After Pentecost, Peter and John were going up the Temple steps where they healed a lame beggar. This created quite a stir, and Peter told them they shouldn’t “wonder at this.” Peter was clear that they killed the Author of life on the cross “and by his name–by faith in his name–has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all” (Acts 3:16). As they were speaking, the priests and captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed that they were proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.
About 5,000 men came to Christ because of the word that Peter preached. Peter and John were questioned by all the high-priestly family but Peter preached even more boldly. Peter and John’s boldness struck them: “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished” (Acts 4:13). The council couldn’t deny what had happened, because thousands of people witnessed it.
They warned Peter and John not to speak about Jesus anymore. But Peter and John answered with even more boldness: “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (vs. 19-20). The council further threatened them and “they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened” (vs. 21). As Christians, we are called to be bold for Christ. Radical boldness simply means proclaiming the word of God because “we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”