In accordance with Deuteronomy 13:1 this was good grounds for an Enquiry so as to ensure that those who brought about the healing were not undermining the faith of Israel.

Jesus had, of course, been sentenced by this court for blasphemy not long previously, before being sent off to Pilate (Luke 22:66), so they would not like to hear of the reappearance of His Name. The first thing therefore that they wanted to confirm was what methods these men had used in performing the healing, and in Whose name it had been done. Note that, unlike the way in which they had treated Jesus, they do not put words in the mouths of the accused. The court was seeking to be ‘fair'. If the name of Jesus is to be mentioned the men must be convicted out of their own mouths.

They recognised that a miracle had undoubtedly been done. The man, well known for what he had been, was standing before them. What was therefore necessary was to learn the source of the miracle. The suspicion would be that evil forces and incantations had been at work, and those were illegal. They therefore asked the two disciples of Jesus by what power they had healed the man and in what name it was done. The reply would enable them to hear from the accused's own lips any connection that they had with evil spirits or any connection that they had with ‘Him'.

To be fair to the court is should be pointed out that the charge having been made that those putting themselves forward as prophets had been doing wonders and signs out them under an obligation to investigate it (Deuteronomy 13:1).

It will be noted that no charge was made of preaching the resurrection of the dead. That would simply have swung many of the members of the Sanhedrin, who did believe in the resurrection from the dead, onto the side of the Apostles. The charge was strictly limited to performing a healing and using the name of Jesus.