They Recognized They Had Been with Jesus

Acts 4:13, “ Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.”

A phrase in Acts 4:13 says the Jewish authorities recognize that the Peter and John had been with Jesus. This has always puzzled me. What caused Chief Priest and other authorities to remember Jesus in the lives of His followers. It had not been very long that they had crucified Christ. So they clearly remembered His words, His miracles and especially His authority.

I have often wondered if it was some strange aura around Peter and John that caused the authorities to take notice. Perhaps a lingering of the Upper Room experience in Acts 2? Could it have been the miracle of the lame man in Acts 3 that caused them to see Jesus in them? Christ was always performing miracles and healing the sick. Surely this had a striking resemblance to the Christ they had just crucified on Calvary?

As good and noteworthy as the Upper Room experience and miracles are, those alone are not what caused people to see Jesus in Peter and John. Luke tells us in the beginning of verse 13 what caused Peter and John to stand out. it was their boldness! They had authority as Jesus had authority.

When the Jewish authorities saw the boldness of Christ’s followers, they knew they had a problem, and when Satan sees boldness and authority in a believers life, he knows he has a big problem.

Matthew 7:29 tells us that Christ would teach, “as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.” When you carefully study the earthly ministry of Jesus, it is His authority that really stands out. In Matthew 28:18, Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

Now the remarkable thing is that Jesus shared His authority with His disciples. Luke 9:1 says, “And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases.” So when Peter and John stand before the Council and they face the same persecution as Jesus before the same authorities, we see the same boldness and the same authority that was in Christ in them! Why? Because Christ shares His authority with His people!

What is even more interesting to me is that after being released from the Council, Peter and John go to a prayer meeting and report all the threats they had received and shared how they had been beaten and strictly charged to no longer speak in the Name of Jesus. Luke records for us in Acts 4:29 how they prayed, “And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness.”

Can you believe that this was their prayer? It was boldness that caused the Chief Priests and rulers of Israel to recognize they had been with Jesus and it was was boldness that they continued to ask the Lord to give them as they faced threats and persecution. Is boldness a priority in your Christian life? Can you say with Paul, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16)?

It is not religious piety or some emotional feeling that will cause today’s generation to recognize that we have been with Jesus. It is not even supernatural miracles or divine events, but rather, boldness and authority to live right, fight sin in our own lives and to share the gospel in how we live and by what we say. Does your life proclaim the gospel? If it does, then you are boldly showing people the “power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16).