When they 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)
In this passage, Peter and John were on trial for proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. And they boldly stood before the religious leaders of Israel and announced that Jesus, whom they had crucified, was the only way to salvation. Looking back on this today, we may not be surprised at their boldness; after all, they were apostles. But their judges were quite surprised. Peter and John were just a couple of Galilean fishermen, ordinary and unschooled. How were they able to boldly speak the way they did? They had been with Jesus; there was no other way to account for the difference.
And that raises a question for me. Is the time I spend with Jesus evident to those around me? Is it changing my life in visible ways? I certainly hope my life is significantly different than it would have been had I not come to know and follow him. But I believe it goes beyond just a changed lifestyle. Is Jesus daily revealed in what I say and do? Is Jesus’ presence in my life evident when people listen to me talk?
