Acts 5: A prison break and a word to Christianity’s haters

This chapter includes some mysterious demonstrations of God’s power: people dying that lied to the body of believers, people being healed even as Peter just walked by, and then the entire band of the apostles seemingly translated out of the local prison and into the temple.

The last one includes some interesting details that get too quickly looked over. First I would say we often give most of our attention in the “holy prison breaks” category to the deliverance of Paul and Silas as they were singing and the prison keeper ends up being a follower of Jesus. While that one certainly has some awesome moments, this one included all, or at least a good group of the apostles. That flows into the second interesting detail, that the entire band just walked right out of the prison doors and back onto the street when the angel opened them (vs 19). The crazy part here is that no one saw this happen, no guards saw nearly a dozen guys being led by an angel through the halls and out the front door. Nearly as if this kind of entourage occurs daily at the JJC (Jerusalem Justice Center). Thirdly, upon being investigated, the doors at JJC were found securely locked and guards were faithfully standing beside them (vs 23).  Fourth, possibly the strangest thing is that as they are brought from their temple teaching to be questioned, nothing is said of their JJC escape. It is almost as if the officials don’t want to know. They must have known it was a miraculous thing rather than any normal prison break, and decided that to call attention to the miraculous would only stir up greater interest and cause there to be more believers.

The item of most interest is the way in which this commotion ends. Gamaliel, one of the leaders in the city, basically stands up and says let’s just let this group run its course. He calls attention to several other instances of strange teaching and their followers eventually just losing interest or creating so much commotion that they were killed. So after arresting the apostles, throwing them into prison, re-arresting them after they walked out unhindered, interrogating them, and beating them they decide to let them go in the hope that this evangelical movement will just die off the scene and be forgotten. Now nearly 2000 years later people, just like Gamaliel, are still waiting for these followers of Jesus to fade into oblivion. Those who are waiting, and doubting, and mocking may want to take heed to the rest of Gamaliel’s advice, “If it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God.”( Vs39)