Acts 5:35 - Gamaliel's Challenge

Acts 5:35:
Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men.”

Have you ever been jealous of someone else? Maybe you wanted something they had? Maybe you wanted to look or be like them? Or -- maybe you wanted to have their power or ability to influence others? Whatever its reason, jealousy can lead you to do some strange and mean things if you don't control it soon enough.

Being Sadducees themselves, the High Priest and his close friends were not so keen on the resurrection story Peter and the other apostles -- the followers of Jesus -- had been spreading. Their jealousy led to Peter and the others being thrown in jail overnight. The next morning, they had hoped to settle the matter once and for all.

During the night, though, even with a full compliment of guards and locked gates, the apostles had been freed by an angel. He told them to go back to “telling the people all about this new life."

Learning where they were, the High Priest had them re-arrested and brought before the full council, where he gave them a good tongue lashing . . .

Acts 5:28: "We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name," he said, "Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood."

Undaunted by the authority of the council, Peter knew where his allegiance stood -- God’s Will trumped everything else. "We must obey God rather than human beings!"

Peter and the others knew what they had seen, heard, witnessed, and were told to do . . . and no one on earth could make them stop . . . and said so to the council.

Jealousy flamed to anger, and the council started to come unglued! They were furious! They wanted Peter and the others put to death for their insolence -- and would have except for the cool head of one member.

Gamaliel, an honored teacher of the law, ordered the room cleared for a while -- called an impromptu executive session.

Once it was just them -- he and the council alone -- he urged them to carefully consider how they handled themselves. He reminded them of a few recent failed uprisings by others -- and suggested how this one surrounding Jesus seemed different.

Acts 5:38-39: "Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave them alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."

So -- remember this as we face strong, jealous opposition to our following God -- our opposition is not fighting against us . . . but against God!

Romans 8:31-34: What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.