Peter and John are there, standing boldly under unjust conditions before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Religious Supreme Court of the day. Their offense? They were used greatly by God to see a man healed, a life transformed and as people gathered to see God’s faithfulness in this man, Peter spoke up about the good news of the gospel! Many were saved.
Acts 4:13–14 (NKJV) “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.”
As they are being examined their boldness is evident. It can’t be denied. They weren’t afraid. They weren’t intimidated. They were living in the freedom of grace, relying upon Jesus for their every need. They spoke confidently without hesitation of the wonderful faithfulness of Jesus. All of this under great pressure and stress.
Then, they are misperceived in two ways. They were misunderstood.
First they were labeled as ‘uneducated and untrained’. They weren’t religious professionals. That actually was correct. But they were well educated and well trained in they best way ever, time with Jesus.
Secondly they were viewed as having “been” with Jesus. Again that was half correct. Not only had they been with Jesus, but Jesus was with them right then and there! He’s alive!
Being misunderstood is painful. People love to label and marginalize and diminish others so that they can feel better about themselves. The expectations people put upon our lives can be overwhelming and suffocating. Maybe you’re experiencing that right now.
It’s important to learn there is an inner strength of the Holy Spirit we can lean into when misjudged and misperceived. While we might be misunderstood by man, we are well known by God. He loves you. He cares for you. He is with you right now!
Luke 10:39–40 (NKJV) “And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”
How much time have I really been spending in relationship with my Savior? It’s a good question to ask. Know this, as you invest you live in Him, you’ll begin to put on that fragrance of the Lord and others will be attracted to you. But, if you neglect the Lord, then you’ll begin to stink like the world and start to repel people from the things of God. The Holy Spirit wants to draw men to God, but we need to have the fragrance of the Lord.
Be with Jesus friend. Spend time with Him. Read your Bible and pray every day. Remain open to a fresh encouragement from the Lord.
