Acts 5:33-39

Thank God for wise counsel. It seemed that all the religious leaders knew to do was kill those with whom they disagreed. How many prophets and righteous men and women were killed through the years at their hands?

There is an interesting exchange Jesus had with them on this very subject found in Matthew 23:29–36:

““What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you build tombs for the prophets your ancestors killed, and you decorate the monuments of the godly people your ancestors destroyed. Then you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would never have joined them in killing the prophets.’ “But in saying that, you testify against yourselves that you are indeed the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead and finish what your ancestors started. Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell? “Therefore, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers of religious law. But you will kill some by crucifixion, and you will flog others with whips in your synagogues, chasing them from city to city. As a result, you will be held responsible for the murder of all godly people of all time—from the murder of righteous Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you killed in the Temple between the sanctuary and the altar. I tell you the truth, this judgment will fall on this very generation.””

That should have caused them to pause, yet here they were, ready to kill again. How awful to think you are doing the will of God, only to find you are on the wrong side of the issue. In this case, the consequences were very severe. Jesus even poses the question, “How will you escape the judgment of hell?” Yes, Jesus spoke about hell, contrary to some misguided theology taught even today.

Gamaliel certainly provided wise advice, and thankfully they listened. God does not always use who we think He should use, and we must be careful not to unwittingly oppose what He is doing or whom He is doing it through. We, too, can find ourselves fighting against God. Unless something is specifically written in the Word, we must hold our theological positions with humility, always leaving room for God to adjust our understanding.

That certainly was the challenge for the religious leaders of the day. And if they thought Peter was bad, just wait until Paul—one of their own—encounters the risen Christ, flips the script, and turns their world upside down. The spread of the Message was just getting started.