The apostles to the Church continued to do what they must do; what they could not help but do, after Jesus had ascended and the Holy Spirit had descended, indwelling each believer in the new dispensation. They continued to preach and teach and heal in the Name of Jesus. They kept being monitored and threatened by the religious leaders, who were determined to stop this movement. These men were not afraid of them, however, which made that a tough job for the religio-political bosses who were accustomed to having things their way. They really didn't know what to do about it.
Acts 5:25-27 KJV - Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people. Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned. And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,
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. Acts 5:28
29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
the religious leaders kept becoming more and more outraged and desperate to do away with these men. They jailed them and an angel set them free to continue their ministries in the temple. They were brought back before the council. The high priest was frantically demanding: You have been ordered to stop teaching in this name! You have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and here's the real problem--you are blaming us for his death! Bingo. In every speech Peter had made he had plainly stated "this Jesus, Whom you killed.." They were sick of that accusation, but they were going to keep hearing it every time Peter spoke. There was a simple solution: "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved." The conspiracy and the betrayal and the murder were forgivable ("they know not what they do"), but total rejection of the atonement of Christ cannot be forgiven.
Peter made it very clear once again: "we must obey God rather than men." And then he hit 'em again with their responsibility for the death of Jesus.
What an outrage! These apostles must be silenced. We will have to kill them.
Enter Gamaliel; Pharisee, expert in the law, highly respected scholarly sage. He ordered the apostles to be removed from their presence while the discussion continued. Then he spoke the first logic we've heard from this body of leaders. Logic and legalism don't blend well. They are mutually exclusive. "This is a dangerous situation. You'd be wise to let these men alone. If what they are doing is of men, it will fizzle out just as other such movements have done. If it is of God, they cannot be stopped and you will find yourselves fighting against God."
Wow. What a genius!
Well, they couldn't be released without a flogging (!) and being ordered yet again not to speak in the name of Jesus. The stubborn contempt of those legalists is truly amazing. The apostles took their flogging and their release, praising God that He found them worthy to suffer shame for the Lord.
And they kept on preaching.
