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.
An evil conscience breaks out into tyranny. They see God's manifest work in the healed man, yet wickedly set themselves against Him. They confess it is known to all men, proving they care only what men think, not what God knows. Their demand to silence the apostles is sheer madness, do they imagine God's arm will be broken by their threats?
AI summary
The court sits the next day, not in haste like when they tried Christ, and perhaps they begin to relent; yet they cannot wait to silence the apostles. This prosecution in Jerusalem, where so many looked for redemption and found it but would not receive it, shows how that faithful city became a harlot. The gospel had both learning and power arrayed against it, yet it prevailed.
AI summary
Commenting on Acts 4:5-14
What struck them was not merely courage but the justness of diction, the strength of reasoning, the firm determination to assert that Jesus alone is Savior. These unschooled men spoke freely without reserve, charged the council with murdering Christ, and declared themselves resolved to abide by Him at all events.
AI summary