02/22/2021 – Day 281 – Acts 5 – 6 – Last verse: “And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.”
The Sanhedrin council were witnessing a face of an angel, yet they did not hesitate with their kangaroo court proceedings. One should be overwhelmed by the fear of the Lord. It is ironic that the dispute started from the “Synagogue of Freedmen”, Grecian Jew converts from the Diaspora as noted in verse 9. What made them even more vitrile in their assault on Stephen. Was it that they had heard much less of Jesus than the Jerusalem Jewish residents. Perhaps they knew next to nothing about His miracles, certainly not his message of love. We’ll explore Stephen much more next week with your reading, reflection and prayer on Chapter 7.
Isn’t Gamaliel’s advice amazing to his Sanhedrin council colleagues, Sadduccees along with the minority Pharisees such as himself. Let’s look again at verse 38 – 39 , his concluding remarks: “And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it — lest you even be found to fight against God.”
Gamaliel was a reknowned teacher of the law. And one of his students happened to be Paul of Tarsus, so as Paul told it, he was raised to be a Jew of all Jews.
Soli Deo Gloria!