By: Dale Weckbacher
Text: Acts
5:27-42
Acts 5:42
And every day, in
the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that
the Christ is Jesus.
(ESV)
When watching a sporting event
where I do not have a favorite team, I like to cheer for the underdog. This is because the underdog has the odds
stacked against them and must persevere if they are going to be victorious. As Christians living in a secular world, we
are the underdog and must learn to persevere like an underdog to prevail. However, different from the underdog in a
sporting event who is favored to lose, Christians already have victory over sin
because of what Jesus did on the cross but must prevail in continuing to live
for Christ in a world full of temptations and distractions trying to pull us
away from intimacy with Christ. The ministry
of the apostles in the early Church provides an example of perseverance in
persecution through their ability to remain focused on Jesus Christ and their
mission of sharing the Gospel with the world and make disciples (Mark
16:15; Matthew 28:19-20).
Acts
5:27-42 begins with the apostles once again brought to the council for
questioning by the high priest. This is
the second time they are summoned to the high priest for questioning with their
last time ending with a charge from the high priest not to speak in the name of
Jesus again (Acts
4:18). During this initial time
before the council, the apostles told them the council must judge whether it is
right for them to follow their charge or God (Acts
4:19). With the apostles continuing
the teach about Jesus even after their arrest for doing so at the temple (Acts
4:12-26), it has become obvious the apostles intend to obey God by carrying
out the mission of spreading the Gospel and being witnesses of the resurrected
Lord (Mark
16:15; Matthew 28:19-20). These
apostles have also received the empowerment of the Holy Spirit which compels
them to be witnesses for Jesus Christ (Acts
1:8).
During questioning by the
council, the council gives a hint as to why they have issues with the apostles
and their teaching about Jesus by believing they have an agenda of bringing Jesus’
blood upon them (Acts
5:28). The council is right in
believing their teaching brings the blood of Jesus upon them for without the
shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sin (Hebrews
9:22). The writer of Hebrews only
had the teachings of the Old Covenant and when writing the words of Hebrews
9:22 and might have been thinking of the words of Leviticus
17:11. The life of the flesh of the
spotless sacrifice offered on the altar is in its blood which is offered to
make atonement for our souls through the sacrifice of its life (Leviticus
17:11).
Under the old covenant, the
sacrifices were animals, standing in as symbols of the ultimate sacrifice to
come, the sacrifice of the Son of God, the spotless Lamb of God who knew no sin
yet willingly died for the sins of humanity (Hebrews
10:1-4; Romans 5:8). It is this
truth that the apostles are witnesses to (Acts
5:32) for they witnessed the shedding of Jesus’ blood on the cross, his
death, and saw him resurrected from the dead, demonstrating His mastery over
sin and death. Therefore, the bringing
of Jesus’ blood upon us, including those from the council is not for
condemnation but salvation (John
3:17).
This message of salvation by the
blood of Christ had to be declared not only in Jerusalem, but beyond into Judea,
Samaria, and around the world (Acts
1:8), so the lives of the apostles were spared through the intervention of
Gamaliel (Acts
5:34-39). While Gamaliel was not
intervening as a believer, he was someone respected by the other members of the
council, so they followed his advice. Gamaliel
was also Saul’s teacher (Acts
22:3). Scripture does not tell us if
Gamaliel ever became a believer as the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
spread from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and around the world with one of
Gamaliel’s students the main person spreading the message around the
world.
If you are reading this know that
the blood of Jesus is upon you. It is
His saving blood offered sacrificially for your sins but to receive that
forgiveness you must accept the free gift of salvation from God (Ephesians
2:8). Please take a moment and pray
with me to receive this gift.
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans
3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans
6:23). I ask you to forgive me of my
sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1
John 1:9). I believe you died, spent
three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord
of my life.
The challenges the Church and our
world face today are unprecedented but there are also similarities between what
the Church faces today and what the Church faced in the book of Acts. As Covid19 cases and deaths decline,
businesses and churches can reopen with restrictions. However, in some jurisdictions, Churches are
singled out for greater restrictions with the Supreme Court allowing tighter
restrictions on Churches as opposed to restaurants and casinos in Nevada.
1. Wolf, Richard. Supreme Court says Nevada can
impose tighter virus limits on churches than casinos. usatoday.com. [Online]
USA Today, July 24, 2020. [Cited: August 18, 2020.] https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/07/24/supreme-court-nevada-covid-rules-can-favor-casinos-over-churches/5454128002/.
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