Unschooled, ordinary men

“When [the Sanhedrin] saw the courage of Peter and John and realised that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13
Following the healing of the lame man in Acts 3, Peter and John were called before the Sanhedrin to give an account of what they were teaching the people. Peter spoke with boldness, under the influence of the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:8), about the power of God, given through the name of Jesus (Acts 4:10). The Sanhedrin marvelled because Peter and John were ‘unschooled’. This does not mean that they were ignorant, or illiterate – it simply meant that they did not have recognised qualifications from the ‘right’ rabbinical schools. In reality, Peter and John had spent about 4 years learning directly from Jesus Himself, the Son of God, the Author of the Scriptures – they were certainly not uneducated in the things of God.
Some people use this verse to try to build a case that we shouldn’t seek to gain any qualifications at all, because ‘after all, God can use anyone’. That’s right: He also used Paul, who had both Greek and rabbinical qualifications, in abundance (Phil. 3:4-5). Having qualifications doesn’t mean God can’t use you – so long as you recognise it’s His calling, and not the degrees and diplomas, which qualifies you in His kingdom.
Finally, we also see that the Sanhedrin “took note that these men had been with Jesus”. Being with Jesus should change our lives in a radical way – just as it did for Peter. The more time we spend with the Lord, the more we will become like Him. Our lives will become polarised and we will stand out from the world. Do people notice a difference in you? Or are you an ‘under-cover Christian’?