17 Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. 20 “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.”
21 At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.
When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. 22 But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, 23 “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” 24 On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to.
25 Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.” 26 At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.
27 The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 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.”
29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. 31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
33 When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. 34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35 Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36 Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
40 His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.
-Acts 5:17-42
Why is it that the priests/Sadducees/Jewish officials are always trying to get in the way of God? (Sadducees were Jews who did not believe in Jesus, his resurrection, and the Holy Spirit. All Jews believed in God, though.) First, they tried so hard to kill Jesus and in the end, they got what they wanted. Now, they are trying to get Jesus' disciples, the apostles. Why do they not understand that Jesus was the Messiah and let them be? When will they ever stop following these old traditional laws and realize what God really wants from them?
As we read about Peter and the other apostles in Acts, they seem much different from the person they were back in Mark and other gospels. We see their character development after Jesus' crucifixion, which I guess really opened their eyes. Now Peter is a changed man and he basically 100% believes everything Jesus spoke to him about and continues to do his work diligently for God. He's so devoted that there is no wavering feeling or betrayal coming from him anymore. I like seeing this version of Peter and this is who we should want to be like. As Christians on this earth, God eventually wants us to be someone like Peter. Someone who is a believer, an obedient follower, and a human who goes around sharing the good news about Jesus.
I admire the faithfulness and obedience of the apostles. They went all the way to jail but still showed determination to speak about Jesus wherever they were. They had the courage to even talk about Jesus in front of the Sanhedrin, which they were arrested for in the first place. We should strive to have the same faithfulness that the apostles show in this passage. As Christians and people who read the bible, we should take what we learn and talk about it openly with the people around us including the non-believers.
Eventually, they got one of the Pharisees, Gamaliel, to see the bigger picture and convince the Sanhedrin to let them out of jail. Gamaliel, who was a smart Jew, was on the side of the priests. He would have wanted to arrest and kill the apostles as well. But, he looked at the situation in a different perspective. He realized maybe the apostles really are doing what God wants and in the end, they would only be fighting God. He figured it's best to let them do their thing because that is better than opposing God and facing the consequences.
I think this whole passage is another miracle and testament to God's amazing presence in our lives. God was with the apostles the whole time and protected them by getting them out of jail. His mission is greater than anyone else's secular priorities. Now the teaching and proclaiming of the Gospel continues on.
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