A Living Movement

This scene focuses on Gamaliel comparing Theudas and Judah the Galilean to Jesus of Nazareth. It’s crystal clear what those two guys had in common that Jesus didn’t — they died and stayed dead.

“Dead leaders = dead movements” — and that was the Pharisee Gamaliel’s advice to his Sadducee comrades (now co-conspirators). Let it ride, he says, and we’ll see this thing tucker out like the others.

What an awesome moment in the story of Acts!

Luke is letting Gamaliel place the ball on the tee. He’s letting this highly respected Pharisee set up the drama. Yeah, let’s see this thing play out. In fact, let’s see what happens to Pharisees in this story (see Acts 9)!

Jesus is a living leader (Acts 5:31) — a living Savior.

And living Saviors = living movements.

This scene that could have been the end of the apostles. They were imprisoned (verse 18). They enraged the Jewish authorities so much they wanted to kill them (verse 33). But the last verse is far from being dead, the apostles were everyday, not ceasing to go everywhere (the temple and house to house) teaching and preaching Jesus. Making Christ clear. 

Our Savior is no less alive today than he was then. We are still, church, part of a living movement.