Recognized as having been with Jesus

Acts 4:1-31 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, ² being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. ³ And they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening. ⁴ But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.

⁵ On the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; ⁶ and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent. ⁷ When they had placed them in the center, they began to inquire, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?” ⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people, ⁹ if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, ¹⁰ let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health. ¹¹He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. ¹² And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

¹³ Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. ¹⁴ And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply. ¹⁵ But when they had ordered them to leave the Council, they began to confer with one another, ¹⁶ saying, “What shall we do with these men? For the fact that a noteworthy miracle has taken place through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷ But so that it will not spread any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no longer to any man in this name.” ¹⁸ And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; ²⁰ for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” ²¹ When they had threatened them further, they let them go (finding no basis on which to punish them) on account of the people, because they were all glorifying God for what had happened; ²² for the man was more than forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.

²³ When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. ²⁴ And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, “O Lord, it is You who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them, ²⁵ who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said, ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, And the peoples devise futile things? ²⁶ ‘The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the Lord and against His Christ.’  ²⁷ For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, ²⁸ to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur. ²⁹ And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, ³⁰ while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” ³¹ And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

In today’s text it says:  On the next day, (After the healing of the man born lame.) their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent. When they had placed them in the center, they began to inquire, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people, if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health…   Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.     Education and training are good and important. In many things they are required. Certainly we would not want to have heart surgery at the hand of an uneducated or untrained doctor. When it comes to ministering for the Lord, training and education is good, but nothing can take the place of being with Jesus. The religious leaders had been well trained and educated but they missed the coming of the Messiah because they relied on what they knew rather than getting to know Jesus. Books and teachers can teach us about Jesus, they can help us to know what He said and what He taught, But to know Him we must spend time with Him. A man and a woman do not fall in love by reading and being educated about each other. They grow closer together as they spend time together and come to know each other intimately. So too will our love for God and Jesus deepen and grow, not by knowing about them, but rather as we spend time with them and know them intimately.

Jesus said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel.” (John 5:19-20)  He said:  “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.” (John 14:12)     To do the works of Jesus we must, like Him, see and do what the Father is doing. We must be in step with the Father, doing His will in His time. These first two sermons of Peter, with thousands of people coming to believe in Christ, are an example of what can happen if we will walk in step with God, knowing Him and His will because we spend time with Him. In John 15:4-5 Jesus says:   ^“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” “In much, without nothing”   If we want to do the works that Jesus did, if we want to bear fruit for the kingdom of God, like Peter did, we cannot learn it from a book or a teacher. We must spend time with Jesus. We must know Him and abide with and in Him.

People may tell us what we should do and say. They may try to stop us from saying what God the Father is saying. In today’s text it says:   When they (the religious leaders) had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” After they were released, they prayed:    And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.    If we, believers and the church today, will pray the prayer that Peter prayed, that in spite of the threats of the world we would speak the word of God with confidence, doing what He is doing and saying what He is saying, then too, the places where we gather would be shaken. Signs and wonders would take place through the name of Jesus and the power of the Spirit which fills us. Many, who hear would believe.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus I desire to know You, to love You more deeply as I spend time with You. Holy Spirit be my teacher as in the Spirit and through the Spirit I come to know Jesus and the Father, abiding with and in them. May I boldly speak with confidence, not my own words, not what I have learned, but what You are saying. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, who was crucified, whom God raised from the dead, I pray and declare there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. Amen.