Articles
What We have Seen and Heard
In Acts 4 Peter and John, in the midst of preaching the good news, are arrested. As to the cause for their arrest? Well, the text simply says that the Sadducees were upset (that’s probably putting it lightly) because these two apostles were preaching Jesus rose from the dead. The Sadducees, a sect of the Jews who taught there was no resurrection, wasted no time and had Peter and John put in prison for the message they proclaimed. Peter and John, perplexed as to why they are on trial, continued to emphasize that Jesus was crucified, and that He rose from the dead. To a great many people (5000+), this message was life-changing. Even so, the Jewish rulers wanted no part of this message and ordered them to stop preaching.
Peter and John heard these words, but they didn’t flinch. They were well-taught by their Lord that such things were to take place and when faced intimately with the scenario they stood their ground. Here’s what they said: “But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20). They could not fathom being able to cease preaching concerning what they had seen and heard. This phrase, without a doubt, speaks of Jesus. They had spent the better part of 3 years with the Messiah during which they were witnesses to His majesty and the truth of His messages. The things they had seen and heard over the course of the time spent with Jesus were so powerful, so essential and so life-changing that concealing such words would do more harm than good. I am reminded of the words of Jeremiah where he does well to note: “But if I say, "I will not remember Him Or speak anymore in His name," Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding it in, And I cannot endure it” (Jer. 20:9).
The point I am making is this: God’s message is so powerful and so majestic that we have other choice but to speak of it. Peter and John understood this and so did Jeremiah. Peter and John intensify the climax of their apologia to the Jewish council by saying they could not stop speaking about Jesus and what He did and said. Jesus’ identity and His personality together with what He did, carried more than enough ammunition for which men of all generations could use to counter attack the devil and the wickedness of sin.
Jesus came into the world to change the hearts of those who no longer wanted to be a part of the world but a part of something greater: Eternal life in Heaven. His ideals, His values, the things that were necessary to make this change have been written down and preserved in a book that’s over a thousand years old with events dating back further. Like the apostles who saw Jesus and heard Him, we too have the same opportunity. We can see Jesus and hear Him through the words written on the pages of the scriptures. We are able to observe His perfection with awe throughout 1,189 chapters in the greatest book on planet earth! We are more than able to understand His will for us today and what we like the first century folks can do to be saved.
The mere fact that God’s message, with utmost precision and perfection, has been persevered for so long without blemish having the same impact it did then as it does now is enough for me to get behind the pulpit and preach. It is more than enough for us to sit around the table to tell our friends and families about. It is more than enough to speak of even if our life is on the line for it. Will anything stop you from speaking what you have seen and heard?
