18 So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But 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. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”
4:18
So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
After reconvening the council, the Sanhedrin announced their decision to Peter and John for them never to speak about “the name of Jesus” again. This command established culpability for Peter and John.
Notice that it was the “name” of Jesus that healed the man. It was the Lord, not the apostles, who healed the man.
4:19
But 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.
Peter and John asked a rhetorical question of the Sanhedrin as to whether it was right to listen to the council or God. The word “right” means to conform to a standard. Here it is a legal standard because they were in court.
4:20
For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”
The apostles declared that it would be impossible for them not to speak of the revelation they received. They were eyewitnesses to the person and work of Jesus and were witnesses to those events.
PRINCIPLE:
There is no place in Christianity for accommodation of its truth.
APPLICATION:
The question of truth is an issue every generation must face, yet many dismiss God’s Word for expediency. The apostles could not accommodate their message for political or cultural reasons; they boldly proclaimed the message (1 Co 9:16). They could do nothing else but speak about what they had “seen and heard.”
