… for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard.” — Acts 4:20.
St. Peter’s powerful declaration in Acts 4:20, “…for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard,” touches the heart when we consider its context. Peter and John, fresh from healing a lifelong cripple and proclaiming the resurrected Christ, stood defiant against the Sanhedrin’s command to be silent — “…not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.”
Peter and John’s refusal wasn’t fueled by a sophisticated marketing or grand strategy – the nascent Church had none of the advertising agencies, media campaigns, or social media blitzes we see today. Even Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances were intimate, entrusting the monumental task of spreading the news to a small circle.
These “uneducated and ordinary” men, as they were perceived, possessed simply an uncontainable truth. Their compelling message, the reality of what they had witnessed and heard, was the force behind their bold proclamation. This early chapter in the Church’s history serves as a reminder: the power lies not in the platform or the polish, but in the undeniable conviction of the message itself.
Leave a Reply +