But that it spread no further among the people, let us straightly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.

Acts 4:17

Christ never lacks enemies.  His enemies always oppose His Gospel.  Therefore, His enemies oppose those who proclaim His Gospel.  We see such opposition in our text today.  The religious officers of the nation stood foursquare in opposition to Christ, His Gospel, and the Apostles.  What did they fear?   They feared the power of the Gospel to change the people.  This was an issue of control.  In order to maintain control, they had to silence the proclaimers of the Gospel.  Thus, they arrived at their purpose to threaten the Apostles, ‘that from now on they speak to no man in this name.’  It was the preaching of Christ they sought to squelch.  It is even so today.  Religionists have no particular objection to a discussion of morals and ethics.  All religions offer a moral code and ethical standards of some description.  If anyone asserts the claims of Christ, His Person and His work, it offends them to the core.  Why is this so?  It is because Christ utterly transforms everyone whose life He touches.  There is a genuine fear among religionists that the Gospel of Christ will spread ‘further among the people.’  The disciples said, ‘we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.’  Their testimony is our testimony.  In good conscience we cannot be silent any more than they could.  Christ is the answer.  He was then, and He is now.  We speak in His Name, knowing that He will change lives.

O, Christ our Savior,
we rejoice that You do indeed change lives.
We praise You that You, by Your Power,
give us voice to make You known.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.

Acts 4:14

Evidence silences argument.  The enemies of the Apostles desperately wanted to crush these upstart preachers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  They wanted them to be silent, especially regarding Christ, His Person and His work.  They wanted to evade taking responsibility for having engineered His murder.  The problem these evil men were facing was the evidence.  Peter and John had most recently healed the lame man at the Temple.  This was a very public miracle, and the man was ‘standing with them’ healthy and well.  Christ was getting the glory and His enemies were looking very bad indeed.  What could they do?  As our text for today says, ‘they could say nothing against it.’  This is the powerful effect which the work of God has upon the opponents of the Gospel.  It was manifestly clear that the boldness and power in evidence did not arise from any natural talents or advantages which these ‘uneducated and untrained’ men had.  For this reason, it was also manifestly clear that ‘they had been with Jesus.’  Christ gets the glory for the wonderful changes He effects in the lives of those whom He transforms, regardless of the humble tools He uses.  Let us live in hope that Christ will use us to accomplish His purpose.  Let it be the evidence of His power that silences all His enemies.  When they see what He does, they can say nothing against it.

Our Good and All-powerful God,
we rejoice that You do wonderful miracles,
to make Christ known.
We praise You that You will,
by these works, put to silence,
all your enemies.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

Acts 4:13

God uses humble tools to accomplish great things.  As Peter and John preached and did miracles in the days following Pentecost, they attracted the attention of the religious establishment.  Because they were doing such wondrous works, and having such an effect upon the common folk, the leaders began to consider them carefully.  Hence, our text declares that they, ‘perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men.’  They were tradesmen, used to hard manual labor and outdoor living.  This would have been a stark contrast to the religious leaders who were the academics of the rabbinical schools, or the priests, who were all about religion as a business.  While God chooses to use whom He wills to accomplish His purposes, lack of education does not hinder Him.  Both Moses and Paul were well-educated men, and God used them to advance the cause of Christ.  Peter and John were ‘uneducated and untrained men,’ and God used them to advance the cause of Christ, as well.  It was ‘that they had been with Jesus’ that made them useful.  This is very encouraging for us if we feel that we may never be of much use to advance the kingdom of Christ.  As we spend time with Him, contemplate Him and sit at His feet to learn of Him, He works in us according to His Own good pleasure to mold us into what will be the most useful tool for Him to use to glorify Him.

Our most Gracious Savior,
we rejoice that You have made us who and what we are
in order that You may use us
to glorify You in the advancement of Your Kingdom.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning