Acts 5:36-41
But one of the council members stood
up, a Pharisee by the name of Gamaliel, a teacher of God’s Law who was
honored by everyone. He ordered the men taken out of the room for a
short time, then said, “Fellow Israelites, be careful what you do to
these men. Not long ago Theudas made something of a splash, claiming to
be somebody, and got about four hundred men to join him. He was killed,
his followers dispersed, and nothing came of it. A little later, at the
time of the census, Judas the Galilean appeared and acquired a
following. He also fizzled out and the people following him were
scattered to the four winds.
“So I am telling you: Hands off
these men! Let them alone. If this program or this work is merely human,
it will fall apart, but if it is of God, there is nothing you can do
about it—and you better not be found fighting against God!”
That
convinced them. They called the apostles back in. After giving them a
thorough whipping, they warned them not to speak in Jesus’ name and sent
them off.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
A friend shared a “Facebook
memory” of a beautiful picture of his house, taken during one of our
infrequent winter snowfalls back in 2010. The caption read, “This
weather is awful, I'll be so glad when it warms up!” Our forecast for
the coming week includes actual temperatures of 100 degrees and up…with
heat indexes in the 100+-degree range! I laughingly replied to my
friend, “Be careful what we wish for…right?”
In the case of this
passage from Acts 5, you have to know a little back story to fully grasp
its importance. I encourage you to go back and read the previous
verses and see for yourself how the Apostles were jailed for preaching
the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And yet, an angel came and released them,
the Apostles returned to the temple to preach – and people listened.
The authorities were furious and wanted to punish the Apostles for this.
But a Pharisee named Gamaliel suggested that these men think about all
of this and not jump to a hasty conclusion.
Two things in
particular resonate with me about this passage…1) Gamaliel’s suggestion
that …“If this program or this work is merely human, it will fall apart,
but if it is of God, there is nothing you can do about it—and you
better not be found fighting against God!” and 2) the notation that the
Apostles were whipped and sent packing.
There are a lot of times
when we try to take matters into our own hands rather than wait for God
to work. As Gamaliel pointed out with a couple of examples, we
sometimes make a royal mess of things! We would be better served to
stop, look, listen…and proceed prayerfully. Often, it would be best if
we did nothing and gave God the time and space to work. I know this
goes against the nature of many of us…but as this passage points out,
“fighting against God is never a good idea.”
The other point has
to do with the punishment of the Apostles. If God could send an angel
to bust them out of jail, He could certainly have spared them the
whipping and exile. But there are times when God allows our faith to be
tested. He may let us endure the displeasure – and unkind remarks and
treatment – from others. He may not make every single person our friend
and ally. God wants us to rely on HIM…not others…and He never wants us
to become smug and arrogant. So sometimes, God challenges our strength
and resolve by allowing us to endure some discomfort. But He NEVER
deserts us!
This hit home with me today as I thought of some of
the unkind – and downright hateful – things that are being said and
posted in the heat of world events…particularly this presidential
election season. I reminded myself that I pray about these matters…but I
don’t always hand them off to God like I should. I also noted that not
everyone will agree with me, like me – or treat me kindly…and that’s
okay. As long as I am making every effort to operate within the will of
God…to listen for His voice - and follow His lead – He will bless my
efforts in the end, and all will be well.
“Be careful what you
wish for” is a good motto for all of us…with regard to everything from
the weather to politics to how we treat others in the name of Jesus and
represent His message. We must quit telling God how to handle things and
allow Him to implement His plans. And we must be willing to be
His agent - however and wherever He places us. I’m ready to go all in
with this...what about you?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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