Jesus Shining Through

Acts 4:13

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus

The Sanhedrin, who was drilling Peter and John about their activities and relationship with Jesus, in an effort to stop the name of Jesus from being spread any further, gave them a tremendous compliment. Obviously their intentions were not to compliment them but to chastise them and to put a halt to their preaching.

The Sanhedrin was a type of high court filled with the top religious leaders of the day. They were a kind of Supreme Court for the Jewish Law. Very proud and pompous, they loved to flaunt their knowledge of and skill in using the Law. It really irked them to find men such as Peter and John getting so much recognition and acclaim. These men had no formal teaching and training in the Law, yet they noted that they had been with Jesus.

How could they tell that they had been with Jesus? Good question and one we need to ask of ourselves. One way they could tell was by their behavior. Another way was that they were doing what Jesus did and told them to do. They were preaching, making disciples, healing the sick and casting out demons. They were not just going around acting religious, they were doing the works of Jesus and it made the establishment mad.

Don’t you think this is what Christianity should be noted for? Shouldn’t we be doing the works of Jesus and not just talking the talk of religion? If you were to be called in before a religious tribunal, would they say of you, “It is obvious that you have been with Jesus”? Let’s let Jesus come shining through in our lives.