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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." 21 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done. 22 For the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed. ~ Acts 4:18-22
Today, we return to our study of Acts 4 where the Apostles Peter and John have been confined overnight for healing a man who had been lame for 40 years and for preaching the resurrection of the Christ. Threatened, the Jewish religious leaders were trying to find a way to nullify the Apostles and their message. It was their insecurities that caused the religious leaders to deal with the Apostles as they did. Insecurity is a feeling of inadequacy, self-doubt, and uncertainty that gives way to all types of anxieties. Quite frankly, their insecurity came from their lack of the truth. It is when we find our value buried in the Lord that we are freed to be the witnesses we know we desire to be.
In v.18 of today's passage we read, "So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus."
The word translated "commanded" is a strict prohibition. Literally the religious leaders said to Peter and John that they were to absolutely never speak or teach in the name of the Lord Jesus. Insecure people look to silence others while secure people long for opposing views to be aired resulting in the truth prevailing. As leaders, we will fail and we will learn from our failures. The question is to whom do we look for the corrections. God's truth is the answer and His truth will always keep us from capsizing in a world of torrential waters.
In v.19-20 of today's passage we read, "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.'"
The key phrase in these two verses is: "in the sight of God." Peter and John had been severely threatened but it did not make any difference, they were going to obey God. They had come to know the truth and the truth was setting them free. It was the resurrection of the Lord Jesus that caused Peter and John to be galvanized in their conviction as they were defined by the Lord. And, we will know that we are being defined by God when we obey Him. As we more frequently allow God to be our "Audience of One," we will discover that His definition of our lives is the best.
In v.21-22 of today's passage we read, "21 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done. 22 For the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed."
After Peter and John had clearly stated their intentions to continue to speak about the Lord Jesus, it became more evident that the threatening command from the religious leaders found no footing in them. The religious leaders had no choice but to release them. In fact, they found themselves in a bind because everyone saw that the lame man had been healed and his healing authenticated their message. The message from God was evident to all but the hardened hearts of the religious leaders prevented them from being defined by God. C.S. Lewis once said, "Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see."
It is the truth that sets us free. The key to being set free by God’s truth is abiding in His word. It’s not enough to know the truth. The enemy knows the truth, but it doesn’t set him free. God’s truth sets us free when we obey Him. It is the truth of the gospel that ultimately sets us free. While the truth of the law first frees us to look for the Savior, it is the gospel that tells us that Jesus Christ is our Savior. The demands of the law were placed upon the Lord Jesus. At the cross He endured God’s wrath on our behalf. The Lord Jesus is the truth. It is through Him that we have entered into a personal relationship with God who now leads us in His truth.
Max Lucado once said, "In order to lead the orchestra we must turn our back on the crowd." Peter and John were leading the orchestra that day at the Temple in Jerusalem.They were able to do it because they lived with eternity's values in view. It was C.T. Studd who said, "If Jesus Christ is God and He died for me, no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for him." In Proverbs 11:3 we read, "The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them." Their integrity had its roots firmly in the truth. As we are being defined by the truth, the truth will set us free. Sadly, for all to see that day in Jerusalem, there was made evident the difference between the integrity of the Apostles and the disingenuousness of the Jewish religious leaders. The difference between the two was seen in one being defined by the self and the other being defined by the Savior.
