A REASON TO REJOICE?
Acts 5:40-42 NKJV
And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
It's all too easy to read something in the Scriptures and gloss over the events. However, when we stop and think about what actually took place, seemingly small details can take on new meaning.
The apostles are in trouble again. God was moving in the city of Jerusalem. People were coming from all the surrounding areas, bringing their sick and demon tormented with them. Powerful healings were taking place, to the point where they were laying the sick out in the streets in hope that the shadow of Peter might fall on them. Apparently, those touched by the shadow were touched by God and healed. This was an awesome time for the early church.
And yet, when God is moving, His enemy, Satan, does not give up easily. The Sadducees became stirred up and put the apostles in prison. Prisons do not stop God, who sent an angel and set the apostles free. Along with freedom came a directive to go into the temple and proclaim all the words of this life. The new life that was now available in Christ. When the Jewish leaders sent for the apostles in prison, they were surprised to find them free and teaching in the temple. So once again, the apostles were arrested and brought before the council. I am impressed that when the angel set them free, they went straight to the temple and proclaimed the new life in Christ. These men are no longer hiding behind closed doors.
When the council decided to be careful with the apostles on the outside chance that what they were doing was of God, they commanded them not to speak in Jesus' name, beat them, and let them go. We shouldn't gloss over that. They beat them. It doesn't say how much or with what, but it was a beating. Maybe they stripped their shirts off and beat them with rods. In any case, they were not just threatened; they were beaten. But it was their response that was so outstanding.
They left the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. First, they had just been beaten. And then they had suffered shame, so the beating must have been embarrassing. And they were still rejoicing. To rejoice in a situation like that meant they were not fixated on the pain they had just experienced. They were not resentful that they had to suffer when they were simply trying to preach the gospel and help people. They were not blaming God. They certainly were not feeling sorry for themselves. They were rejoicing. And one more thing. They kept on preaching and teaching Jesus as the Christ every day in the temple. Rejoicing and resilience seem to go hand in hand.
APPLICATION
This is a great lesson in what James says is counting it all joy when you encounter various trials (James 1:2). This lesson from the apostles helps us understand that we can find reasons to rejoice. And we can learn that rejoicing even when things have not gone our way is a way to stay resilient and strong.
PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, I can rejoice in You always in the good times and the bad. Help me to remember that, especially in the bad times.