The Uncancellable Word
Introduction: The Crisis of Authority
We live in an age that is having a massive, full-blown, category-five crisis of authority. Everyone wants to be his own god, his own pope, his own supreme court. The spirit of our time despises the very notion of an external, objective authority. Our culture tells us to look within, to follow our hearts, to define our own truth. And the result of this grand experiment in autonomy is not the utopia of freedom we were promised, but rather a cacophony of shrieking, a society tearing itself apart because there is no final court of appeal. When every man does what is right in his own eyes, the only thing that remains is the law of the jungle, where the loudest, angriest, or most powerful mob wins.
Into this chaos, the Word of God speaks with a clarity that is both terrifying and liberating. It establishes a hierarchy of reality. There is a God in Heaven, He has spoken, and His Word is the final authority on everything. All other authorities, whether they be parents, governors, or church councils, are derivative. They have been delegated a measure of authority by God, and they are legitimate only insofar as they operate under His authority. The moment a lesser authority commands what God forbids, or forbids what God commands, it ceases to be a legitimate authority and becomes a tyranny. And at that point, the Christian has not just a right, but a duty, to obey God rather than men.
This is precisely the conflict we see in our text today. Peter and John, two fishermen from Galilee, are standing before the Sanhedrin, the most powerful religious and political body in Israel. This was the Jewish supreme court, composed of the high priest, elders, and scribes, the intellectual and spiritual elite of the nation. And these uneducated, ordinary men have been commanded to shut up. They have been given a direct order from the highest human authority in their world to stop speaking in the name of Jesus. Their response to this command sets the pattern for faithful Christian witness for all time. It is a collision of two kingdoms, a clash between two ultimate claims to authority. And what we learn here is that when the Word of God gets ahold of a man, he becomes gloriously and dangerously uncontrollable by any lesser power.
The Text
Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and comprehended that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were marveling, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply. But when they had ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin, they began to confer with one another, saying, “What should we do with these men? For the fact that a noteworthy sign has happened through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But lest it spread any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no longer to any man in this name.” And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to hear you rather than God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” And when they had threatened them further, they let them go (finding no basis on which to punish them) on account of the people, because they were all glorifying God for what had happened; for the man was more than forty years old on whom this sign of healing had occurred.
(Acts 4:13-22 LSB)
The Inconvenient Evidence (v. 13-14)
We begin with the Sanhedrin's profound bewilderment.
"Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and comprehended that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were marveling, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply." (Acts 4:13-14)
The council is confronted with two pieces of evidence they cannot dismiss. The first is the boldness of these apostles. The word for confidence, or boldness, is the Greek parrhesia. It means freedom of speech, frankness, courage. This is not the arrogance of a revolutionary. This is the calm, settled confidence of a man who knows he is standing on solid ground. And it baffled the council. These were not men trained in their rabbinic schools. They were "uneducated and ordinary," which means they were laymen, commoners, fishermen. They didn't have the right credentials. Yet they spoke with an authority that the credentialed class could not muster.
The council's conclusion is telling: "they began to recognize them as having been with Jesus." This is a backhanded compliment of the highest order. They saw in Peter and John the same authoritative bearing, the same unnerving confidence that they had seen in Jesus. This is the great mark of a true disciple. It is not about formal education or social status; it is about having spent time with Jesus. When you have been with Jesus, something of His character, His authority, His fearlessness, rubs off on you. The world may not know what to make of you, but they will know you've been with Him.
The second piece of evidence was even more inconvenient: the healed man was standing right there. This wasn't a rumor or a second-hand report. This was Exhibit A, in the flesh, a man over forty years old, famously lame from birth, now standing and leaping. Facts are stubborn things. And when confronted with an undeniable miracle, the council "had nothing to say in reply." Notice this. They were not interested in the truth. Their silence was not the silence of thoughtful consideration, but the silence of men who have been cornered. Their worldview had no category for this, and so their only option was to suppress the evidence.
The Bureaucracy of Unbelief (v. 15-18)
Their response is a classic case study in how corrupt institutions deal with inconvenient truth.
"But when they had ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin, they began to confer with one another, saying, 'What should we do with these men? For the fact that a noteworthy sign has happened through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But lest it spread any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no longer to any man in this name.' And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus." (Acts 4:15-18)
They kick Peter and John out so they can deliberate in secret. And what is their central question? It is not, "Is this true?" It is not, "Could it be that we were wrong about Jesus?" No, their question is one of damage control: "What should we do with these men?" Their primary concern is not truth, but preserving their own power and control.
They openly admit the facts. They say, "a noteworthy sign has happened... and we cannot deny it." This is a stunning admission. They are not skeptics in the modern sense, denying the possibility of the supernatural. They are unbelievers who see the undeniable work of God and choose to fight against it. This is the essence of a hardened heart. It is not a lack of evidence; it is a suppression of the evidence in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18).
Their solution is purely political. "But lest it spread any further among the people, let us warn them." They cannot refute the message, so they decide to threaten the messengers. They cannot deny the name of Jesus, so they command that it not be spoken. They issue a gag order. This is the first resort of every crumbling, illegitimate authority. When you cannot win the argument, you shut down the debate. They are not trying to win hearts and minds; they are trying to manage a public relations problem. They command them "not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus." This is a total prohibition. They are attempting to make the name of Jesus a forbidden name, to cancel the gospel.
The Ultimate Allegiance (v. 19-20)
Peter and John's response is one of the great declarations of freedom in all of human history.
"But Peter and John answered and said to them, 'Whether it is right in the sight of God to hear you rather than God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.'" (Acts 4:19-20)
This is not defiant insolence. It is a calm, reasoned appeal to a higher court. They are not anarchists. They are acknowledging that the Sanhedrin has a judicial function, "you be the judge." But they are forcing the Sanhedrin to judge their own judgment. They are asking, "By what standard are you operating? In whose sight is your verdict right?" They are appealing from the court of man to the court of God. They are laying bare the fundamental conflict: whose voice has ultimate authority? The voice of the creature, or the voice of the Creator?
This is the principle of Christian civil disobedience. We are to obey the governing authorities in all things, for they are established by God (Romans 13:1). But when that authority commands us to disobey God, our duty is clear. We must obey God rather than men. Our allegiance is not ultimately to a flag, or a council, or a president, but to the King of kings. Peter and John are not being rebellious; they are being faithful to the highest authority there is.
And their faithfulness is not based on an abstract principle alone. It is a compulsion born of experience. "For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard." This is not a "will not," but a "cannot." The reality of the resurrected Christ was so powerful, so world-altering, that to remain silent was an impossibility. It would be like trying to hold a beach ball underwater. The truth they had seen with their own eyes and heard with their own ears had created a divine necessity within them. They were witnesses, and a witness must testify. To be silent would be to deny the central reality of the universe.
The Impotence of Threats (v. 21-22)
The conclusion of this encounter reveals the weakness of the Sanhedrin and the unstoppable nature of God's work.
"And when they had threatened them further, they let them go (finding no basis on which to punish them) on account of the people, because they were all glorifying God for what had happened; for the man was more than forty years old on whom this sign of healing had occurred." (Acts 4:21-22)
The council's only remaining weapon is more threats. But threats are useless against men who have already died to this world and who fear God more than they fear men. The Sanhedrin is trapped. They want to punish the apostles, but they can't. Why? Because of the people. The people were glorifying God for the miracle. The council, for all its power, was afraid of public opinion. Their authority was a house of cards, dependent on popular support.
This is a beautiful irony. The uneducated fishermen are bold as lions because they fear God alone. The powerful rulers are cowards because they fear the people. True authority comes from above, and it frees you from the fear of man. Illegitimate authority is propped up from below, and it makes you a slave to the whims of the crowd.
Luke adds the detail that the man was over forty years old. This underscores the undeniable nature of the miracle. This was a chronic, hopeless condition, not some psychosomatic ailment that a little positive thinking could fix. The evidence was irrefutable, the people were rejoicing, and the authorities were left sputtering, impotent, and exposed.
Conclusion: An Uncancellable Compulsion
So what does this confrontation in an ancient Jerusalem courtroom have to do with us? Everything.
First, it teaches us the source of true spiritual authority. It does not come from a seminary degree, a title, or a position. It comes from having been with Jesus. When you walk with Christ, when you are saturated in His Word, when you are filled with His Spirit, you will speak with a confidence that the world cannot understand or replicate.
Second, it prepares us for opposition. The world, and often the worldly church, does not want to hear the exclusive claims of Jesus Christ. They will not be able to refute the truth, so they will resort to threats, intimidation, and censorship. They will command us not to speak in "this name." They will try to cancel the gospel because it offends their autonomous pride. We should not be surprised when this happens. It is the same tired strategy the devil has been using since the beginning.
And third, it gives us our marching orders. We are to be men and women under authority, the authority of King Jesus. And this means we are to be men and women with a holy compulsion. "We cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard." The gospel is not a private hobby. It is a public proclamation. We have seen the empty tomb. We have heard the promise of forgiveness. We have experienced the power of the resurrected Christ in our own lives. How can we be silent? The threats of a cancel culture are nothing compared to the glory we have witnessed. The fear of man is a flimsy cage for a soul that has been set free by the Son of God.
Therefore, let us be like Peter and John. Let us so live in the presence of Jesus that the world takes note. And when they command us to be silent, let us respectfully, calmly, and joyfully defy them. Let us appeal to the highest court. Let us say, "Judge for yourselves. We must obey God." For the Word of God is not chained, and the name of Jesus cannot be cancelled.