Who Should We Obey? God or Human Authorities? —Lectionary Reflection for Easter 2C (Acts 5)

Acts 5:27-32 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

²⁷ When they had brought them, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, ²⁸ saying, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us.” ²⁹ But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. ³⁰ The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. ³¹ God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. ³² And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”

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                During Eastertide, the Revised Common Lectionary replaces the usual readings from the Old Testament with readings from the Book of Acts. Although Eastertide calls for the church to reflect on Jesus’ resurrection appearances, the readings from Acts invite us to reflect on the ways the followers of Jesus moved forward after the Day of Pentecost. This first reading takes us to Peter and John’s court appearance, where they respond to charges based on, as Luke puts it, jealousy on the part of the high priest and his party. Why were they jealous? Apparently, the healing ministry of Peter and John had been drawing crowds, and that didn’t sit well. So, here we are, in a religious court, faced with questions dealing with the authority to engage in ministry.

                Luke’s storyline in the Book of Acts has lots of twists and turns, with Jesus’ followers getting in lots of trouble with the authorities who see them as a threat, whether to their religious leadership or the political leadership. Of course, the two are deeply intertwined. The question that the followers of Jesus have always faced has to do when one’s loyalty to Jesus conflicts with the demands of the reigning authorities.  Some would argue that Romans 13 settles the question. We should submit to the governing authorities because “there is no governing authority except for God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God” (Rom. 13:1). This seems rather cut and dry. Rulers have a divine mandate to rule, and to question them is to question God. At least that’s the way supporters of various forms of divine right rule have posed the answer. The current president of the United States and his followers have asserted that he has been chosen by God to rule. In fact, God saved his life from an assassin's bullet, or so the argument goes. Monarchs and dictators have often used these same arguments to suppress dissent. Now, a US President invokes the same arguments.

 Here in the book of Acts, not so long after Jesus’ ascension and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the church, Peter and John have been arrested because they healed many of the people they, along with others in the community, encountered. Now, the high priest decides to have the apostles arrested and imprisoned. They didn’t stay imprisoned for long because an angel opened the prison doors and freed them from prison. Not only that, but the angel instructed them to go back out to the temple and preach the gospel. While they were preaching, the High Priest called for the guards to fetch Peter and John from their cell. While the prison was locked, Peter and John weren’t there. That’s when the religious leaders heard that Peter and John were in the temple teaching the people. Once again, they were arrested (Acts 5:12-26).

Now that Peter and John had been re-arrested, it was time for the trial. The high priest interrogated the two, reminding them that they had commanded Peter and John to refrain from teaching in the name of Jesus. However, they had disobeyed this order and continued to do what was forbidden. Here is where things get interesting. Peter and John know full well what the instructions were. Don’t talk about Jesus and his death on the cross. Yet, here they were doing the exact thing. Why would they do this? Didn’t they know that they were disobeying the divinely authorized authorities? Why didn’t they submit, like Paul argued in Romans 13? Now, you could argue that Paul wrote the letter after Peter and John’s arrest. That may be true, but that doesn’t change things. Peter and John knew what the leaders had decreed, but an angel visited them and told them to do something different.  

As we reflect on this passage, we would be wise to put ourselves, for a moment, in the shoes of the religious authorities. They governed at the behest of the Roman government. They needed to keep a restive community quiet lest the Romans act against them. You can understand their dilemma. Peter and John were stirring up trouble that the authorities didn’t want to deal with. That trouble might involve Roman imperial intervention. Rome and its collaborators had tried to nip this messianic movement in the bud by putting Jesus to death on a cross. That usually worked. After all, fear is a great deterrent, as we’re witnessing in the United States! But Peter and John hadn’t gotten the message. Or, at least, they had received a different message. That message commanded them to preach the gospel.  

When the authorities reminded Peter and John of the legal directive given to them, they apostles responded with a strong word of resistance: “We must obey God rather than any human authority” (Acts 5:29). The authority of church and state might have divine origins, but the authority given to Peter and John superseded it. When push comes to shove, one must obey God’s directive. That’s what they had done.

Peter and John weren’t finished. Not only did they resist the demand of the authorities, but they also used this opportunity to preach the Gospel. They informed the authorities that it was the “God of our ancestors” who “raised up Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.” The apostles reminded the authorities that they had collaborated with the imperial authorities in putting Jesus to death. Yes, they were collaborators with the oppressors. Oppressive regimes can only function if they have willing allies and collaborators, as well as those who simply go along with the orders, even if not active collaborators.

The two apostles weren’t finished. They let the authorities know that not only had God raised up Jesus, but God had exalted Jesus to God’s right hand as “Leader and Savior,” so that he might offer Israel the opportunity to repent and receive forgiveness. Now they stood before the leaders as witnesses of this truth. Not only that, but the Holy Spirit bore witness to these things through those who obey him. With that declaration, the reading ends. However, it is worth continuing with the reading because a response comes on the part of the Council, though it is tempered by a warning from Gamaliel, who is identified as a teacher of the Law. Gamaliel warns the leaders to be careful because if this movement is of God, it can’t be stopped. So, they had the two men flogged and ordered them to refrain from speaking in the name of Jesus. But rather than be cowed by the warning, the apostles rejoiced “that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.” And they went right back to the temple and continued to preach and teach (Acts 5:33-42). The authorities gave the order, but the followers of Jesus were under a different set of orders, so they continued their efforts in defiance of the officials.        

As we read this story, with its accusation that the religious leaders had collaborated in the execution of Jesus, we must be careful that we do not preach the Gospel while blaming the Jews. Too often, down through history, passages like this have been used to target Jews with persecution. The leaders might have thought they were doing the right thing by suppressing this new movement. The Romans felt the same. It’s the way the world works. The question for us is whether we are willing to collaborate with oppressive efforts, or have we heard a different set of orders?

With that in mind, perhaps this word from Jeremiah might prove helpful.

Do not let the wise boast in their wisdom, do not let the mighty boast in their might, do not let the wealthy boast in their wealth; but let those who boast boast in this, that they understand and know me, that I am the Lord; I act with steadfast love, justice and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord. (Jeremiah 9:23-24).

These are good words to keep in mind during these challenging times, when those who think they have great power and might as well as wealth have been loudly boasting. The better choice, however, is to remember that when it comes to God: “I act with steadfast love, justice and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight.”  Yes, steadfast love, justice, and righteousness. These are the things that define Jesus’ message to us. To embrace these things expresses our obedience to God rather than human authorities.