SCRIPTURE 13The 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. 14But since they could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say. 15So they ordered Peter and John out of the council chamber and conferred among themselves.Acts 4:13-15
OBSERVATION Peter and John found themselves standing in front of some the most educated and influential people of their day to defend the miracle they had just performed. Instead of cowering in fear they stood strong in faith and communicated clearly that they would not be silenced. The Sanhedrin had the power to end their lives right there, but since they had already laid their lives down Peter and John were not intimidated. These men who were unschooled were taking these leaders back to class. We see here that the religious leaders “marveled” at their ability and courage. The Greek here is not a one time moment of curiosity but they began to wonder and kept wondering. The words anointed of the Holy Spirit really got these men thinking. They had them pegged as uneducated simpletons trying to stir up trouble.Instead, they recognized that though they had never been trained in the rabbinical schools of Hillel or Shammai they had clearly been trained by Jesus. In John 7:15 we see the people saying the same thing:“The people were surprised when they heard him. “How does he know so much when he hasn’t been trained?” they asked.” The wording used here does not mean “ignorant” but a layman rather than a clergyman, a common solider rather than an officer. As it turns out, this is often the Lord’s favorite way to communicate the Good News. He loves to show His glory through the ordinary: “5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” (2 Cor. 4:5-7) This is exactly what happened here in Acts 4. The religious leaders heard Peter and John talking but all they could think about was Jesus. They were beholding the light of Christ’s glory shining through these cracked pots.Here were men who had an encounter with Jesus and now these religious leaders were having an encounter with Jesus too. You see, it wasn’t more information they needed. They had more head knowledge than anyone else. What they needed was a moment with the Messiah that would change them forever. Peter and John weren’t quoting chapter and verse as much as they were living out the Word while following The Word. The Sanhedrin weren’t witnessing imitation but rather incarnation. What they were hearing wasn’t rote repetition but fresh revelation displayed from two ordinary men.
APPLICATION I used to read the above passage wrong. I read “ordinary men” as synonymous with “average men”, but these are not the same thing. Average, lukewarm, mediocre is the result we get from mirroring instead of pioneering, from imitation rather than incarnation. Yet, Peter and John were ordinary men overflowing with the glory of God because they took time in the presence of God. Later on in this very chapter after this bold display with the Sanhedrin, what do they do? They gather the church together and pray for more boldness in declaring the Good News. What happens? The room shakes. Those who tremble in the presence of the Lord will not tremble in the presence of their enemies. I keep thinking about Phil Quadra who passed away this past December. He was a quiet, unassuming, kind man that many may never have noticed. After performing his memorial service, his employer, the owner of the Blessed Life stores, told me of Phil’s boldness. Every person that would walk in to the store would have an encounter with Phil as he shared of his encounter with Jesus. I was honestly blown away to hear of his bold witness. It wasn’t just customers that were impacted. I received the following letter from one of Phil’s co-workers: “The week before Phil went home we were sitting in the break room at work together. I told him about my life and how crazy it had been as well as the many things I had survived that I most likely shouldn’t have. He told me that the Lord had a plan for my life and that is why I am still alive. He told me that when I finished doing what the Lord had for me to do I would go home. The last think I did was pray with Phil. The next week he did not come into work because he had finished doing what the Lord Jesus had sent him here to do. Part of that was letting me know that Jesus had a purpose for me.”Wow! Talk about the extraordinary in the ordinary moments of life. In our celebrity culture we tend to only praise the big names and the big places but God celebrates what everyone else misses. In fact, I think we will be surprised when we get to Heaven and find that those who seemed so ordinary here are celebrated as quite extraordinary in Heaven. Phil and all of Heaven were celebrating as 6 people came to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ this past week during his Celebration of Life service. Now, that’s an amazing life. That even in his death people found eternal life because of Phil’s life of faith. That’s glory in the ordinary. That’s how I want to live. Not as a celebrity seeking accolades but a servant seeking to show Jesus with boldness.
PRAYER Lord, I’m so thankful that You use the ordinary to show Your glory, the foolish things to confound the wise, the simple things to show Your greatness. In a day and age when everyone is enamored with themselves let me be enthralled by You. In a time when everyone’s validity and value is determined by how many followers they have on social media let it be enough that I simply follow You and show You boldly. When people see me I want them to see You because I’ve taken time to seek You. When people hear me I want them to hear You because I’ve taken time to hear You. Grant me a greater boldness than ever before to share Your Good News regardless of who I find myself standing in front of. This is moving from man’s confidence to a God confidence (Godfidence)!
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