Scripture: 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.
Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.” Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to. And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.” Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.
And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. 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. And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. 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. 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. 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!” So they took his advice, 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. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.
Acts 5:17-42 ESV [Click here to read the entire chapter.]
Observation: Recapping Yesterday’s Daily Focus, Luke summarises to his audience that the apostles continue to perform many signs and wonders and continue to worship and pray in Solomon’s Portico. Meanwhile, those who hear about Ananias and Sapphira’s fate keep a safe distance but hold this sect in high esteem. Still, God adds to their numbers as fellow Jews bring their sick and place them along the streets where Peter walks to the temple—hoping his shadow will bring healing. Lastly, Luke adds that as the news spreads, people come from neighboring towns to bring their sick and spiritually ill to find healing.
For today’s devotion, Luke chronicles the second arrest of Peter, John, and the other apostles. Filled with jealousy, the high priest (collectively referring to Annas’ extended family of priests) and the Sadducees incarcerate them. But that very night, an angel of the Lord releases them from prison and commands them to go and stand in the temple and continue to proclaim life in Christ. Thus, at sunrise, they enter the temple and begin to teach, unbeknownst to the high priest. Meanwhile, the high priest convenes the Sanhedrin and sends temple guards to the prison to retrieve the apostles, only to have them return and report the cells are empty, despite being locked and guarded. Perplexed, the religious leaders ponder how this could have happened, only to be interrupted with an update that the apostles are again teaching the people in the temple. Immediately, the captain of the temple guards and his men detain the apostles, but not by force—because they feared the supporting crowd would stone them.
Once inside, the high priest questions the apostles why they disobeyed the strict order to stop teaching in Jesus’ name and points out that their teachings are stirring animosity toward the council—implying the Sanhedrin instigated Jesus’ crucifixion, which they did. Peter and the others, as one voice, boldly contend that they must obey God over men. The apostles then summarize their message proclaimed in the courtyard:
- God raised Jesus from the dead.
- You killed him by hanging him on a tree (referring to the cross; see Deuteronomy 21:22-23).
- God exalted Jesus to his right hand (symbolic of an appointed position of authority and power; see 1 Peter 3:21-22) as Israel’s “Leader and Savior,” bringing repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.
- God has given those who obey him the Holy Spirit.
- Together with the Holy Spirit, the apostles provide two witnesses according to Levitical law (see Deuteronomy 19:15).
At this point, the religious leaders are incensed and express murderous intentions against the apostles. But a Pharisee held in high esteem, Gamaliel, intervenes and orders the apostles to be removed from their hearing while the Sanhedrin further discusses the issue. Then, reminding the council of Theudus’ and Judas’ failed uprisings and how their men scattered when they died, Gamaliel cautions the council to leave the apostles alone, for if this uprising is of man, it will fail. But if it is of God, the Sanhedrin will risk fighting against God and lose. Hearing Gamaliel’s voice of reason, the council calls the apostles before them, orders the guards to beat them, sternly charges them to stop teaching in Jesus’ name, and then releases them.
Luke concludes this chapter of his chronicles of the burgeoning church by noting the apostles were not the least bit discouraged. Instead, they rejoiced for being counted worthy to suffer dishonor for Christ’s honor. And they continued to teach from house to house and in the temple that Jesus is the Christ.
Takeaway: As mentioned above, Luke’s use of the name “high priest” is grammatically the collective singular and represents Annas (emeritus), Caiaphas (son-in-law and acting high priest), and Annas’ sons, John and Alexander. While politic, none of these prideful men exhibited godly attributes of humility and sacrificial love. Instead, they jockeyed for self-preservation. As such, the accusations they alleged centered on offense to their authority. But this would go nowhere with Peter and John, for they previously (their first arrest) challenged the high priest’s authority, stating they would answer alone to God’s higher call to obedience (4:18-20). Thankfully, Gamaliel’s godly voice of reasoning prevailed over this stalemate. Being the son of the famous Hillel, Gamaliel’s words carried much weight. Indeed, the Mishnah records, “Since Rabban Gamaliel the elder died there has been no more reverence for the law; and purity and abstinence died out at the same time” (Sotah 9:15). And Gamaliel left our church a legacy with his protege the Apostle Paul (22:3).
With the Sanhedrin recognizing the truth of Gamaliel’s history lesson and conclusion, the exposed high-priestly family saves face by exerting a modicum of power in having the apostles beaten before releasing them. Still, being filled with the Holy Spirit, the apostles’ beating has the opposite effect: they find new energy and enthusiasm to continue proclaiming the Gospel as the angel of the Lord directed. Why? Because their suffering identified them with Christ, a point we have discussed in greater detail in the January 17, 2024, Daily Focus and will touch on below.
Our takeaway? There are a couple of points from this text. First, as also mentioned in previous devotions, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would guide his disciples in what to say when being brought before those hostile to his name and message (Luke 12:12). That also applies to others speaking on our behalf (as did Gamaliel) when our adversaries are closed-minded to our words. We see examples of this on a nationwide scale when non-profit legal defense organizations fight for the rights of churches and small business owners who refuse to fund or support activity antithetical to our faith, such as the Alliance Defense Fund, Christian Legal Society, Liberty Counsel, National Center for Life and Liberty, and Alliance Defending Freedom, to name a few.
The second takeaway also echoes those previous Daily Focus devotions that address biblical texts about unjust persecution—and there are many examples in our Bible. The crux is that while God is sovereign over our suffering, he grants us the free will to succumb to self-pity and bitterness or to cooperate with his Holy Spirit and persevere with a growing faith that changes our perspective and transforms our thinking to see our suffering not as punishment but as a means to spiritual maturity (Hebrews 12:3-11). How so? As mentioned above, our suffering conjoins us to Christ, who suffered for us (Philippians 3:10-11). Lastly, while all of us will face suffering and sorrow due to our sin-marred world, we do not grieve as those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Why? Because our suffering is temporal, but our glorious future, free of sin, sorrow, and suffering, is eternal. And like the apostles who left the council rejoicing in God (v.41), we offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, for it is our spiritual act of worship (Romans 12:1), and worship transforms agony to ecstasy.
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for your Son, who, for the joy set before him, endured agony on a cross for us (Hebrews 12:2). And we thank you for your Holy Spirit, who continues to guide us with the right words to say when encountering our adversaries and who strengthens and encourages us to rise above suffering and praise you and your Son’s names—transforming our agony to ecstasy. Still, we are slow to trust your goodness and cooperate with your Holy Spirit amid sorrow and suffering. So, when we struggle, would you please bring us to the end of our resources, deepen our understanding of your grace, and encourage us with timely words and signs of hope that inspire us to praise you? Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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