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33 When they heard this, they were furious and plotted to kill them. 34 Then one in the council stood up, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in respect by all the people, and commanded them to put the apostles outside for a little while. 35 And he said to them: “Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men. 36 For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing. 37 After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed. 38 And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; 39 but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.” ~ Acts 5:33-39
Today, we return to Acts 5 where the Apostles of the Lord Jesus have been thrown into jail by the religious leaders of first century Israel. But, during the night the Lord send an angel who miraculously freed them from the jail, all the while the doors remained locked and the guards stood guard. It was a metaphor for the much deeper work the Lord was doing in the lives of all who came to believe that He was the long promised Messiah of Israel.
In v.33 of today's passage we read, "When they heard this, they were furious and plotted to kill them."
These so-called "spiritual leaders" searched the Scriptures for something other than God. Otherwise, they would have loved people for when we seek God through His Word, He always gives us His heart which is for all mankind. The Lord Jesus said in John 5:39, "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me." Somewhere along the way the religious leaders stopped seeking the Lord, so much so that they missed Him when He came. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Living Word of whom the written word speaks.
When the religious leaders of Israel heard the words of Peter that they were responsible for the death of the Messiah, they were so angry they planned how they might murder the apostles. Again, these "religious leaders" knew the Old Testament like the backs of their hands, and yet, they lack an encounter with the One who wrote it. The irony in this narrative is that these "religious leaders" were willing to violate the very law they had dedicated their lives to protect.
The word "furious" is a compound of two word meaning "sawn in two." This is what the Word of God does to us, it cuts into us deeply resulting in us either embracing God through it or we are found running from Him. Not one word we read in the Bible is dead. It is energized by the Holy Spirit and is alive. The very One who spoke the worlds into existence longs to speak the truth into our souls. It was A.W. Tozer who once said, "The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring us to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that we may enter into Him, that we might delight in His Presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of our hearts."
In v.34-39 of today's passage we read, "34 Then one in the council stood up, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in respect by all the people, and commanded them to put the apostles outside for a little while. 35 And he said to them: “Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men. 36 For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing. 37 After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed. 38 And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; 39 but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God."
Undoubtedly, Gamaliel heard the grumblings of the other religious leaders and knew that their words were contrary to both reason and the Law of Moses. He knew their violence had led to the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, and now His followers were standing before the council with the same type of anger being cast towards them. As a Pharisee, Gamaliel accepted the biblical teaching of the resurrection and angels. As a result, he was tempted to actually accept that the apostles had been released from the prison by an angel. Thus, Gamaliel reasoned with the council. By the way, this was the same Gamaliel under whom the Apostle Paul studied before he became a believer in the Lord Jesus.
It was then that Gamaliel used the examples of Theudas and Judas of Galilee who both claimed to be the messiah. They were both seen by the Romans as insurrectionists. Theudas and Judas were both false fads which soon died out with their deaths. Given the fate of these two false messiahs, Gamaliel advised the council to let this Jesus thing run its course. Gamaliel's advice was brilliant since if the Lord Jesus was just another false messiah, His work would come to nothing.
Gamaliel's last words reveals that he thought this Jesus movement could have been of God. Though there is no evidence that he ever came to faith in the Lord Jesus, the words of Gamaliel seem to indicate that he thought that the message of the apostles was possibly true. His words demonstrate the thoughts of a person who was carefully watching the unfolding events before him to see if the Lord Jesus was actually the promised Messiah. Sadly Gamaliel sought to be spiritual most of his life and he missed a real encounter with God. It was Mike Yaconelli who said, "Accepting the reality of our broken, flawed lives is the beginning of spirituality not because the spiritual life will remove our flaws but because we let go of seeking perfection and, instead, seek God, the one who is present in the tangles of our lives."
