BIBLE STUDY LESSON 07

SERIES U --- THE EARLY CHURCH

SUFFERING FOR YESHUA

REJOICING IN DISGRACE

From Acts 5:21-42

By dawn, the apostles were back in the temple preaching. When the high priest and his party convened the council and the Jewish senate later that morning, orders were given for the apostles to be brought from jail. But when the officers reached the jail, the apostles were not there. They hurried back to the council with a report. [The jail was locked and the jailer was on duty at the gates,] they said. [But when we opened the gates and looked inside, no one was there.] The commander of the temple police and the high priest were greatly surprised to hear this news. Indeed, they didn’t quite know what to do. About that time, someone brought in another report. [The men you put in jail are standing in the temple, teaching the people.] The commander and some of his police went to investigate and brought the apostles back with them. They were careful not to be violent, lest the people stone them. Returning with their prisoners, they put the apostles before the council again. [Didn’t we command you not to teach any more about this man?] the high priest asked. [Now you are filling all Jerusalem with your teaching. You even want to blame us for this man’s death.] [We must obey YHVH instead of you,] said Peter and the other apostles. [YHVH raised Yeshua back to life after you sent Him to His death on a cross. He has lifted up this same Yeshua to His own right hand and has made Him our Adonai and our Saviour, so that He might offer repentance and forgiveness from sin to the people of Israel. We have seen these things happen and we testify to them as does Ruach HaKodesh, whom YHVH gives to all who obey Him.] The council was outraged when they heard what Peter and the apostles said. At once, there was a decision to kill them. But one member of the council, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, who was a wise and highly respected man, stood up and issued orders for the apostles to be taken from the room. Then he spoke to his fellow council members. [Men of Israel, you had better be careful what you do to these men,] he said. [Do you remember Theudas, the fellow who made great claims? He gathered about four hundred followers, but he was soon killed and his followers scattered. Then, about the time of the Roman taxation, another fellow rose up, named Judas the Galilean. He also gathered a following, but then he died and his followers scattered. [Let me warn you that we should leave these men alone. If their cause is man-made, it will soon die out. But if YHVH has brought this into being, you will never destroy it. Watch out! You may even find yourself fighting YHVH.] Gamaliel’s advice seemed wise, so the council listened to him. They called the apostles in again and had them beaten. Then the council gave the apostles strict orders never to teach again in the Name of Yeshua and sent them away. The apostles left the council rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer disgrace for the Name of Yeshua. But they continued to teach the wonderful news of Yeshua the Moshiach in the temple and in homes.

COMMENTARY

THE SANHEDRIN

When the quarrels and complaints of the Israelites became more than he could bear, Moses cried out to YHVH. [I cannot carry the burden of so many people by myself,] he protested. So YHVH instructed Moses to choose seventy of the wisest men in Israel. They would be his assistants and share the responsibility of governing the people. Moses and the seventy elders set the pattern for Jewish government in New Testament times. The Sanhedrin, the highest court of Israel, also had seventy members. Like Moses, the high priest was their leader, they called him {Nasi,} meaning {prince} of the Sanhedrin. But unlike the men appointed by Moses, the members of the Sanhedrin were not always chosen for their wisdom. Some men gained their seat on the council because they came from an important family or were very rich. Many were Sadducees, members of Israel’s proud aristocracy. Others were Pharisees who were respected for their detailed knowledge of the Law. Each day, after the offering of the morning sacrifice, the Sanhedrin gathered in their courtroom to hear and judge the day’s disputes. The {Chamber of Hewn Stone,} south of the temple courtyard, was reserved for their meetings. The seventy judges sat in a semicircle so that each man could see the others. In front of the semicircle sat two scribes, one on the right, the other on the left. They wrote down the testimony of the witnesses and recorded the verdict of the court. Three rows of students sat behind these scribes, facing the judges. They were there to learn, because someday they might be chosen for a seat on the Sanhedrin. Even this, the supreme court of Israel, was governed by strict rules. The Sanhedrin could not meet anywhere but the council chamber or after the end of the day. They did not hold court on the Sabbath or feast days. On those occasions the members of the Sanhedrin sat in the temple courtyard and talked with the people. The elders answered questions and entertained the crowds with spirited debates about religious matters. Crimes that required the death penalty were tried with the greatest care by the Sanhedrin. When a man’s life was at stake, the council always began the trial with arguments for his innocence. If no one testified for him, a member of the court took his part. On the day of the verdict, the judges fasted before casting their vote. The court’s youngest members voted first so that their opinion would not be influenced by the judgment of the older men. But the Sanhedrin did not keep the power of life and death over the Jews. During the reign of Herod, the king claimed that authority for himself. Because he did not want to share his power, Herod ordered the deaths of more than half of the seventy elders when he took the throne. In their place, he appointed men who would not interfere with his decisions. Later, when the Romans took control of Israel, they returned only a portion of the Sanhedrin’s power. The Jewish court was allowed to handle religious disputes and minor crimes, but the most serious cases went to the Roman governor. He alone could pronounce the death sentence. He also could overturn any decision made by the Sanhedrin.