Unschooled and Ordinary

When they [rulers and elders of the people] saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13, NIV 1984).

My Musings – The rulers and elders of the people were anything but “unschooled, ordinary men.” They were the “spiritual” elite. They were the ones who would be most schooled in matters of the Jewish faith. So, not easily “astonished” when it came to such matters. Yet they were. How could these common fishermen have acquired such insight? They connected the dots. “They took note that these men had been with Jesus.

My Advice – What do people see in us? Anything that might astonish them? Would they be able to “[take] note that [we have] been with Jesus?” How evident would it be? Let’s “let [our] light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16, NIV 1984). But let us never forget that our light is merely reflection of how much we “[have] been with Jesus.” Even the “unschooled” and “ordinary” can shine extraordinarily.