Acts 5:17-32
But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy 18 they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, 20 “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” 21 And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach.
Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.22 But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, 23 “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.” 24 Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to. 25 And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.” 26 Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.
27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them,28 saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to 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.”
In The Sign of Four, Holmes asks Watson: “How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?”
An astute thinker observed:
This may be valid in principle, but it certainly carries the risk of a fallacy: You might not have considered the truth in the first place, and if what remains in your range of vision after eliminating the impossible is very improbable you should continue searching rather than settle for it.
There is no reasonable explanation of how the apostles were released from prison. Luke offers no explanation other than an angel of the Lord brought them out and instructed them to continue to teach the people all the words of this life.
The chief priests and the Jewish leaders had already decided that God was not acting through the apostles. They were afraid of the people. They wanted to shut down the apostles. They viewed them as a threat to their power and prestige. They likely thought that the jailer had been lax. Or perhaps they thought that someone had smuggled them out despite the jailer’s vigilance. But God was not at work there.
I’ve noticed something when we’ve taught in Kenya and Tanzania. I’ve heard it also from those who share the gospel in India, Ethiopia, Uganda, and China. We may discount God’s activities in our everyday lives. But people in those places have a far different view of the spiritual realm. They look for God, see him at work and give him credit for much of what happens in their world. They realize that God is not to be dismissed, ignored, or discounted. They would have had a different reaction to the apostles’ release and continued bold teaching. They would have repented. They would have believed. Then they put into practice what they have learned. Their lives are changed by their encounters with God.
This is our calling each day as we acknowledge our sins and seek God’s mercy. But it is also God’s desire when we see things we do not understand and cannot explain. It may not be a matter of repenting from sin, as much it is a reorientation of our minds. Rather than factoring God out of life, we must look for him, acknowledge his presence, and believe in him.
Then we must act accordingly. Most of the time that will be simply to acknowledge God’s work and praise his grace. But sometimes it means a complete reorientation of our lives, a new path, and a whole new set of priorities.
The Jewish leaders did not opt for that response. Will we join them, or the apostles who acted in obedient faith, and committed themselves to obey God rather than man. They realized that when you’ve eliminated all possibilities it’s time to seek God’s kingdom ever more fervently. It may be time to put into practice what God is revealing to us as well.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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