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Acts 5:34-40  THE APOSTLES DEFENDED BY A MEMBER OF THE SANHEDRIN

 

Introduction:

 

    The apostles had been arrested and released by an angel.  They had been

arrested again and are on trial before the Sanhedrin Council.  The Council sets

about to kill them, but one of their own group arises to defend them. 

 

I.  Gamaliel’s caution

 

    V. 34, “Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named

Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and

commanded to put the apostles forth a little space.”  Gamaliel was a member of

the council.  He was a doctor of the law.  That is, he was a specialist in what

the Mosaic law said.  He was a distinguished teacher of the law and was

considered to have a superior understanding of how the meaning of the law and

how it applied to the lives of the people of Israel.  He was also very highly

respected by the other members of the council. 

    Note also that Gamaliel was a Pharisee.  He believed in a resurrection of

the dead.  Unlike the Pharisees who were angry at the apostles for teaching a

resurrection of the dead by declaring that Jesus had arisen, Gamaliel was not at

all offended by their teaching that one could arise from the grave. 

    He did not believe what the apostles said about Jesus arising from the

grave, but he was a fair minded man and seems to be willing to give

consideration of their story. 

    Gamaliel ordered that the apostles be moved out of earshot while he sought

to persuade the other council members to give up their notion of putting these

men to death.  V. 35, “And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to

yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men.”  Gamaliel advised the

counsel members to think the matter over before doing anything rash toward the

apostles. 

 

II.  Gamaliel’s line of reasoning

 

    V. 36, “For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be

somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who

was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to

nought.”  He called their attention Theudas, who had a large following.  He had

about 400 followers and that was a sizable number of followers.  Gamaliel points

out that the Sanhedrin Council had not taken any action against Theudas.  Their

action was not needed.  Somebody outside the council had killed Theudas and

nothing ever came of this movement after the death of their leader.  The group

just dwindled away. 

    Gamaliel also called attention to Judas of Galilee.  V. 37, “After this

man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much

people after him: he also perished; and all, [even] as many as obeyed him, were

dispersed.”   This was not the Judas who had betrayed Jesus.  It was a man of

Galilee who had the same name.  This man had also gathered a large following to

himself.  But he, too, died and his movement died out with him.  Soon after his

death his followers scattered and the movement was no more.  

    V. 38a, “And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them

alone...”  Gamaliel counseled the Sanhedrin to leave the apostles alone.  If

they took action against them and put them to death, they stood in danger of

getting into trouble with the Roman authorities. 

    But there was more involved than just the danger of getting in trouble

with the Romans.  There was the danger of getting into trouble with God. 

Gamaliel reasoned that if the followers of Jesus met with God’s disapproval,

then they should let God deal with them. (V. 38b), “... for if this counsel or

this work be of men, it will come to nought.”  In this statement Gamaliel was

right in a sense.  It is true that all who oppose God will eventually meet with

defeat.  No man can work against God and win. 

    But Gamaliel was wrong in thinking that God always moves quickly to put

down His opponents.  In fact some of the false religions that exist in the world

today have a long history.  Some of them date back to the days of the Babylonian

empire.  We cannot say that just because a group has been around a long time

that it has the approval of God.  Never-the-less, God used the persuasion of

Gamaliel to get His apostles released. 

    Gamaliel most certainly spoke words of wisdom to the group in verse 39. 

V. 39, “But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even

to fight against God.”  It is most certainly true that the members of the

Sanhedrin nor anybody else in this world could destroy Christianity from off the

earth.  God was promoting Christianity.  The Scripture says, “If God be for us,

who can be against us?”  The enemies of Christianity can kill Christians, but

they cannot kill out Christianity.  They cannot win in the battle against

Christianity. 

 

III.  The Council concedes and the apostles freed

 

    V. 40, “And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and

beaten [them], they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus,

and let them go.”  The Council agreed with Gamaliel --- at least in part.  They

did agree not to make no further effort --- at least for now --- to kill the

apostles.  They agreed to set them free rather than kill them.  And this is what

they did. 

    But they did not totally agree.  They did not agree that the Christian

movement might be of God.  They would never agree to that.   They did not agree

not to hurt the apostles.  They beat them before they let them go.  In doing so

they were still fighting against God.  Even to speak against God’s people is to

fight against God. 

 

IV.   Some things which we should observe

 

    Gamaliel was not at this time a Christian and yet he defended the apostles

and, in a  sense, defended Christianity.  He did so on the basis of right and

fairness.  He was not trying to save Christianity, but was just trying to get

people to do what is right. 

    It is not the world’s place to judge Christianity and to decide whether or

not it should exist.  It is God’s business to decide whether or not it should

stop or to continue to exist. 

    Yet the world continues to persecute Christianity.  Jesus warned His

disciples that they would be persecuted.  In effect He said, “They have

persecuted me.  They will persecute you.”  Down through the ages the world has

persecuted Christians.  They have fed them to the lions, burned them at the

stake, and left them to rot in dungeons.  Even today Christians are still

persecuted.  They are persecuted by atheists, Moslems, Buddhists, and by many

individuals in the news media and entertainment industry.  On television

Christians are persecuted by Kevin Cline, by Jerry Springer and others. 

    But the greatest time of persecution of Christians is yet to come.  It

will come under the leadership of the Anti-Christ, the man of sin.  The Anti-

Christ will be the greatest enemy of Christ and Christianity ever to live in

human flesh.  He will shed the blood of many Christians. 

    Yet Christianity cannot be destroyed.  To fight against Christianity is to

fight against God.  God is the One who sent Jesus Christ to the world.  The Jews

tried to stamp out Christianity in its early stages.  They crucified the Christ,

but that did not stop Him.  He arose from the dead and Christianity spread like

wild fire.  The Jews, under the leadership of Saul of Tarsus, tried to wipe out

the church at Jerusalem.  Instead, the Christians were scattered and churches

sprung up everywhere they went.  The Romans tried to wipe them out.  But the

more they were persecuted, the more they grew in number.  So it was in the Dark

Ages when they were slaughtered by the thousands, but the multiplied by the tens

of thousands. 

    One who fights against Christianity only hurts himself.  It is like the

hammer beating against the anvil.  The hammer wears out, but the anvil still

remains.  Each individual must make up his own mind whether he is for it or

against it.  But whether one favors Christianity or fights against it,

Christianity is going to win.  Christ is going to return to earth and He will

conquer the Anti-Christ and his army.  Christ is going to establish Himself on

the throne to rule during the millennium.  After His millennial reign, Christ

will sit upon the throne of God in the New Earth and only the saved will dwell

in the New Earth.  All others will be in The Lake of Fire and Brimstone. 

 

Conclusion:

 

    Will you be on the winning side?  Are you on the winning side now?