accursed” because they did “not know the Law” (John 7:49). Earlier, when they heard Jesus teach, they were “astonished” because they knew he had “never been educated” (John 7:15), which means He had not received a formal education as they had. After Peter and John healed a lame man and preached the gospel to the crowd, they were arrested and brought before the council (Acts 3:1-4:6). The rulers perceived these two as being “uneducated and untrained men,” causing them to be “amazed” at the “confidence” they saw in the apostles. Ironically, while the rulers believed the common people to be in ignorance, they demonstrated that they were willfully ignorant. After healing the lame man, Peter made it clear that the man was made well by the power of Christ (Acts 3:11-16). As a result, the people were “glorifying God for what had happened” (Acts 4:21). When the rulers asked the apostles, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?” (Acts 4:7), Peter gave them the same answer. This man was “in good health” “by the name of Jesus” (Acts 4:10). Rather than glorifying God like the common people, their response was to threaten the apostles and tell them not to teach anymore in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:17-18, 21). They did this even though they recognized “the fact that a noteworthy miracle” had occurred and that they could not “deny it” (Acts 4:16). Higher education can give one an advantage in life, but there is also a potential danger. Increased knowledge can lead to arrogance (1 Corinthians 8:1). Arrogance is the opposite of humility, which is what we need if we are going to accept the word of God and please the Lord (James 1:21; 1 Peter 5:5). We must simply accept the truth about Jesus that is revealed to us in the word of God and obey His instructions. You do not need to have a higher education to be a faithful disciple. You simply need to have “an honest and good heart” (Luke 8:15) and “continue in [Jesus’] words” (John 8:31). Beware of “what is falsely called ‘knowledge’” that so often causes one to go “astray from the faith” (1 Timothy 6:20-21). Instead, be like the “wise man” that Jesus described who “hears these words of Mine and acts on them” (Matthew 7:24). –Andy Sochor
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