27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”33 When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. 34 But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, 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. 35 And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. 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!” So they took his advice, 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. 41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. 42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
It was only a few verses before this passage that the Apostle’s were imprisoned for proclaiming the Gospel. Freed from jail by an angel of the Lord, what is the first thing they do? Instead of laying low and trying to blend in, they marched themselves over to the temple and continued with their ministry. As a result, the apostles found themselves right back where they began—in trouble with the authorities and on trial before a council. After announcing their intent to continue their proclamation of the Good News, the situation appeared dire; that is, until a certain Pharisee arose and delivered a testimony that potentially saved the apostle’s lives.
The Pharisee, whose name was Gamaliel, urged his colleagues to not act in a rash manner. Gamaliel asserted that if the apostle’s message came from a source other than God then they had no need to worry—the movement would fizzle out like others had before. However, if their message was from God then all the resistance in the world would be futile in stopping its spread. Gamaliel’s advice has definite relevance for those of us seeking to live a faithful life today. Rather than rushing towards judgment in regards to perspectives that differ from our own, we should try to have the patience and humility to hear those voices. Indeed, these perspectives might actually move us towards a deeper understanding of God and help in our own proclamation and understanding of Jesus as Messiah.
Prayer: God, help us to become faithful witnesses to your truth. May we also be humble enough to acknowledge the new places in which your Spirit might be at work in the world.
