Can I Get A Witness?

June 5, 2020 Georgia Tanner

Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. Acts 4:13 NASB

What do we know of being an eyewitness? What do we know of testifying about what our own eyes have seen?

Many years ago, as Jeff and I slowly pulled through an intersection, a car ran a red light and hit us. The policeman who took our information returned to us after speaking with the man who hit us and told us he would need to give us a ticket. We were shocked because it obviously was not our fault.

Another driver saw the accident happen and pulled over to share what he saw if needed. He overheard our conversation with the officer and stepped in to testify; “These people had the green light. The other car didn’t even brake as he ran the red light. And that fellow over there helping the driver tell his story to you wasn’t even here. He pulled over about five minutes after the accident and started talking to that driver.”

The policeman changed his decision of who was at fault and who received the ticket. We were stunned because we were unaware of the eyewitness who testified for us. And we were humbled because he knew even more than we did about our situation. From a distance, he had observed the accident as well as what had happened afterward and he made an unbiased judgment. It was easy for him to sort out what was true. And what wasn't.

A witness. That is something we folks who follow Jesus are supposed to be. That’s really all. We just tell what we have seen.

I always liked the explanation of the blind man who Jesus healed. He had been blind since birth. Jesus had spit in some mud (which I have always thought was disgustingly gross), put it on the man's eyes, and told him to go to the pool of Siloam to wash it off, and suddenly he could see. You would have thought it would be a happy day for everyone. But no. It caused quite the uproar. The neighbors took him to the religious leaders who didn't like the fact that it was the Sabbath, their Holy Day. No work was to be done that day and obviously, miraculous healing is work!

The leaders didn't believe this was the same man who had never been able to see. They called for his parents to identify him and bear witness to his blindness. Everyone wanted the now-seeing blind man to condemn whoever it was that healed him – or they would throw him out of the Jewish community. They threatened him, they threw insults at him. Declared a sinner, his simple response was, “All I know is I once was blind but now I see.” It was his own ‘eye-witness’ testimony. See John 9 for the whole story.

And if we fly forward a year or so, after Jesus is dead and gone and is no longer being that pesky outsider Rabbi who made the blind see, we hear two men, Peter and John, being questioned by those same religious leaders there in the courts of the Temple. Their problem is they have made a lame man miraculously walk.

Annas, the high priest and Caiaphas, and all the priestly family demand, "By what power or by what name did you do this?”(John 4:7) And the power and the name these common fishermen point to is the crucified, dead-and-gone teacher Jesus. Drat. The priests thought they had gotten rid of that problem.

But what seems to be possibly more disturbing is that here are these uneducated, ignorant men speaking intelligently and with great confidence. These two remind them of someone else… let’s see… of yeah; they are acting like Jesus. More than just their words, their very being seems to give witness to… Jesus. How can that be?

Think about this: Their very being reminds others of Jesus. “…they begin to recognize them as having been with Jesus.”

It makes me wonder, would anyone look at me, and recognize me as having been with Jesus?

This idea of my presence calling to mind the essence of Jesus is a little profound. The story of Jesus starts off with an introduction to John the Baptist:

There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. John 1:6-8 NASB

Can I get a witness? Is that all Jesus really asks? A witness who shares what has been seen, what has been heard. Would anyone accuse me - would anyone recognize me as someone who has spent the morning with Jesus?

Question: What have you seen? What have you heard? Is your life a witness?

I Stand Amazed Bart Milliard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaIDYwrrd8A