tfam a iiet t / i e r f f r f c e a â & i
Vance Havner
N OBODY ever called the Acts of the Apostles a dull book. Something Is happening in it every minute. The early Christians, on fire for God, tackled the world, the flesh and the devil in a head-on collision and soon got into plenty of trouble. By the time we reach the fifth chapter, the account indicates that their tribulations had assumed several forms. The chapter begins with trouble inside the church: “But a certain man named Ananias, with Sap- phira his wife.” The church has always been harmed most by difficulty within. However, at that time, she was not so anaemic as now, and the poison was soon cleared up. The outward trouble looms up again. Peter and the apostles are again brought before the council, the reli gious authorities. True Christianity through the ages has always clashed with organized religion. Peter and the apostles did not mince their words. Their speech is classic: “We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are his wit nesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.” No wonder the council was “cut to the heart” ! A sermon like that, with the Trinity in it, Calvary in it, the resurrection in it, repentance in it, forgiveness in it, the gift of the Spirit in it, plainly charging the rulers with murder and boldly claiming that the disciples were Christ’s witnesses—and all in four verses!—a sermon like that was bound to cut to the heart even a religious council, often the hardest crowd on earth to move. Trouble within, trouble without. And now comes an other kind of trouble in disguise, trouble on the fence. Dr. Gamaliel, learned and famous teacher of the law, stands up. He cautions them to be careful what they do with these disciples. He cites the case of two men, Theudas and Judas, who had led popular movements that came to nought. He advised suspended judgment. “If this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to
nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God." ■There was a time when I was much impressed with Gamaliel. I thought he made a great speech. It sound ed sober, sane, and sound, level-headed, reasonable. But the years have changed my convictions about many men and I have had a radical change of mind about Gamaliel as well. The fact is, Gamaliel was an appeaser, and he com promised this meeting into a Munich. If Peter was an apostle of Christ, Gamaliel was an apostle of compro mise. He was one of the first protagonists of that tol erance which has left its blot upon the pages of history throughout the centuries. There is no excuse for Gamaliel. He was a teacher in Israel and knew the truth of these things. He knew the Scriptures about Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ had come and fulfilled these Scriptures right in Gamaliel’s vicinity and time, for this thing was not done in a corner. It was no time for suspended judgment. There was nothing about which to suspend judgment. Gamaliel should have taken his stand with these apostles. While there is a tradition that he became a Christian, it is more likely that he lived and died a Pharisee. It is to his eternal disgrace that, like Meroz, he came not to the help of the Lord against the mighty. Of course, he would have had to pay a price if he, a teacher of reputation, took his stand with the despised Galileans. Gamaliel decided to be neither for nor against. He took to the fence and there the record shows him sitting as the first of a line of “straddlers” who have perhaps caused the church more grief than all other tribulations within or without. God would rather have a man on the wrong side of the fence than on the fence. The worst enemies of apostles are not the opposers, but the appeasers. Gamaliel made three mistakes. First, he made a .false comparison. Although the apostles were immedi ately in mind, he was really comparing Jesus Christ with Theudas and Judas since it was Jesus who had started this movement. You dare not compare Jesus with Theu- T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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