Courage, witness and obedience in Acts 5:17-26

Commentary on Acts 9: Acts 5:17-26

As William Barclay has pointed out in his commentary on Acts, the second arrest of the apostles was inevitable. The Sanhedrin had already strictly ordered them to abstain from teaching in the name of Jesus, and, true to their word, the apostles had publicly disregarded that command. That, to the Sanhedrin, was a serious issue for two reasons. Firstly, they regarded these apostles as heretics. Secondly, they were also potential disturbers of the peace. Palestine was always a volatile country; if this controversy was not checked, it might well result in some kind of popular uprising; and that was the last thing the priests and Sadducees wanted, because then Rome would intervene.

The crackdown of the authorities on the appointed agents of Jesus in 5:17-18 contrasts with the favorable reception by the people 5:12-16. From Luke’s perspective, Jerusalem might well have embraced the new movement had it not been for the corrupt ruling class in power at the time. The narrative’s portrait of a power struggle between a political elite and a populist movement corresponds well with reality as experienced by many repressed groups in today’s world.

Luke tells us that “during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors.” In his Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words, William Mounce says that, that there are two primary uses of the word angel in the NT. The first can refer to a human messenger who acts as an envoy, The second refers especially to a non-material spiritual being, a transcendent power who carries out various missions and tasks for God. This being so, the reference to the activity of an angel does not necessarily refer to a miracle. However, even if the release of the apostles had been brought about by human means, the agent of the release would still be the angel of the Lord. That said, I suspect that Luke was using the word with a supernatural understanding in mind.

In the narrative of the events after the release, we see vividly displayed the great characteristics of these early Christians.

1. They had courage. Because they had received a command to do so the apostles had the urge to go straight back and preach in the Temple which to a prudent mind was not the thing to do. To obey such an inner conviction was an act of almost reckless boldness. And yet they went. After all, this was the very courage they had prayed for and received in Acts 4.

2. They had principles. And their first ruling principle was that in all circumstances obedience to God must come first. They never asked: ‘Is this course of action safe?’ They asked: ‘Is this what God wants me to do?’ One is remined in this context of what Jesus said in Mt 6:33, “Seek first the Kingdom of God, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

3. They had a clear idea of their function. They knew that they were witnesses for Christ. Witnesses are essentially people who speak from first-hand knowledge. They know from personal experience that what they say is true; and it is impossible to stop people like that, because it is impede, to stop the truth. In par. 41 of his   Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, Pope St Paul VI said: “Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.” Paul VI posed three piercing questions for every evangeliser

·       Do you believe what you proclaim?

·       Do you live what you believe?

·       Do you proclaim what you live?

The world is tired of mere words; it seeks faces, gestures, and lives that speak Christ as a result of the person having had a personal encounter with Christ. As St Paul said in 2 Tim 1:7-8, “The Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid; instead, his Spirit fills us with power, love, and self-control. Do not be ashamed, then, of witnessing for our Lord.”