Acts 4:33

Acts 4:33. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. These words speak of the relations of the Church with the outer world; the powerful and effective eloquence of the apostolic preaching was not, as some have suggested, merely working within the comparatively narrow pale of the believers: the writer of these brief early memoirs would hardly dwell on the power of the preaching within the Church. It was doubtless the solemn answer to the congregation's solemn (and, we believe, often repeated) prayer (see Acts 4:29); and we may think of these devoted men, day after day in the thronged Temple courts, the popular favour supporting them, speaking their blessed message for a time unhindered. ‘The resurrection of the Lord Jesus is again and again mentioned as the groundwork of the apostolic teaching; it was the column upon which their strong patient faith rested; they knew they had seen their Master after He had risen; they told it out to others that men might grasp the mighty issues which this victory of Jesus over death involved for every man and woman.'

And great grace was upon them all. Expositors have differed respecting the meaning of the ‘great grace' here alluded to. Is it (a) the ‘grace of God'? does it mean that the Divine favour was abundantly shown to the apostles? Or (b) does it signify that these devoted teachers found favour among the people? (b) seems decidedly the better interpretation; for, first, the word grace distinctly bears this meaning in chap. Acts 2:4; and second, it is obvious that the ‘grace of God' was upon the apostles and brethren: they were filled, we read, with the Holy Ghost (Acts 4:31). Acts 4:33 speaks of the great power of the apostolic preaching. There was scarcely any need for the writer of the ‘Acts' specially to mention, further, how God's favour was resting upon them; but the fact of their standing high in popular estimation was an important one: it showed under whose protection and by whose favour their public preaching and work went on after the threats of the supreme council (see Acts 4:18; Acts 4:21; Acts 4:29; comp. also chap. Acts 5:12-14).