Undeniable Evidence

Introduction

Peter and John are now in front of an important council of Jewish officials the day after they healed the lame man.

Peter has responded respectfully to the important men.

He has played upon the word “saved.”

The lame man has been restored to health, or he enjoys health for the first time.

This points to the evidence that only in the name of Jesus can their be salvation.

We might consider events from two perspectives:

The apostles: Peter and John watched Jesus be taken before these same authorities, and they knew what happened to him.

The council: they might have thought they were rid of Jesus. These men will not let him be silenced.

They insist that he’s alive, exalted to the right hand of God, and responsible for physical and spiritual health.

An Important Observation

Luke provides insight into what members of the Council beheld and recognized in Peter and John.

Boldness.

This term points to the work of the Spirit in the apostles.

It is not the healing alone that points to the influence of God’s Spirit (or of Christ) on these men.

They conduct themselves with courage, and that confidence enables them to speak openly and freely about something that otherwise they might not.

They comprehended/recognized the following:

Peter and John did not have rabbinical training. (Jn. 7:15).

They were not involved in public life because they were not public intellectuals.

They recognized the two men were with Jesus.

This could refer to remembering them from earlier.

It could also mean they imitated Jesus and thus reminded the authorities of him.

A Real Dilemma

In addition to all they now acknowledged about Peter and John, the Council still had the evidence of the lame man in front of them.

Perhaps he, too, spent the night in the special “keep.”

His presence prevented them from being able to respond in a way they otherwise might have preferred.

After Peter finished his initial response, they ordered them to exit the Council to give them an opportunity to deliberate.

They began to confer with one another, and Luke switches to direct quotations for their conference.

They wanted to determine how to proceed with Peter and John.

“A known sign has come to be obvious to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem through them.”

“We are not able to deny.”

They decided:

They did not want this, apparently meaning Jesus, to spread unto the people any farther. They wanted to contain this message about Jesus.

They would threaten them not to speak any longer in “this name to not even one of the humans.”

Luke records that they followed through with their decision (Acts 4:18).

They ordered them never again to be speaking nor to be teaching in the name of Jesus.

A Shocking Response

Peter made it known that the Council had now landed on an issue where they could render service.

A question of what was right as well as about signs was the purview of the Council.

He calls upon them to render a judgment on the question of whether it is right in God’s sight to be hearing you all more than God.

Peter and John saw themselves as compelled to live in reality.

They were unable not speak what we saw and heard.

This sounds similar to 1 Jn. 1:1-3.

It also mirrors the opening of Acts.

Peter presents being silent on the resurrection of Jesus as a violation of their responsibility to God.

A Sad Conclusion

Surprisingly, the Council never considers:

Investigating the matter of Jesus’ resurrection further.

Why not produce His body to make it clear to the other Jesus that the message of the Apostles was inaccurate or unreliable?

Understanding the perspective of the Apostles.

Consequently, they chose to threaten the Apostles and release them from incarceration.

They had no grounds for their continued imprisonment.

The man served as undeniable evidence about Jesus’ identity more than about the powers of the Apostles.