REJOICING IN SUFFERING

Peter and the other apostles were arrested again.

It was almost a repeat of the story in the previous chapter—healing and preaching, imprisonment and interrogation by the Jewish council, the Jewish leaders’ fear of the people, the responses by the apostles, and the warnings not to continue preaching—but, this time, all the stakes were raised. On this second occasion, the apostles were miraculously released from prison, then re-arrested the next morning as they were already back, teaching in the temple courts. The anger of the Jewish leaders was clearly rising, but it also seems that the believers’ prayers for courage had been answered. Peter explained in simple terms why the apostles could not comply with the council’s orders: “We must obey God rather than human beings!” This time, the apostles were flogged in addition to being ordered not to continue preaching.

Tensions were rising, and the responses from the Jewish leaders were becoming more violent, showing the first suggestion of martyrdom.

It seems that it was only Gamaliel’s wise and careful counsel that staved off more violent persecution for a while longer and allowed the apostles’ work and witness to continue to grow. “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 5:42).

The continuing progress of the gospel was remarkable, but the disciples’ immediate response to their warning and beating was perhaps more remarkable.

“The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name” (Acts 5:41). It was a literal fulfillment of what Jesus had taught in Matthew 5:11—“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you . . . because of me.” Their prayer for courage and boldness was answered in this most immediate way. God was with them and would continue to be with them amid the growing reality of persecution.