13  The Early  Church Pattern  for Evangelism (5:12-42)

And at the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s portico. But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem. And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number; to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets, and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on any one of them. And also the people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits; and they were all being healed. But the high priest rose up, along with all his associates (that is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy; and they laid hands on the apostles, and put them in a public jail. But an angel of the Lord during the night opened the gates of the prison, and taking them out he said, “Go your way, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life.” And upon hearing this, they entered into the temple about daybreak, and began to teach. Now when the high priest and his associates had come, they called the Council together, even all the Senate of the sons of Israel, and sent orders to the prison house for them to be brought. But the officers who came did not find them in the prison; and they returned, and reported back, saying, “We found the prison house locked quite securely and the guards standing at the doors; but when we had opened up, we found no one inside.” Now when the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them as to what would come of this. But someone came and reported to them, “Behold, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!” Then the captain went along with the officers and proceeded to bring them back without violence (for they were afraid of the people, lest they should be stoned). And when they had brought them, they stood them before the Council. And the high priest questioned them, saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles answered and said, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.” But when they heard this, they were cut to the quick and were intending to slay them. But a certain Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time. And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men. For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody; and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. And he was slain; and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After this man Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away some people after him, he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered. And so in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action should be of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.” And they took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them to speak no more in the name of Jesus, and then released them. So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. (5:12–42)

A perennial problem the church of Jesus Christ faces is a lack of focus on its mission. Widespread confusion exists over what that primary mission should be. Some argue that the church should lead the crusade for social justice for the poor and downtrodden. Others see it as a political force to help change the culture. Still others view their church as a private club, where they can socialize with their friends.

On a more biblical note, the church’s goal is to mature the saints through the preaching of the Word, fellowship, and discipleship. It also meets to praise and worship God. Those are important goals, and should mark every church. Yet none of them is the church’s primary goal here on earth. Indeed, every one of them could be better accomplished in heaven.

What is the primary goal of the church? Our Lord answered that question by charging us to “go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” (Matt. 28:19–20). The church’s primary goal is evangelism. It is to carry on the work begun by the Lord Jesus Christ, whose mission was “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). That is the only duty of the church that can’t be better done in heaven.

The early church understood its purpose clearly. The believers never lost sight of their calling to be Christ’s witnesses “both in Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Their zeal and effectiveness resulted in explosive growth. On the day of Pentecost, the birthday of the church, “there were added that day about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41). In the days following Pentecost, “the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). By the conclusion of Peter’s second sermon, the number of men in the church had risen to 5,000 (Acts 4:4). As noted in the discussion of Acts 4:1–4 in chapter 11, that is the last specific number of believers recorded in Acts; from that time on the church grew too rapidly to keep count. Acts 5:14 speaks of “multitudes of men and women” being added to the church, while Acts 6:7 adds that “the number of disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem.” Acts 9:31 says that “the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and, going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.” Acts 11:21 speaks of “a large number who believed [and] turned to the Lord” in Antioch, while verse 24 records that “considerable numbers were brought to the Lord” through Barnabas’s ministry in that city.

What did the church do to contribute to this remarkable growth? How did the church expand so rapidly despite the determined opposition of the Jewish authorities? Acts 5:12–42 presents five keys to the effective evangelism of the early church: purity, power, persecution, persistence, and productivity.

PURITY

They were all with one accord in Solomon’s portico. But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem. And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number; (5:12b-14)

To be useful to the Lord, an individual must be pure (cf. 2 Tim. 2:19–21). No one stated that truth any more clearly than the noble nineteenth-century Scottish pastor and evangelist Robert Murray McCheyne. He gave the following sage advice to a young man entering the ministry:

What is true of believers individually is also true of the church collectively. The church that would reach the world must be pure; it must be a church that deals with sin. God displayed the importance He places on the purity of His church by His dramatic judgment of Ananias and Sapphira (5:1–11). While God may still intervene directly in the lives of sinning Christians (1 Cor. 11:30), disciplining sinning believers is the responsibility of each congregation.

Sadly, church discipline is practically an ignored duty today. It has fallen prey fo the unbiblical notion that loving people and building up their self-esteem means tolerating their sin. Biblical love, however, seeks the well-being of others. Since the goal of discipline is to deal with sin, which is harmful, love and discipline are not mutually exclusive (cf. Prov. 27:6). It is because God loves believers that He chastens them (Heb. 12:5–6).

The importance of confronting sin in the church is expressed in many New Testament injunctions. In Luke 17:3, the Lord Jesus Christ commanded, “If your brother sins, rebuke him.” Paul put Hymenaeus and Alexander out of the Ephesian church because of their blasphemies (1 Tim. 1:20). He commanded the Corinthians to remove from their fellowship a man guilty of gross sexual immorality (1 Cor. 5:1–7). He instructed his young protégé Titus to “reprove [believers] severely that they may be sound in the faith” (Titus 1:13). Even church leaders are not exempt from public rebuke (1 Tim. 5:20; cf. Gal. 2:11–14).

The most extensive teaching on how to exercise church discipline comes from our Lord Himself:

The church pays a steep price for disobeying the Lord’s clear teaching on this matter. The impure, worldly church that is the inevitable result of the absence of confrontive holiness will not be an effective witness for Jesus Christ. Disciplining of sinning saints is not an option but an obligation.

Verses 12b—14 form a parenthesis. The thought begun in the first half of verse 12 resumes in verse 15. The subject of the parenthetical thought is the purity of the church. Now that the sin of Ananias and Sapphira had been dealt with, the church was again in one accord. Solomon’s portico lay along the eastern side of the temple, facing the Court of the Gentiles. It was the site of Peter’s second sermon (3:11ff.) and one of our Lord’s discourses (John 10:23ff.). It had become a favorite gathering place for the believers, who met there daily for prayer and worship.

Luke then presents the paradoxical truth that none of the rest (unbelievers) dared to associate with the believers, though the people held them in high esteem. They had great respect for the followers of Jesus and their devotion to their beliefs. Surely they also respected the power of God displayed through them. But to balance the respect that might lead them to join was the fear that sin would be severely judged. The swift judgment of Ananias and Sapphira kept the halfhearted and uncommitted from joining the Christians (cf. 5:5, 11). The practice of sternly dealing with sin helps maintain a pure church. People do not rush to join a church that will expose their sin. Discipline is thus an essential key to evangelism, because it purifies the church and keeps the shallow and merely curious away. It is startling to see churches today that will purposely not make sin an issue so as to attract the shallow and curious.

Many pastors fear that the practice of church discipline will drive people away and ruin their churches. It will drive away those who love their sin, but attract those who hate it and seek repentance and righteousness. Despite the strict discipline imposed by God so that unbelievers feared to associate with the church, all the more believers in the Lord were constantly added to the exploding church. In fact, there were so many that they lost count. Luke could only describe them as multitudes of men and women. The means of this growth was purity.

Uncompromising commitment to holiness characterized these believers—not the fearful commitment of self-righteous legalism but one springing out of love for the Lord. They were a fearful group, and that kept those who loved their sin away, and those who wanted forgiveness for sin near. That stands in sharp contrast to the masses of uncommitted, even unsaved, people that feel comfortable in the church today. The failure of churches to preach holy living, and to discipline those who don’t live that way, allows sinners and hypocrites to remain in the church, convoluting its direction, sapping its power, robbing it of purity and marring its testimony. Men may build their churches with a tolerance for sin, but the Lord builds His among people who love holiness and hate and expose sin.

Jesus demands a high level of commitment from those who would follow Him. In Luke 9:57–62 He had the following dialogue with some would-be followers:

In Matthew 10:32–39 He added,

The Lord Jesus Christ wants total commitment. Only those who are willing to forsake all, including sin, and lose their lives in submission to Him, are worthy to be His followers. A church made up of such people will be a pure church, with a powerful testimony to the world.

POWER

And at the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people … to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets, and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on any one of them. And also the people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits; and they were all being healed. (5:12a, 15–16)

As already noted, verse 15 resumes the thought begun in the first half of verse 12. The parenthesis, describing the purity of the church, is foundational to this section. The early church was a growing church because it was a pure church. They were a clean channel through which the power of God could flow.

As discussed in chapters 5, 7, and 8 of this commentary, signs and wonders were designed to point men to spiritual truth. They also confirmed the apostles’ claim to be God’s messengers. With the passing of the apostles from the scene and the completion of the canon of Scripture, the need for miracles vanished. They were not intended to be an ongoing part of the life of the church but a unique ministry of the apostles. In fact, in 2 Corinthians 12:12, Paul wrote, “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.” In keeping with that unique ministry, Luke carefully notes that it was at the hands of the apostles that the many signs and wonders were taking place among the people. As noted in the discussion of Acts 3:1–10 in chapter 8, the early church was not a miracle-working church—it was a church with miracle-working apostles.

The outpouring of miracles was an answer to their prayer that God would “grant that Thy bond-servants may speak Thy word with all confidence, while Thou dost extend Thy hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Thy holy servant Jesus” (Acts 4:29–30). God did not answer that prayer, however, until the church was pure.

The apostles carried on their widespread, public healing ministry to such an extent that people even carried the sick out into the streets, and laid them on cots and pallets. Cots (klinariōn) refers to small beds or couches, whereas pallets (krabattōn) describes the straw mattresses commonly used by the poor. Luke’s use of these two terms implies that both rich and poor sought healing from the apostles. Far from being skeptical about the apostles’ healing power, they were so aware of their potency over disease that they hoped that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on any one of them and heal them. That was not mere superstition but reflected the belief he had divine power and that his shadow might carry the power of healing. The Bible does not say that Peter’s shadow actually healed anyone, merely that the people believed it might.

The stir caused by the massive number of the apostles’ healings was not limited to Jerusalem. Additional people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits; and they were all being healed. This is the first record of the church’s influence spreading beyond Jerusalem. They were beginning to fulfill the Lord’s charge to be His witnesses not only in Jerusalem but also “in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

PERSECUTION

But the high priest rose up, along with all his associates (that is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy; and they laid hands on the apostles, and put them in a public jail. But an angel of the Lord during the night opened the gates of the prison, and taking them out he said, “Go your way, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life.” And upon hearing this, they entered into the temple about daybreak, and began to teach. Now when the high priest and his associates had come, they called the Council together, even all the Senate of the sons of Israel, and sent orders to the prison house for them to be brought. But the officers who came did not find them in the prison; and they returned, and reported back, saying, “We found the prison house locked quite securely and the guards standing at the doors; but when we had opened up, we found no one inside.” Now when the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them as to what would come of this. But someone came and reported to them, “Behold, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!” Then the captain went along with the officers and proceeded to bring them back without violence (for they were afraid of the people, lest they should be stoned). And when they had brought them, they stood them before the Council. And the high priest questioned them, saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” (5:12–28)

A pure, powerful church will inevitably provoke a hostile reaction from the satanic world system. Successful Christians and churches will make waves, and the world and Satan will retaliate with persecution. “Indeed,” Paul wrote to Timothy, “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12). Reflecting on the persecution he had faced during his ministry, Peter wrote, “If when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God” (1 Peter 2:20); “for it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong” (1 Peter 3:17); “if you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you” (1 Peter 4:14). In the Beatitudes, Jesus said,

We are “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ,” wrote Paul to the Romans, “if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him” (Rom. 8:17).

It comes as no surprise, then, that the power and effectiveness of the church resulted in bitter opposition. Alarmed by the continuing rapid spread of the gospel and the church, and the prevailing of its influence, the high priest rose up, along with all his associates (that is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy. The high priest could refer to Annas (cf. 4:6) or to Caiaphas, who was in office until A.D. 36. As were all the high priests of that time, he was a member of the sect of the Sadducees. They were filled with jealousy at the church’s popularity with the people (cf. 5:13). Further, as noted in the discussion of Acts 4:1–4 in chapter 11, they were committed to maintaining the status quo. They sought at all costs to avoid provoking a reaction from the Romans that would cost them their privileged leadership position. While the Pharisees led the opposition to Jesus in the gospels, the Sadducees were the chief opponents of the early church.

The Sadducees’ jealousy did not remain idle. The rise of a new religious sect in Jerusalem, the very seat of their power, would threaten to erode their hold on the people. This sect above all, which believed the very man they had murdered was alive from the dead and the power behind the amazing and prolific miracles, could not be tolerated. Their leadership was in a fragile state, religiously and politically, since there was also the danger that the turmoil created in the city would cause the Romans to take action. Compelled by the gravity of the situation, they laid hands on the apostles (this time all twelve), and put them in a public jail, which held the common prisoners. After all the miracles they had seen, it is hard to understand how they felt prison bars would restrain the power of God. Throughout Acts, imprisonment would prove to be no obstacle to the Lord (cf. 12:3–11; 16:23ff.).

Again, Satan’s opposition backfired, providing opportunity for God to display His power. An angel of the Lord during the night opened the gates of the prison and freed the apostles. God’s use of an angel to free them was especially ironic, since the Sadducees denied the existence of angels. After releasing them, the angel commanded them to go your way, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life. They were freed not to hide, but to boldly return to the temple and continue to preach. The whole message of this Life refers to the gospel (cf. Phil. 2:16; 1 John 1:1–4). The good news we proclaim is that Jesus Christ came into the world to give abundant and eternal life to the spiritually dead (cf. John 1:4; 11:25; 14:6; 1 John 5:20).

Although the angel’s command may have seemed incredible, even reckless, the apostles did not argue. Upon hearing his words, they entered into the temple about daybreak, and began to teach. Before the Sadducees were even aware that they had been released they were back preaching. They chose to boldly obey and leave the consequences to God. Theirs was a defiant courage, and they did not hesitate to put their lives at risk.

Meanwhile, when the high priest and his associates had gathered, they called the Council together, even all the Senate of the sons of Israel. The morning after the apostles’ imprisonment, the Sanhedrin (Council and Senate both refer to this body) convened to decide what to do about the apostolic prisoners. Accordingly, they sent orders to the prison house for them to be brought before them.

To their shock and consternation, however, the officers (Levites of the temple police) sent to retrieve the apostles did not find them in the prison. Instead they reported finding the prison house locked quite securely and the guards standing at the doors; but when they opened up, they found no one inside. Everything was as it should have been with one exception—the prisoners were gone!

Not surprisingly, when the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them as to what would come of this. Already at their wit’s end as to how to stop the spread of Christianity, the harried Jewish authorities wondered what was going to happen next. As their efforts proved futile, their panic and alarm mounted. The apostles were openly flaunting their authority. They were powerless to stop the spread of what to them was the worst heresy imaginable and the greatest threat to their own credibility. People from all over the region were thronging Jerusalem to witness firsthand the miracles done by the apostles—miracles the Sanhedrin still refused to believe.

At the moment of their deliberation, someone came and reported to them news of the apostles’ escape and shocking defiance of their authority: Behold, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people! Had the apostles gone into hiding after their escape it would have been bad enough. That they had the audacity to go right back into the temple and resume preaching was the ultimate act of insolence.

The captain of the temple police led his officers to the temple and proceeded to bring the willing apostles back without violence. By now the Sanhedrin was ready to resort to the most drastic measures in dealing with the gospel preachers, but they were afraid of the people, lest they should be stoned. The apostles’ popularity and credibility with the people forced the authorities to proceed with uneasy caution. As with their prior arrests, the apostles offered no resistance (cf. 4:1–3; 5:18). They were content to submit to whatever God had in store for them. As noted in the discussion of Acts 4:5–7 in chapter 11, submission is one of the principles for handling persecution.

Having returned to the Sanhedrin with the apostles in tow, they stood them before the Council. The stage was set for the apostles’ second sermon to the Sanhedrin. The high priest opened the proceedings by reminding the apostles that the Sanhedrin had given them strict orders not to continue teaching in this name. That was the first indictment brought against the apostles: they had disregarded the orders of the Sanhedrin. Instead, as the rulers reluctantly acknowledged, they had filled Jerusalem with their teaching.

Even worse was the second indictment, that the apostles intend to bring this man’s blood upon us. Interestingly, the high priest could not bring himself to mention Jesus’ name, calling Him this man. That charge was also true; Peter and the rest had boldly indicted the Jewish leaders for their role in Jesus’ death (cf. 2:23, 36; 3:15; 4:10–11). The high priest conveniently forgot, however, that he and his associates had said to Pilate, “His blood be on us and on our children!” (Matt. 27:25). They were only getting what they had asked Pilate to give them.

Conspicuously absent from the high priest’s charges is any mention of the apostles’ escape from prison. Since the Sanhedrin could not explain that miracle, they simply acknowledged it and ignored it. Their minds made up, they had no wish to be confused by the facts. They “loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).

PERSISTENCE

But Peter and the apostles answered and said, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.” (5:29–32)

If the Sanhedrin expected the apostles to be cowed by their accusations, they were mistaken. Peter, speaking for the rest of the apostles, answered that they must obey God rather than men. As in 4:19, he placed the Sanhedrin in opposition to God. He reinforced that point by noting that the God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. They had executed Jesus, but God raised Him (cf. 2:23–24, 36; 3:13–15; 4:10). Peter persistently, fearlessly repeated the offense for which the Sanhedrin had just indicted the apostles (cf. 5:28). Diacheirizō (put to death) appears only here and in Acts 26:21. It means “to put to death with one’s own hands.” Far from backing off, Peter intensifies his accusation of the Sanhedrin. He had previously charged the Jewish authorities with responsibility for Jesus’ death (2:23–24, 36; 3:13–15; 4:10). Now he insists they are as guilty as if they had killed Him with their own hands. They had not merely put the Messiah to death, but to the shameful death of hanging Him on a cross (cf. Deut. 21:23).

The One they despised and executed is the very one whom God exalted to the place of honor at His right hand as a Prince and a Savior. As noted in the discussion of Acts 3:15 in chapter 9, archēgos (Prince) refers to the originator or pioneer of something (cf. its use in Heb. 2:10 and 12:2). Here it describes Jesus as the source of eternal life (cf. Acts 3:15) and is closely connected with the term Savior. He came to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. Repentance from sin is an integral part of saving faith, not a human work added to it. The apostles’ claims to be witnesses to and proclaimers of the momentous events of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection were never disputed by their opponents. And not only were they witnesses, but so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him. Two interesting points are made here. First, the saved are described as those who obey Him. They are characterized by obedience (cf. Romans 1:5; Heb. 5:9), which is synonymous with saving faith. The verb used is peitharcheō, which means “to obey one in authority.” Salvation is surrendering in obedience to the authority of Jesus Christ as Lord. Second, the Holy Spirit is given to every saved person at salvation (cf. Acts 2:4; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 6:19, 20; 12:13). So Peter makes obeying God and the gift of the Holy Spirit synonymous with saving faith.

PRODUCTIVITY

But when they heard this, they were cut to the quick and were intending to slay them. But a certain Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time. And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men. For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody; and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. And he was slain; and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After this man Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away some people after him, he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered. And so in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action should be of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.” And they took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them to speak no more in the name of Jesus, and then released them. So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. (5:33–42)

The concluding verses of this chapter give the productive results of the evangelism of the pure, powerful, persecuted, persistent church. Although to some it was brief, Peter’s sermon to the Sanhedrin was powerful and convicting. He charged them with rejecting and executing their Messiah, and hence being in rebellion against God. He did not play on their emotions or soften the confrontation, but presented the truth. Conviction that leads to salvation can only take place when the Spirit of God (cf. John 16:7–11) uses the facts of the Word of God to produce repentance in a person’s heart and mind.

To convicting preaching there are but three possible reactions: violent hostility, tolerant indecision, or saving acceptance. This passage illustrates them all.

VIOLENT HOSTILITY

But when they heard this, they were cut to the quick and were intending to slay them. (5:33)

Convicting preaching will inevitably provoke a violent reaction from those hardened in sin. When the authorities heard Peter’s bold presentation, they heard it as blasphemy and they were cut to the quick. Diapriō (cut to the quick) appears only here and in Acts 7:54. It literally refers to cutting something in two—an apt metaphor to describe the power of the Word of God (Heb. 4:12). Instead of yielding to the truth, the authorities hardened their hearts. As they had done to Jesus (cf. John 5:16; 7:32; 8:59; 10:31; 11:57) in spite of the abundant evidence, they rejected the apostles’ teaching and violently opposed them as blasphemers.

The high priest and his fellow Sadducees were enraged with the apostles for several reasons. The apostles had denied their doctrine by proclaiming the resurrection. They had defied the Sanhedrin’s authority by preaching after they had ordered them to stop. By charging the Sanhedrin with executing the Messiah, the apostles assaulted their spirituality. Finally, by winning large numbers of converts they threatened the Sadducees’ domination of the people. They had had enough and were intending to slay the troubling apostles.

The apostle Paul would later face the same reaction. Acts 9:22–23 records that after his conversion he “kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ. And when many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him.” “The wicked plots against the righteous,” wrote David, “and gnashes at him with his teeth. The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow … to slay those who are upright in conduct. The wicked spies upon the righteous, and seeks to kill him” (Ps. 37:12, 14, 32). In Matthew 23:34, Jesus said, “I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city.” In verse 37 He lamented, “0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!”

Our gospel presentations must be definitive enough that the world must take note, even if they reject our message. If the gospel we preach is not convicting enough to make some men angry, is it convicting enough to bring them salvation?

TOLERANT INDECISION

But a certain Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time. And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men. For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody; and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. And he was slain; and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After this man Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away some people after him, he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered. And so in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action should be of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.” And they took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them to speak no more in the name of Jesus, and then released them. (5:34–40)

Some react to a convicting presentation of the gospel not with open hostility, but with indifference. Such a one was a certain Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law. He was easily the most prominent rabbi of that time and one of the greatest of all antiquity. He was the grandson of another prominent rabbi, Hillel, and his successor as leader of the liberal wing of the Pharisees. Gamaliel was one of the few honored with the title rabban, instead of the usual title “rabbi” (F. F. Bruce, The Book of the Acts [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1971], 124 n. 44). How highly he was respected by all the people may be seen in the following quotation from the Mishna: “When Rabban Gamaliel the Elder died, the glory of the Law ceased and purity and abstinence died” (cited in John B. Polhill, The New American Commentary: Acts [Nashville: Broadman, 1992], 171). His most famous student was the apostle Paul (Acts 22:3).

Gamaliel stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the apostles outside for a short time. He then warned his fellow members of the Sanhedrin, Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men. Unlike the Sadducees, the Pharisees accepted both the miraculous and the sovereignty of God. Gamaliel’s counsel reflects his belief that God was in control of events. He then offers two illustrations before driving home his main point.

Many critical scholars view Luke’s reference to Theudas as a gross historical blunder. The only other reference to a Theudas from this period is in Josephus’s Antiquities. Josephus, however, dates Theudas’s revolt at around A.D. 44, a decade after Gamaliel’s speech. Further, Gamaliel’s speech as recorded by Luke places Theudas’s revolt before that of Judas’s. Luke, however, does not present a garbled version of Josephus’s account, as many charge. Antiquities was not written until many years after Luke wrote Acts, so Luke could not have borrowed from it. The details Luke gives about Theudas’s revolt differ markedly from Josephus’s account. Josephus suggests, for example, that he had a far larger following than a mere four hundred men. Since Theudas was a common name, it is most likely that two different people are in view. That an otherwise unknown Theudas should have led a revolt in the early years of the first century is entirely possible, since Josephus spoke of “innumerable tumults and insurrections that arose in Judea following the death of Herod the Great (4 B.C.)” (Polhill, Acts, 173). Josephus writes of 2,000 who were crucified for revolting before the enrollment in A.D. 6 (Antiquities XVII. 10.4, 10).

No such controversy surrounds the identification of Gamaliel’s second example, Judas of Galilee. He led a revolt against the census ordered by Quirinius (A.D. 6–7). (For evidence that this was not the same census referred to in Luke 2 see Gleason L. Archer, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1982], 365–66.) The Zealots, to which Jesus’ disciple Simon had belonged, trace their origin to him (Archer, p. 378). Like Theudas, he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered.

Gamaliel then gets to his point. In the present case, involving the apostles, he cautions his fellow members to stay away from these men and let them alone. He urges the Council to adopt a “wait and see” policy, since if this plan or action should be of men, it will be overthrown, like those of Theudas and Judas. On the other hand, he warns, if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God, something Peter had already indicted them for, and something they were supposed to be trying the apostles for doing. The Sanhedrin took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them to speak no more in the name of Jesus, and then released them.

While Gamaliel’s counsel seemed wise to the Sanhedrin, the notion that whatever succeeds has God’s blessing is false. Cults and false religions in our day have millions of followers. And what more evidence did he need to convince him beyond the empty tomb of Jesus and the miracles performed by the apostles? The word to all such fence sitters is “Now is the acceptable time, behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2; cf. Heb. 3:7; 4:7). Gamaliel was a pragmatist—a poor substitute for being a good biblical scholar. Such lethargy on his part is not commendable in light of what he knew of the Scripture and what he knew of the work of Jesus and the power of the apostles in His name.

The flogging was criminally unjust and done to frighten them. It usually involved a beating of forty lashes, less one to avoid violating the legal limit (Deut. 25:3). Apparently Gamaliel had no problem with the whipping, again revealing his indifference.

SAVING ACCEPTANCE

So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. (5:41–42)

The apostles typify those who accept the gospel message. Far from being embittered or disillusioned at their suffering, they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name (cf. Gal. 6:17; Col. 1:24). That they were persecuted for Christ’s sake showed that they possessed the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 4:13).

Undaunted by the Council’s actions, every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. Theirs was a battle-tested faith, unlike the false faith that wilts under persecution (Matt. 13:20–21).

The early church understood the pattern for effective evangelism. By consistently practicing that pattern, they turned their world upside down (cf. Acts 17:6). At the very time they were experiencing the most furious opposition, and some tolerant indecision, their number was constantly increasing (Acts 6:1). As Paul told the Corinthians, such preachers “are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life” (2 Cor. 2:15–16).