NOTES for Act 5:17-42

We sometimes hear debates about the future of Christianity—whether it is relevant in the modern world, whether it faces oblivion or, on the contrary, a new flourishing. Perhaps analysts discussing these matters should listen to Gamaliel's words in today's reading: although he was not himself a Christian, he left it to God—in whom he certainly believed—to decide whether the new teaching would stand or not.

Why, then, did Luke include in his history of the early Church these words spoken by someone who was in many respects opposed to Christianity? Perhaps he saw how important this testimony was for Christians themselves: the fate of their Church, their community, their work, their ministry, their very lives is in God's hands alone, and all of this exists only because it is His good pleasure.