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They Had Been with Jesus

The council that questioned Peter and John had questioned someone else not long before.

By EmberKeeper Editorial 1 min read

Scripture Acts 4:5–13 · John 18:13–27

Luke names some of the men in the room: Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, and others from the high priest’s family. These are names from the night Jesus was questioned and sent on, bound.

Now two fishermen stand before the same men, and the council is puzzled. “When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they marveled and took note that these men had been with Jesus.”

They looked for the usual explanation, a school or a known teacher, and found none. So they reached for the one explanation left, and they could reach for it because they had seen the original up close.

Not long before, in the courtyard of the high priest, Peter had stood warming himself at a charcoal fire and said, “I am not.” Now he speaks with a boldness his judges cannot account for.

That kind of courage is rarely taught in a classroom. It is caught from time spent in someone’s company.

Scripture in English is from the Berean Standard Bible, placed in the public domain by its publisher on 30 April 2023.

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