Released from Confinement
TRANSLATION
(14) And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they (the Jewish leaders) had nothing they could say in opposition. (15) But after ordering them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin, they conferred with one another (16) saying, “What are we going to do with these men? Everyone living in Jerusalem will know that they have performed a notable sign, something we cannot deny. (17) To stop this from spreading further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.”
(18) So they called them in again and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. (19) But Peter and John responded to them, “Whether or not it is right in God’s sight for us to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge. (20) As for us, we cannot help but speak about the things which we have seen and heard.” (21) After further threats, they let them go since they could not find any way to punish them because all the people were praising God for what had happened, (22) for the man who was miraculously healed was more than forty years old.
OBSERVATIONS
The sense of helplessness and utter frustration which the Jewish leaders must have felt in trying to contain the spread of the Gospel was on full display in this account of the Sanhedrin’s impromptu meeting with Peter, John, and the healed man. Repetitions in this segment enable us to distill its message. “Seeing/sight/seen” are found three times (vss. 14, 19, & 20) as are “man/men” (vss. 14, 16, & 22) and “speak” (vss. 17, 18, & 20). Words repeated twice include “healed” (vss. 14 & 22) and “in this name/in the name of Jesus” (vss. 17 & 18).
OUTLINE
I. The Sanhedrin met to decide what to do about the lame man’s healing. (14-17)
II. After ordering Peter and John to stop their preaching, they let them go. (18-22)
IDEA STATEMENT
Admonished by the Jewish leaders to stop proclaiming the name of Jesus, Peter responded by appealing to the principle of obeying divine rather than human authority.
APPLICATION
Peter’s response to the Jewish leaders when they commanded the apostles to stop proclaiming the Gospel has resonated through the centuries of church history: “Whether or not it is right in God’s sight for us to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge. As for us, we cannot help but speak about the things which we have seen and heard.” In other words, our allegiance to Jesus compels us to do what he commanded no matter what consequences may follow.
Several years ago, I joined a local ministerium that met monthly. In the group were clergy from all the other places of worship in our town including Protestants, Catholics, and Jews. In the first meeting I attended, I introduced myself as the pastor of a local Bible-believing, Gospel-proclaiming church. Sitting next to me was the rabbi of a nearby synagogue. In the conversation that followed, he confronted me with this statement: “I hope you’re not like those television evangelists who try to convert everyone they meet. I consider such efforts to be inherently antisemitic.” For a moment I was caught off guard by this challenge, but then with this passage in mind, I replied, “You’re right that I do believe in proclaiming the Gospel, but I do this because I’m committed to obeying what my Jewish Lord and Savior has commanded me to do. At the same time, I’m committed to treating any who don’t accept the message of the Gospel with the same respect that all human beings deserve. I hope you can accept that.” He thanked me for my gracious response and became my friend from then on.