Acts 5:33-42
Acts 5:33-42
May 31, 2020
Acts 5:33-42
33 When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. 34 But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. 35 And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. 36 For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. 38 So in the present case I tell you,
So they took his advice, 40 and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go
42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus. 1
In the midst of Jerusalem just months after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ we see Christ’s apostles teaching boldly (this is transformative due to the Spirit’s coming upon them) and proclaiming that salvation is in Christ alone. This is the gospel message – good news to the lost and dying.
1 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ac 5:33–42). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. 1
undertaking is of man, it will fail; 39 but if it is of God, you will not
keep away
from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this
be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing
God!”
. 41 Then they left the presence of the
council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor
for the name.
Their message was not welcomed by those in control of the city.
After Peter and John are arrested, thrown in prison, then released by an angel of the Lord they are once more brought before the council. Peter and John are standing before this council. And...these religious leaders want these men silenced. They want them gone. They are incensed and afraid.
The setting is clear and what we see here is amazing.
1. “THEY” HEARD
33 When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.
“They” are the Great Sanhedrin. The Great Sanhedrin dealt with religious and ritualistic Temple matters, criminal matters appertaining to the secular court, proceedings in connection with the discovery of a corpse, trials of adulterous wives, tithes, preparation of Torah Scrolls for the king and the Temple, drawing up the calendar and the solving of difficulties relating to ritual law.
This group made up of the Pharisees and Sadducees was one of diverse beliefs.
You think our two-party system in the USA is divided? Maybe you’ve watched Parliament in the UK in the past. You think they’re divided? You haven’t seen anything. Politics divides, but politics married to religion creates a huge chasm, especially when both groups claim to be the same religion, but the only right version of it.
You have the Sadducees here in this group who are the religiously liberal – abandoning all that the Old Testament held to be true regarding the nature and person of God, the concept of
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resurrection, the hope of a new life, any understanding or belief in the supernatural.
On the other side of the aisle, you have the Pharisees, a group you’ve likely heard of, but in contrast to the Sadducees, these were the religious conservatives – the very, very conservative. So conservative that they were legalistic.
The opposition between these two groups was cemented on their understanding of God and the law. Each group propagated its own version of fake news and would not budge in any way to appease the other.
The Sadducees surrendered biblical truth to accept the Hellenistic teachings of the Greeks. The modern-day comparison would be those Christians who have abandoned the inerrancy of the Word of God and adopted the teachings of pop-psychology and culturally accepted teachings to such a degree that the Bible has become little more than a book of myths with some good ideas.
The Pharisees commanded loyalty to the scribes, the teachers of the law, of whom were mostly Pharisees. They lived in an echo chamber of legalism espousing their hold to power and yet were divided as well between the rabbinical schools of Shammai and Hillel. Both of these pharisaical schools gave lip service to the scriptures, but were more concerned with tradition and rabbinical wrangling than the truth. Spend some time on Christian twitter and you’ll find this group today.
When Peter and John are before them they are united for this rare moment. United in their anger. United in their frustration. United in their desire to see these men not only locked away (they tried that) but killed.
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The most heinous of responses – murder – was an actual possibility for these men.
2. THEY CONFERRED
If you can imagine the powder keg that this room would have been, you know that the fear is driving the religious leaders to unlikely and ungodly responses. They want these men killed? That’s on the table. It is about to be voted upon.
Then, one man, a respected Pharisee, speaks up. This is one who was not only respected by his own party, but the opposing party as well.
34 But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while.
Peter and John are removed. The Sanhedrin confer. Gamaliel speaks. Of all in the room, this man has the respect of all and when he speaks, they listen.
He is a disciple of the rabbi Hillel. He had numerous disciples of his own as well (one named Saul of Tarsus.)
He speaks...
A. BE WARY
35 And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men.
His age and demeanor married to the respect received by others drew the listeners in. Don’t be rash. Be wise. Take your time. Think about this. Don’t get carried away.
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Remember, Gamaliel was as much a Christ-rejector and denier of Jesus as any other lost person in that room. His words do not move him into the Christian camp. Yet, he was not about to commit a rash act in the heat of passionate anger.
It’s not that he was opposed to sweeping away the leaders of this new religious movement (Peter and John), but he was saying – weigh the costs. The crowds love these guys.
B. BE WISE
He brings up Theudas and Judas. These two men are not often studied in our churches. There’s not much we know about them, other than what Gamaliel says, but when he brings them up, you can almost envision everyone in the room nodding their heads as they remember Theudas and Judas.
36 For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered.
Theudas – claming to be a somebody ended up being a nobody.
Judas of Galilee – created a crowd then was killed. While his followers became known as the zealots in their opposition to Rome, it seems that Gamaliel down-played their influence in this speech. Nevertheless, the point was made – if John and Peter are nothing more than the next edition of these rebels, be patient. They’re popularity will die and they will be little
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more than Theudas and Judas, footnotes in the history of Israel.
3. THEY WERE STIRRED
The most stirring statement from this Pharisee was that which turned the entire vote. It was the speech that changed an outcome.
38 So in the present case I tell you,
If these guys (Peter and John) are from man...it won’t last.
But if they’re from God, you don’t want to be on the wrong side of this story.
Did Gamaliel think Peter and John were from God? No. There’s no indication he did. His point to the Sanhedrin was that by making a big deal about these two fishermen from Galilee, that the crowds would just still gather, wanting to see what the big deal was. The influence the Sanhedrin desired to continue to hold over the people would be sidetracked, and they could actually lose.
So, the elder religious leader said “Just leave them alone. They’re nothing.”
But what about the other “they” in this story? What about John and Peter?
They’re not killed, but they do get a nice reminder of their meeting with the Sanhedrin.
4. THEY WERE PUNISHED
keep away from these men
and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of
man, it will fail; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to
overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!”
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So they took his advice, 40 and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
5. THEY WERE PRAISING
I love this part. Think about this – after being beaten, with what is considered to be a permissible flogging (forty stripes minus one) as based on Deut 25:3, verse 41 gives the play-by-play following their release.
6. THEY WERE PROCLAIMING
42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.
They proclaimed the gospel incessantly. They proclaimed the truth insistently. They didn’t go back into hiding. They deemed their punishment badges of honor as they remained faithful under the authority of God, fulfilling the command to go and tell.
For those keeping score, this is God’s church – 2 and the Sanhedrin – 0.
CONCLUSION
There’s much to think about in this passage, but I cannot help but think that as these people were divided, and even divided again, so too are the people in our world, in our nation, in our community, in our churches, and even in our families.
In this account, it is clearly a division of the righteous and the rebellious. One group designated as “they” seemed righteous but were rebels to the cause of Christ. The other “they” may have seemed to be rebellious to the cultural expectations but were righteous before God.
41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they
were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.
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When confronted with the gospel, we have two possible responses – repent or react.
Which category of “they” would you be?
How we respond to the gospel reveals where we stand.
Footnotes
