Acts 5:33-42
33When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. 34But 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. 35Then he addressed them: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36Some 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. 37After 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. 38Therefore, 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. 39But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
In verses 29-32, Peter infuriated the Sanhedrin, and especially the Sadducees, by saying that the council had killed Jesus in the worst way possible for a Jew, by hanging him from a tree, and that the God of their fathers had raised Jesus from the dead, disproving the Sadducees central doctrine that there is no resurrection. In addition, Peter said that God had done this so that Israel could have salvation from sin, which implied that the system the chief priests had control of was no longer valid. In other words, he said that they not only were murderers, they were also irrelevant. Where the NIV says the Sadducees were furious, the KJV and Amplified Bible say they were cut to the heart. The truth hurts, as the old saying goes. They were so angry that they wanted to kill the apostles then and there. But the most respected Pharisee of the time, Gamaliel, presented an argument which allowed for cooler heads to prevail.
Gamaliel was one of the most revered teachers of the law in the history of Judaism. He was the grandson of Hilliel the Elder, the father of Pharisaic thought who was largely responsible for the development of the Talmud and Mishnah. Saul of Tarsus discipled under Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), and Gamaliel is also believed by scholars to be the son of Simeon, who held the baby Jesus in his arms in Luke 2:25-35. According to Ecclesiastical tradition, Gamaliel was a secret believer in Jesus, baptized by Peter and John, who, along with Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, maintained his position in the Sanhedrin in order to try to help the early church. He remains a canonized saint in the Roman Catholic church to this day.
Gamaliel, because of his position as the most respected teacher of the law in Israel at the time, was able to blunt the rage of the Sadducees. Though the Sadducees had most of the political power, they had to listen to the Pharisees because of their influence and popularity with the people. Gamaliel cites two cases of false messiahs who gained large followings, but whose followers dispersed and movements came to nothing after their leaders were killed. The second example he cites, Judas the Galilean, is interesting because historians place his rebellion as originating in Bethlehem, and Gamliel says this took place during the Roman census. While a false messiah was starting a rebellion in the City of David, the real Messiah was being born there around the same time.
Gamaliel’s conclusion seems very reasonable. If God was not with this Jesus movement, it would fail on its own. If God was with it, nothing they could do would stop it. While the second part of that is certainly true, the first part is questionable. Lots of movements and false religions have succeeded and stood the test of time without God’s blessing. But regardless of the flaws in Gamaliel’s argument, it worked. He was able to help the apostles escape death and continue to spread the gospel, at least for the time being. If he was a secret believer who was trying to help the early church, he certainly did that. What would the rest of the Book of Acts have looked like if all 12 apostles had been killed right after this meeting?
40His 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.
41The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.[b]
The first time, when Peter and John stood before the Sanhedrin, they had gotten off with just a warning (4:18-21). This time, they were flogged, or scourged. This was the same cruel punishment that Jesus had received (Mark 15:15), 39 lashes with a bone-tipped whip. I quote here from David Guzik’s Commentary:
The victim of a Roman scourging was tied against a post, and struck with a whip that had bits of glass, sharp rock, and metal tied to the end of leather cords. The whip would be struck at the top and dragged down the back, until the victim’s entire back was a bloody, open wound. Many people died just from this scourging.
Then the council warned them again not to preach in the name of Jesus (as if they would!), and let them go. Did the apostles go home, lick their wounds, and feel sorry for themselves? No, they rejoiced! Why would they rejoice after having been beaten within an inch of their lives? They rejoiced because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Jesus had told them that this would happen to them in Mark 13:9. They were receiving confirmation after confirmation that what Jesus told them was true. They were being treated as he was treated, further proof that they were becoming like their Master. Until then, the apostles were held in high regard by all the people (2:46-47). But to be scourged publicly was considered shameful in a culture in which shame was a very big deal, which it remains in Middle Eastern cultures today. But the apostles rejoiced that they had suffered the same kind of shame that Jesus had. If you have ever suffered shame or ridicule for your testimony for Jesus, remember his words, as I’m sure the apostles did that day.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:11)
Up until this trial, the apostles had preached and taught the gospel in the temple courts. After, they continued to do that, but also taught from house to house. Rather than wait for the people to come to them in the temple courts, they went to the people, telling the Good News. They were beginning to follow the Great Commission. We, as the church, can’t sit in our nice church buildings and expect people to come to us. We have to go to them and tell them the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Great and challenging thoughts! Wm Barclay’s commentary on this passage concludes: “Those who share in the cross-bearing would share in the crown-bearing.”