November 4, 2010

Problems of Family Living
When Beliefs within the Family Clash

“The high priest and his officials, who were Sadducees . .. . . . arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But an angel opened the gates of the jail, and told them, 2'Go to the Temple and give the people this message of this life!' 21 So at daybreak the apostles entered the Temple, as they were told, and immediately began teaching. .

They then rearrested the apostles . . . . 'Didn’t we tell you never again to teach in this man’s name?' . . . . 29 But Peter and the apostles replied, 'We must obey God rather than any human authority'. . . . .. When they heard this, the high council was furious and decided to kill them. 34 But one member, a Pharisee named Gamaliel . .. .. . said to his colleagues . . .. 'my advice is, leave these men alone. Let them go. If they are planning and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God.' Acts 5:17-42

Pastor's Blog

Like this family of Jews, some of whom rejected Jesus and others of whom had begun to follow Him, our families can also experience a “split” based on religious beliefs. It’s a tough thing to face, especially when loyalty to a particular belief trumps loyalty to family. Blame, accusations and mistrust can replace family unity.

Within Judaism there were two approaches to this kind of problem. The “school” of Shammai was harsh: get rid of those who defect to another faith. The “school” of Hillel (the teacher of Gamaliel) said, “Torah is a matter of the heart”. We must “live and let live (my words). (on a side note, the apostle Paul trained under Gamaliel of the “liberal” Hillel “school”)
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The result of this family spat? It turned out that Gamaliel was wise. If this new faith was not from God , it would fail. If it was from God it can’t be stopped.

From Hillel to Gamaliel to Paul, the New Testament leans away from legalism. The early followers of Jesus were adamant about what they had seen and heard. Sometimes they were “in your face” about it. Yet their heart was to tell everyone they knew, even those who fought them. For the traditionalists “whose world was rocked”, who foundation for living was called into question, Gamaliel was a more than a moderating voice. His was a wise one.

God seems to intervene in all kinds of ways: an angel one day, a leader from the opposition on another day.

Family unity matters. So does loyalty to Jesus. It’s not easy to negotiate these things.