What does Acts 4:16 mean?

Peter and John have healed a man lame from birth. More troubling to the Sanhedrin, however, is that they are teaching the power to do so came from Jesus of Nazareth and that Jesus rose from the dead. Most of the members of the Sanhedrin do not believe resurrection from the dead is possible. But the miracle of the lame man's healing clearly happened. Even so, they can't accept how it happened.

This is probably one of the most ironic verses in the Bible. The Sanhedrin admits this is a "notable sign," but instead of heeding it, they try to squelch it. They overtly recognize the implications of the event, and make a conscious effort to reject it for their own reasons. "Sign" is from the Greek root word sēmeion. It is a supernatural act performed by someone who God chooses to reveal His truth. Signs and healing identified the prophets in the Old Testament—prophets who communicated what God wanted from His people, the same prophets the people ignored and even killed (1 Kings 19:10; 2 Chronicles 36:16; Jeremiah 2:30).

The Sanhedrin did the same with Jesus. They even tried to kill Lazarus because he was proof that Jesus could raise the dead (John 12:9–11). They couldn't deny that Jesus raised Lazarus, and they can't deny that Peter and John miraculously healed a lame man. They can't even deny that Jesus rose from the dead (Matthew 28:11–15). All they can do is make threats.

The Sanhedrin will release Peter and John and then arrest all the apostles and consider killing them. Gamaliel, one of the foremost Jewish scholars, will tell them to wait: if the movement is from God, they can do nothing to stop it; if it isn't from God, it won't last (Acts 5:38–39). The apostles will continue to heal and continue to preach in Jesus' name. The Sanhedrin will continue to try to silence their message, thought they can't refute a single aspect of it.