Scripture Daily

Context No. 1393 of 4322 · Acts

Context · Reflection

Acts 5:29-42: in context

29But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. 30The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed, hanging him on a tree. 31God exalted him with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins. 32We are his witnesses of these things; and so also is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” 33But they, when they heard this, were cut to the heart, and were determined to kill them. 34But one stood up in the council, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, honored by all the people, and commanded to put the apostles out for a little while. 35He said to them, “You men of Israel, be careful concerning these men, what you are about to do. 36For before these days Theudas rose up, making himself out to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves. He was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were dispersed and came to nothing. 37After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the enrollment, and drew away some people after him. He also perished, and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered abroad. 38Now I tell you, withdraw from these men and leave them alone. For if this counsel or this work is of men, it will be overthrown. 39But if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow it, and you would be found even to be fighting against God!” 40They agreed with him. Summoning the apostles, they beat them and commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41They therefore departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for Jesus’ name. 42Every day, in the temple and at home, they never stopped teaching and preaching Jesus, the Christ.

Hauled before the council and ordered to stop preaching, Peter and the apostles answer, we must obey God rather than men, and go on proclaiming the Jesus whom the leaders had killed and God had raised. The council is enraged and wants to kill them, but a respected Pharisee, Gamaliel, counsels restraint: leave these men alone, he says, for if this plan is of men it will fail, but if it is of God, you will not be able to stop it, and you may find yourselves fighting against God. They take his advice, but first have the apostles beaten and again order them to be silent. And the apostles leave, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name, and they never stop teaching and proclaiming Jesus.

Two things stand out, and both are bracing. The first is the apostles' clear priority: we must obey God rather than men. When the command of human authority directly contradicts the command of God, the apostles do not agonize; they know which must yield. This is not a license to defy every authority, for scripture also teaches submission to those in authority; it is the recognition that when the two genuinely conflict, when we are told by men to disobey God, obedience to God comes first, whatever it costs. The second is stranger and harder: they left rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. They had just been beaten and threatened, and they walked out not resentful or afraid but glad, counting it an honor to have suffered for Jesus. That is not a natural reaction; it is the reaction of people who so treasured Christ that sharing in suffering for him felt like a privilege rather than a loss. And their response to being silenced was to keep preaching, every day, unstoppable. Gamaliel had said that what is of God cannot be overthrown, and the apostles proved it, obeying God over men, rejoicing in dishonor, and refusing to stop. To value Christ that much, that suffering for him becomes joy and threats cannot silence us, is what this passage holds out.

When human authority commands me to disobey God, do I know which must yield, and could I ever, like the apostles, walk away from suffering for Christ rejoicing that I was counted worthy to bear dishonor for his name?

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