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such outward displays of God's power provided confirmation to those Jews who did
believe.
"Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: so that ye come behind in no
gift . . . . ." (I Cor. 1: 6, 7).
But to the Jew who did not believe, they signified that God was at work. The miracles
were a divine testimony and a wonderful witness to the unbelieving Jew, especially the
gift of tongues.
"In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto
this people; and yet for all that will they not hear Me, saith the Lord. Wherefore tongues
are a sign, not to them that believe; but to them that believe not" (I Cor. 14: 21, 22).
Notice the words, "In the law it is written". These words would mean little to a
Gentile of that time. Tongues were a sign to the unbelieving Jew of his unbelief and the
above reference would bring to his mind such passages as Isa. 28: 11, 12; 33: 19
as well as, possibly, Deut. 28: 49,
Unto the Jew "were committed the oracles of God" (Rom. 3: 2) and so only they
could understand the significance of the signs. How did the Israel of the Acts period
react to these miracles of God? Initially the response was good.
". . . and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls" (Acts 2: 41).
"Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed, and the numbers of the men
was about five thousand" (Acts 4: 4).
". . . and believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women"
(Acts 5: 14).
Sadly, however, just as they had refused to accept the miraculous credentials of Christ,
the Jewish leadership refused to be satisfied with the signs of the disciples. After Peter
and John had healed the man at the Beautiful Gate, the Jewish council conferred, saying:
"What shall we do to these men? For that a notable miracle hath been done by them
is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem: and we cannot deny it" (Acts 4: 16).
They could not deny the mighty miracle and asked "What shall we do to these men?"
What did they do? Do they accept the sign? Did they believe? No! They called in Peter
and John,
". . . . . and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus" (4: 18).
What hardness of heart! What hypocrisy! They could not deny the miracle, yet they
would not accept it. They refused the miraculous testimonials of the divine authority of
the disciples just as they had refused the witness of the Lord's work of His Messiahship.
As we progress through the book of Acts the unbelieving Jewish leaders actively
oppose the disciples first with imprisonments (Acts 5: 18), next with beatings (Acts 5: 40)
and then with the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7: 59). But that was just a start.