Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.[1] They arrested the apostles [2]and put them in the public jail.[3] But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out.“Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.”
At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles.
But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported,“We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.”
This is the first of three “jail break” miracles recorded in Acts. Add this to the “signs and wonders” that people can see, proving that God as revealed in Jesus is, indeed, God. Just like Jesus healed a lame man – something people could see - to show that he could forgive sins – which they couldn’t see - God frees the apostles – something people can see – to prove he can free them from the chains of sin.
On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to. Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.” At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.[4]
Another great example of “enjoying the favor of all the people” (Acts 2) in contrast to the religious authorities. So far, this is the pattern in the early church. That’s going to change before long, and we will discuss why when we get there.
The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest.“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 [5] blood.”[6]
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[7] 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.”[8]
When they heard this, they were furious (gnashed their teeth) 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.
He referenced some incidents in Jewish history, then said,
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.” His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged.
Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.[9] Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.
* * * * *
What happened to them is the same dynamic that followers of Jesus have faced throughout history: when our faith meets resistance, how will we respond?
In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death, Christians have had very different opinions about how to understand what happened. Was he persecuted for his faith, or was he a person of faith who was killed? Was he a martyr, or simply a victim of evil?
Whatever your opinion, no doubt his death has pushed the conversation about persecution and martyrdom to the forefront. And since that is exactly where our text takes us today, I want us to focus on the deeper and timeless issue: whatever the situation, how does Jesus call us to respond when we suffer for his name?
Let’s start with a simple definition. Persecution: when harm/damage is done to us because of our faith. We are going to see the apostles take on a ton of damage in the book of Acts. Most of them will eventually be killed as martyrs.
And yet we see in today’s passage that they leave this situation not in bitterness, not plotting revenge, not wallowing in hate or self-pity, but actually rejoicing in the honor of participating in this suffering of Jesus.
Why is it a privilege to participate in the suffering of Jesus? If anyone could speak with authority about suffering for Christ, it was Paul. His own story mirrors and amplifies what began in Acts 5. Paul said suffering for Jesus was one way to get to know Jesus better.
“I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:10-11)
Based on that, I’d say he and Jesus got pretty close. Once, when he was making the point that if people wanted to play a “religious credentials” game he would win, he offered a window into his life.
Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one — I am talking like a madman — with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned.
Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers;in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. (2 Corinthians 11)
He called this "light and momentary affliction" that is producing an "eternal weight of glory" (2 Corinthians 4:17). He will tell the Christians in Philippi,
“For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him…” (Philippians 1)
It was granted to them. It was charizomai: a gift; a favor; an act of grace. Peter – who got beaten with 39 lashes in today’s story – had a lot to say about this gift in 1 Peter. Here are two of many sections in that book.
For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. (1 Pet. 2:20–21)
But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God… Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. (1 Pet. 4:12–19)
This doesn’t mean we should seek persecution, by the way. Paul and Jesus escaped from angry crowds; Paul used his Roman credentials to remind Rome of his Roman rights. He wrote, “As much as is possible, live at peace with all people.” (Romans 12:18)
We aren’t called to push until we are persecuted; we are called to live faithfully even if we are. And when we are, we have been shown the path to follow. From the very beginning, Christians were encouraged to see persecution as an opportunity not for retaliation and bitterness, but as a means to know Christ more deeply and as an opportunity to witness to the love of God.
From the Didache, a Christian document written around 85 AD: “Bless those who curse you, pray for your enemies, and fast on behalf of those who persecute you… But love those who hate you, and you shall not have an enemy.”
A few years later, Justin the Martyr said: “We who formerly hated and murdered one another now live together and share the same table. We pray for our enemies and try to win those who hate us.”
“Above all, Christians are not allowed to correct by violence sinful wrongdoings.” Clement of Alexandria (150AD – 214AD)
Cyprian, the Bishop of Carthage who died in 258: “None of us offers resistance when he is seized, or avenges himself for your unjust violence, although our people are numerous and plentiful…it is not lawful for us to hate, and so we please God more when we render no requital for injury…we repay your hatred with kindness.”
Their patient endurance, their refusal to hate, their joy even in death—this is what convinced the watching world that Jesus is Lord. The church exploded. There was something compelling about what the community of the early church offered, yes, but it was more than that. They were willing to die rather than turn away from Jesus. They had found something – someone - worth dying for.
There is an interesting historical fact about Christianity. With few exceptions,[10] it grows in quantity and quality during persecution, but too quickly loses the quality in times of comfort and privilege. Gene Edward Veith, former editor at WORLD magazine, notes:
“One of the greatest paradoxes in Christian history is that the church is most pure in times of cultural hostility. When things are easy and good, that is when the church most often goes astray… When the church seems to be enjoying its greatest earthly success, then it is weakest. Conversely, when the church encounters hardship, persecution, and suffering… then it is closest to its crucified Lord, then there are fewer hypocrites and nominal believers among its members, and then the faith of Christians burns most intensely. 2”
If you were here while we went through the Gospels, you already saw the corrosive effect of power and privilege in the Sadducees. It’s going to become obvious far too quickly in church history.
When Constantine legalized Christianity and ended their persecution in the 300s, it was a wonderful relief. The church had been growing in spite of persecution, but now they could grow freely, in the open. Constantine offered a lot to like. He ended crucifixion and the gladiatorial arena. He gave state money to churches. He made Sunday a holiday. He stopped infanticide.
But along with these blessings came a danger: cultural Christianity. When the cost of following Christ dropped, so did the church’s purity.”
Church growth now contained a lot of people who saw the social advantage of being Christian. One could move up in Rome by moving up in the church.
Before too long, the church started defending people and things in the Roman government that they used to prophetically call out.
Pagan rituals started sneaking into the church.[11]
In a discouragingly short time, Christians were persecuting others like they had once been persecuted.
When it stops being culturally hard to be a follower of Jesus - when it starts to be to our cultural advantage to be Christian – historically, that has always presented a danger of compromise and corruption in the church. But when the cost of being a child of God is high, a purified church filled with love and hope shines like a city on a hill into a world dark with hate and despair.
I have 3 snapshots for how modern followers of Jesus have responded to horrific violence they experienced because they were people of God just so we can watch God’s intended path unfold.
First: Corrie Ten Boom (concentration camp survivor) often spoke to audiences about the gospel and of the importance of Jesus’ forgiveness and grace. One night, a former guard approached her after one of here presentations. He had experienced God’s forgiveness, but he had a different question. He held out his hand and said, “Will you forgive me?” In Corrie’s own words:
“And I stood there - I whose sins had every day to be forgiven - and could not. Betsie had died in that place - could he erase her slow terrible death simply for the asking? It could not have been many seconds that he stood there, hand held out, but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do.
For I had to do it - I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us. "If you do not forgive men their trespasses," Jesus says, "neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses…."
And still I stood there with the coldness clutching my heart. But forgiveness is not an emotion - I knew that too. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. "Jesus, help me!" I prayed silently. "I can lift my hand, I can do that much. You supply the feeling."
And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes.
"I forgive you, brother!" I cried. "With all my heart!" For a long moment we grasped each other's hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God's love so intensely as I did then.
Second: Steve Saint, son of martyred missionary Nate Saint, was later baptized by his father’s killer, who had become a follower of Jesus. And then, his father’s killer became his surrogate father (and grandfather to his children). Eventually, they traveled the world talking about the power of God’s redemption. You can find videos online.
Third: In Nigeria, right now, extreme persecution by Boko Haram has included mass murder as well as destruction of church buildings, houses, and businesses. People who studied this found that the Christians who responded with forgiveness, prayer, and steadfast faith saw their witness grow stronger, while those who retaliated in anger saw the gospel’s influence shrink. One Nigerian pastor put it this way: “When we sang hymns as they destroyed our homes, our neighbors saw that Christ was real.” [12]
* * * * *
When Christians face persecution for loving and living for Jesus, what is the proper response?
When others urge vengeance, the forgiveness that God’s people offer should be inexplicable to the world.
While we watch fear and anger rise, the hope and peace that Jesus gives us should astonish all those who see us.
When the language of dehumanizing hate permeates the conversation, our words should unrelentingly remind the world of the dignity and value of all imago dei – even those who hurt and persecute.
When we hear the clamor for the destruction of our enemies, we surpass the noise with our prayers for the repentance, salvation, and new life in Christ for our enemies, believing the Holy Spirit’s restoration is available to all people.
This is the heart of Christian witness.
This is how the gospel has spread across centuries.
So let us be a people who—whether in ease or hardship, privilege or persecution—never stop proclaiming that Jesus is the Messiah, to the glory of God.
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[1] “Caiaphas and other members of the leading aristocratic priestly families were Sadducees. They had theological as well as political (cf. 4:10) reasons for wanting the movement stopped.. the popularity of Jesus’ movement is growing, risking the Jerusalem elite’s dishonor. “(NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible)
[2] Commentaries suggest it was all 120 of the apostles.
[3] Not the Sanhedrin’s jail, into which they were put in Chapter 4. It’s escalating.
[4] “This says something about the early Christians' response to Jesus' example of nonviolence and nonretaliation during his own arrest (cf. Mk 14:43-50), for they might have begun a riot and thus extricated themselves.” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary)
[5] “Their hardened attitude is manifest in their… spitting out the epithet "this man" when they had to refer directly to him.” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary)
[6] “Those responsible for murder were “guilty” of the person’s “blood” (Dt 21:7 – 8; 2Sa 21:1; Eze 22:4). Such behavior brought judgment on the land unless the murderers were punished. The apostolic preaching thus threatens the political security of the elite.” (NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible)
[7] “This declaration would be understood by the Sanhedrin as a reference to the Resurrection. Such an exaltation by God would make this resurrected Jesus equal with God (cf. John 5:18; 10:33).” (ESV Reformation Study Bible)
[8] “For to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins] Thus offering the way of salvation to all those who were ready to accept it. These words to a Jew would have great significance, for they had a saying (T. B. Sanhedrin 113 a) that salvation was one of the things which God kept in His own power. If Christ then was to bestow this gift on Israel He must be owned by them as God.” (Cambridge Bible For Schools And Colleges)
[9] “Jesus’ disciples rejoice specifically because of the reason why they suffer (Lk 6:23). Jewish tradition praised suffering for “the Name,” meaning that of God; here, however, the name is that of Jesus (cf. Lk 6:22).” (NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible) “ To rejoice in persecution, and triumph in the midst of pain, shame, disgrace, and various threatened deaths, is the privilege of the New Testament.” (Adam Clarke)
[10] There are exceptions to this. Sometimes, the church dies out because everybody gets killed, literally. But I am not aware of any exceptions to the corollary. I have yet to find out of an example where a pure and holy church institution genuinely flourishes in righteous holiness in places of comfort, power and privilege.
[11] https://wearefaith.org/blog/constantines-influence-on-the-church/
[12] (https://place.asburyseminary.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2492&context=ecommonsatsdissertations)