20231029 Acts 5:17-42 Christian Persecution Part 2
In 2022, 5600 Christians were killed for their faith. More than 2,100 churches were attacked. More than 124,000 Christians were forcibly displaced from their homes because of their faith. Almost 15,000 became refugees.[i]
When we live in a prosperous land, we know abundance and safety that relatively few have known in the history of the world. When we think of the technology we use to communicate, or child mortality, life expectancy, and even what it looks like to be poor in the West, we can know that we are some of the most comfortable people who have ever lived. A problem arises. Jesus and the apostles Paul, and Peter promised we would suffer for our faith? If we are not persecuted, why not? Are we doing something wrong? Are we not Christian enough to be persecuted? Perhaps I am asking the wrong questions. Instead of worrying, should we just thank God for the rare peace and prosperity we enjoy in this age? I am not sure, what the full answer is. It might be a bit of both. If we call ourselves Christians and act like the world, we need to deny ourselves, pick up our cross, follow Jesus, and trust that he will use our lives for him. Paul also speaks of knowing how to live in abundance (Phil 4:12), so even in our world of abundance, we need to live in a Christian manner.
In our place and time, being a Christian comes with its own set of difficulties. The more developed and wealthy a society becomes, the more people become independent. Their perceived need for God disappears. The trend is that the wealthier countries are more secular[ii] and unfortunately have higher levels of anxiety.[iii] If persecution, poverty, lower levels of anxiety, and faith in Christ appear to go together, perhaps persecution has some value in God's economy. Persecution is not something to be sought after or avoided at all costs. When persecution comes, a text like Acts 5 teaches us how to remain faithful to Christ.
In Acts 4:1-31, persecution already occurred.[iv] Persecution fits in Luke's intentional and theological presentation of the early Christian church’s history. We learn that no threat can hinder God from expanding his Kingdom. We also learn how to face threats and continue our mission.
This is the message in one sentence: Acts 5:17-42 teaches the reasons, the opportunities, and the futility of persecution.
First, we look at shame in Acts 5:28, 30. So far when Peter has presented Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, he has not failed to accuse his hearers of their guilt in Christ’s death. He did it in Acts 2:23, 3:13, 4:10. This is the case again in Acts 5:30. Shame occurs when others accuse us, or the voice in our heads does. About the apostles, the high priest says in Acts 5:28 that they “fill Jerusalem with [their] teaching and [they] intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” The Christian message is offensive. If the Christian message is true, the Jewish religious leaders understood that they were guilty of something severe. These accusations are shame-inducing.
A second reason behind persecution is rage in Acts 5:33. The early Christians already connected persecution to rage when Acts 4:25 quotes Psalm 2 about the nations raging against the Messiah. In Acts 5:33, following Peter’s gospel preaching, the high priest and Pharisees were furious and enraged. With rage comes a decline in our ability to reason and violence.
Application:
These reactions to the gospel exist today. Some people oppose Christianity because it is offensive. The Christian message calls everyone a sinner. This is very offensive and even unacceptable to people who have built their identity around being “a good person.” The voice of shame is that we are not good enough, or unworthy of love and acceptance. Some silence this voice by performing for acceptance. The gospel teaches that our performance is not the answer. The gospel is offensive in that it insists that all are sinners and only by confessing our sin and trusting in Jesus are our sins forgiven.
Talking about sin can feel a bit heavy. Being called out as a sinner is also freeing. We remove a huge burden from our shoulders when we trust in Christ’s righteousness rather than trusting in our own. Those who cry out to God and own their sin find that vulnerability and confessing our sins allows us to experience more intimacy with God and each other. Being honest about our sin allows us to celebrate Christ’s death and become free from the shame we experience. Anyone who rejects the gospel because of their shame is guaranteed to keep living in their shame and isolate from anyone who gets too close to the darker parts of their lives.
The nations also rage just as much today. Christianity is dangerous for repressive regimes. The statement, “Jesus is Lord” in the first century Roman Empire meant that Caesar was not Lord. "Jesus is Lord," is a revolutionary statement with political implications. It is not hard to see how the Caesars of today find this undermining of their authority intolerable. The Chinese communist regime is threatened by the Christian message. Vladimir Putin in Russia limits evangelism activities by non-Orthodox groups. The brutal regime in Eritrea continues to persecute Christians as does North Korea.
Anger or rage is a reaction to when someone wants to tear down your life’s work. This is true for governments Christianity calls out or individuals who do not want to submit to God. A state serving its best interests by enacting violence will be rejected by Christians. The Christian's highest allegiance is to the kingdom of God that knows no cultural or physical boundaries, that includes all kinds of people. The threat of Christianity leads to shame and rage that turns to persecution. Now, we see that persecution also offers opportunities.
The second opportunity is one for preaching following the miracle (Acts 5:20). The angels instructed the apostles to return to the people and speak “all the words of “this life,” (Acts 5:20) which is the message of salvation.[vi] Instead of hiding for safety, they return to the most public place, the temple for the purpose of teaching.
A third opportunity arises when they are caught in the temple, Peter preaches the gospel (Acts 5:26-31) In Acts 5:26, the apostles are found and brought back before the council. In Acts 5:28, the council reminds the apostles of what they said in Acts 4:18 about not teaching in the name of Jesus. We read that they disregarded this so much that Jerusalem was full of the teaching of Jesus (c.f. Acts 1:8). Peter reminds them that he will obey God rather than man (Acts 5:29) and he shares the gospel.
Peter’s gospel presentation includes three elements. First, Peter exposes sin. He accuses the rulers of being behind Jesus’ death (Acts 5:30). Secondly, he shares that God raised Jesus from the dead (Acts 5:31). Thirdly, he offers the forgiveness of sins saying that Jesus was exalted at his right hand to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins (Acts 5:31). He is addressing priests and we will read in Acts 6:7 reports that “the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.” Perhaps some of those priests were part of the council putting him in trial.
A fourth opportunity to witness under persecution is when the apostles rejoice after being beaten (Acts 5:41). Following Peter’s sermon, one of the Pharisees, Gamaliel warns his fellow Pharisees that this movement could actually be from God. The apostles are first beaten, and then released. We read in Acts 5:41, that the apostles rejoiced that they were counted worthy of being dishonored for the sake of the name.
Application:
The following are applications for us. Persecution is always an opportunity for witness. Persecution reveals where our trust truly lies. The apostles place their faith in Christ rather than in comfort. Our faith is made visible through our obedience to God rather than man. When we are threatened with hurt, discomfort, and potential embarrassment, affirming Jesus and the good news shows the watching world that Jesus and their salvation is of greater value to us than our wellbeing. Finally, remaining joyful during persecution may be one of the greatest witnesses of all. When we are so anchored in the gospel, when we understand our lives through the lens of the biblical story, and when are deeply rooted in a strong Christian community, when hardship comes, it will not take away our joy. We will instinctively know as Paul says, that the sufferings of the present day are nothing compared to the glory that awaits us (Rom 8:18). Peter wrote, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed” (1 Pet 4:12-13). If we follow Jesus and Jesus suffered, our suffering confirms that we are united to Him. Because we are united to Christ and Christ went from suffering to glory, we can rejoice knowing that we will enter God's glory. Rejoicing in suffering is a proclamation of the glory of Christ that is to come.
Application:
When we live in a prosperous land, we know abundance and safety that relatively few have known in the history of the world. When we think of the technology we use to communicate, or child mortality, life expectancy, and even what it looks like to be poor in the West, we can know that we are some of the most comfortable people who have ever lived. A problem arises. Jesus and the apostles Paul, and Peter promised we would suffer for our faith? If we are not persecuted, why not? Are we doing something wrong? Are we not Christian enough to be persecuted? Perhaps I am asking the wrong questions. Instead of worrying, should we just thank God for the rare peace and prosperity we enjoy in this age? I am not sure, what the full answer is. It might be a bit of both. If we call ourselves Christians and act like the world, we need to deny ourselves, pick up our cross, follow Jesus, and trust that he will use our lives for him. Paul also speaks of knowing how to live in abundance (Phil 4:12), so even in our world of abundance, we need to live in a Christian manner.
In our place and time, being a Christian comes with its own set of difficulties. The more developed and wealthy a society becomes, the more people become independent. Their perceived need for God disappears. The trend is that the wealthier countries are more secular[ii] and unfortunately have higher levels of anxiety.[iii] If persecution, poverty, lower levels of anxiety, and faith in Christ appear to go together, perhaps persecution has some value in God's economy. Persecution is not something to be sought after or avoided at all costs. When persecution comes, a text like Acts 5 teaches us how to remain faithful to Christ.
In Acts 4:1-31, persecution already occurred.[iv] Persecution fits in Luke's intentional and theological presentation of the early Christian church’s history. We learn that no threat can hinder God from expanding his Kingdom. We also learn how to face threats and continue our mission.
This is the message in one sentence: Acts 5:17-42 teaches the reasons, the opportunities, and the futility of persecution.
First, we look at the reasons for persecution (Acts 5:28-33).
According to Acts 5:17-18, the High Priest and the Pharisees arrested the apostles.[v] This is the second time in Acts (Acts 4). The pattern shows that God’s church will be opposed and persecuted. You could ask, why go to the trouble of persecuting a religious movement that means no harm to anyone? Our text offers at least two reasons which are the strong emotions of shame and rage.First, we look at shame in Acts 5:28, 30. So far when Peter has presented Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, he has not failed to accuse his hearers of their guilt in Christ’s death. He did it in Acts 2:23, 3:13, 4:10. This is the case again in Acts 5:30. Shame occurs when others accuse us, or the voice in our heads does. About the apostles, the high priest says in Acts 5:28 that they “fill Jerusalem with [their] teaching and [they] intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” The Christian message is offensive. If the Christian message is true, the Jewish religious leaders understood that they were guilty of something severe. These accusations are shame-inducing.
A second reason behind persecution is rage in Acts 5:33. The early Christians already connected persecution to rage when Acts 4:25 quotes Psalm 2 about the nations raging against the Messiah. In Acts 5:33, following Peter’s gospel preaching, the high priest and Pharisees were furious and enraged. With rage comes a decline in our ability to reason and violence.
Application:
These reactions to the gospel exist today. Some people oppose Christianity because it is offensive. The Christian message calls everyone a sinner. This is very offensive and even unacceptable to people who have built their identity around being “a good person.” The voice of shame is that we are not good enough, or unworthy of love and acceptance. Some silence this voice by performing for acceptance. The gospel teaches that our performance is not the answer. The gospel is offensive in that it insists that all are sinners and only by confessing our sin and trusting in Jesus are our sins forgiven.
Talking about sin can feel a bit heavy. Being called out as a sinner is also freeing. We remove a huge burden from our shoulders when we trust in Christ’s righteousness rather than trusting in our own. Those who cry out to God and own their sin find that vulnerability and confessing our sins allows us to experience more intimacy with God and each other. Being honest about our sin allows us to celebrate Christ’s death and become free from the shame we experience. Anyone who rejects the gospel because of their shame is guaranteed to keep living in their shame and isolate from anyone who gets too close to the darker parts of their lives.
The nations also rage just as much today. Christianity is dangerous for repressive regimes. The statement, “Jesus is Lord” in the first century Roman Empire meant that Caesar was not Lord. "Jesus is Lord," is a revolutionary statement with political implications. It is not hard to see how the Caesars of today find this undermining of their authority intolerable. The Chinese communist regime is threatened by the Christian message. Vladimir Putin in Russia limits evangelism activities by non-Orthodox groups. The brutal regime in Eritrea continues to persecute Christians as does North Korea.
Anger or rage is a reaction to when someone wants to tear down your life’s work. This is true for governments Christianity calls out or individuals who do not want to submit to God. A state serving its best interests by enacting violence will be rejected by Christians. The Christian's highest allegiance is to the kingdom of God that knows no cultural or physical boundaries, that includes all kinds of people. The threat of Christianity leads to shame and rage that turns to persecution. Now, we see that persecution also offers opportunities.
Second, Persecution offers opportunities for witness (Acts 5:18-41).
The first opportunity from the persecution is to witness the power of God through a miracle (Acts 5:18-24). The apostles were arrested in Acts 5:18. Then, “the angel of the Lord opened their prisons doors” in v.19. This miracle bore witness to the power of God. When the officers were sent to the prisoners (Acts 5:22) they reported that the prison doors were locked and the guards were still standing by the door, with no one inside.” The result is that they are greatly perplexed (Acts 5:24).The second opportunity is one for preaching following the miracle (Acts 5:20). The angels instructed the apostles to return to the people and speak “all the words of “this life,” (Acts 5:20) which is the message of salvation.[vi] Instead of hiding for safety, they return to the most public place, the temple for the purpose of teaching.
A third opportunity arises when they are caught in the temple, Peter preaches the gospel (Acts 5:26-31) In Acts 5:26, the apostles are found and brought back before the council. In Acts 5:28, the council reminds the apostles of what they said in Acts 4:18 about not teaching in the name of Jesus. We read that they disregarded this so much that Jerusalem was full of the teaching of Jesus (c.f. Acts 1:8). Peter reminds them that he will obey God rather than man (Acts 5:29) and he shares the gospel.
Peter’s gospel presentation includes three elements. First, Peter exposes sin. He accuses the rulers of being behind Jesus’ death (Acts 5:30). Secondly, he shares that God raised Jesus from the dead (Acts 5:31). Thirdly, he offers the forgiveness of sins saying that Jesus was exalted at his right hand to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins (Acts 5:31). He is addressing priests and we will read in Acts 6:7 reports that “the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.” Perhaps some of those priests were part of the council putting him in trial.
A fourth opportunity to witness under persecution is when the apostles rejoice after being beaten (Acts 5:41). Following Peter’s sermon, one of the Pharisees, Gamaliel warns his fellow Pharisees that this movement could actually be from God. The apostles are first beaten, and then released. We read in Acts 5:41, that the apostles rejoiced that they were counted worthy of being dishonored for the sake of the name.
Application:
The following are applications for us. Persecution is always an opportunity for witness. Persecution reveals where our trust truly lies. The apostles place their faith in Christ rather than in comfort. Our faith is made visible through our obedience to God rather than man. When we are threatened with hurt, discomfort, and potential embarrassment, affirming Jesus and the good news shows the watching world that Jesus and their salvation is of greater value to us than our wellbeing. Finally, remaining joyful during persecution may be one of the greatest witnesses of all. When we are so anchored in the gospel, when we understand our lives through the lens of the biblical story, and when are deeply rooted in a strong Christian community, when hardship comes, it will not take away our joy. We will instinctively know as Paul says, that the sufferings of the present day are nothing compared to the glory that awaits us (Rom 8:18). Peter wrote, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed” (1 Pet 4:12-13). If we follow Jesus and Jesus suffered, our suffering confirms that we are united to Him. Because we are united to Christ and Christ went from suffering to glory, we can rejoice knowing that we will enter God's glory. Rejoicing in suffering is a proclamation of the glory of Christ that is to come.
Third, we see that the persecution of the church is futile.
Persecution cannot and will not stop the expansion of God’s kingdom. It is amid the persecution, that one of the persecutors, Gamaliel tells his fellow council members, “If [this movement] is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” He is right! Persecution does not hinder the mission of God. Acts 5:42 states that “every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.”Application:
We call “martyr” those who die for a cause or their faith. The word martyr comes from the Greek word for “witness.” Those who endure persecution bear witness to the value of their message. It is more precious than earthly comfort. Early in church history, a man named Tertullian said, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” Despite persecution, there are Christians who meet in North Korea, Eretria, and Somalia. Christianity has grown more in China than anywhere else in the world despite its persecution.[vii]
We can be thankful we live in a wealthy prosperous era in western Europe. We don’t just have to wait until persecution comes. Picking up our cross means we voluntarily make choices that deny ourselves some of these things freely, willingly, and joyfully in order to serve others. One of these choices involves loving those who do not like us. It is an act of self-denial that is like what we are forced to do while living under persecution. There is always someone to bless in this world, someone who doesn’t like you, who would be easier not to bless.”[viii]
Martin Luther King Jr. was a leader in the civil rights movement in the US. He wrote, “To our most bitter opponents we say: ‘We shall match your capacity to inflict suffering by our capacity to endure suffering. We shall meet your physical force with soul force. Do to us what you will, and we shall continue to love you. We cannot in all good conscience obey your unjust laws because noncooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good. Throw us in jail and we shall still love you. Bomb our homes and threaten our children, and we shall still love you. Send your hooded perpetrators of violence into our community at the midnight hour and beat us and leave us half dead, and we shall still love you. But be ye assured that we will wear you down by our capacity to suffer. One day we shall win freedom but not only for ourselves. We shall so appeal to your heart and conscience that we shall win you in the process and our victory will be a double victory.’”[ix]
[i] https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2023/january/christian-persecution-2023-countries-open-doors-watch-list.html.
[ii] https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2002/12/19/among-wealthy-nations/.
[iii] https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2608757.
[iv] These texts are connected. Acts 5 alludes back to Acts 4. They also have parallel structures. Acts 5:12-16 is the third Summary of the church life; Acts 5:17-28 is the second arrest and release and recounts the first miraculous release. There will be more to come in Acts. Acts 5:29-32 is Peter’s fifth speech. Acts 5:33-41 is a response to the speech. Acts 5:42 is the fourth summary of the church life. The sequence of arrest (//Acts 4:1-7), Peter’s speech (Acts 4:8-12), response to speech (Acts 4:13-22) and summary of church life (Acts 4:32-35) was identical in Acts 4:1-35.
[v] Jesus warned his disciples that this would happen (Matt 10:17).
[vi] There is a close relation between ζωή and σωτηρία. The present expression is almost identical with “the word of this salvation” in 13:26 (in the Syriac Peshitta the same word ḥaye, “life,” translates σωτηρία as translates ζωή here). Bruce, The Book of the Acts. Acts 5:20.
[vii] https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/china/.
[viii] https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/do-christians-really-suffer-in-america
[ix] https://paxchristi.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Elements_Love-Your-Enemies-Stories.pdf
Conclusion
Our text shows how persecution and witness lead to more witness and more persecution. We seem to see low persecution and low witnessing. Not all periods of history will have the same amount of fruitfulness. In the meantime, we stick to Acts 2:41-47. We are devoted to the apostles' teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of the bread, and the prayers. We practice depending on God in a self-sufficient society that sees no need for God while it experiences burn-out, anxiety, and loneliness like never before. Rather than becoming like the world and just gathering on Sunday for worship, we need to be the church be in each other's houses – enjoy hospitality, get to know each others’ needs – care for one another bless one another, and invite outsiders into this movement made up of people completely changed by the power of the gospel.We can be thankful we live in a wealthy prosperous era in western Europe. We don’t just have to wait until persecution comes. Picking up our cross means we voluntarily make choices that deny ourselves some of these things freely, willingly, and joyfully in order to serve others. One of these choices involves loving those who do not like us. It is an act of self-denial that is like what we are forced to do while living under persecution. There is always someone to bless in this world, someone who doesn’t like you, who would be easier not to bless.”[viii]
Martin Luther King Jr. was a leader in the civil rights movement in the US. He wrote, “To our most bitter opponents we say: ‘We shall match your capacity to inflict suffering by our capacity to endure suffering. We shall meet your physical force with soul force. Do to us what you will, and we shall continue to love you. We cannot in all good conscience obey your unjust laws because noncooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good. Throw us in jail and we shall still love you. Bomb our homes and threaten our children, and we shall still love you. Send your hooded perpetrators of violence into our community at the midnight hour and beat us and leave us half dead, and we shall still love you. But be ye assured that we will wear you down by our capacity to suffer. One day we shall win freedom but not only for ourselves. We shall so appeal to your heart and conscience that we shall win you in the process and our victory will be a double victory.’”[ix]
[i] https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2023/january/christian-persecution-2023-countries-open-doors-watch-list.html.
[ii] https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2002/12/19/among-wealthy-nations/.
[iii] https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2608757.
[iv] These texts are connected. Acts 5 alludes back to Acts 4. They also have parallel structures. Acts 5:12-16 is the third Summary of the church life; Acts 5:17-28 is the second arrest and release and recounts the first miraculous release. There will be more to come in Acts. Acts 5:29-32 is Peter’s fifth speech. Acts 5:33-41 is a response to the speech. Acts 5:42 is the fourth summary of the church life. The sequence of arrest (//Acts 4:1-7), Peter’s speech (Acts 4:8-12), response to speech (Acts 4:13-22) and summary of church life (Acts 4:32-35) was identical in Acts 4:1-35.
[v] Jesus warned his disciples that this would happen (Matt 10:17).
[vi] There is a close relation between ζωή and σωτηρία. The present expression is almost identical with “the word of this salvation” in 13:26 (in the Syriac Peshitta the same word ḥaye, “life,” translates σωτηρία as translates ζωή here). Bruce, The Book of the Acts. Acts 5:20.
[vii] https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/china/.
[viii] https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/do-christians-really-suffer-in-america
[ix] https://paxchristi.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Elements_Love-Your-Enemies-Stories.pdf
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