Luke is an accomplished writer. Add to that the Power of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and you end up reading lines like this: “They took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.”

Let me give you the background for this Sentence, this event, this occasion. Peter, the spokesman for the disciples, is here preaching to the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of Jews back in that day. These godly men had been arrested for proclaiming Jesus so publicly, so boldly. The next morning, at their arraignment, Peter says to those 70 men: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” Acts 14:12-13

The verb “took knowledge” is a super-strengthened form of “ginosko.” It is literally “epiginosko!” They REALLY knew these men had been with Jesus! Yet Jesus is dead! Rather dead and (according to some people) risen again! And now (again, if you take Peter’s word) ascended into Heaven! (So thought the Sanhedrin, with much doubt.)

Yet, undeniably, right in front of these Pharisee’s and Sadducees’ and Chief Priest’s eyes … are men who talk and act like they have (still) been with Jesus!

YES, the crucified, buried, risen and ascended Jesus, still influencing lives! Still communing and fellowshipping and impacting the men who loved Him so!

If the world looks at us today, my dear Believer friends, will they say the same thing?

That we have been with Jesus?

If not, we should adjust our ways of living!

They “had been” with Jesus is an imperfect tense in Greek. Indicating something that happened in the past … but is still going on today, still alive, still doing things to individuals!

That’s Jesus, for sure! (“And He walks with me and talks with me and tells me I am His Own!”)

Hallelujah!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

.