Peter and John Questioned by the CouncilBible World
4:15Acts 4:15
But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,
This moment belongs to the account of the apostles witnessing to Jesus, coming after their clear, bold testimony given through the Holy Spirit. Their words and works reflected their Teacher, carrying such power and such plain evidence of God's work that fear restrained their opponents from acting as they otherwise might have. That consultation followed the bold testimony and the undeniable healing.
Those testifying were Peter and John, whom the rulers dismissed as ignorant fishermen and expected to be overcome with embarrassment before priests, scribes and elders. Instead the rulers were amazed at their boldness, recognized they had been with Jesus, and saw they spoke as He spoke with a convincing power that silenced adversaries. The healed man stood before them as they heard Peter's testimony and saw the public miracle.
The verse describes the rulers ordering Peter and John to go aside out of the council and removing them, sending them outside so the members could confer privately among themselves. They did so to consider what to do and how to respond to them and their testimony. Their discussion led them to threaten the apostles and try to stop them from speaking and teaching in Jesus' name.
The rulers withdrew to consult in private because they were perplexed by the apostles' bold defense. They sought to conceal their perplexity after hearing that testimony. Their consultation reflected both that perplexity and their desire to stop the spread of belief in Jesus.
In that private counsel they all agreed it was useless to deny that the lame man had been healed by power given the apostles in the name of the crucified Jesus. A public, notable miracle had occurred that could not be denied. They would gladly have hidden the miracle by falsehood, but they could not because it was done in the full light of day before a crowd of people and was already known to thousands.
Their discussion was driven by fear that the work would spread and belief in Jesus would increase. They feared that spread would weaken their own power, bring their disgrace, and expose them as guilty of the murder of the Son of God and responsible for Jesus' death. They felt the work had to be stopped at once, and so decided to threaten the disciples and forbid them to speak and teach in Jesus' name.
This moment belongs to the account of the apostles witnessing to Jesus, coming after their clear, bold testimony given through the Holy Spirit. Their words and works reflected their Teacher, carrying such power and such plain evidence of God's work that fear restrained their opponents from acting as they otherwise might have. That consultation followed the bold testimony and the undeniable healing.
Those testifying were Peter and John, whom the rulers dismissed as ignorant fishermen and expected to be overcome with embarrassment before priests, scribes and elders. Instead the rulers were amazed at their boldness, recognized they had been with Jesus, and saw they spoke as He spoke with a convincing power that silenced adversaries. The healed man stood before them as they heard Peter's testimony and saw the public miracle.
The verse describes the rulers ordering Peter and John to go aside out of the council and removing them, sending them outside so the members could confer privately among themselves. They did so to consider what to do and how to respond to them and their testimony. Their discussion led them to threaten the apostles and try to stop them from speaking and teaching in Jesus' name.
The rulers withdrew to consult in private because they were perplexed by the apostles' bold defense. They sought to conceal their perplexity after hearing that testimony. Their consultation reflected both that perplexity and their desire to stop the spread of belief in Jesus.
In that private counsel they all agreed it was useless to deny that the lame man had been healed by power given the apostles in the name of the crucified Jesus. A public, notable miracle had occurred that could not be denied. They would gladly have hidden the miracle by falsehood, but they could not because it was done in the full light of day before a crowd of people and was already known to thousands.
Their discussion was driven by fear that the work would spread and belief in Jesus would increase. They feared that spread would weaken their own power, bring their disgrace, and expose them as guilty of the murder of the Son of God and responsible for Jesus' death. They felt the work had to be stopped at once, and so decided to threaten the disciples and forbid them to speak and teach in Jesus' name.