Peter has just preached his third Spirit-filled sermon in the book of Acts (Acts 4:5-12). This third installment, "Rocky III," knocks out the Sanhedrin.
They had brought Pete and John to trial. But Rocky turned the tables and accused these religious leaders of murdering Messiah.
Beginning in verse 13, the 71 members of the Jewish council responds not only to Pete's sermon but their healing of the disabled man in the temple courts.
The first thing they noticed about Peter and John was their boldness. The Greek word here is parresia/παρρησια, which means freedom, lack of fear, courage, confidence. Friberg says it also includes the idea of a joyful sense of freedom.
Pete and John weren't afraid of anything. In many ways, it just doesn't make sense. Just a few weeks ago, Peter folded up like a cheap suit when challenged by a servant girl (Lk 22:56-57).
Why? What's the difference? These men had seen the risen Jesus! These men are now filled with the Holy Spirit!
Oh, that we would spend time with One God raised from the dead! Oh, that we would empty ourselves of the crap of life in order to be filled with God's Spirit!
When these things happen, God does extraordinary things through ordinary people.
The Sanhedrin also noted "that they were uneducated, common men" and were blown away. Once again, a look at the original language is instructive.
"Uneducated" is the word agrammatos/αγραμματος, which at its core means illiterate. Putting the negative a-/α- before -grammatos/-γραμματος, and, voila! It describes someone who can’t read or write.
Now this could certainly mean something as simple as they were uneducated and unlearned men. They may have simply been indicating that these two smelly fishermen weren't graduates of any college, much less any seminary.
But I think a look at the next word gives us insight into the Sanhedrin’s opinion of these two fearless Galileans.
"Common" is the Greek word idiotes/ιδιοτης. I honestly think the translators have cleaned things up a bit.
While the word can certainly mean someone who is unskilled and has no professional knowledge, it also indicates an ignorant, ill-informed person. In other words, an IDIOT!
The highly-educated Sanhedrin couldn't believe they had been whooped by a couple of illiterate idiots! It didn't make any sense.
These two rubes had completely embarrassed them. One of them had just knocked their socks off with his knowledge of what the Old Testament says about Messiah (Acts 4:11-12).
I think the council's opinion of Pete and John was, while demeaning and arrogant, actually right on target. But it's a reminder that God does extraordinary things through very ordinary people.
How had these two illiterate idiots boldly bumfuzzled the best minds in Israel? Luke tells us that the council "recognized that they had been with Jesus" (v13).
OK, they did have just a bit of training. They had spent the past three years following the radical Rabbi/Carpenter from Nazareth. And this had been an education like no other!
When we spend time with Jesus and are filled with His Spirit, crazy things begin to happen.
God can do extraordinary things through very ordinary people.
This idea is stated over and over in the Bible. Time and time again, God gets a hold of a broken, ordinary person and does extraordinary things.
-A drunk and naked sailor: Noah
-A hotheaded murderer: Moses
-A gorgeous member of a harem: Esther
-A hot and bothered king willing to kill: David
-A coward hiding from the enemy: Gideon
-A bartender: Nehemiah
-A unmarried pregnant teen girl: Mary
-A blue-collar construction worker: Joseph
It's the same idea that Paul writes about to the jacked-up church in Corinth. "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong" (1Cor 1:27).
Notice that God made the strategic decision to use the foolish and weak in order to make sure the world knows that He is behind it all.
And that includes a couple of illiterate idiots like Pete and John. Because God does extraordinary things through very ordinary people.
Are you ready for Him to use you?
©2011
Jay Jennings
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