Acts 5: 38-39 ‘So I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone; because if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin it will fail. But if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them – in that case you may even be found fighting against God.
The Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council that engineered Jesus’ death, are now troubled by Jesus’ followers preaching and teaching non-stop that Jesus is Lord, 100% backed up by God. Even putting the apostles in prison failed, because angels miraculously broke them out and sent them straight back to the temple, proclaim the message of Jesus in the most sacred Jewish place.
Gamaliel, a highly respected teacher, worked with these furious council members who wanted to immediately kill all the apostles. Here’s how he did it.
- Act quickly to reduce the tensions. He got the apostles put out of the room. That way he could talk to his fellow council members in private, with immediate aggravation out of sight.
- Review some relevant history. He reminded them of two recent events, where people had claimed they were sent by God to restore Israel and others flocked around them. In both cases the Romans acted with brutal efficiency, they were killed, and their followers rapidly dispersed. In both cases, nothing changed.
- Draw the conclusion: if this current movement is not from God, it will also come to nothing. So let’s wait and see what develops. We don’t want to go against God.
- Complete the reframing, and allow time for it to sink in. Gamaliel has now got his fellow council members to see things from a different perspective.
The Sanhedrin accept the guidance, although they still had the apostles brought back in, whipped, and ordered not to preach about Jesus. The council members are not going to willingly give up their power and change their mindset.
Gamaliel succeeded in stopping his council from executing the apostles, even if he didn’t prevent them getting whipped.
Application: There are times when we need to back off and let things play out. If they are good and worthwhile, they will bear fruit. If not, they will fizzle out.
There are times when we need to stop, take a breath, and then consider if there is a different way of looking at the situation. There are times when the Holy Spirit sends us someone who has the right word for us, and helps us to see a different path.
Blessing: May the Holy Spirit of new life and good connections guide us into right ways of seeing and acting, so that we don’t squash what is good, or support what is poor. May the Holy Spirit give us new insight and understanding so that we can be changed, if we have got things wrong. May the Holy Spirit keep sending the right people into our lives.
