NOTES for Act 5:17-42
17 Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation, |
18 And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison. |
19 But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, |
20 Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. |
21 And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel and sent to the prison to have them brought. |
22 But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned, and told, |
23 Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within. |
24 Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow. |
25 Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people. |
26 Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned. |
27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, |
28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. |
29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. |
30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. |
31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. |
32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. |
33 When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them. |
34 Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space; |
35 And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men. |
36 For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought. |
37 After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. |
38 And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: |
39 But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God. |
40 And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. |
41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. |
42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. |
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Today's reading shows us the limit that religious consciousness can reach. This limit is marked by Gamaliel's speech (vv. 34-39). Gamaliel belonged to the rabbinic school founded by Hillel, a teacher of the Torah who lived approximately two centuries before the Nativity of Christ. Representatives of this school were never religious formalists, believing that the Torah should be written in the human heart, determining a person's whole life and helping him build a relationship with God. For them the first place belonged not to ritual, but to intimate, mystical communion with God. Hillel is credited with the words: "Where two or three gather in the name of the Torah, there the Shekinah dwells among them" (in Judaism, the Shekinah is the presence of God). It is no surprise that a representative of this very school spoke before the Sanhedrin in support of the apostles.
The situation did not at all seem clear and unambiguous to Gamaliel either, but he was not afraid of what the temple leadership feared: that the new movement that had begun among the people would turn against them (vv. 27-28). His absence of fear and readiness to accept everything that truly comes from God distinguish him from most representatives of the official religious authorities.
Gamaliel cannot say anything definite about the apostles and their preaching, and that is not surprising: he remains a bearer and guardian of a religious tradition, in no way connected either with Jesus or with His disciples. But his spiritual and religious experience tells him that movements of this kind succeed only when they come from God. Therefore he is calm: if the apostles are doing God's work, he has nothing to worry about; if not, then there is no need to be anxious anyway, because in that case it will sooner or later come to nothing.
Such a position appears neutral and watchful, but it could not have been otherwise: Gamaliel remained within religious boundaries, although his faith was sincere and his religiosity consistent. He truly knew nothing either about Jesus or about the apostles, and no religious experience could reveal to him what is revealed only through contact with the Kingdom. At the same time, however, Gamaliel, as we can see, remains absolutely open to God's action and ready to accept everything that comes from God. His position presupposes, above all, absolute honesty before himself and before God. And this is, apparently, the best that religion can give a person. In such a state of spirit a person will neither rush after false prophets and false messiahs, nor grab stones whenever some new religious movement appears. His religion gives him inner peace. That peace, of course, does not replace the Kingdom, but it gives him the possibility of seeing it.
Readings for 14 October 2025
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