Obeying God Rather Than Men (3rd Sunday of Easter)

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Last Sunday (Acts 5:12-16), we read how the Apostles proclaimed the Gospel in the Jerusalem Temple, and performed many miracles there. Many were converted through their preaching and signs, and over five thousand people became believers in Jerusalem alone (Acts 4:4).

Their Gospel did not go over well with the Jewish leaders, who were threatened by the new message which overturned their most cherished expectations about the Messiah. In today’s reading, we see how the Sanhedrin arrested the Apostles and forbade them from preaching any further. Rather than giving in, Peter responds to them by saying, “We must obey God rather than men” (v. 29).

Verses 33-39, which are omitted from the reading, state that the Sanhedrin were enraged and wanted to kill them, but rabbi Gamaliel intervened, stating that every other Messianic movement has failed, because their leaders were just men. If the Jesus movement is from God, not only Sanhedrin would not be able to stop it, but they would even be found to be opposing God.

After being beaten and released, we are told that “every day in the temple and at home they did not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah” (v. 42). Even after their experience, they continued to be emboldened, and the Church continued to grow.

The Apostles’ reaction to Jewish opposition is a great example for us when we encounter adversity from the secular world. The Christian message is bound to be unpopular because it overturns many of our world’s ideologies and value systems, so we should not be surprised to find opposition. Like the Apostles, we should not be cowed into submission by them, but should likewise say “we must obey God rather than men,” and proclaim the Gospel ever more bravely, praying that it will transform hearts and minds.

J. Luis Dizon