What the apostles had done is obvious and cannot be denied.1 The presence (and presumably also the words) of the man who was healed (see Acts 3:1–10) serves to confirm what the apostles had said. If they accepted the testimony of the apostles, it would mean acknowledging that they made a mistake in killing Jesus, that there is a resurrection from the dead (something which the Sadducees in particular were unwilling to do), and it would mean the end of their leadership over the Jewish people.2 The lack of a positive response to the healing and the explanation from Peter shows the council to be hard-hearted. No matter what evidence is presented before them, they would not repent of their previous decisions; nothing would change their negative response toward those associated with Jesus.
14 But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.