One of the oft-cited reasons for shyness in pressing into the service of God is that we aren’t special. We are ordinary. We don’t have the gifting to do things for God. If that’s you, today is your day to see what God does with ordinary folks who spend time with Jesus…
13 The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. 14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say. 15 So they ordered Peter and John out of the council chamber and conferred among themselves.
Acts 4:13-15 NLT
The members of the council were amazed, perplexed, and frustrated. Pay close attention to the first verse in this portion of scripture. It explains everything. In fact, it might be the only verse we need today…
The council were amazed by Peter and John’s boldness. We are not, because we have been watching this unfold for the first three chapters of the book. We have seen the growth in boldness in the apostles based on two differences pre-to-post resurrection. The council would have seen them scatter. They saw them disappear into the shadows after Jesus was crucified. They would have heard, if they inquired, that some of them went back to fishing. Maybe they wouldn’t be fishers of people after all.
Except they had been encountering Jesus in his resurrected, glorified form. He told them to wait for the Spirit to clothe them with power from on high. And over forty days, between the resurrection and Pentecost, Jesus talked with them (Acts 1:3) about the Kingdom of God. This would have been an expanded version of what the disciples on the road to Emmaus would have received. “Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself,” (Luke 24:27 NLT). The disciples had learned and truly received the teaching of their Rabbi.
In fact, their expectations of him and of Messiah, which had previously been geared to the human aims and purposes of rebelling against Rome and restoring their political freedom and the earthly throne of King David, were now aligned with God. The truth of the resurrection and purpose of the Jesus’ life, death, and rising from the dead greatly exceeded any human purpose. The victory on the cross and the victory of the resurrection set the stage for victory in eternity, which was far greater than victory, in time, over Rome.
The healed man stood before the council. There was no denying that he stood there after being unable to stand for forty years. It was amazing and it was undeniable. What was also undeniable was that the disciples Peter and John were “ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures.” This was confounding the council because Peter and John were able to teach from the Scriptures with such boldness.
“They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.” Ahhh… here is the kicker. This is the game changer. When ordinary people spend time with Jesus, they become extraordinary. When ordinary people spend time with Jesus and are empowered by his Spirit, they can do extraordinary things. When ordinary people have the Scriptures opened up for them by the Teacher, they are able to explain the plan of God for this world in a way which doesn’t seem possible. This is what the council saw in Peter and John.
“There was nothing the council could say.” No kidding. No wonder. No denying the impact of Jesus on ordinary people…
Amen.
Marc Kinna
marckinna 