The Boldness of Peter and John

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished.  And they recognized that they had been with Jesus...So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.  But Peter and John told them ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”  -Acts 4:13, 18-20 (ESV.  Read Acts 4:1-22).

Peter stands out as the leader in the days of the early church immediately following Pentecost.  John is an able assistant and likewise in the forefront of the exciting action.  Following healing of the lame man, the two disciples were arrested and spent a night in custody.  When they were released the next day they were taken before the high priests and elders and questioned.  Bold Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, began to preach to them.  He addressed the Jewish leaders.  Imagine with what power, conviction and understanding Peter spoke: “Jesus Christ of Nazareth…whom you crucified…God raised from the dead…This Jesus, the stone rejected by you, the builders…has become the cornerstone” (10-11). 

Peter’s preaching sent the Jewish rulers into a huddle.  What to do with these disciples?  These unlearned men (who had taken no formal training with them in the rabbinical school) “had been with Jesus.”  What better education could they get than traveling about with Jesus for three years, hearing Him teach, hearing Him pray, watching as He performed miracles?  And other matters the Temple rulers had to contend with was the living sign of the power of Jesus of Nazareth, the 40-years-lame man, walking and demonstrating that he was healed.  Add to that the growing popularity of the gospel Peter and John and the other believers were joyously sharing with everyone.  Ears were tuned in; hearts were being changed by hearing the Word.

The Jewish leaders could not stand this growing popularity of the followers of Jesus.  They feared losing their own power and influence.  Jealousy makes people do hurtful and unusual things.  Silence them, the leaders thought.  Forbid them to preach any more in the name of Jesus of Nazareth.  That should bring this strange uprising to an end and get Jerusalem and the Temple back to business as usual.

But when commanded not to preach any more about Jesus and Him crucified, risen and ascended, proclaiming Him as the Messiah the Jews had expected for centuries, Peter and the others could not keep quiet.  “We cannot but speak what we have seen and heard!” (Acts 4:20).  Very recently I received an e-mail telling that a group in America now is working at break-neck speed to stop ministers, many of them known for their faithfulness to the Lord and to the Word, from preaching on radio, television and other media.   Bills have been introduced to ban Christian religious programs on the airways.  If we remain complacent and allow this to come about, our churches would not even be allowed to purchase air time to broadcast their worship services.  Persecution was very near to Peter and John.  They had already spent a night in custody and now they were being forbidden to preach.  We are closer than many of us realize to persecution and silencing of witnesses to Christ’s power.  Let us be serious about our positive stand for the right to preach, teach and witness to the power of the risen Lord.  Will you be one, like Peter, who will declare boldly:  ‘We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard”?   Let us earnestly pray that His Word may continue to be preached and shared.