Everyone, meet Gamaliel.
Gama-who?
Let’s set the stage.
This band of brothers, the earliest storytellers about Jesus, were arrested for doing good.
After they were freed from jail — by an angel — they kept doing what they had been arrested for in the first place and were arrested again.
Imagine the courtroom scene: Peter and his cohorts, arrested. Again. The officials had killed the leader of this brotherhood (Jesus) and now want to kill the rest of them.
Finally, Gamaliel, one of the council members, sent the guys out of the room and turned to address his colleagues.
Remember Theudas? He pretended to be important, had 400 people following him, and then he died. Those 400 people? Poof. Gone. Forgotten like this year’s New England Patriots.
Judas? Same story.
Then comes his voice of reason:
If Peter and his compadres are lying, they’ll die and their followers won’t matter. If they are really who they say they are, we can’t conquer them!
His rationale is so reasonable. It makes sense. It’s a breath of fresh air.
“Quit wasting your time arguing and posturing. If these guys are for real,
YOU. CAN’T. STOP. THEM.”
Sadly, there are a great number of issues we face today and our response is more like the rest of the council.
We stand in the way of people trying to do good. We put barriers in front of their work. We restrict and restrain their good deeds when our response should be more like Dr. Gamaliel (yup, he was a doctor): let ’em do their thing.
It’s so easy to talk a big game and put up a big front, talking like we’re the doctor, putting down everyone from the President/politicians to the Kardashian’s to gun owners/haters to our friendly, neighborhood opponents.
There’s no need. Stop being that guy [or lady]. Live it up and figure out what you can do for God this week.
Who are you trying to hold up right now?
Read more about Gamaliel in the 5th chapter of the Book of Acts.
