When the captain and the court officers had brought the apostles in and made them stand before the Sanhedrin, the high priest questioned them, “We gave you strict orders, did we not, to stop teaching in that name? Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and want to bring this man’s blood upon us.”
But Peter and the apostles said in reply, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins. We are witnesses of these things, as is the holy Spirit that God has given to those who obey him.”
After recalling the apostles, they had them flogged, ordered them to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, and dismissed them. So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.
In this passage from the Book of Acts, the apostles are returned to the Sanhedrin for punishment after having disobeyed the council’s order to stop preaching about Jesus’s resurrection. Peter and the rest of the apostles respond that they must obey the will of God, even if it is contrary to the council’s will.
The defiance of the apostles in this passage is a timeless challenge to any system or authority that seeks to suppress the truth. The apostles’ crime was merely speaking the truth and telling others what they themselves had witnessed. They did not incite violence or rebellion, and yet, to the Sanhedrin – the apostles simply speaking their truth presented an immense threat to their established order, power, and way of life. And for that, the apostles were accused, found guilty, and ultimately flogged as punishment.
The apostles, innocent of any real wrongdoing, endured physical pain and public humiliation for their commitment to honoring God and the truth. This echoes throughout history and continues even in our own time, where individuals and communities are marginalized, silenced, harmed, or worse for speaking the truth. The punishment wrought by the Sanhedrin was not done in the name of justice, but for maintaining control. These events serve to remind us of how easily power can corrupt and be used to oppress and silence.
And yet, the reaction of the apostles to their punishment? Rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer for the sake of sharing the Gospel. Their suffering here is not romanticized; the pain they endured was real, and the threat of continued persecution was still present. And yet, the apostles knew that what they had endured was a participation in Christ’s suffering, and they had been counted worthy to share in both his suffering and triumph over death.
For those of us who have experienced the pain of being misunderstood, wrongfully persecuted, or punished for speaking the truth, the message presented here should give us hope and a sense of solidarity. We are never alone in our suffering, for Jesus himself was also persecuted and suffered. We come from a rich faith history of those who maintained courage and an unwavering commitment to the truth, even in the face of injustice and violence.
Prayer: God, too often the message of the Gospel goes against what those in power would like to hear. Help us to find courage to obey the will of God, even when it comes at a cost. Give us hearts that recognize the worth and dignity of all. May we find a measure of the same radical joy that the apostles had in knowing that our faithfulness joins us to the enduring truth of God. These things we pray through Christ our Lord, amen.
Evolving Ecclesia 