“Lord Jesus, teach us to remain humble and learn from You. In Your name, we pray. Amen.”
Acts 4:13-14 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. (14) And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.
The leaders perceived Peter and John to be uneducated and untrained. Yet, what surprised them and literally floored the leaders was their grasp of theology.
This gives us another insight into the Jewish cultural setting. Peter and John had no formal training in rhetoric or Jewish theology. Culturally, there was a deep disrespect, groups like the Sanhedrin had for “lesser” people. Peter and John were not members of a privileged class that had higher education, nor were they of a religious class that could sit under a scholar.
John 7:49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” This was how the Jewish Socio-cultural-religious leaders viewed the common people.
Though Peter and John were fishermen, Peter had the confidence, grip of the Old Testament and fluidity to present their case before the highest religious court of the land. He could explain Jesus, from the Old Testament passages, as if he were from a rabbi schooling of the chief priests and scribes. This was what shocked the leaders.
Reading the Gospel and epistles of John, the book of Revelation and Peter’s epistles, we know that they surely were not uneducated nor untrained. Then what was it that was unique about the disciples, which ought to be the distinctiveness of His church?
Formal theological education is very good but whether a person has had this opportunity or not, we all need the training and education that our Master, Jesus, gives us, to do the ministry to which He has called us.
Matthew 4:18-22 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. (19) Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (20) They immediately left their nets and followed Him. (21) Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, (22) and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
The education that we all need, in His church, is the teaching from God and His Holy Spirit. John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
The requirement that we all must have in order to be schooled by God, is the willingness to do His will.
John 7:15-17 And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?” (16) Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. (17) If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.
The Lord desires that we understand that our glory is in the Lord and not in our education. This is the underlying principle that all of us must embrace in the body of Christ.
I Corinthians 1:18-31 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
The message of the cross does not appeal to the intellectually minded. It sounds too basic but the people of the world are not able to see the profoundness of the message of the cross. This is because the god of this age has blinded their mind. II Corinthians 4:3-4 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, (4) whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
The message of the cross is spiritually discerned. I Corinthians 2:13-14 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (14) But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
By all the wisdom and learning of this world, man has not been able to know God. I Corinthians 1:19-21 For it is written: “I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND BRING TO NOTHING THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE PRUDENT.” (20) Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? (21) For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
Man, in his own ways and efforts is searching for God and has tried to explain his relationship with God with his own understanding. All of these are futile. God has revealed Himself through the message of the cross, which sounds foolish to the people of the world.
May we all, with humility, seek the Lord to always teach us His ways.