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Today's Little Lift
by Jim Bullington
“And when they [the temple guards or officials] had brought them [the apostles], they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, saying, 'Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!' But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: 'We ought to obey God rather than men.'” (Acts 5.27-29; all emphasis mine, above & below, jeb)
The council was, to put things in perspective, an august body of men similar to our supreme court. It was served by seventy one members who had distinguished themselves in significant ways. To go against the commands of the Sanhedrin was to literally take one's life into a person's own hands. The Sanhedrin was supposedly bound to uphold the Law as it applied to matters religious in and around Jerusalem. When they gave commandment to Peter and John to cease and desist regarding Jesus Christ, they did so with full authority to impose the most drastic of penalties against them should they choose not to obey. Now, here they were again, hauled up before the court with inescapable evidence that they had ignored the preaching ban on Jesus Christ.
The question of the court was, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name?” Now would have been the time to plead that a misunderstanding had taken place, or that some other circumstance had led to their actions which put them at odds with the council However, the response which came back to the council was simply one of apparent defiance! The apostles had perfectly heard and understood the council's command to cease and desist, but they had made a conscious choice to ignore the ban. This willful choice which prompted the apostles to return to the temple and to boldly proclaim the name of Jesus Christ was the action which so inflamed the Sanhedrin; it was defiance that could not be ignored!
Not only did the apostles not comply with the Sanhedrin's demands, they “filled Jerusalem” with their teaching of the Man (Jesus) and had done so with the alleged intent of bringing blood-guilt down upon the heads of the council itself. After all, the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus was all a “trumped-up” deal, highly illegal and totally outside the realm of authority which the council actually possessed. If Peter and John, along with the rest of the apostles, persisted in preaching this Man, the Sanhedrin itself stood to be condemned – an unthinkable consequence! This was the thinking behind the council's second confrontation with the apostles. To put it colloquially, the council was between a rock and a hard place. It they allowed Peter and John to continue, they stood to be exposed for their misdeeds concerning Jesus' death; however, if they took direct action to stop the apostles, the common people would revolt due to the favor that the disciples had among the council's constituents.
So with this backdrop, the apostles responded to the council's question - “Why did you keep preaching after we ordered you to stop?” And, here is their response: “We ought to obey God rather than men!” The clear implication was this: “The Sanhedrin's attempt to silence us is outside the authority you possess and it violates the will of God!” WOW AND DOUBLE WOW! What a way to respond to the question of the High Court. It was this response and the things that were said immediately afterward that caused the council to become enraged and to begin to make plans to kill them. Like trapped criminals, the only way out for the council appeared to be to kill those who might testify against them!
Even in the face of death and against all odds, “We ought to obey God rather than men!”
Questions:
1. What order of the High Court had Peter and John ignored, yea defied?
2. Why was it problematic for the council if Peter and John were allowed to continued to preach Jesus?
3. Why was it problematic if the council took direct and public action to stop Peter and John?
4. When Pater and John stated that they chose to ignore the High Court's order because they “...ought to obey God rather than men,” what did that response imply concerning the council's edict?
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