Be Careful Not to Condemn What You Don’t Understand (Acts 5-6)

A Few Thoughts to Consider

Have you ever watched other Christians’ actions and thought, “God can’t be in what they’re doing”?

This is the feeling many religious leaders were having in Acts 5. Remember that we’re in the early stages of the Christian church, and Acts 5:12 says, “Many signs and wonders were being done among the people through the hands of the apostles.” Filled with jealousy, the Sadducees arrested and imprisoned these apostles, hoping to intimidate them into silence. 

Miraculously, an angel of the Lord comes and frees these apostles and commands them in verse 20 to “Go and stand in the temple, and tell the people all about this life.” We can’t help but notice how this stands in contrast to Matthew 9:30, where Jesus said, “Be sure that no one finds out” to the blind man he’d just healed. Now is the time for everyone to know the good news.

Likely embarrassed by this great escape, this doesn’t sit well with the religious leaders. In verse 28, they say, “Didn’t we strictly order you not to teach in this name? Look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” To this, Peter and the apostles reply, ²⁹ “We must obey God rather than people. ³⁰ The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had murdered by hanging him on a tree. ³¹ God exalted this man to his right hand as ruler and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. ³² We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”

The weight of this claim, combined with the accusation attached, incenses the religious leaders even more, and they want to kill them. But that’s when a Pharisee named Gamaliel steps forward and tells them to be careful. “Gamaliel was a student of one of the greatest rabbis of all times, Hillel, and he was Paul’s tutor (22:3).”^[1] Thus, his words carry weight. Ajith Fernando writes, “The apostles’ miracles and escape from prison presumably made him suspect that God might indeed be blessing this new movement.”^[2]

Rather than going along with the mob, Gamaliel says, ³⁸ “’I tell you, stay away from these men and leave them alone. For if this plan or this work is of human origin, it will fail; ³⁹ but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even be found fighting against God.’ They were persuaded by him.”

Rather than having the apostles killed, the religious leaders have them flogged, order them not to speak in the name of Jesus again, and then release them. This “suggests that the Sanhedrin may have been taking an easy road and avoiding the risk of upsetting the crowds.”^[3] FF Bruce notes that the rabbis believed that “men may disobey God, but his will would triumph notwithstanding. The will of men was not fettered, but what they willed would be overruled by God for the accomplishment of his own purposes.”^[4]