“But the
high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of
the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy they arrested the apostles
and put them in the public prison. But during the night an
angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out and
said, Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the
‘words of this Life.’ And when they heard this, they
entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach…And when they
brought them, they set them before the council. And the high
priest questioned them…But a Pharisee in the council named
Gamaliel, a teacher of the law…stood up and gave orders to put the
men outside for a little while…[Gamaliel said] ‘if this plan or
this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you
will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found
opposing God!’...And every day, in the temple and from house to
house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the
Christ.” (Acts 5:17-21, 27, 34, 38b-39, 42. ESV. Read
Acts 5:17-42).
If
there had been a Jerusalem Times newspaper in the days of the
early church, the headlines no doubt would have called
attention to the most significant happenings: Apostles
Arrested; Angel Takes Prisoners Out with Doors Still Locked; Arrested
Apostles Preach at Daybreak at Temple; Council Sends for Prisoners,
Finds Them Escaped; Escapees Brought before the Sanhedrin without
Force; Council Fears the People Because of Apostles’ Popularity;
Reprimanded for Preaching, Peter Responds “We Must!”; Peter
Preaches to Council; Council Meets without Accused Present; Pharisee
Leader Gamaliel States ‘If of Man, Movement will Fail, If of God,
It Can’t Be Stopped’; Apostles Scourged, Given 39 Lashes;
Apostles Continue Preaching and Teaching.
“It
was the worst of times, it was the best of times” in Jerusalem (to
quote Charles Dickens). The zealous apostles went through great
persecution because they proclaimed the gospel. But they could
not be quieted, whether attempts were made through imprisonment or
through scourging with 39 lashes. “We
must obey God rather than men” Peter
declared boldly, as he continued to preach, even before the Council.
And from among those who imprisoned the apostles came one with great
words of advice. After giving examples of two, Theudas and
Judas the Galilean whose uprisings failed, Gamaliel said: “So
in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them
alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail;
but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them.
You might even be found opposing God!” (Acts
5:38-39).
The
apostles rejoiced at having been counted worthy to suffer in Jesus’
name. Suffering for the name of Jesus is a notable theme
throughout the book of Acts. Gamaliel was right in his
evaluation: “if it is of God, you will not be able to
overthrow them!” This surprise advocate, Gamaliel, a
member of the opposition to the gospel, saved the day for the
apostles. He evidently convinced the Council to “wait and see
what happens.” Even though the apostles were lashed (beaten
on their backs and chests with 39 lashes), this did not silence
them. Robert L. Maddox, Jr. in commenting on this noteworthy
event from Acts wrote: “Their backs hurt on the outside but
their hearts exulted on the inside.” Their purpose was not
defiance of the law the Sanhedrin had laid down. Their higher
calling, their passion was obedience to the Lord Christ. Their
allegiance was to the Lord, not to men. They could not help but
preach the richness of God’s unmerited grace. Thanks be to
God!
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