YOU'RE KIDDING. RIGHT?

Acts 4: 5 – 13


I'm sure you have heard of the woman fondly called “SUBO.”
She is the woman that at first was called the “hairy angel,” who has become the beloved singer from Scotland named Susan Boyle
To look at her and the awkward way she presents herself, you could hardly blame people for being surprised that she has a voice like an angel.
We all have that prejudice in us. We look at someone and immediately form an opinion of what they are like. Boy, do I have stories on that subject. So, why should we be surprised at the way the Sanhedrin reacted to the powerful words of Peter and John?

8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people!
9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed,
10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.
11 He is "‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.’
12 Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
13 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.

Unschooled ordinary men. In this period of history this meant that these guys had failed to meet the standard of having a Rabbi teach them. Without this education, these guys would not have been able to go to the first century equivalent of college and would be forced to work in the family business to survive.
So, why were they standing in front of the Sanhedrin?

5 The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem.
6 Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest’s family.
7 They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?"

Peter and john had healed a crippled beggar in the name of Jesus Christ. Their following spirit lead speech to the gathering people about repentance and baptism lead to 3,000 people to join “THE WAY”.
These actions had struck fear in the hearts of the religious leaders in Jerusalem, and they had to put an end to this.
After all, they had gone to all the trouble of crucifying Jesus to stop the movement that He had begun.
The crowd was dispersed, the people quieted, it was back to business as usual.
That is until Peter had chimed in proclaiming Jesus as Lord.

Strike fear in the heart of the enemy!
Proclaim Jesus as Lord of your life. That'll scare em.