Word of Salvation – January 2026

The Pragmatic Advice Of Gamaliel

Sermon by Rev. John Westendorp on Acts 5:33-42

Scripture Reading: Acts 5:17-42

Singing:   BoW.066a       Come all you people
                    BoW.198         Father welcomes all His children
                    BoW.425         Who is on the Lord’s side
                    Rej.2.342         Go forth in His name

Theme: God uses the pragmatic advice of Rabbi Gamaliel to spare the apostles and enable gospel outreach.

 

Introd:  What do we do with this chap Gamaliel? Is he a hero or is he a villain? Is he a friend or is he an enemy?

On the Internet you can find sermons which applaud Gamaliel’s advice.
They say: He gives some very wise advice which saved the apostles.
And this man is not even a Christian.  What a hero…!
But you will also find sermons on the Internet that lament Gamaliel’s advice.
They say: This is the typical talk of one who doesn’t want to decide for or against Jesus.
Gamaliel is like so many people who just want to sit on the fence.

 

So what do we do with Gamaliel?
Luke has quite deliberately included this conversation at the meeting of the Jewish Council.
Luke didn’t have to.  He could have summed it up in a few words.  He could have said:
The Council was divided over whether or not to kill the apostles.
Those against killing them, won the day, so the apostles were let off with a beating.

 

But Luke doesn’t do that… instead he gives us 6 verses telling us about Gamaliel.
Luke gives us quite a detailed report of his advice to the Sanhedrin.
Because, you see, Luke wants us to learn something important.
I believe that Luke wants us to understand that Gamaliel is a pragmatist.
What’s a pragmatist…?  It’s someone who looks at things purely from a practical point of view.

 

Two elderly ladies met at a Laundromat after not seeing each other for some time.
After inquiring about each other’s health, one asked how the other’s husband was doing.
”Oh!  Ted died some weeks ago.  He went out to the garden to dig up a cabbage for dinner.
He had a heart attack and dropped down dead right there in the middle of the veggie patch!”
Her friend replied, ”Oh dear!  I’m very sorry.  What did you do?”
She replied, “I opened a can of peas.”  Do you get the picture?  That lady was a pragmatist.

 

So let’s consider Gamaliel the pragmatist and see how God uses even his pragmatic advice.

 

A]       GAMALIEL’S PRAGMATIC ADVICE.

 

1. The story of Gamaliel begins in verse 33 with a very angry Sanhedrin.

This is the third time the Jewish leaders have attempted to halt the spread of the Christian faith.

 

The first time was after a lame man was healed back in Acts 3.
So in Acts 4 the rulers and teachers of the law tell Peter and John to stop preaching Christ.
The apostles refuse and they say: “We must obey God rather than man.”
So they continue to spread the good news about Jesus wherever they can.

 

Here in Acts 5 we are told about the arrest of the apostles and that they were put in jail.
The opposition makes a second attempt to squelch Christianity.
’Only problem is that God miraculously intervenes.  He throws open the prison doors.
The score is now: Apostles, 2; Religious leaders, zilch… nil… zero.

 

So things now get really serious – the Jewish Supreme Council is called together, the Sanhedrin.
This was a meeting of seventy key leaders.
It was a gathering that was dominated by the Sadducees.  You remember the Sadducees…?
(Sadducees didn’t believe in angels or the resurrection; that’s why they were always sad you see).

 

Here, as the apostles again state that they must obey God rather than men, the council is furious.

And the upshot is that in their fury they decide to put the apostles to death.

 

2. Into the middle of that emotional reaction comes Gamaliel asking for attention.

Gamaliel is a Rabbi… a Jewish teacher.  Maybe his name sounds somewhat familiar to you.
That shouldn’t be surprising.
Because later in Acts Paul tells us that this was the man who had been his teacher.
Paul had sat at the feet of Gamaliel… Gamaliel was Paul’s mentor.

 

Luke tells us that this man was honoured by all the people.
He was the grandson of a famous Rabbi, Hillell.
Two generations earlier there had been two prominent Rabbis in Judaism.
Rabbi Shamai – who was very strict in his interpretation of God’s law.
And Rabbi Hillell – who was much more lenient in applying the law.
Now Hillell’s grandson is a leading Jewish teacher in Jerusalem… and he’s a Pharisee.

 

So in your mind’s eye picture now the scene in the Sanhedrin.
There are these two parties in Judaism… or if you like two sects.
Two groups that don’t like each other very much… and that don’t get on well together.
There are the Sadducees and they’ve got the numbers to control the council.
And there are the Pharisees… led by this popular teacher Gamaliel.

 

And then we see something of the respect in which this man is held.
Because he advises this Sadducee-dominated Sanhedrin and they actually listen to him.
In this way he saves the lives of the apostles.
That’s why many Christians today still have a high regard for Gamaliel.
He settled the Council down… the apostles were spared… and Christianity flourished.
What a marvellous contribution Gamaliel made to the cause of Jesus Christ.

 

3. Well, let’s examine Gamaliel’s advice. There is certainly some wisdom in his advice.

In fact pragmatism very often has broad appeal to people.
It says: If something works it must be okay!  And people like that kind of advice.
Up to a point it even makes sense.
So there are some things we can learn from Gamaliel.  Let me suggest three things.

 

1. a) First Gamaliel suggests that they adopt a ‘wait and see’ attitude. And that’s wise advice.
   When you are so angry that you see red… that’s not a good time to make wise decisions.
   You need to cool it.  And that is in effect what Gamaliel is saying: cool down!  Chill out!

   He relates it to two specific examples where time proved that things sorted themselves out.
   And so he tells them: Leave these men alone… just wait and see how it works out.
   You can act now in anger… but you may come to regret it later.

 

1. b) Secondly, Gamaliel tells them that they need to learn from history. And that’s true.
   A famous philosopher once said:
   The only lesson we learn from history is that we don’t learn from history.

   Gamaliel mentions two rebel leaders who gained a following – but the leaders were killed.
   And when those leaders were killed their followers were dispersed.  That ended the matter.
   The history lesson?  If a movement is from God it will last… if it is from man it will fail.

 

1. c) Thirdly, we could sum up Gamaliel’s advice as a call for tolerance.
   That’s a quality that is especially valued in our society today… we must be tolerant.
   That especially makes Gamaliel a hero for many people today.

   Gamaliel even links his tolerance to his piety… to the actions of God.
   If this is something that is from God then you are not going to able to stop it anyway.
   In fact you will then find yourself fighting against God… so just be tolerant.

 

B]       THE WEAKNESS OF HIS ADVICE.

 

1. So there is a certainly amount of truth in Gamaliel’s argument.

It’s true that if you fight something that is of God then you will find yourself fighting against God.

Many opponents of the Christian faith have discovered that.  The classic case was the Apostle Paul.
He thought he was fighting for God’s cause by capturing Christians.
But on the Damascus Road Paul found that
rather than fighting for God he had been fighting against the Lord God.

 

At the same time there are elements in Gamaliel’s argument that are just not true.
If we have to adopt a wait and see attitude… how long must we wait and see?
Gamaliel suggests that if something is from man then it will fail.
And that if something is from God it will succeed.

 

And that’s true – but so often it is true only in the long term.

So often the things of God have not seemed to be all that successful.
Mission work has sometimes gone on for years without a single convert.
Someone was telling me about a pastor who began a church plant.
But for a long time his only congregation was his wife and children.

Or let me remind you of Noah.  He was a preacher of righteousness.
And all those years in which he built the ark he called people to repentance.
But there was never a convert and only his own family entered the ark.
Take a wait and see approach and sometimes you have to wait a long time to see God succeed.

 

The reverse is also true that sometimes human work can be very successful.
And even something that goes against God can last a very long time.
There have even been satanic movements that have prospered.
And today there are still anti-Christian regimes that oppose God but who do very well.
Things don’t always fit as neatly as Gamaliel would have us believe.

 

2. I have another problem with Gamaliel too – and that is his motivation.

There’s a small point of translation that comes out in verse 35.
The NIV Bible simply read: Men of Israel consider carefully what you intend to do…!
That certainly captures the idea that Gamaliel is warning them very strongly.
But the old KJV translated this as: Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves…!  ESV: “Take care!”

 

IOW the advice of Gamaliel was motivated by self preservation.  It was self-serving.
He is saying “Pay close attention to yourself…!”
Think about what this means for you… what implications this may have for you.

 

Gamaliel wanted to avoid the leaders in the Sanhedrin getting themselves in trouble.

And that trouble could possibly have from either or both of two sources.

 

The trouble could have come from the common people.  Verse 26 makes that quite clear.
The captain and the officers go out to bring in the apostles… but note what follows:
They didn’t use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.
At this point the followers of Jesus were enjoying a degree of popularity with the masses.
It makes sense therefore that Gamaliel should say: Take heed to yourselves…!

 

The other source from which trouble for the Sanhedrin could come was Rome.
Jerusalem was a city under control of the Romans and the leaders were accountable to Rome.
Killing the apostles could bring the anger of Rome on the necks of these leaders.

 

The point is that pragmatism is so often self-motivated.  It’s for our own protection and advancement.

 

3. At this point we need to ask whether pragmatism is all that serious.

Okay we’ve seen some of the problems – but isn’t this still wise advice?

 

Yes.  Except for one thing… and this is the most serious criticism I have of Gamaliel.
Pragmatism is always concerned with the practicalities… very rarely with truthfulness.
Gamaliel said: If it’s of God it will succeed… if it’s of man it will fail.
So what is the glaring omission?  What does Gamaliel fail to ask?

 

Never once does he encourage the Sanhedrin to ask: Is this of man… or is this of God?

He suggests that the only way you can figure that out is by adopting a tolerant wait and see attitude.
Wrong…!  We can figure that out from the Scriptures.
And that’s the real trouble with Gamaliel’s pragmatism: it effectively sidelines the Scriptures.

 

Please remember that the Sanhedrin was the same body that had Jesus executed.
These men – including Gamaliel – had witnessed the death of Jesus on the cross.
They had experienced the three hours of supernatural darkness.
Maybe they had even stood by and heard Jesus cry out:
Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing.
They had felt the earth shake as the world’s creator breathed His last.

Later there had been the news of the resurrection and the case of the missing body.
Why didn’t Gamaliel say: brothers we really need to look into this to see if it is of God.
Let’s do our homework first and research whether this fits in with the teaching of the Bible.

 

Pragmatism so often fails because it does not rest on that firm foundation of Scripture.
Let me just apply this to something relevant for me.  Baptism.
The problem is that often babies are christened on the basis of pragmatism.
Parents want the baby “done”.  That way the child will have it’s name on the roll of a church.
Pragmatism says: that might even be handy as a kind of heavenly insurance policy.

No!  We baptise believers and their children on the basis of Scripture… not pragmatism.
We accept the Word of God and its teaching about the covenant:
That the promise is for you and your children and for all who are afar off.
Scripture always trumps pragmatism.

 

C]       GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY IN THAT ADVICE.

 

1. This morning it’s important then that we consider the outcome of Gamaliel’s advice.

What were the consequences?

 

Some of the consequences were very serious.
It meant that the Sanhedrin never came to grips with the reality of who Jesus is.
It mean that they missed out on thinking through the gospel… and they remained opposed.
And the sad thing is that – unless they changed – they perished in their unbelief.

 

There have been suggestions that Gamaliel did later believe and was saved.
The R.C. church believes he was converted and they have even declared him a saint.
They also have a tradition that it was he and Nicodemus who later buried Stephen.
Well… it’s only a tradition… and I’m not convinced… although I certainly wish it were true.
Ultimately of course we have to leave that question with the Lord.

 

But let me tell you why – from the information that we have – that I am not optimistic.
Gamaliel is a doubter.  His argument is full of ifs and buts.  There is no certainty.
In fact it even seems to me that he assumes that Jesus is still dead.
Because he assures them that when a movement is leaderless it fizzles out.
There is a subtle insinuation that Jesus is dead… it’s leader is gone and so it is doomed.

 

2. Of course there is one very positive consequence of Gamaliel’s pragmatic advice.

His advice did save the apostles from death.

 

Here I want to make an important comparison.
Verse 33 tells us that the Sanhedrin was furious.
It’s a very strong word in Greek that comes from something being sawn in two.
That’s why some Bibles read this as these leaders being cut to the heart… or cut to the quick.
IOW a very deep-seated emotion of anger is tearing them apart.

 

Well that word occurs only two times in the N.T.
The first time is here in verse 33 of Acts 5.
But a few chapters later we get the same reaction from the Sanhedrin.
And that’s when Stephen preached his sermon to them.
But on that occasion there was no pragmatic advice from Gamaliel.
And Stephen dies as the first martyr for the Christian faith.

 

So there is no doubt that Gamaliel’s speech saved the lives of the apostles on this occasion.

 

Okay; they still got a beating.
That was the Sanhedrin’s way of expressing their frustration and to save face.
So we read that the apostles were flogged.
They probably got the mandatory 40 lashes less 1.
But the amazing thing is that the Christians did not see that as defeat.

Punishment for being a follower of Jesus is never defeat.
Did you notice (in vs.41) how it led the apostles to rejoice…?
What an amazing thing to do… flogged, and you respond by being glad.
Glad because you have been counted worthy to suffer disgrace for Jesus.
So thanks to Gamaliel… they live to rejoice in their Lord.

 

3. Except that I want to qualify that… ultimately that is not “thanks to Gamaliel”.

Ultimately the focus in Acts 5 is not on Gamaliel’s weak words of wisdom.
Ultimately the focus here is on God’s sovereign guiding of events.
God makes things happen as people live by His Word.
The Word drives and motivates us to act for our Lord.

But our all powerful and all wise God can even make things happen through pragmatism.
Here the Lord uses Gamaliel to set his servants free so that they can continue their work.

 

That leaves me with one application I need to make in closing.
Today I have offered you some criticisms of Gamaliel’s words.
It is always the task of the church to evaluate things by the standard of Scripture.

That means that sometimes we have to be bold and courageously tell people they are wrong.
From time to time I have done that from the pulpit.
I have pointed out the pragmatic and heretical views of some prosperity preachers.
Televangelists who tell you that your best life is now, and God wants you to be rich.
That’s pragmatism.  Our lives and our church need to be grounded in God’s Word.

 

But I also need to always keep in mind that God is sovereign and uses whosoever He wills.
There is an old Dutch saying: Sometimes God uses a crooked stick to hit a straight stroke.

And that is true… and we praise God for it.  God uses even pragmatism to serve the gospel.
Even a Gamaliel… to accomplish His purposes.  Even pragmatic prosperity preachers.
But the purpose is that Jesus may be worshipped
and that we may continue to make disciples for the Lord Jesus Christ.            Amen.