Is it evident that you have been with Jesus?Acts 4:13 — ἐθαύμαζον ἐπεγίνωσκόν τε αὐτοὺς ὅτι σὺν τῷ Ἰησοῦ ἦσαν
Translation: “They marveled because they recognized that they had been with Jesus”
What an amazing phrase tucked within all the historical events that happened in Jerusalem in the weeks and months after the resurrection and ascension of Christ. The apostles were teaching and preaching in the Temple to the utter consternation of the Jewish leaders. Though they were “unlearned” men (lit. ἰδιῶται, idiotes), they still proclaimed the Gospel with much boldness and the Jews still recognized the men as having been with Jesus.
They recognized them as having been with Jesus because:
1. They boldly proclaimed the Gospel—Do you and I boldly proclaim the gospel that reveals that we have recently been, as it were, “with Jesus”?
2. They faithfully and unequivocally obeyed their Lord—Is it evident in the way that you and I live our lives that we obey our Lord above everything else? Any human authority must be subservient to God’s sovereign authority. Do you obey Jesus Christ with this kind of commitment and intensity? The apostles did. And this is one reason why the Jews clearly recognized that they had been “with Jesus.”
3. The miracles they performed were clearly from the hand of God rather than the hand of men—Does the way we live life evidence God’s working in our lives? Today God does not work through miracles, signs, and wonders as He did in the apostolic era. Nevertheless, God still works miracles as He saves people from sin. Is it evident that God is working through us as His channels to funnel the pure and perfect water of the gospel to the hearts of spiritually thirsty people? Are we faithful conduits?
A fitting reminder for us this morning is to remember that the apostles were those who were seen by their enemies as “having been with Jesus.” Could this be said of you this morning, this day, this week? Is it evident to your spouse, your children, your coworkers, your friends, your Church, and even complete strangers that you have been with Jesus?
