Acts 5:17-42

 Acts 5:17-42

¹⁷ But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy ¹⁸ they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. ¹⁹ But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, ²⁰ “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” ²¹ 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. ²² But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, ²³ “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.” ²⁴ 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. ²⁵ And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.” ²⁶ Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.

²⁷ And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, ²⁸ 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.” ²⁹ But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. ³⁰ The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. ³¹ God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. ³² And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

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, 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!” 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. ⁴¹ Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. ⁴² And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.

The events immediately following Pentecost in Jerusalem had to have been a nightmare for the religious leaders.  They thought they had taken care of a problem with the crucifixion of Jesus.  However, the resurrection and now the miraculous workings of His disciples along with their condemning preaching was creating a movement of unrest in the city.  Their attempts to contain the situation only seem to make it worse and it is easy to see desperation in their words and actions.  The apostles, on the other hand, seem to be confident, at peace, and full of conviction.  This stark contrast is only explicable by the hand of God at work.  Followers of Christ should always be marked by this same assurance and hope no matter what circumstance they face.

THE SADDCEES PERSECUTION: The lines of people surrounding the temple and the multitudes of sick people flocking to Jerusalem had to have created a buzz in the city.  However, none of the buzz was about the Sadducees.  They were used to being at the center of attention at the temple and it was their words that people wanted to hear and their counsel that people sought.  All of that was changing because of the words and works of these apostles that had simply been a disjointed group of common, uneducated men and other misfits that were now at the center of attention.  They decide to take control of the situation by persecuting the apostles, having them arrested, and think that with the disciples in prison their problems would soon be behind them.  They are sorely mistaken.  The primary motive for the actions was jealousy.  Instead of rejoicing over the healing of the sick, they became angry because it was taking away from their popularity.  Instead of repenting, for crucifying the Messiah, they doubled down on and persecuted His followers.  However, they do not dare do so in public because of the popularity.  It is sad to see the Sadducees being moved by pride and thirst for power.  It is scary to know that this same tendency to fight for power, position, and popularity is in each of our hearts and is often the motivating factor behind our actions.

THE LORD’S PROVISION: As the disciples spend the night in jail and under the watchful eye of the temple guards, they are not filled with panic and fear.  Instead, they seem to be calm and assured that the Lord will care for them but also seem ready to suffer and even die.  They had tasted the joy of serving the Lord in the power of the Spirit.  The experiences of the last few weeks of their lives were beyond their imagination.  They were assured of the power of God working in and through them and knew that this same power continued to be with them in prison.  God supernaturally releases them by sending and angel to open the doors of the prison and allowing them to walk out completely unperceived by the guards.  When the Sadducees ask the guards to bring the apostles to them, they presume they are still behind the prison walls.  God provided escape, but also the courage to go the very next morning and continue their ministry as if nothing had happened.  Once again, they are hauled before the religious leaders, but this time the result is different.  Instead of going to jail, they are only threatened because Gamaliel seems to understand that this could be the working of God.  No matter how grave the circumstances we face become, God is in control and is always able to provide through angles or moving in the hearts of men, or by any means of His choosing.

THE APOSTLES PROCLAMATION: The apostles are busy about their work.  They understand that they are no able to control what the Sadducees will do.  They also have entrusted themselves to the care of God, so the only thing that is left for them to do is obey the Lord.  They had been commanded to be witnesses of the resurrection, and been empowered to speak and heal in supernatural ways.  Their job description and priorities were clear.  They were proclaiming Jesus when the were arrested.  They continued to proclaim Jesus the minute the angle released them from prison.  They persisted in proclaiming Jesus even before the Sadducees that were threatening them and putting them in jail.  Peter makes it abundantly clear that they would be obeying God instead of fearing men.  The courage and calm of these men can only be explained by the power of God.  That same power continues to be available for all who will be obedient to proclaim Jesus around the world.  Men in powerful places continue to threaten those who are bold to witness of the resurrection of Jesus.  We must stand firm in our conviction and rest in God’s protection as we boldly proclaim the Gospel in the nations.

APPLICATION: Guard our hearts from a desire for power over a desire for godliness.  Be careful not to allow jealousy to creep into our hearts.  Be prepared to face suffering and persecution.  Trust in the Lord’s protection in every circumstance as He is fully in control and know best how to advance His kingdom.  Focus on using every opportunity possible to witness of the resurrection of Jesus no matter what the cost.