The scene in Acts 4: Peter and John healed a lame man at the temple in Jerusalem. They proclaimed the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to the large crowd that gathered in response to the miracle. The Jewish religious leaders, greatly alarmed over Peter and John’s actions, arrested them, then questioned them the following day. In response, Peter, in the power of the Holy Spirit, boldly declared that the lame man was healed by the name of Jesus Christ, and that salvation was in Him alone.
Verse 13 is the telling reaction of the religious leaders: Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John, and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were marveling, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. Two remarkable observations by the religious leaders concerning Peter and John:
1) They knew they were uneducated and untrained men. They had not attended the formal rabbinical schools of Jerusalem – like them; but were sons of common fishermen from Galilee – like Jesus, who was the son of a carpenter from Galilee.
2) Yet they were amazed at the confidence with which these common men from Galilee spoke, much like they and all the people were amazed by the authority of Jesus’ teaching. In fact, they made the connection that these men “had been with Jesus.” They were among His disciples, or learner-followers.
The beautiful connection here is Mark 3:14 where it said that Jesus called His twelve disciples that they would be with Him, and then He would send them out to preach and perform acts of power. Jesus’ plan of disciple-making had worked to perfection. This leaves me with two important questions to consider:
1) Am I a learner-follower of Jesus to the point where others can unmistakably recognize my association with Him?
2) Am I following Jesus’ pattern for disciple-making to the end where I send others who are recognized as being His, and who will proclaim Him even after I am gone?