Acts 5:40-42

Are we worthy of flogging?  Singapore is one of at least 12 countries that still practice caning or whipping as a legal form of punishment.  Most of the 35 crimes that are eligible for caning would be major felonies in the U.S.  Overstaying your visa and vandalism are the two exceptions.  Nobody in their right mind would rejoice over being worthy of receiving a punishment of caning in Singapore.  Rejoicing because the Sanhedrin had just had you flogged is also insane.  I do not believe the apostles were insane, and I do not believe they rejoiced because the Sanhedrin had them beat.  That is not what the scripture says, and that is not what the scripture means.

They rejoiced because the Sanhedrin had found them worthy of the name they preached.  The Sanhedrin had flogged Jesus and convinced the Romans to crucify him.  They did that with the intention of ending their Jesus problem.  Now the apostles were preaching in the name of Jesus, they were healing in the name of Jesus and they were leading people to belief in the name of Jesus.  The apostles had so identified themselves with the name of Jesus that the Sanhedrin treated them in the same manner that they had treated Him.

The Sanhedrin was not afraid of the names Peter, James, John or any other apostle’s name.  Jesus was the name that was shaking their world apart.  By whipping the apostles, the Sanhedrin was pouring shame and disgrace upon the Apostle’s reputations.  Instead of feeling disgraced, the apostles felt blessed.  It made them happy to know that when the Sanhedrin looked at them, all they saw was Jesus.  Therefore, they never stopped teaching and preaching, and the church never stopped growing.

If the world today decided to beat Jesus, where would they find him?  Would they have to guess based on church membership rolls, or Christian bumper stickers?  Would the world connect the name Jesus to us? Would they count us worthy of flogging?  Would we be first in line?