Acts 4:1-22

Some priests, the officer in charge of the temple guards, and some Sadducees approached Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. These religious authorities were greatly annoyed. Peter and John were teaching the people and spreading the message that the dead will come back to life through Jesus. So the temple guards arrested them. Since it was already evening, they put Peter and John in jail until the next day. But many of those who had heard the message became believers, so the number of men who believed grew to about 5,000. The next day the Jewish rulers, the leaders, and the experts in Moses’ Teachings met in Jerusalem. The chief priest Annas, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and the rest of the chief priest’s family were present. They made Peter and John stand in front of them and then asked, “By what power or in whose name did you do this?” Then Peter, because he was filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and leaders of the people, today you are cross-examining us about the good we did for a crippled man. You want to know how he was made well. You and all the people of Israel must understand that this man stands in your presence with a healthy body because of the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth. You crucified Jesus Christ, but God has brought him back to life. He is the stone that the builders rejected, the stone that has become the cornerstone. No one else can save us. Indeed, we can be saved only by the power of the one named Jesus and not by any other person.” After they found out that Peter and John had no education or special training, they were surprised to see how boldly they spoke. They realized that these men had been with Jesus. When they saw the man who was healed standing with Peter and John, they couldn’t say anything against the two apostles. So they ordered Peter and John to leave the council room and began to discuss the matter among themselves. They said, “What should we do to these men? Clearly, they’ve performed a miracle that everyone in Jerusalem knows about. We can’t deny that. So let’s threaten them. Let’s tell them that they must never speak to anyone about the one named Jesus. Then the news about the miracle that they have performed will not spread any further among the people.” They called Peter and John and ordered them never to teach about Jesus or even mention his name. Peter and John answered them, “Decide for yourselves whether God wants people to listen to you rather than to him. We cannot stop talking about what we’ve seen and heard.” The authorities threatened them even more and then let them go. Since all the people were praising God for what had happened, the authorities couldn’t find any way to punish Peter and John. (The man who was healed by this miracle was over 40 years old.)