Acts 4:13,14 - They had been with Jesus

4:13

They saw the courage of Peter and John and were amazed that they could speak and act like this, for they were not educated. There is always a tendency for the elite in society (however, that may be defined) to look down on others and consider that no one else can do or think anything worthwhile, especially if they question the “wisdom” of the elite. They also noted that they had been with Jesus. One would have thought this much was obvious, given what they were preaching. Maybe this just put them all the more on their guard.

4:14

The Sanhedrin would have wanted to just shut these people up, but they were presented with an enormous problem. The lame man had clearly been healed, and everyone could see the results, and the reality of the healing. So they could not simply rebuke Peter and John. There are several things to note here. One is the way healings and teaching go together. This was true in Jesus’ ministry, it was true in the early church. Jesus healed people because He cared for the people, and He also often used the healings as a teaching point. Secondly the healings were obvious, there was no room for debate about whether someone was healed or not. If we are honest, we rarely meet this New Testament standard today. Thirdly the healings also acted to counter the opposition. Now there are those who say this sort of thing is not for today. Now I accept that many so called “healings” today are nothing like the New Testament examples, but I can see no Biblical case, and no logical case for saying miraculous healings are not for today. At the same time, I do not think that “healing ministries” are Biblical. Now, before my charismatic readers get upset, let me explain. I firmly believe and desire that miraculous healings would become a normal part of church mission, but in the New Testament they do not function on their own. They are part of the complete mission of the church. This does not mean the healings are not important in their own right, they are important for our God is a God of compassion. I do not believe healing ministries are Biblical, but I would love to see healing and teaching/preaching ministries, and the teaching/preaching would be focused on who Jesus is and our need to believe in Him as Lord and Saviour. I hope you see the point I am making.