Boldness
One of my favorite Verses in Acts 4 is Verse 13. This Verse says, "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus" (NKJV).
Yesterday, I wrote about the judgment of the Pharisees as to whether the lame beggar who had been healed was "worthy" or "unworthy." This was a judgment they really had no right to make. But it is one we all too often do make, isn't it? Now, here in Verse 13, we see another type of judgment. We see that the scribes were beyond surprised that such uneducated men as Peter and John could be so bold in their words and actions.
That is another judgment we see in the world today. Education and training have become our god. They have become our answer to all of society's ills. That teenager stole. He must be uneducated. That woman is a prostitute. She must be uneducated. Beyond this, it extends into our spiritual lives. A church leader cannot be a church leader unless he or she undergoes ordination. (S)he must be recognized by those more educated, and, of course, (s)he first has to go through indoctrination - er, I mean doctrinal education as well.
This is what the scribes believed as well. If we study the history of the Pharisees, we can see that it is very similar to the training of spiritual leaders today. But notice the next statement. "And they realized that they had been with Jesus."
I so love that. These scribes (the men that had been educated with the best education of the time) perceived that Peter and John were untrained and uneducated. They marveled at where they got such boldness. Then it dawned on them. They had been with Jesus. Remember Jesus was known for teaching with authority. Many marveled at Him as well, that anything good could come from Galilee. It wasn't the best of neighborhoods.
It does not matter what education we have. It does not matter training we have. Our boldness, our passion, our everything comes from Jesus. Like Peter and John, we must spend time with Him. He transforms in ways that education cannot. He puts desire in our hearts that others will recognize, even if they judge it. So often they will judge, just because this passion will go against the norm. The healing of the lame man is the perfect example. This man was deemed worthless by society. But Jesus saw fit to give him His attention through willing disciples. What a lesson for us today.
Yesterday, I wrote about the judgment of the Pharisees as to whether the lame beggar who had been healed was "worthy" or "unworthy." This was a judgment they really had no right to make. But it is one we all too often do make, isn't it? Now, here in Verse 13, we see another type of judgment. We see that the scribes were beyond surprised that such uneducated men as Peter and John could be so bold in their words and actions.
That is another judgment we see in the world today. Education and training have become our god. They have become our answer to all of society's ills. That teenager stole. He must be uneducated. That woman is a prostitute. She must be uneducated. Beyond this, it extends into our spiritual lives. A church leader cannot be a church leader unless he or she undergoes ordination. (S)he must be recognized by those more educated, and, of course, (s)he first has to go through indoctrination - er, I mean doctrinal education as well.
This is what the scribes believed as well. If we study the history of the Pharisees, we can see that it is very similar to the training of spiritual leaders today. But notice the next statement. "And they realized that they had been with Jesus."
I so love that. These scribes (the men that had been educated with the best education of the time) perceived that Peter and John were untrained and uneducated. They marveled at where they got such boldness. Then it dawned on them. They had been with Jesus. Remember Jesus was known for teaching with authority. Many marveled at Him as well, that anything good could come from Galilee. It wasn't the best of neighborhoods.
It does not matter what education we have. It does not matter training we have. Our boldness, our passion, our everything comes from Jesus. Like Peter and John, we must spend time with Him. He transforms in ways that education cannot. He puts desire in our hearts that others will recognize, even if they judge it. So often they will judge, just because this passion will go against the norm. The healing of the lame man is the perfect example. This man was deemed worthless by society. But Jesus saw fit to give him His attention through willing disciples. What a lesson for us today.
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