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Acts 5:12-42
In the early days of the church, the Body of Christ truly reflected its Head Jesus. Through the outpouring
of the Holy Spirit, the Body had received the charisma, the spiritual graces, given to each member so that
the Body could fulfill God=s purposes on the earth (1 Cor 12:7).

These spiritual graces served both to edify the Body of Christ - to build them up, in Love (Eph 4:16) - as
well as to minister to those outside the Body - to woo them, by Love, so that they too might be added to the
church. In this way, God designed the Body of Christ to grow - both from within and without.

The god of this world recognized that the growth of this new creation in Christ Jesus was resulting in a
diminishment of his world system that he had built up on the face of the earth. Souls were being delivered
from the power of darkness - from sin and death - and translated into the kingdom of the Son of God=s love
(Col 1:13). This interfered with Satan=s plan to be like the most High God - the possessor of heaven and
earth.

So Satan purposed to destroy this new creation that God had made in Christ. The first attempt was seen in
Satan working through the rulers of the darkness of this world (Eph 6:12), as the Jewish authorities arrested
Peter and John, and tried to intimidate them through their threats. But was this successful? No; in fact, the
Body of Christ prayed that they would continue to speak God=s word with all boldness (Acts 4:29).

So Satan tried a different route. Instead of trying to prevent the Body of Christ from growing in its
numbers, he would try to poison the Body. This he did by endeavoring to introduce the leaven of hypocrisy
into the assembly.

Satan tempted two members of the assembly who merely professed to believe in Christ to mimic the
sacrificial giving among members of the Body with a counterfeit act, where they deceptively held back part
of what they professed to give as a free-will offering to God.

For their abominable lie to the Holy Spirit, for testing God, they were struck dead on the spot - a somber
judgment made by the Lord to preserve the holiness, the purity of His Body on earth. In so doing, the Lord
set the standard that the Body of Christ was to uphold ever after - no unbeliever who was pursuing sin as a
way of life, testing the Lord, was to be permitted to be part of the assembly.

We saw the effect of this judgment upon the church last week - do you remember? Great fear came upon
all the church (Acts 5:5, 11). It would cause all of those who were in the Jerusalem assembly, of which
there were now over 5000 men alone, to examine their own hearts.

Had they, personally, truly repented of their sins - or had they just chosen to associate themselves with the
members of the Body of Christ because they were drawn by the purity of its members - and by their love
for one another?

Had they really come to believe for themselves that Jesus is their Lord, their Savior - or had they just gotten
caught up in the excitement of the movement, in the power of it? Surely the judgment upon Ananias and
Sapphira would evoke a healthy and holy fear of God - an effective deterrent against hypocrisy.
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The leaven of hypocrisy was eventually taken in by the formal church, as we can see very clearly, in our
day. Now, why has this happened? Because the assemblies have failed to uphold God=s standard; they
have not judged their members. But it is important to remember that those who are truly the Lord=s, who
are the genuine members of the Body of Christ, cannot be corrupted - for they have the incorruptible life of
Christ within them (1 Pet 1:23).

Let=s return to our account in Acts. After the Lord thwarted the enemy=s attempt to destroy the Body of
Christ from within, Satan returned to his initial mode of attack - persecuting the church through the rulers.
As we will see today, that persecution began to intensify. But first, Luke describes for us the effect of the
divine judgment of Ananias and Sapphira upon those outside the church.

5:12-14 Once again, we read that the members of the Body of Christ were all with one accord - with one
mind. And whose mind was that? The mind of Christ - their Head Jesus, in heaven. What would you say
was on Jesus= mind? Reconciling men to God? Yes.
Jesus said to His disciples right before He ascended into heaven, Ayou shall receive power, when the Holy
Spirit is come upon you; and you shall be witnesses unto Me, beginning in Jerusalem@ (Acts 1:8).

The Body of Christ had one thing in mind - to obey the command of their heavenly Head - to reconcile
men to God, beginning in Jerusalem. So where else would they be but in Solomon=s porch, at the temple,
where so many of the residents of Jerusalem came to worship? It was the perfect place to give their witness
to Jesus.

This was a potent witness, and it was accompanied by signs and wonders. We had seen last week that the
apostles testified to the risen Jesus with great power, both in terms of the witness itself, as well as the
miracles that attested to its truth. This great power, and the great love of the members of the Body, one for
another, gave the community of believers great favor with the people (Acts 4:33).

But to ensure that the people did not falsely associate themselves with the members of the Body of Christ
merely because they were attracted to them, but only if they had a genuine change of heart, and really
became one of them, God instilled great fear into the atmosphere, as well, through His judgment on
Ananias and Sapphira.

Verse 13 tells us that of the rest, no one dared to join himself to them, but the people magnified them - they
praised them. The believers reflected the wisdom and the power and the love of God - and so the people
esteemed them highly.

Now, at first take, verse 13 may seem to be contradictory, but it isn=t. Who is Luke referring to as Athe
rest@? Looking back at the latter part of verse 12, Luke was writing of the believers - who were all with
one accord in Solomon=s porch (for this statement refers back to verse 11 - Aall the church@). So Athe
rest@ would likely refer to - those who did not believe - unbelievers.

The unbelievers esteemed the community of believers, but they did not dare to join themselves to them -
why? Because of the divine judgment on Ananias and Sapphira. Their deaths scared off any who did not
really have a heart for God. But for those whose hearts were convicted of sin, who turned to God in Christ
for deliverance, they felt no fear - because perfect Love cast it out (1 Jn 4:18). And the Lord added these to
His Body - multitudes of them.
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There is set of three statements that begin in the later part of verse 12 - Aand they were all with one accord
in Solomon=s porch@, and these statements continue on through verse 14. These statements are
parenthetical, and they relate back to verse 11 where we left off last week, as we have just seen. Let=s read
without the parenthetical statement now, beginning at verse 12.

v. 12a, 15-16 The Lord had ever-so-fully answered the prayer of the community of believers that we read
of back in chapter 4 - that they would speak boldly, and that God would stretch forth His hand to heal,
doing miracles in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:29-30).

Now picture this scene. So many miracles were done among the people that everyone began to bring out
their sick, and their disabled, and their demon-possessed, from their houses, and they set them in the path of
the apostles - particularly Peter, who had healed the man who was lame from birth, at the temple. The rich
people would set out their sick on beds - this denotes the soft and valuable beds upon which the rich
commonly lay. And the poor people would set out their sick on their couches - coarse, hard pallets used by
those less well-to-do.

And it wasn=t just the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Word had spread into the surrounding countryside of the
miraculous healing that was taking place in the city - and the townsfolk and the countryfolk began to bring
their sick into the city, as well - a multitude of them.

They would all set their sick right in the broad streets - the open squares, the marketplaces where the
apostles would be sure to pass. A multitude of people. The crowds must have been overwhelming. But
even if there were countless other pallets and beds in front of them, people still didn=t lose hope - for they
believed that even if Peter=s shadow fell over them, they would be healed.

And they were healed - the ones that Peter and the apostles spoke to. No - it doesn=t say that. And they
were healed - the ones that Peter and the apostles touched. No - it doesn=t say that either. And they were
healed - the ones that were within close proximity to Peter and the apostles. No - that=s still not it. What
does it say? And they were healed - every one. Every one! By Peter and the apostles? It does not say that.
They were healed, every one, by the Lord - through the apostles.

With the Lord, there=s no formula. He can heal any way He wants to - He=s omnipotent. And He will
always, always heal - if it is good to do so; if it is according to His will. At that time, it was His will to heal
all who sought Him out through the apostles - because that authenticated the witness of the apostles to
Jesus, and as they heard the preaching of the gospel, multitudes were being saved.

We can remember that Jesus also did not have any particular conventions as to how He healed. The people
of Gennesaret knew of Jesus, and when He came to their town, they laid out all their sick before Him.
They begged to touch just the hem of His garment - and as many as did, were healed (Mk 6:53-56).

Then there was the woman who had a condition where she was chronically hemorrhaging; no doctor could
heal her. She thought if she could just touch the hem of Jesus= garment, she could be healed - and so she
was. Jesus later said to her ADaughter, be of good comfort - your faith has made you whole@ (Lk 8:48).

It wasn=t through the hem that Jesus healed - it was though faith. For the sake of spiritual healing, Jesus
would always be willing to do a physical healing. In believing that Jesus could heal them - in seeing Jesus
as their Savior - the sick, the disabled, the demon-possessed were all made whole.
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Now, are you concerned that those who were far away would attribute the healing to the wrong source? Or
that those who thought that even Peter=s shadow could induce healing might get the wrong idea - that there
was some kind of magic afoot? The Lord would not let them think that - just as He did not let those at the
temple think for one moment that Peter and John had anything to do with healing the lame man. Let=s go
back and read Peter=s first words to the people after the healing.

[Acts 3:11-16] As soon as the apostles had the attention of the people through the miracles, the apostles
directed their attention to the One who had done the healing - Jesus. Those who were willing believed to
see that Jesus is God the Son - their Messiah - their Savior.

[Return to Acts 5] Now, you=ve pictured in your mind this scene in Jerusalem. Sick in their beds, lining
the streets, crowding the marketplace, particularly the route to the temple - to Solomon=s porch, the place
where the apostles would preach about Jesus. Who else travels that route? Anyone who works on the
temple grounds. They also would have witnessed this scene - right before their very eyes - and heard the
preaching of the apostles.

v. 17-18 I=m sure it did not take long for the high priest and his fellow Sadducees to Arise up@= - that is,
to rise to action in opposition to the apostles. The high priest here could be either Caiaphas, the current
high priest who presided at the Sanhedrin=s trial of Jesus, or Annas, the former high priest and father-in-
law of Caiaphas, who was named as the high priest at the first trial of Peter and John (Acts 4:6).

Remember that the sect of the Sadducees were mostly composed of the priestly aristocrats of Jerusalem;
these were the political power-brokers, the ones who oversaw the operation of the temple, as well as
interfaced with the Romans. We read that they were Afilled with indignation@ - this refers to jealousy or
anger. The Sadducees had both against the apostles. They were jealous that the people - their people -
were flocking to the apostles - multitudes of them. They had a similar response to Jesus. Turn to John
chapter 11.

[John 11:47-48] The council met just after Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead. Many of the Jewish
people who saw that miracle believed in Jesus, and the Jewish rulers were envious of His following. The
rulers speculated that they would lose their people to Jesus, and therefore their control over the people.
Then Rome was sure to intervene - and the rulers would no longer be rulers. That was their greatest fear -
for that was the lust they were in bondage to - the lust for power.

[Return to Acts 5] The high priest and the Sadducees were not only jealous of the power of the apostles
with the people, they were also furious with them - for the apostles had disregarded their ruling, to refrain
from speaking at all or teaching in the name of Jesus. That contempt of court affected the rulers= authority
with their people.

So the temple authorities were undoubtedly swift to act, sending their Levitical temple guard to arrest the
apostles, taking them into official custody, detaining them overnight until they could be brought before the
Sanhedrin, the Jewish judicial court. We do not know how many of the apostles were involved here - it
may well have been all of them. We know the group arrested included Peter again.
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v. 19-20 So there were the apostles, in a guarded, locked detention cell. Sometime during the night, they
have a visitor - an angel of the Lord - not the angel of the Lord - the definite article is not present in the
Greek. In the OT, the angel of the LORD was thought to be the Christ, before His incarnation as Jesus; but
this is just an angel that the Lord has sent - one of His heavenly messengers, who has been commissioned
to release the prisoners, lead them out of harm=s way, and give them their next set of orders.

And what were those orders? AGo, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life@.
The apostles understood exactly what the angel meant, as it was very much on their mind as well. They
were to continue preaching in the temple to the people who kept coming to hear them. They were to keep
speaking to them the words of eternal life - the message of salvation - the good news of Jesus, the Messiah.

Do you have a sense of how encouraged the apostles must have been? Although Peter and John had been
arrested before, and tried before the Sanhedrin, the others had not - and with so many, if not all of them
arrested, might they not have been tempted to be disheartened by this seeming victory of the enemy?

But in the midst of that dark night, while still in the hold of the enemy, the Lord sent one of His heavenly
servants, to His earthly ones - and he brought release and renewed purpose, for the glory of their Beloved
Master. How brightly they would have been shining for Him that next day, as they taught once again in the
temple. But they would learn to shine just as brightly when the path of bringing glory to their Lord led
through prisons with no release - and even through death.

After their release from the detention cell in the temple grounds, the apostles may actually have spent the
rest of the night at home, for with the dawn, they reentered the temple as commanded.

v. 21-24 At dawn, the apostles had returned to Solomon=s Porch, on the far east side of the temple
grounds. Jewish worshipers gradually gathered as the morning progressed, as the time of morning prayer
and sacrifice approached - around 9 AM.

The apostles were probably teaching a small group as the members of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish judiciary
council, began to arrive at the council house, at the southwestern corner of the temple grounds. They
would never have seen the small gathering, which was completely across the vast expanse of the temple
grounds, and visually obstructed by the temple.

So we have a bit of irony here - the Sanhedrin is assembling on one end of the temple grounds for the
purpose of trying the imprisoned apostles for preaching about Jesus, but the apostles are actually free, and
they=re on the other end of the temple grounds - where they are preaching about Jesus.

So the council assembled - the high priest, who presided over it; the chief priests and others of the
Sadducean sect; the elders of the nation of Israel (Asenate@), and the scribes, as well as others of the
Pharisean sect - in a minority on the council, but popular with the people. Once the council had gathered,
the high priest sent the temple guards to retrieve the prisoners.

The detention cell would have been in the vicinity of or attached to the council house, so the guards would
not have been gone long before they returned with some unexpected news - the prisoners had escaped! Or
had they? The detention cell was still securely locked; the guards were still vigilantly guarding the doors;
but when the cell was opened - no apostles!
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Now, remember that an angel of the Lord had opened the prison doors, and led the apostles out. Did the
angel relock the doors? How did the apostles get past the guards? Clearly this jailbreak was a miraculous
delivery.

But how did it appear to the temple hierarchy? There was the high priest, and the captain of the temple -
the commander of the Levitical guard - and the chief priests, who oversaw the operation of the temple.
This was the Sadducean element of the council.

The Sadducees were rationalists - they did not acknowledge spiritual realities, but only physical realities.
They never saw the angel - and they wouldn=t have believed in the angel if they did see him.

They sought a rational explanation for what had happened - but they couldn=t find one. Maybe the hold
was accidentally left unlocked - but how could all the apostles have slipped past the guards? Maybe the
guards were Jesus-sympathizers. Then why would they still have been vigilantly guarding the cell - clearly
never suspecting there was no one inside? Besides - the officers were the only ones with the keys. The
whole thing defied a rational explanation.

As for the guards, they were actually quite fortunate that they were Levites policing for the Jewish temple
aristocracy rather than guards under the Romans, who regularly executed those that allowed their prisoners
to escape.

At any rate, the Sadducees were thoroughly perplexed. But they quickly had to to move on to figuring out
a new set of surprising circumstances.

v. 25-26 How can people say that God doesn=t have a sense of humor? Can you imagine how this would
have shaken up the Sadducees? Could they not see by now that they were not in control, here?

But the Sadducees just continued to carry out their agenda - they would put these apostles on trial. They
sent their guard, with their commander, to retrieve the apostles - but they did not use any force, for the
people greatly favored the apostles, and the commander wanted to avoid a riot. There were always plenty
of stones around the temple grounds, which was perpetually under construction.

The apostles apparently offered no resistance to the guards, or people would have risen up in their support.
The apostles went along peaceably. You can see that, whenever there was no conflict with the will of God,
they yielded in obedience to the laws of the land.

v. 27-28 The high priest, presiding over the council, began the inquiry. What would you say was notably
missing from his inquiry? Did the high priest ask the apostles how they got out of the detention cell? No.
His degree of embarrassment superceded his curiosity. He would never have brought out this highly
mysterious overruling of the council=s authority.

Instead, the high priest charged the apostles= with violating the previous ruling of the council against them.
They had commanded the apostles not to speak at all nor teach in the name of - who? Jesus. But the high
priest could not bring himself to even say the name of Jesus; instead, he just said Ain - this name@. With
all that had been done in Jerusalem in the name of Jesus, the high priest could not bear to pronounce that
Name.
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Indeed, in that Name, the apostles had filled all Jerusalem with their doctrine - and what was the apostles=
doctrine? The doctrine of Jesus. The gospel of Christ. Did the hearts of the apostles leap at the realization
that they had done exactly what their Master had commanded them to do? They had thoroughly witnessed
to Jesus in Jerusalem; and as people began to come up from the surrounding towns and countryside, the
next part of the commission was being realized - the witness in all Judea (Acts 1:8).

It is remarkable that the high priest mentioned the intent of the apostles to bring Athis man=s@ blood upon
them - the rulers. Was there a twinge of conscience here? That=s unlikely; but the rulers did not like their
dark deed being brought out into the light. Notice the high priest=s omission of the Name again.

To bring one=s blood upon another is to hold him guilty of murdering the innocent - in this case, Jesus.
Was that the apostles= intent? Definitely; for that was their Master=s intent. Actually, the blood of Jesus
was already upon the rulers, for they were guilty of that act. And, strangely enough, Israel had even
assumed the responsibility for that heinous crime, before it was committed.

Turn to Matthew chapter 27. The Jewish rulers had just cornered Pilate into pronouncing the death
sentence upon Jesus. Pilate was publicly washing his hands to indicate his absolution from this judgment -
at least in his own mind.

[Matthew 27:24-26] The nation of Israel assumed the responsibility for the death of Jesus. Whether the
rulers had uttered the pronouncement with the people or not, they were ultimately to blame, as the ones
who instigated the people into asking for Jesus= death.

[Return to Acts 5]

These rulers had hardened their hearts. They refused to listen to their own consciences, which bore witness
to the fact that they already had the blood of Jesus upon them. So the Holy Spirit sought to convict them,
through the apostles, for their guilt in putting Jesus to death. Once again, it was the rulers who were on
trial (see Acts 4:1-12).

v. 29-32 Once again Peter spoke to the rulers, this time for all the apostles present. Peter basically picked
up where he had left off with the council last time.

After they had pronounced their judgment - not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus - Peter had
said, AWhether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot
but speak the things which we have seen and heard@ (Acts 4:19-20).

As the high priest reiterated the council=s judgment, Peter reiterated the apostles= response - if there is a
conflict between the will of God and the ruling of men, the apostles must obey God.

Then Peter, with all boldness, named the Name that the high priest would not - Jesus. And Peter spoke the
very thought that was so offensive to the council - that they had judged Jesus guilty of death, and had Him
crucified, but that God had resurrected Him from the dead, overruling their judgment. His blood was
indeed upon them. Peter used the term Atree@, which would bring to the Jewish mind the most severe and
degrading penalty imposed by Jewish law. Turn to Deuteronomy chapter 21.
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[Deuteronomy 21:22-23] Following capital punishment, the dead corpse was to be hung on a tree. The
body had to be removed before night set in, for the corruption of the flesh would result in a defiling of the
land the LORD God gave Israel. AHe that is hanged is accursed of God@; there could be nothing more
degrading.

[Return to Acts 5]

By having Jesus crucified, the rulers managed to impose the most disgraceful death possible upon Him; but
by God raising Him from the dead, they were proven to have executed a wrong judgment. Their guilt was
as great in magnitude as the disgrace they intended to impose upon Him.

But God did not just raise Jesus from the dead - He raised Him up to His own right hand in heaven. By
virtue of the redemption He accomplished, He is now in the position of authority and power in heaven - a
Prince of God - who has been invested with the authority to give eternal life to whom He will (Jn 5:26-27).

And whom He will give eternal life to - are to any and all who are willing to repent of their sins, and come
to Him as their Savior. This was first extended to Israel (Acts 3:26) - even to these rulers - to any who are
willing to bow the knee, and name Him as Lord.

In this way, the apostles bore witness to Jesus, before the Sanhedrin, with the Holy Spirit bearing witness
along with them, guiding their words within them, as well as working from without, to convict the rulers of
their sin (Jn 15:26-27, 16:8-11, 13).

Let=s look at the response of the rulers to the words of eternal life.

v. 33 When Peter spoke similar words to the crowd at Pentecost, three thousand souls were pricked in
their heart, recognizing the truth concerning Jesus, and their guilt as members of the Jewish nation, in
having their Messiah put to death.

But the rulers of Israel responded quite differently. They were cut - the words Ato the heart@ are not in the
Greek. This word Acut@ in the Greek means sawn through or asunder. It is used to picture raging anger.

The Sanhedrin were furious with the apostles. Once again, the Sanhedrin had to listen to a statement of
their crime. And the idea that God raised Jesus from the dead - this was exasperating to the Sadducees,
who did not believe in resurrection.

But worst of all, directly to their face, the apostles were indicating they would not obey the council. They
would not submit to the authority of the supreme ruling court of Israel. The Sanhedrin was unable to exert
their power over these men - and that was just infuriating. They were so enraged by the defiance of their
orders that they began to contemplate sentencing the apostles to death.

Now, technically, the Sanhedrin was disallowed by the Roman government to execute the death sentence.
But there was no festival at this time in Jerusalem - no crowds of religious pilgrims - so the Roman
governor was out of town. This means that the rulers probably could have accomplished their purpose,
even though it was illegal. But to execute the death penalty, they would need the consent of the entire
council. And there was at least one member who disagreed with them.
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v. 34-39 Gamaliel was thought to have been the most influential Pharisee of his day, being a distinguished
teacher as well as an aristocrat. He became the leader of the school of Hillel, and was known for his
moderation and tolerance. This is the Gamaliel who was the teacher of Saul of Tarsus - Paul (Acts 22:3).

Gamaliel was remembered in later generations as the embodiment of pure Pharisaism. The Mishnah would
one day record, AWhen Rabban Gamaliel the Elder died, the glory of the Torah ceased, and purity and
separateness died@. Later generations were to give him the title ARabban@, an honorary title for an
exceptional teacher.

Now, the Pharisees were in the minority on the court, but they commanded much more public respect than
did the Sadducees, so much so that the Sadducean members of the court found it unwise to oppose the
Pharisee=s demands. This was particularly important in a case like the present, in which the defendants
were favored by the people. So both on the basis of Gamaliel=s prestige as well as the current
circumstances, the Sadducees - and the rest of the court - would be inclined to listen to the counsel of the
Rabbi Gamaliel.

And what was his advice? Beware. He warned against rash action. Then Gamaliel gave two examples to
illustrate his point.

There is no record that has been uncovered outside of Luke=s account concerning this Theudas. There was
another Theudas who was an insurrectionist as recorded in Josephus, but he lived at a later time than this
man. The name Theudas was common; insurrectionists were common. This Theudas was apparently
executed for his attempt to seize leadership from the existing government. His movement came to nothing.

Judas of Galilee can be found in other records. He lived during the census taken around the time of the
birth of Jesus (Lk 2:1-3), information which was used to determine the taxes Judea must pay to Rome.

Judas led a religious and nationalistic revolt against Rome, declaring that it was high treason against God,
Israel=s one true King, for His people in His land to pay tribute to a pagan ruler. The revolt was crushed by
Rome, and Judas was put to death.

This is as much as Gamaliel knew at that time - Judas= followers seemed to have dispersed - but actually
the movement secretly continued, and future to Gamaliel=s day, it would spawn the party of the Zealots,
which led the Jewish revolt of AD 66 that resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the
Jews out of their land.

Gamaliel=s point was to wait and watch; that, with time, a work that is not of God will come to nothing, but
a work that is of God cannot be destroyed, and will ultimately bring judgment upon those who try - for they
make themselves the enemies of God. In other words - time will tell.

In one sense, Gamaliel is correct - a work that is of God is an eternal work, done in the wisdom and power
of God. Man cannot destroy a work of God; he cannot thwart God=s purposes.

The problem is that man does not have an adequate perspective to determine for himself when something
which occurs in his lifetime is or is not a work of God - because he may very well not see the end of it, to
see if it comes to nothing. Man is subject to time - he can look back and see what God has been doing, but
he cannot look forward, to see what God will yet do. Even then, man does not always discern correctly.
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Consider one of Gamaliel=s examples - Judas. Gamaliel thought that movement was done - that it had
come to nothing. But had it? No - it would be revived, and result in a disaster for the Jewish nation.

And what will Gamaliel think, as he sees events unfold with the church in Jerusalem? Soon most of the
disciples will be scattered abroad by the persecution on the part of the rulers. The remaining believers in
Jerusalem will become an impoverished lot, with no apparent position, or power, or prestige in this world.
I am sure that seemed like an abject failure, when it unfolded before Gamaliel - but it wasn=t.

So what is the flaw with Gamaliel=s logic? It=s that he puts himself in the position of God - with
omniscient ability - to determine whether something is of God. And no one can do that - no one can know
what is good or what is evil, through reasoning it out. But for those who are His, God can reveal good and
evil to them - so that a believer can know what is of God, and what is not. Such knowledge can only come
though revelation - through the Holy Spirit.

It is said that Gamaliel died 18 years after the destruction of Jerusalem, and that he died as he lived - a
Pharisee. His reasoning would never have brought him to the correct conclusion concerning those who
believe in Jesus; only by believing, would he see. He wanted to see - to believe.

But Gamaliel=s words were not wasted - by God. The Pharisees on the council were sure to have
concurred with him, perhaps reconsidering the extremeness of an illegal lynching. And then the Sadducees
would have come on board - for they did not have a solid political footing, without support from the
Pharisees or the people. No, they would not slay the apostles; but they would still punish them.

v. 40-42 The Sadducees would have insisted on punishing the apostles, and the others would have
concurred. The apostles had disobeyed the court=s ruling. This punishment was necessary, lest the people
despise their authority.

The flogging would not have been as severe as the scourging that Jesus received, but it was still a terrible
form of punishment. It most likely was carried out in compliance with the Law - forty lashes, minus one in
case they miscounted (Deut 25:3). Then the apostles were released - after being told again not to speak in
the name of Jesus.

And how did the apostles respond to this unjust flogging? They rejoiced in it. Not in the pain, of course.
They rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer. By God? No - by the Sanhedrin.

The council judged them fit to suffer shame for the cause of Christ. The council determined they had
qualified themselves to be abused and disgraced - as their Master had been. What an honor.

Later, Peter would write, ABeloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as
though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice, inasmuch as your are partakers of Christ=s
sufferings, that when His glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also, with exceeding joy@. ( 1 Pet 4:12-
13). The apostles did not think it strange at all - it was their joy.

So what was the result? It was the ruling of the court that came to nothing - for every day in the temple, the
apostles continued to preach the gospel; and every day, as they met in their homes together, the apostles
taught their doctrine - the doctrine of Jesus.
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So while the rulers restrained themselves, waiting to see if Gamaliel=s words would be fulfilled, the Lord
continued to build up His Body - adding to the church daily those who were being saved; edifying His
Body in faith and knowledge, so that it might grow up into Him in all things (Eph 4:12-13, 15). This was a
work of God - and it would never come to nothing.