Acts 4:18-22 18And after calling them, they ordered them not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. 19But Peter and John answering said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you judge; 20for we are unable to speak of what we have seen and heard.” 21And after they had further threatened them, they released them, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. 22For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.
The Sanhedrin delivered its verdict in verse 18. On the surface, it seems simple. There is no reference to the healing because it could not be denied. The issue was speaking in the name of Jesus. They failed to make the crucial connection between the healing and Jesus’ name. They rejected the idea that the healing was done in the name of Jesus. Something vital was missing in their review of the case. They had to accept that a miracle took place, but they refused to acknowledge that it was done through the name, and thus, the power and authority of Jesus of Nazareth, the man they helped get crucified.
The response of Peter and John shows courage and conviction. Once again, they do not compromise or back down but actually confront the leaders of the nation. They put the choice back with the Sanhedrin, whether to believe or not. Here was another opportunity for them to believe in Jesus. Verse 20 is idiomatic in the Greek and basically means that Peter and John felt that they had no other choice but to speak the truth because they had to give an account before God. The God of their forefathers, the almighty, one, and true God, had done something wonderful and amazing in history and had come in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Peter and John had witnessed this revelation and were given the mission and authority to share the good news.
The evidence was overwhelming and compelling, but the leaders refused to accept it in humility and repentance. Rather, they warned and threatened the apostles and let them go. The reason the council did not punish them was because of the peer pressure from the people. The people of Israel were divided. The leaders opposed the people. The leaders refused to accept God’s new movement among them, with the evidence of a forty-year-old cripple now fully healed right in front of them. Moreover, the people were praising God because they recognized the healing came through God’s power. Many of these people put their faith in Jesus of Nazareth. The same choice is presented to the reader of Acts. Will we humble ourselves and accept the powerful name of Jesus or refuse to believe the obvious evidence presented to us?
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