After

a night in jail, Peter and John are brought before the religious

rulers and teachers of the law. The apostles’ teaching to the

crowds has led to more people coming to faith in Jesus. But now Peter

and John are standing before the religious leaders who oppose Jesus.

These

religious leaders thought they were done with Jesus when they managed

to get him crucified. Now they want to do what they can to silence

Peter and John, so they threaten them. But they also know that a

great healing has taken place. Everyone who goes to the temple knows

the man who was lame—and now he is healed. How can this be?

The

religious leaders do not believe the healing of the lame man is

linked to Jesus, but they do link the courage of Peter and John to

Jesus. The rulers see Peter and John as ordinary, unschooled people.

They are fishermen. Peter and John are used to the Sea of Galilee,

not the Sanhedrin council of rulers.

What

does it mean that the rulers took note that Peter and John “had

been with Jesus”? What did that have to do with their courage? The

apostles now knew that everything Jesus had said and promised was

true. And they trusted that Jesus, by his Spirit, was still with

them. So in everything they were doing it was clear that Peter, John,

and the community of believers in Christ were people who were “with

Jesus.”