Acts // Part 21 - The Apostles Arrested & Freed

August 5, 2012 Speaker: Phil Baker Series: Acts

Topic: Book Exposition Passage: Acts 5:34–42

Introduction

We are currently studying the book of Acts line by line. The last two weeks we’ve been focused on the arrest and release narrative in chapter 5. The apostles had been thrown into public prison for preaching Jesus by the highest religious court in Israel, the Sanhedrin. In the middle of the night an angel of the Lord freed them so they could return to teaching the people at the temple at daybreak. While at the temple, the Sanhedrin learned that they had been somehow freed and were back at the temple teaching. The Sanhedrin then sent guards over to bring them to their meeting place which was the Hall of Hewn Stone.

While before the Sanhedrin, the apostles stood their ground and claimed that they had to keep preaching in the name of Jesus because God had commanded them to do so. The apostles also repeated several doctrinal truths about Jesus and certain members of the court, the Sadducees, became enraged and wanted to put them death. That is where we left off last Sunday. I’d like to remind you that all of the sermons for this series are available at our church website if you miss a week or if you’re new and would like to get caught up. This morning we will re-engage at chapter 5 verse 34 and then close out the section with verse 42. Take your Bibles and turn to Acts 5:34-42.

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Pray

Examine

Verse

34 But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel (gama-lee-ale), 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.

Commentary

The Sanhedrin was comprised of 2 major groups of leaders, the Sadducees and the Pharisees.

Sadducees

The Sadducees were political leaders. They held the highest offices in the Sanhedrin like high priest and chief priests. The Sadducees were the administrative body that oversaw and managed the temple with its functions. The Sadducees interacted with the Roman government quite a bit.

The Sadducees were religious but rejected all things supernatural like angels, miracles, resurrection, and the sovereignty of God.

Pharisees

The other group was the Pharisees. The Pharisees were the true religious leaders in the Sanhedrin. They were responsible for studying, interpreting, teaching, and enforcing the Mosaic Law. They had men in their ranks that specialized in these things like ‘Scribes’ who oversaw study and interpretation and ‘Teachers’ who oversaw teaching and enforcement. The Pharisees differed from the Sadducees theologically. They affirmed the supernatural and believed in angels, miracles, resurrection, and the sovereignty of God and this put them at odds with the Sadducees.

During His ministry the Lord’s encounters with the Sadducees were fairly minimal. The reason for this may have been because they didn’t see Jesus as a big political threat so they stayed away. This changed towards the latter part of His ministry. The majority of opposition came through the Pharisees. They saw Jesus as a false teacher and blasphemer who threatened their religion by trying to lead the people away from God. They saw Jesus as a rebel who openly flouted their ordinances. We must remember, however, that Jesus never disobeyed the Mosaic Law. On the contrary, He obeyed it perfectly. If He had not obeyed it perfectly, He would not have met the standard of righteousness which was required for the Messiah.

The Pharisees had layered human traditions and interpretations onto the Mosaic Law making the whole thing one big system of religion. Corruption was rampant as they introduced multitudes of human errors. Jesus could differentiate between the errors and truth. The Pharisees could not. When Jesus called into question the parts that were infected with errors, the Pharisees reacted by condemning Jesus as a law breaker.

Now in verse 34 we are introduced to a man named Gamaliel (Gama-lee-ale). Gamaliel was a teacher of the law and belonged to the Pharisees. One of the ultimate goals of a young Orthodox Jewish boy in those days was to be selected and tutored by one of the better instructors or rabbis. Gamaliel was considered to be one of the elite. In modern terms he would’ve been a great college professor at one of our top schools. This guy was the crème del la crème. To be taught by him was a terrific honor and privilege.

The text says that he was held in high in honor by all the people. Honor is “timios” in Greek and it means costly or precious. Luke wants us to know that Gamaliel was considered to be a most valuable or precious rabbi in that community. Bottom line, the people absolutely loved and respected him. MacArthur wrote this:

MacArthur

Gamaliel was easily the most prominent rabbi of all time and one of the greatest of all antiquity. He was the grandson of another prominent rabbi, Hillel, and his successor as the leader of the liberal wing of the Pharisees. Gamaliel was one of the few honored with the title rabban, instead of the usual title rabbi. How highly he was honored by all the people may be seen in the following quotation from the Mishna: ‘When rabban Gamaliel the elder died, the glory of the Law ceased and purity and abstinence died.’”

Gamaliel obviously had a massive impact on the Jewish community. He also had a star pupil that later became an antichristian mercenary for the Sanhedrin. That pupil was Saul of Tarsus, aka, the Apostle Paul. In Acts 22:3 the Apostle Paul gave his testimony to an angry crowd in Jerusalem. Before mentioning how he was converted he shared these insights about himself.

Acts 22:3

“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day.

The Apostle Paul had been personally trained by Gamaliel. This would explain why Paul had a great memory of the OT which is clearly seen in his epistles. Now Gamaliel was a leading Pharisee, teacher, and council member in the Sanhedrin and the text says that he, “Stood up and gave orders for the apostles to be put outside for a little while”. Gamaliel wanted the guards to be put the apostles out for a moment so he could address the rest of the council. Look at verse 35:

Verse

35 And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men.

Commentary

Once the apostles were outside, Gamaliel addressed the leaders by saying, “Men of Israel.” The Apostles Peter used this same salutation when he preached his first sermon in Solomon’s Portico. The Apostle Paul used it when he addressed the Jews in Antioch. Gamaliel then said, “Take care what you are about to do with these men.”

Paraphrased: “Men of Israel slow down and consider what you’re about do to these men.” Gamaliel could tell that tensions were running high. He could see how the Sadducees were boiling in rage and anger. He might have even heard their whisperings about wanting to kill the apostles. But he used his authority to intervene and then to reason with the Sadducees. In verses 36-37 Gamaliel gives two illustrations that set up his big point in 38-39a.

Look at verses 36-39a:

Verse

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!”

Commentary

Gamaliel reminds the Sanhedrin of two past religious uprisings that sprouted and then ended after the deaths of their leaders.

The first one was led by a man named Theudas (thu-das). Theudas is shrouded in mystery and controversy. Josephus, the first century Jewish historian, recorded that a man named Theudas rose up and led a large revolt sometime after Luke wrote his gospel and Acts. This means that Luke could not have been referring to the same man that Josephus wrote about. Theudas was however a fairly common name in those days and history shows that a large number of tumults and insurrections arose in Judea following the death of Herod the Great. If you combine these two facts it becomes plausible that Luke had some other Theudas in mind. Luke tells us that Theudas led a group of about 400 men but after his death they all dispersed and came to nothing. Josephus also recorded that 2000 men were crucified for revolting by the Romans during the 6th century A.D. It could be that the guy that Luke had in mind here was one of the 2000 that had been crucified.

The second uprising Gamaliel mentioned was led by Judas the Galilean. There is no confusion or controversy about this guy. Judas the Galilean led a violent resistance to the census imposed for Roman tax purposes by Quirinius in A.D. 6-7. Judas the Galilean is believed to have been the founder of the Zealots. The Zealots were a politically motivated extremist group that led violent attacks against the Romans. In modern terms they were the terrorists of their day. One of Jesus’ 12 disciples used to belong to this group. He apparently left the Zealots after being called to ministry. Luke 6:15 identifies him as Simon the Zealot.

During the uprising of A.D. 6-7, Judas the Galilean was eventually captured and put to death along with many of his followers and the uprising fizzled out and the remaining Zealots were scattered. After these two illustrations, Gamaliel then moved to make his big point in verse 38 by shifting their attention to the present moment. He pointed to the apostles and then called for a “wait and see policy”. He said (paraphrased), “Leave the apostles alone and let’s watch to see what will come of them and their movement. If it is of their own will, it will eventually fail. If it is of God’s will, it will continue and we won’t be able to do anything about it.”

If we combine verses 36-39a and paraphrase them, Gamaliel’s statements would sound something like this:

“We have a history of men rising up, gathering followers, being put to death, and coming to nothing, Theudas and Judas the Galilean illustrate this for us. That could be what is taking place with these men here. Let us wait to see what will come of them and their movement. If the undertaking is of men, it will be brought to an end just like the others. If it is of God, you will not be able to stop them. Even worse, you might be found opposing God!”

How did the Sanhedrin respond to Gamaliel’s advice? Look at verse 39b:

Verse

So they took his advice,

Commentary

They agreed. They felt that his plan was a good plan. While Gamaliel’s counsel seemed wise to the Sanhedrin, the notion that success is always a sign of God’s blessing is false. That is the very thing that Gamaliel suggested. He basically said, “If the apostles fail it wasn’t of God, if they succeed it was of God.” We know that his statement was true in regards to the apostles movement, the Christian faith. The Christian faith is of God, He blesses it, and it cannot be stopped. But his philosophy cannot be applied to every other scenario. If we do that then God becomes One who blesses and sustains evil because many evil things like cults and false religions remain in the world. We cannot attribute the continuance of all things, whether good or bad, to God’s blessing. Just because something succeeds does not mean that it is blessed of God. The Jews of Jesus’ day held this philosophy. They were indoctrinated into that line of thinking from birth.

Judaism basically teaches that success in relationships, business, religion, and in daily life is a sign of God’s favor, blessing, and salvation. Judaism teaches that financial prosperity is always a direct result of God’s favor. The Sadducees believed these things. They attributed their wealth and prosperity to the God who was blessing them. In their minds God was pleased with them; He loved their religion, and that is why they got the fat financial hook up.

But according to the Scriptures they didn’t even know God. They rejected the supernatural. How can one who rejects the supernatural know the Supernatural God? According to the Scriptures their financial prosperity came through a corrupt business racket that they had set up at the temple. Oh how they praised God for their success! And yet they were enemies of God! It is the same with the Pharisees and Gamaliel. Gamaliel believed that his public notoriety, financial success and ministerial success were the direct results of God’s favor and blessings. And yet, he was an active member of the Sanhedrin that condemned Jesus to death. And, under his tutelage, he formed, fashioned, and sent out one of the greatest enemies of the church of Jesus Christ of the first century, Saul of Tarsus.

If we hold the view that the perpetuity of a thing is always the direct result of God’s blessing then we must affirm that:

All wars are blessed by God.

All religions and cults are blessed by God.

All violence is blessed by God.

There are horrible things that have existed in our world since the fall of man and they will continue until the return of Jesus. But we cannot believe and declare that their continuance is a direct result of God’s blessing. That would be lunacy. The continuance of such things is a result of the fall and sin. So Gamaliel’s idea sounds cool and when it is applied to Jesus’ church it is completely true. But we mustn’t adopt his philosophy because it cannot be applied to every scenario and situation. The Scriptures will not allow it.

This of course means that we must be very discerning in our decision making. So often we look for God to open doors, and then we look for continuance, and then for prosperity, and so on. When all three of those things come together we claim that God was behind it. And it may be true. But we must remember that if we used sinful tactics to achieve our goals, or if we hurt others along the way, the plan was either ours from the get-go or we hijacked it from God along the way. Here’s what we do next:

If the plan succeeds, even though it was riddled with sin, we claim that God granted us success. If the plan failed we blame God for opening the doors, continuing it for a little while, and then for bringing it to an end. Both scenarios are sinful and in opposition to God.

We are, by our very nature, plan makers and hijackers. This is all the more reason why we’ve got to humble ourselves and depend on the Holy Spirit and get the Word of God into our minds and hearts so that we can plan according to the Father’s will so that He may be glorified and so that our joy may be complete. And may we be a people who know and believe that every good and pleasing thing comes down from the Father of lights and that every evil thing comes from the fall, sin, sinners, and Satan.

So the Sanhedrin agreed with Gamaliel. Look at what happened next.

Look at verse 40:

Verse

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.

Commentary

The Sanhedrin brought the apostles back in, beat them up, and then charged them not to speak of Jesus again. I thought they had just agreed with Gamaliel to leave the apostles alone to watch and see? What’s up with the beating? Gamaliel didn’t say let’s watch and see but first beat them before we release them. That wasn’t his plan, that wasn’t what he suggested. The Sadducees, as the controlling body, took it upon themselves to issue a severe beating. They did this out of sheer hatred and anger. Their pride had been severely injured by the apostle’s constant rejection of their authority and by indicting their spirituality. Gamaliel may have calmed the Sadducees down enough to keep them from putting the apostles to death but not from beating them. This is the first recorded act of violence against the apostles in the book of Acts. If you’ve been with us for a while you will have noticed a progression. The persecution of these men began with verbal warnings, and then it shifted to overnight lock ups, and now they have been subjected to violence. You might say that their persecution is intensifying or getting worse. MacArthur said this:

MacArthur

The flogging was criminally unjust and done to frighten them. It usually involved a beating of 40 lashes, less one to avoid violating the legal limit (Deut 25:3). Apparently Gamaliel had no problem with the whipping.

How did the apostles’ respond to the beating? Look at verse 41:

Verse

41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.

Commentary

The apostles’ typify those who accept the gospel message. Far from being embittered or disillusioned at their suffering, they left the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name, for Jesus. There are many things that affirm that a person is possessed by the Holy Spirit. One of those things is persecution. Being persecuted for Christ’s sake shows that a person is possessed by the Holy Spirit. Peter put it like this in 1 Peter 4:12-14:

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

I’ve never met a Christian who does not want to be blessed by God. I’ve met some that are seemingly consumed with wanting to be blessed by God. That’s all they talk about or focus on. There are pastors in the church today that spend all their time on the subject. They create formulas that are supposed to result in blessings. Do e, d, and c, and you’ll end up with b for blessing! When is the last time you heard a pastor give this formula:

Be filled with the Holy Spirit!Go preach the gospel!Be persecuted!Be blessed!

How about never. How about especially never in this great land of ours where all forms of pain and suffering are the absolute enemy! Might I suggest to every Christian in this room that we stop looking for ‘pain free only’ blessings from God. The work of the gospel is hard, difficult, and attacked from all sides. But it is the only work worth doing because it is the only work that has eternal significance. If you commit yourself to the work of the gospel you will be persecuted as well as blessed just as the apostles’ were. The great question for us then becomes:

Are we willing forsake the American gospel of comfort, easy blessing, and low risk to take up the true gospel of our Lord? For many of us the exchange will be quite costly. Did Jesus not tell a group of potential disciples to count the cost before following Him? In the states we seem to believe that we can have Jesus on our terms. We act as if Jesus is subservient to our ways and that He must conform to our standards. This is not true. Jesus carefully articulated what it costs to be His follower.

And in reality His words repelled more people then drew them to Him. Jesus did not make following Him easy. He said things like, “Take up your cross or if you love others more than me you cannot be my follower.” But in America we have made following Jesus a breeze. We say pray a little prayer and invite Him into your heart and you’re good to go. According to the Bible that is not at all what Jesus had in mind. Again, are we willing forsake the American gospel of comfort, easy blessing, and low risk to take up the true gospel of our Lord? Yes it is the harder path. But might I submit that it is the only path worth taking because I believe that it is the only path that leads to life. The apostles’ understood these things. They rejoiced because they were found worthy to suffer for the name, the name of Jesus. Look at our last verse, verse 42:

Verse

42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.

Commentary

The apostles’ didn’t quit. Driven by the Holy Spirit and unspeakable joy they persisted in the work of the gospel. Luke adds that they went house to house. No longer did the apostles’ keep the preaching of the gospel localized to Solomon’s Portico. They took it to the streets and to the homes of those who didn’t visit the temple. The gospel was now reaching both the religious and the irreligious. In our next section, Acts 6:1, it says that the church was ever increasing.

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As we shift into communion let’s ponder what we’ve heard this morning. Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to us our fallacies and errors.

Maybe our view of the gospel is corrupt?

Maybe our view of the church isn’t what it should be?

Maybe we’re guilty of not sharing the good news because we want to avoid persecution?

Maybe we’re addicted to the pursuit of easy blessings?