Acts 4:15-17

Acts 4:15-17

[15] But  when they had commanded  them  to go aside  out of  the council,  they conferred  among  themselves,  [16] Saying,  What  shall we do  men?  for  that  indeed  a notable  miracle  hath been done  by  them  is manifest  to all them  that dwell  in Jerusalem;  and  we cannot  deny  [17] But  it spread  further  among  the people,  threaten  them,  that they speak  henceforth  to no  man  in  name. 

What does Acts 4:15-17 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Evidently someone in the Sanhedrin, or someone else present in the room who was then or later became a Christian, reported the information in these verses to Luke. Perhaps Gamaliel told Paul, and Paul told Luke. Perhaps Nicodemus or some other believing member of the Sanhedrin was the source of this information. The most the Sanhedrin felt it could do was to warn and try to intimidate the apostles. The Sanhedrin members acknowledged that a miracle had taken place.
It seems clear that the Jewish leaders could not disprove the miracle. They were completely silent about the apostles" claims that Jesus was alive. After all, the simplest way to discredit the apostles would have been to produce Jesus" body or in some other way prove to the people that Jesus had not risen.