If we could roll back the wheels of time, and stand in Jerusalem when this scene took place, we would not only have been greatly instructed by the Apostolic remarks, but also amused at the shock to the ruffled dignity of the pompous rulers, elders and scribes, caused by the Apostle's remarks. They had just had such a castigation from Peter's inspired tongue that it left them staring around in astonishment. It was one of those occasions which sometimes do occur in history when the tongue of the illiterate can concentrate more stinging reproof into a few short words than the tutored man, with whole dictionaries at his command, can inject into a cultured reprimand. What a sight for angels and men to behold, as the proud phylacteried Doctors writhed under the lash of the piercing words, and looked at each other too astounded to speak!

It had been a noble deed that Peter and John had done the day before. A poor man who had never walked since his birth was daily carried to his pitch to ask alms of the passers-by. Peter and John had given the unfortunate man such wealth as they had at their command. They made him experience the pleasure of "perfect soundness" (Acts 3. 16) in his hitherto useless limbs. The man's unrestrained demonstration of gratitude towards his benefactors soon drew a crowd, and gave Peter and John an opportunity to make one of their most memorable appeals to the Jewish people concerning the Name which had healed the impotent man. Standing in Solomon's Porch, Peter urged the crowd to repent and be converted, so that refreshing might come from the presence of the Lord, assuring them as children of Abraham and the prophets, that God, having raised up Jesus, sent him to them to bless them by "turning every one of them away from his iniquities" (Acts 3. 26).

While they were addressing the people, a company of Priests and Sadducees, together with the Captain of the Temple, "came upon them" and arrested them, "being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection of the dead". As it was late in the day they were lodged in prison overnight. The next day all the elite members of the priestly clan were gathered together for the "exposure" of these ignorant audacious men. "Annas the High Priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander and as many as were of the kindred of the High Priest were gathered together at Jerusalem." Evidently high authority thought that its voice could now extinguish the Nazarene heresy, if it made show and display enough over it; so the entire resident kin of the High Priest were gathered together to augment the pomp and authority of the judical bench. Probably they thought that after a night in jail Peter and John would be somewhat cowed, and ready to recant, or at least to promise never again to desecrate the holy Temple courts with the name of Jesus, and the salvation which He offered to the people. When the pompous bench was settled at its ease, the two were ushered in before it, and the questioning began.

"Tell us by whose authority, and in whose name, you were teaching the people, and speaking of a resurrection contrary to our official creed?" Undaunted by the official robes, or the artificial solemnity of the place, Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, completely reversed the roles each side was intended to play, and cited the official assembly to the bar of Scripture and of God.

"Ye rulers of the people and elders of Israel, if we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what manner he is made whole, be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the Name of Jesus of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, but whom God raised from the dead, even by him cloth this man stand before you whole." Peter turns round the whole aim and intent of the judical charge! He selects the ground upon which to reply. He ignores the point of the priestly grievance, and says not one word about having taught heresy on holy ground. He has no apology to make for his trespass upon Levitical prerogative, nor for teaching without an official diploma. He makes no excuse for openly affirming what the Sadducees denied. Pointing to the restored man, who had been cited to appear, Peter says, in effect: "If you wish to know for what reason we have need to answer you at all, it is because of this poor man! From birth he has been impotent and unable to walk! He has been laid daily at the Beautiful Gate. You have passed him by unaided and ignored these many years. We, coming into the Temple to pray, gave him such assistance as we could! We exercised the powers bestowed upon us in the Name of Jesus of Nazareth, who you slew, but who God has raised from the dead. Who are we more than other men, that we could do this thing, except that our statement is true: that Jesus is raised from the dead, and that healing and salvation are offered to the nation in his Name? This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which has become the head of the corner". What a stinging indictment of their eminent position in Israel! If they were as they claimed, the builders-up of Israel, why had they not taken that God-provided stone, in which was healing and true building power, and built that into the structure of the State? Here, in their midst, this former cripple's present soundness was proof that another and greater Builder had taken the Stone, and had made it the head corner-stone of his building; and healing through his Name had come to this afflicted Israelite!

Those were the facts of the situation. There should have been no sickness in Israel if they had been obeying the Law of the Lord; and none knew this better than the occupants of the judicial bench! Not only did Peter press home the charge of crucifying the Lord, but he made Moses' testimony also reveal their sin, and become their accuser. No wonder they did not know what to say in reply.

Apparently, as soon as Peter stopped speaking, a whispered consultation among them began. "Who are these men? Where had they acquired such argumentative skill? Who had given them insight into the prophetic writings to apply Scripture so exactly to the point? They have performed a most wonderful act of healing, but who are they, anyway? They have not graduated through the schools! At best they are only illiterate and ungifted men"—"They are men of no standing at all, but they were with the Nazarene and heard him talk—that is where they got their understanding from." This was the deduction based on the educated wisdom of this world!

"The wisdom of this world" versus "the wisdom of God"! "The wise. . . the foolish; the mighty . . . the weak; the "are". . the "are nots" (see 1 Cor.1.27-28) had met face to face in that judgement hall, and the "base things" had brought to nought the high and mighty in Israel. It was true, they had been with Jesus, and they had learned of him; but more than that they were with Jesus still, and that contact accounted for it all. The power to put disordered nature right where need arose, and the power to speak, both came from him. With such a mentor no wonder Peter and John were bold, and had no fear of man!

 It is not the great ones of the earth today who understand the will and way of God, any more than the pompous hierarchy in old Jerusalem. The present condition of the world is revealing the weakness of those in the place of power. There is no clear ringing challenging message of God issuing from them. And again the God of heaven and earth has a strange act to perform (Isa. 28. 21). He is about to turn the world upside down and bring his chosen people to the fore. It is the question of the "builders" and the "Stone" again, but set on a larger stage. The intending builders of a New World are laying foundations contrary to God. God's way and Christ's way is to build through and around Israel. The favoured nation of the old days is to be the nucleus and foundation of the New Age. That is the chosen way of God—and from it He will never turn. It is again the privilege mainly of illiterate and untaught men to know the way of God, and if we read the signs aright, it will be the privilege of some from this lowly class to do again as Peter did. While such a possibility is still in the hands of God, and will come only in its due time, and when circumstance is ripe, it is a privilege, great beyond measure, to be given to see and understand the Way of God in these momentous days. Like Peter and John, it is our privilege to learn to read in the Book of God, and fit its statements into their proper place, and know for certain that God still has his secrets for the "illiterate and untaught" who leave the mainstream to consort with Jesus and learn of him.

Look well to the oracles of God, brethren in the Lord. From time to time new flashes of light break out of it upon the pilgrim's path. It may well be that the unparalleled state of world affairs will afford conditions suitable for another "bursting forth", if only the pilgrim's gaze is keen enough to see. It is only when historic happening is running alongside prophetic forecast that the meaning of prophecy can be understood. Then, like Peter in his Pentecostal address, we will be able to say: "This is that which was spoken by the prophets."