Acts 5:33-42 When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.
In the above verses the Sanhedrin attempts to deal with what they consider this apostate religion claiming Jesus as the Messiah. Since they were responsible for Jesus' death by the Romans, they were frustrated that this dead man's name was still spoken of in Jerusalem. They knew Jesus’ disciples were mostly unlearned men; however, the apostles were full of zeal for spreading the news of Jesus as the Messiah. These disciples were disobeying openly the demands of the Sanhedrin to cease their teaching about Jesus. Peter exclaimed, “We must obey God rather than human beings! The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. (Acts 5:29-30) The Sanhedrin could not tolerate such an affront to their leadership within the Jewish community without a counter response. Some in the Sanhedrin called for the disciples to be put to death. Jesus had heard the same cry from their lips on the day He was killed: Crucify him! Now the disciples stood before these leaders with the same threat on their lives. They were not ignorant of the Sanhedrin’s power to kill them, but they were now full of the Holy Spirit--no retreat for them as Peter did in the courtyard of the high priest on the day they arrested Jesus. He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!” After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.” Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!” (Matthew 26:72-74) Peter their spokesman confronted these leaders fearlessly about their wicked deed: you killed Jesus by hanging him on a cross. No denying Jesus this time even in this sanctum of religious authority, the Temple. In this holy place where God’s Spirit dwells, the apostles boldly stood before the Sanhedrin, proclaiming the name of Jesus as the Messiah should be spoken everywhere. They knew there would be dire consequences for speaking the name of Jesus to people in darkness, for Jesus had told them that He was sending them out as sheep among wolves. The wolves would harass them, persecute them, even kill them, but they should speak fearlessly the Good News as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance. Now before them, the religious leaders' muderous intent was aflame; they desired to kill these followers of Jesus. But Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, tampers down their desire to permanently get rid of these apostles of Jesus. He warns them not to make these apostles martyrs by killing them, but let them die at the hands of others or by natural causes. By doing so, this wayward teaching of Jesus Christ being the Messiah will die out on its own accord. He convinces the Sanhedrin to allow the disciples to live.
Gamaliel was Paul’s teacher of the Jewish laws and it regulations. He taught Paul well, for Paul was a leader in defending Judaism. He was so zealous of Judaism that he became a leader in crushing the church of the living God. Saul as he was known even went outside Jerusalem to arrest anyone who dared to speak of Jesus as the Messiah. He was a Pharisee of the Pharisees, believing not only in the commandments and the regulations given by Moses, but also in all the additional traditions that the Pharisees demanded the people to follow. As the superstar of Judaism, he was on his way to Damascus to arrest these apostate believers, both men and women, bringing them back to Jerusalem in chains, hoping that they will recant being a Christian or be killed. Saul, (Paul), was breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. (Acts 9:1) But Jesus had other plans for Saul, as he neared Damascus with his cohorts, Suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:3-4) Jesus caused him to go blind, making this man of power and authority so dependent that he had to have his companions assist him to Damascus. Ananias, a believer in Damascus, was instructed by God to see Saul and to lay his hands on Saul to heal his blindness. “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” (Acts 9:15-16) Paul's sight was restored, but he also heard from Ananias what he would suffer while following Jesus the Messiah. Preaching The Way would be costly to Paul, just as it was costly to the apostles who were in the Sanhedrin’s hands. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. But for them and for Paul, this was nothing in comparison to the Good news, a price they were willing to accept. The disciples left the presence of the authorities of Israel, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Paul places suffering in the context of the heavenly gift of being Children of God. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I CONSIDER THAT OUR PRESENT SUFFERINGS ARE NOT WORTH COMPARING WITH THE GLORY THAT WILL BE REVEALED IN US. (Romans 8:17-18) Paul, as with all the disciples, suffered much persecution as he ministered Christ to the world. These men were placed in prisons, experienced stoning, and beatings with rods; people spit at them, stripped them naked, ridiculed them. Even the women and children laughed at them, derided them, demeaned them. As Paul said, they were being treated as if they were the garbage of the world. Nevertheless, the disciples left the Sanhedrin with joy after being humiliated by flogging. Today’s church should be imitators of these believers who in the midst of persecution and threats of death held steady. Paul praises the church of the Thessalonians for they were standing fast in the face of much persecution. You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy GIVEN by the Holy Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 1:6) The infilling of the Holy Spirit helps believers endure the cross and the assaults of the enemy with joy.
The intent of the devil is to stop the spreading of the Good News throughout the world. Sometimes it seems as if the plan of redemption has been successfully thwarted by the devil, but God’s mysterious and victorious plan of salvation from the beginning of time will not be stopped by any power. Paul was greatly persecuted in Philippi; he and Silas were flogged and thrown in jail because Paul freed a young woman from demon possession. Paul and Silas were delivered miraculously from the prison in Philippi by a violent earthquake. These two ambassadors of Christ had been humiliated, abused, mistreated in every way, emotionally and physically. They might have cried out WHY GOD? But instead of being discouraged and quitting their missionary journey, they go on to Thessalonica. You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results. We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition. (1 Thessalonians 2:1-2) Severe opposition in Thessalonica was not going to stop them from spreading the Good News. They knew the delivering power of the Holy Spirit in people's lives. In Philippi, after the earthquake devastated the jail, the jailer was in fear because the authorities would kill him if any of the prisoners escaped. However, Paul had convinced the inmates to stay put. Because of Paul convincing the prisoners not to escape, the jailer’s life was spared. The jailer knew this was a supernatural situation, he cried out to Paul and Silas, what must I do to be saved? They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household. (Acts 16:31-34) Paul and Silas left Philippi knowing what God can do to a sinner who repents. God redeems him, saves him, fills him with the Holy Spirit and rescues his whole family from sin and death. Even though abused and mistreated in Philippi, the Lord confirmed again to Paul and Silas the transformational power of accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Christ's disciples had been with Jesus for three years. They also knew emphatically that Jesus was a man of transformational power. Because of that, they were not going to be silent about Jesus and his saving grace. They understood well that Jesus was sent by God to earth to make people right with him. Jesus had been resurrected to new life; they too now because of faith in Jesus’ work possess this new eternal life. In Jesus, they recognized that God’s reconciling plan was being implemented in people’s lives. All who know Jesus come into God’s presence without one fault. Eternity will not accept anyone without complete perfection through the blood of Jesus. But in and through Jesus, people are presented to God without one fault. This mystery of God of making eternal children of God through Christ has now come to all humans. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him (Jesus), and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through Jesus' blood, shed on the cross. ( Colossians 1:19-20) The apostles did not stop spreading The Way to God and neither will we dear breakfast companions. Purpose in your hearts to follow Jesus, and people will say of you that you never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.
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