For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. -- Acts 4:20 (KJV)
A Command They Could Not Obey
Peter and John are sent out while the council confers. Behind closed doors, the rulers acknowledge a miracle everyone in Jerusalem knows about: "we cannot deny it." They decide to threaten the apostles so the news will spread no further.
When the men return, the command is explicit. They must neither speak nor teach in the name of Jesus.
Peter and John answer the judges with a question about God's judgment: "Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye." Their answer puts obedience to God before the council's demand. They have seen and heard things they must testify to, and these rulers are ordering them to withhold that testimony.
The apostles do not claim the right to say whatever comes into their heads. They identify what they will speak: the things they have seen and heard. Faithfulness includes telling the truth about what you know and refusing to embellish what you do not.
Tell It Without Adding to It
Perhaps someone asks why you still believe after a long stretch without the answer you wanted. You reach for an impressive story, then hesitate because nothing happened this week. The resurrection of Jesus has not become less true while you waited. The apostles' witness does not expire when your circumstances remain difficult.
You can speak from Scripture and tell how you came to believe it. Describe God's mercy without adding a detail to make the account stronger. Admit an unanswered question. The person listening may need that honesty more than a polished account of a life without trouble.
What truth about Jesus have you avoided saying because you could not predict the response? Consider a person you can speak with graciously, and the words you can use without exaggeration.
The council threatens Peter and John again and releases them. Luke promises no welcome for their answer. The man who was healed is over forty, and the people glorify God for what happened to him. The apostles leave knowing whom they have obeyed.
