Sometimes we are persecuted and may receive corporal punishment. Will we give up or keep going?

In this post, links are provided in the commentary section for further study.

Let’s begin.

I.. Scripture:

A. Acts 5:40-42

⁴⁰ So after summoning the apostles, they flogged them, ordered them not to speak about the name of Jesus, and dismissed them.

⁴¹ And so they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were considered worthy to be dishonored because of the name. ⁴² And every day, in the temple and households, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that the Jesus was the Messiah. (Acts 5:40-42)

B. Comments:

1.. Verse 40:

They got flogged for contempt of court—no doubt Saul pushed for this. The lashes must not exceed forty (Deut. 25:3; see 2 Cor. 11:24). But they rejoiced anyway, despite this injustice. It makes me wonder whether I could rejoice after a flogging for boldly proclaiming my faith. Only by God’s grace and infilling of the Spirit.

“Name of Jesus”: See vv. 27-28 for a discussion. The Sanhedrin obsessed over it. It convicted them in their historical context, knowing they pushed for his crucifixion.

Matthew was one of the apostles who was flogged. He wrote in the Sermon on the Mount:

Blessed are you when they insult and persecute you and falsely speak every bad thing against you, because of me. ¹² Rejoice and celebrate because your reward is great in heaven, for in this way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matt. 5:11-12)

Those verses became real for Matthew this day, and no doubt the other apostles who heard the Sermon remembered what Jesus had predicted.

Here’s a parallel passage:

²² Blessed are you when people hate you and exclude you and shame and cast aspersions on your name as evil because of the Son of man. ²³ Rejoice on that day and leap around, for look! Your reward in heaven is huge, for in the same way their ancestors treated the prophets. (Luke 6:22-23)

Persecution in certain cultures—Islamic and communist ones—is real. Let’s pray that God gives them the gift of joy and he sustains them.

2. Verses 41-42:

“worthy to be dishonored”: Reversal of outlooks. The natural, unfilled soul would weep and wail. A supernatural, filled soul rejoices. How many of us would rejoice, when we suffer a little misunderstanding for doing what’s right? Very few. However, it is an honor and privilege to serve Jesus and know him and be loved by him. No matter what happens to us, let’s rejoice that our names are written in heaven and the book of life (Luke 10:20; Rev. 20:15).

“Spreading the good news”: as noted in previous verses in Luke-Acts, the phrase is one verb in Greek: Awkwardly but literally it means “good-news-ize,” as in “Let’s ‘good-news-ize’ them!”

“Preaching or spreading the good news” is traditional and better, however.

“in the temple and households”: The temple is where the large group of Messianic Jews met, or they went to their own households at night and at other times. Wherever they met, the apostles (and presumably others by extension) never let up preaching and teaching in the name of Jesus. There’s a lesson in there for us. Never stop. Never give up. Never let up.

“Jesus was the Messiah”:

3. Titles of Jesus: The Son of David and the Messiah

“household”: As noted, at v. 20, Acts is about salvation of entire households and meeting in those saved households (2:2, 46; 5:42; 8:3, but be careful of persecution in 8:3! 10:2; 11:14; 16:15, 31, 34; 20:20; 21:8). See v. 11 for a long study about the church and some links to basics about the church.

II. Application

A. Questions to ponder.

1. The apostles rejoiced after being flogged. Have you ever rejoiced when you suffered either weak or strong persecution?

2. Second Corinthians 11:23-25 reads:

[…] I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. ²⁴ Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods, […]  (2 Cor. 11:23-25)

Paul was a traveling, itinerant missionary. He was called to suffer (Acts 9:16). In our own context (we’re not traveling missionaries called to suffer), how willing are we to suffer if God calls us?

Would you keep going or give up?

I wonder how I would respond in these circumstances. Would I remain true to God and his Messiah? I hope that I would, but only by God’s grace and empowerment.

RELATED

The Historical Reliability of the Book of Acts

Book of Acts and Paul’s Epistles: Match Made in Heaven?

SOURCES

For the bibliography, please click on this link and scroll down to the very bottom:

Acts 5