Force Majeure

Acts 5:28–39

“We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging Him on a cross. God exalted Him to His own right hand as Prince and Savior that He might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.” When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

Wise was this man Gamaliel, and he is influential and respected as well, integrity and excellence help create influence, and our godly choices, lifestyle, compassion, and what and how we express our faith count towards a good witness for God. May we indeed be known for our love (John 13:35) that we may be well-regarded wherever God has placed us and that through us being and acting Christ-like, we may win hearts and souls for God. It is, of course , ultimately by the power of the Spirit (v. 32) more than anything else. He works in us and empowers us to be like Christ and to obey God and not humans in situations in which they clash and contradict (v. 29). Indeed, He gives wisdom generously and unconditionally (Jam 1:5). The same wisdom, like Gamaliel warning the Sanhedrin, and his student the Apostle Paul, tells us that if God is with us who can be against us? (v. 39, Rom 8:31). And so we must follow God and seek the leading of His Holy Spirit. In this way also, we can trust in God’s mighty power that no authority exists in this world, in history, that isn’t subject to His therefore I can rest assured that amidst what seems to be a contemporary culture that scorns and rejects God and His Church, if what we have And our purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, nothing will be able to stop us (vv. 38-39). Jesus Christ, under whose name we are called as His people (~II Chron 7:14) was by no means a mere human being (vv. 30-32) and hence Christianity isn’t some sort of “guilt-trip” as critics of Christ have thought (and continue to think so to this day, it’s amazing that this was an old charge similar to the accusation of theft of His body when they found His tomb to be empty (Matt 28:13), indeed, as St. Paul preached consistently with the Apostle Peter, to Athenians, “although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all, everywhere, to repent. For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to all by raising Him from the dead (Acts 17:30-31).” The Apostle John reminds us to keep steady and stay faithful, “but you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world (I John 4:4).”