Counted Worthy to Suffer Shame

When they heard this, they were furious and plotted to kill them. Then one in the council stood up, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in respect by all the people, and commanded them to put the apostles outside for a little while. And he said to them: “Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men. For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing. After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed. And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.” And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

As we continue our study in the Book of Acts, let us review some things we have already learned. First of all we remember that the mission of the church is to continue what Jesus began to do and teach (Acts 1:1). Acts 1:8 defines the outward spiral of the growth of the church from Jerusalem, to Samaria and Judaea, and then to the uttermost parts of the earth. We should take note that this passage still falls withing the sphere of the church bearing witness to Jesus in Jerusalem, This passage ends the connection of the early church to the Jewish Temple. Starting in chapter six, the scene changes to the synagogue of the Greek-speaking Jews in Jerusalem. And starting with chapter eight, after the stoning of Stephen, the scene changes to ministry to Judaea and Samaria.

There are several important themes we have learned. the first of these is that of being witnesses to the Gospel. The church bore testimony to the person of Jesus, his earthly mission terminating in His sacrificial death on a cross for our sins, His resurrection, His ascension, His commissioning of the church, and His promise to return.This mission is characterized by joyfulness, even in suffering. It is also characterized by boldness. It is a ministry directed by the Holy Spirit. It emphasizes the unity of the believers in one church.

The witness of the church is characterized by both external persecution and the temptation to internal dissent, bot of which threatened to derail the mission of the Church. These temptations end with stating that unity was restored as well as joy and power.

The Apostles were on trial before the Sanhedrin and had given bold testimony to Jesus before them, including the accusing them of murdering Jesus (Acts 5:30). We must realize that this was said in the context of the Sanhedrin. we must beware of persecuting and blaming the Jews solely for the crucifixion of Jesus. Pontus Pilate, representing the Gentiles also condemned Jesus and was culpable for the murder of Jesus as well. (John 19:11). As Jesus died for the sin of the world, all of us, whether Jew or Gentile are culpable for His death. So no human is without blame for the murder of Jesus. So we must keep context when we witness. To say that the Jews killed Jesus, which is a true statement, when witnessing to Gentiles would tend to remove their guild in the death of Jesus. So the words which Peter addresses to the Sanhedrin are addressed to us as well.

We must not leave off the rest of the Gospel story. There is universal guilt before God for the worst crime ever committed by man. There is hope of restoration for those who hear and obey the Gospel. Because Jesus could have rightfully refused to die on the cross for our sin, His consent to die in a sense makes Himself culpable for His own death. It is by repentance and believing on Him and His atoning sacrifice that our guilt is removed.

The sacrificial death was meant to bring this repentance of all Israel, including the Sanhedrin. soon we shall see that this repentance would be offered to all people. But the context shows that the Sanhedrin rejected this offer. Instead of repenting, they bristled with anger and desired to put the Apostles to death. They had blown their chance. They had one last chance when Paul was tried before them years later, Their impenitence would lead to the destruction of their destruction on 70 AD. There is a limit to God’s patience. One must see the offer of receiving Jesus as the last invitation he will ever receive. God might call again, but one must never presume.

The next thing we learn from this passage is that God is sovereign. We see that there were several times in the life of Jesus that the Jews desired to kill him. We see in Luke 4:28-30 that His own kinfolk in Nazareth tried to throw him of the brow of a cliff in the city. But he passed through them. He would indeed be murdered, but not on man’s timetable, but the Father’s. they also tried to stone Him. we also see this in John 8:59). God holds our future in His hands. We see many escapes from death the Apostles were threatened with. But we also see that Stephen was stones and James beheaded. Later, most if not all of these Apostles along with Paul would suffer martyrdom. but not this day.

We are now introduced to a Pharisee named Gamaliel who was held in great reputation for his learning and wisdom, even among the Sadducees. We know that he tutored Paul the Apostle before Paul’s conversion to Christianity. He is referred to in many of the Jewish writings. He is reputed to have been the son of Simon and grandson of the famed Rabbi Hillel. Christian tradition identifies this Simon as the Simon who presented the infant Jesus before the Lord in the Temple (Luke 2:25-32), but there is no supporting evidence for this.

we often conclude from Gamaliel’s speech that Gamaliel was a fair-minded and honest man. This might be true as far as fallen men is concerned. But we must see this as God’s means of preserving the Apostles. the bible shows that even the evil Caiaphas was used by God as a prophet (John 11:49-52). God used the decree of Caesar Augustus to ensure that the far greater Caesar, Jesus Christ would be born in Bethlehem of Judaea (Luke 2:1). So we really don’t know how sincere Gamaliel was in this defense or whether he ever believed on Jesus. We see such a defense of Jesus by another Pharisee, Nicodemus, in John 7:50-52, but we have good evidence that Nicodemus later believed. (John 19:38-42)

Gamaliel asked that the Apostles be removed from the court before he addressed the Sanhedrin. We don’t know what his motivation for this was other than to keep them from responding to the argument he was about to make. He brings forth two previous precedents as a reason to exercise caution in dealing with the Apostles, Theudas, and Judas of Galilee, both of whom had created an uprising in the past, One should see a context of Rome in this, as it was Rome who brutally squashed the revolts. The Jewish leaders had kept their hands clean in the matter. Gamaliel seems to tell the Sanhedrin to let them alone, Perhaps he thinks that if they became too much trouble, the Romans would take care of them in their usual matter of dealing with troublemakers.

The arrest and trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin had backfired, especially after the Resurrection. the church had been emboldened and were openly preaching Jesus. Acts tells us that even many of the priests believed. Acts also tells us that the Sanhedrin feared the people because they held to Jesus as a prophet. It is this fear, more than the fear of fighting against God that motivated them. I think they trusted that Rome would soon intervene, and the Sanhedrin would escape the blame.

Of course, Gamaliel gave a theological appeal to give authority to the decision. No one would openly fight against God, would they? But if the really feared God, they would have believed on Jesus whom the Apostles had just preached. They had been accused of murdering their Messiah. They would have trembled in fear at the consequences their actions would have been taken against them by God for such a crime. They would have taken up the offer of repentance. Therefore, Gamaliel’s appeal to not fight against God lacked sincerity as well as conviction. If Jesus is whom He claimed to be in their understanding, they would not have fought against Him, but for Him.

The Sanhedrin thought the worldly wisdom of Gamaliel to be the prudent thing to do. They decided against a lesser punishment of beating which did not require the permission of the Romans as putting them to death would have. But they needed to satisfy their wrath, so they beat them and strictly charged them to stop preaching Jesus and doing signs in His name.

One would normally thing that a severe beating would make them doubly cautious. One would also think that they would have simmered in pain and anger under their breath for this injustice. But, instead, a remarkable thing happens. they burst out in joy that they were considered worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus. They again disobeyed the Sanhedrin and proclaimed Jesus everywhere, including the Temple. But shortly afterward, the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem would start losing focus, and the scene would shift first to a Greek-speaking synagogue in Jerusalem, then to Judaea and Samaria, and then to the uttermost parts of the earth.

So, what can we learn from this passage? If the early church was to continue doing what Jesus had begun to do and to teach, then our mission is to continue what the Apostles did and taught, We are the 29th chapter of Acts, as Terry Teykl writes. Our proclamation of Jesus is to be bold, This means that we will certainly face opposition. In some parts of the world, this opposition is fierce and deadly. We need to remember that God sovereignly guides the mission of the church. At times, he will by some means protect is from martyrdom so that the proclamation of the Gospel might continue unhindered. At other times, like Stephen, our proclamation will result in martyrdom. But our shed blood will continue preaching the Gospel anyway. Ultimately, we shall all be raised and rule and reign with Jesus forever. We also can find joy in suffering, something which bewilders the world. They might ask how can this be? Then we can give an answer to the hope that is within us (1 Peter 3:15). Finally, when we suffer indignity and shame for the name of Jesus, we must not be intimidated but all the more boldly proclaim Jesus. Time grows short. There are many who need to hear of Jesus.

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