Acts 5:33-39 33But when they heard this, they were infuriated and wanted to put them to death. 34But after standing in the Sanhedrin, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, ordered that the men be put outside for a short time. 35Then he said to them: “Men of Israel, give careful attention to yourselves about these men what you intend to do. 36For before these days, Theudas rose up, saying he was something, and about four hundred men joined him. He was killed, all his followers were scattered, and it became nothing. 37After this man, Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and he revolted with people with him. He was also killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38And I am now saying these things to you, stay away from these men and release them, because if their purpose or activity is from humans, it will come to an end. 39But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you may only be found fighting against God.”
The response of the leaders proved their hardened hearts and refusal to accept Jesus as Messiah and Savior. Instead of being humble and listening to Peter, they chose the opposite and were infuriated (dieprionto). The word used here is strong and has the sense of being cut in two. It is a rare word used only by Luke in verse 33 and 7:54 for the extreme anger that twisted the thoughts of the Jewish leaders. They almost could not control themselves and wanted to execute the apostles, probably right on the spot. Peter had violated and threatened their authority. For the ruling Sadducees, talk of resurrection would have been rejected and ridiculed.
The Pharisees, however, accepted the doctrine of resurrection. One of the most famous Pharisees of the first century, Gamaliel, then stood up to address the Sanhedrin. Luke notes the honor, high esteem, and deep respect Gamaliel had on this council when he ordered the apostles to be put outside so he could address the group. Gamaliel was either the son or grandson of the famous rabbi Hillel, one of the greatest rabbis of history. Gamaliel was the leading rabbi of the day, and his son and grandson continued that legacy. Paul the Apostle studied under him (22:3). By this statement, he had spiritual authority within the group. He approached the problem of the apostles from a theological perspective and not a political one. The chief priest and Sadducees were more concerned about their positions, power, and influence over the people and their relationship with the Romans.
Gamaliel prefaced his solution with a quick history lesson about two other uprisings that did not last. A Theudas is mentioned in Josephus’s Antiquities (20.97–99), which could be the same person who gathered a following and claimed to be a prophet. His movement did not last long when the Romans came in and ended his self-proclaimed messiahship. The problem is that Josephus’ Theudas came after (AD 44) this time period of the early church, so the historical accuracy of Josephus may be off or he may be referring to a different uprising. After Herod the Great died, there was a time of political uprisings that were all crushed by the Romans. The second uprising under Judas the Galilean came when August was taking the census around when Jesus was born. His campaign was mentioned by Josephus in his Antiquities 18.4–10; 18.23; 20.102; War 2.433; 7.253. Judas began the Zealot movement that grew in the first century and may have been part of the cause behind the Romans’ destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.
Gamaliel points out that both movements did not last. His assumption is that God was not behind them. Verses 38-39 lay out his proposal to the rest of the Sanhedrin. As a Pharisee, Gamaliel would have been more open to some of the claims of the apostles, such as the possibility of resurrection. Accepting Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah would have been another matter, as the story of Saul of Tarsus indicates. Gamaliel offered the group two choices. If God were in the movement, there was nothing the Sanhedrin could do to stop it. Nothing any human can do can thwart God’s purpose. Gamaliel was a smart theologian who knew the power of God’s sovereignty. There was a lot of growing evidence that something greater was happening. The miracles were indisputable. Gamaliel got to the heart of the issue. Either the Sanhedrin could try to fight God and go the way of politics, which would not work, or they let the apostles and the movement fizzle out or be suppressed by the Romans, as had happened to other similar movements.
Luke’s recounting of the details of Gamaliel’s speech in the trial is significant because it serves as a defense of early Christianity. The rest of Acts proves that God was indeed behind the Jesus movement. Nothing could stop the message of the gospel and the growth of the church. Both Jews and Romans tried to persecute the Christians. They caused many problems but could not stop the truth. When God is behind something, it cannot be stopped, even though it may face opposition and even persecution.
For older posts, click here.