Easter 2: First Reading, Acts 5:33-42

Oh man! This is a good one. Once again context demands we read a bit before the reading so head back to at least verse 17 to get a good running start. The disciples, in jail for preaching Christ have been miraculously set free (so easy to just read that stuff without REALLY considering it) and were before the council. In short they tell their side which includes frontline accusations regarding the torture and murder of their friend Jesus. They are condemned only to have a trusted member of the council speak, at least in a sense, for their defense. The conclusion is to beat them, threaten them not to preach anymore about this “disrupter,” and send them out. 

How do the disciples react after this horrid, unjust treatment? They “left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name” (5:41), the Authorized Version reads “his name,” just so there is no doubt to whom “name” refers. Did you see that? They REJOICED! Rejoiced that they were worthy to be beaten after being jailed, railed upon and threatened. Rejoiced. Amazing.

And then what did they do? They went back to proclaiming exactly what it was they had been forbidden to proclaim. “Now fellas, you really shouldn’t push back against the governing authorities.” Now Romans 13 had yet to be penned, but the principles of the OT pointed to honoring government set over you as long as they didn’t go past God’s revealed will. Well, in Acts 5 the authorities clearly had done just that and so the civil disobedience was justified. But this account always makes me wonder whether we would be willing to suffer the cost, take the hit, so to speak, if we really had to speak and act out. It’s something worthy of our pondering in the era in which we live. Our brothers and sisters in Christ have been doing it of necessity for centuries in other parts of the world. A Catholic bishop interviewed recently spoke to this issue and when asked about his view of the times in which we live as the church, said that he expected that this generation would be increasingly silenced, the next generation would be jailed for the gospel’s sake and the very next generation would see loss of life for faithful proclamation. Yes. In America. Perhaps that’s not what one would like to hear just a couple days after Easter. Perhaps that's precisely what we need to hear just a couple days after  Easter.

---

1. How do you view the disciples response to the treatment they received at the hands of the Council? How do you think you may have responded?
2. Please pray today for those who are living under persecution for the gospel. You might want to go to www.opendoors.org to learn more.