“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.”
Acts 4:13 (NLT)
In Acts 4:13 the Jewish council is amazed at the boldness of Peter and John. That alone tells me something has shifted—especially in John. Peter was already bold before Holy Spirit, but after Holy Spirit he gains the ability to preach with power and clarity. John—who we haven’t really seen this kind of boldness from before—now speaks with boldness too.
The council can also see these men are ordinary. Other translations say unschooled. In the Aramaic, it’s basically saying they did not know the scrolls. They could not recite the law backwards and forwards. They did not go to seminary. They don’t have a doctorate in theology. They didn’t even go to college. And yet Peter keeps tying the Old Testament to Jesus with clarity.
So how can common men speak like this? Acts 4:13 answers it: the council recognized they had been with Jesus. They saw the impact Jesus had on them simply by being in his presence. And it wasn’t just talk. Acts 4:14 says the council could see the man had been healed, and there was nothing they could say about it. You can’t argue with healing. You cannot dispute the power of God.
That’s where I have to focus. Each day, you and I get a chance, like Peter and John, to spend time with Jesus—and not just once in a while. As we read the Word, pray, worship, fast, build Godly community, practice generosity, and Sabbath, being with Jesus has an effect on our lives. Over time, it grows a boldness for Jesus, an ability to explain Jesus to others, and an ability to share Jesus with others. And when Jesus is really forming us, it won’t only be our words that preach—it will be the fruit people can see. Lives healed. Lives changed. And like the man standing next to the apostles, there will be nothing anyone can say against what God has done.