1Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them,
This is the Temple police force.
They kept order around the Temple area, and (probably) were in league and sympathetic with the Sadducees.
2being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead.
That is why they were so opposed to Peter and John’s preaching.
3And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.
Jewish law made it illegal to have a trial at night, so they held the Apostles in custody until the next day.
NOTE- Remember that Jesus’ trial was at night.
Their hatred of Jesus was so intense that they broke their own law regarding a night time trial.
The religious leaders were not wrong in investigating this disturbance.
It was their responsibility to protect the Temple area, and the right worship of God.
Their error came after they heard the truth about Jesus.
4However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
5And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and scribes,
6as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.
7And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, “By what power or by what name have you done this?”
8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel:
9If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well,
10let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.
11This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ 12Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
13Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.
14And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. 15But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,
16saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.
17But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.”
18So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.
20For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”
21So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done.
22For the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.