Acts 5 overview (part two)

[40-42]  Suffering for Christ: Once again the council charged the apostles not to speak in the name of Jesus Christ.  They then beat the disciples and sent them away.  The apostles, instead of being discouraged, rejoiced (translated “thrived, rejoiced exceedingly”) at the thought of being counted worthy to suffer dishonor (translated “to render infamous, maltreat, despise, suffer shame”) for the Christ.  They, despite the threats from the council, threats from the council “did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ” (v.42).

Timeless Principle: The disciples, up to this point, had been ridiculed and mocked and brought before the supreme court of their day.  They were tossed in prison but this could not and would not discourage them.  In this text they face even more persecution being beaten (Greek: translated “thrashed, scourged”) for the sake of Jesus Christ.  The punishment in this case, as implied by history, was a scourging that consisted of a beating which was not allowed to surpass forty lashes.  The beating would have taken place in cycles of three with two shots to the back followed by one to the back of the neck.  This punishment was horrifying, even so much that the Romans passed a law (Porcian law) that made it impossible for any Roman citizen to receive this punishment in any case.  Despite the gruesome nature of the punishment, it is assumed that the disciples bore it before being released.  What was their reaction? It was this, they rejoiced they “were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for” Jesus Christ.  They were brutally beaten and yet they were overjoyed to suffer for the name.  Nothing else mattered to them besides Jesus and it showed.  Perhaps a better question, what was the reaction to this extreme abuse?  Or better still, what would we feel like the reaction would have been by our standards?  It is obvious that we would have been discouraged.  We probably would have rolled around in our pity wondering why we had to endure those things while thinking that we did not deserve it.  This petty reaction was not the one that the apostles had.  Instead, they rejoiced at the thought of being counted worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus Christ.  We face less extreme sufferings now for the most part, but one similarity should still be seen between them and us, this being that we should too count it all joy when enduring trials for the sake of the Gospel (James 1:2-4, 1 Pet. 3:14).  Also, after their suffering, the apostles went on preaching the good news even though they knew more persecution was sure to follow, so should we be so in love with Christ that when we are persecuted for the sake of the name that we are not discouraged but encouraged. 

            *40-42 [ya already know]