The liberty of reality

“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 4:13

It has been said before, that old cliché; perception is reality.  Perception is reality, in many cases, so much so that people and businesses are jockeying to control your perception of things.  How you perceive a: product, situation, or person.  They are pushing their agenda on you subtly or forcefully to try and change your perception in hope you will accept this as reality.  Businesses do this, the government does this, the media does this, the government and businesses through the media do this.  To change the perception is to change the reality.  However there are times, ever so rare, when the reality changes perception.  The genuine reality is so stark and unavoidably clear that it supersedes the perception (be it accurate or not) and drives home a greater fundamental truth. 

 Peter and John were many things, but religious scholars were not one of them.  If you were inquire about the intricacies of the Mosaic Law or the historical pretext of Isaiah with regards to the prophetic undertones; they would have been at a loss.  When it came to religious matters they were unlearned and ignorant men.  This was the perceived realty of the Pharisees towards Peter and John whether it was true or not.  In the context of Jewish religion and practices they were ignorant when compared to the Pharisees, just as you or I would be ignorant when compared to a doctorate of divinity (not saying that all those who receive religious degrees are Pharisaical).  That being said, in the context of genuine religious experience they were the elect.  They had been taught by the best and in their heart they had EXPERIENCED the righteousness that all those Pharisees and learned men were so laboriously learning about.  Imagine in your mind two aspiring musicians.  One sets out to learn his instrument and learn he does.  He studiously researches how it’s made, what it’s made from, the history of it, the proper playing technique, and the musical theory behind it.  However, in all this he never actually plays it!  He never experiences it.  In word and in mind he is learned, but in reality he is ignorant.  Now the other musician goes about learning very different.  He sits at the feet of a master, and he learns, and he plays, and he is critiqued, and he plays, and he learns, and plays; always playing, always learning, always experiencing.  I ask you, which of these two men are ignorant?  Which of these two would you call a musician?  The Pharisees perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men and in some respects they were, but the “took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus”!  The manner in which they spoke, behaved, and the miracles that they performed were so powerful and in the likeness of Christ that they could not avoid the reality that they had been with the Master.  They had supped with Him, they had walked with Him, they had learned from Him, and they had experienced in their hearts the gospel which he brought. 

Have we been with Jesus?  Have we experienced the Christ in our lives, and in our hearts?  Or is the perception of Him our reality, the act of learning enough to satisfy the ambition of being a Christian?  I firmly believe that there are many people who want to be Christians.  They just get caught up in being a Pharisee.  We can go to church, listen to sermons, and learn all about the theory of proper Christianity, but until you experience it in your life; it is only perception.  A real genuine experience with Jesus Christ will liberate you from all false perception, beyond that, it will liberate others (God willing).  The reality of Christ within will break perception and bring reality that you can be with Jesus.