You can watch this on You Tube here: https://youtu.be/H3VEg2NzDbI
Acts 5:17-42 Here is the passage if you don’t have a Bible near by: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%205%3A17-42&version=NLT
I guess, given the disciple’s growing notoriety, it’s not surprising that people were jealous. And in this context it makes sense that, since the disciples were telling people that the law wasn’t working, and getting a huge following in the process, the religious leaders were the ones getting jealous. Plus, the message the disciples were spreading wasn’t all that flattering. “God sent his son Jesus to heal and rescue us, but our religious leaders conspired with our hated political overlords to kill him.”
So the religious leaders arrest them and toss them in jail overnight planning to hold a trial in the morning. God had other plans. An angel opens the gates of the jail, lets them out and locks the gates behind them. He sends them right back to the Temple where they had been arrested hours before with instructions to keep preaching. I guess when an angel breaks you out of jail and gives you a job to do, you get on it. So they were already at the Temple by the time the religious leaders showed up for the trial.
I do have moments when I feel pretty sorry for the high priest and his council. The guys you locked in jail last night aren’t there even though the doors are still locked, and then when you find them, they are doing exactly what got them arrested in the first place. So they send someone to arrest them…again. Only it had to be more of a “would you mind coming with us?” because the disciples were gaining rather an enthusiastic following what with healing people and all.
The interrogation doesn’t go well. Instead of being apologetic, the disciples just keep insisting they are obeying God who wants them to tell everyone about how Jesus, who you killed, is now Prince of Heaven and Saviour of the world. The high council is seriously out of options. Telling these guys to shut up does nothing. Apparently locking them up is not an option. They decide the only way to stop this debacle is to kill them. Did they already forget how well that went with Jesus?
Gamaliel stands up and calls a private conference. Remember Gamaliel for later. His name will pop up again. He was obviously a respected, well educated member of this council. It appears he was also a cool-headed guy who had seen his fair share of charismatic figures rise and fall. His advice is so wise, so calm. He deescalates the whole room, and they agree to just send the disciples away with a warning and a whipping.
I can see why people admired Gamaliel. The man had perspective. He had watched religious celebrities come and go. Some were pretty impressive. But he had figured out that if God wasn’t really directing them, they would fade away. Every human effort eventually fails. He knew that this one would too. And if it didn’t, it was because God was sustaining it. He knew fighting against God was both dangerous and pointless.
I love this. I don’t know about you, but I see some headlines that can really stress me out. This person or that seems to have tremendous power and influence all of a sudden. That’s going to be a disaster for the economy, or the church, or my children’s future. What am I going to do? Maybe I can post an angry rant on Instagram, or make a sign and join a demonstration. Whatever I do, I should definitely panic, and try to get a lot of other people to freak out along with me, unless… Unless God is in control. Unless God is sovereign and he already saw this coming. Unless he has allowed this because he is going to use it for good no matter how it was intended. If God is in control, and if God really is God (possessing ultimate wisdom, power, and kindness) then he is not freaking out about this, and he already has a plan in the middle of it. If God is in control, maybe I don’t have to fix this. Maybe he can. And, as Gamaliel pointed out, if I’m missing something and this person or circumstance is something God is using, I will avoid getting in his way. I should add, in case you’ve never gotten in God’s way and are curious how that goes, it doesn’t slow him down for a second, but it will make you wish you’d found another way to spend your day.
So, in this moment at least, Gamaliel saves the council from making a really bad call.
And the disciples are kind of awesome. Jesus had told them he would suffer. He had told them that those who followed him would also face hardship because they followed him. But when Jesus told them these things, they didn’t really compute at the time. They kept expecting him to build his kingdom right there in the land of Israel, but after he died and rose again they started to get the picture of the much bigger kingdom Jesus had come to build. They also began to understand what it cost him to lay the foundation, and they were excited for the opportunity to sacrifice their own well-being and comfort to be a part of it with him. Their desire for fame and power had been overcome by love for Jesus. He had died for them, and they were ready to return the favour. They were actually excited because of what had happened. It had given them a chance to demonstrate their love. I love that they were so excited about this! They get it. They get it way better than I do.
