Why Were They Happy After Being Beaten?

Acts 5:40-42
(40) His speech persuaded them. THEY CALLED THE APOSTLES IN AND HAD THEM FLOGGED. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
(41) THE APOSTLES LEFT THE SANHEDRIN, REJOICING because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. (42) Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.

Flogging or beating causes pain. How can you rejoice after flogging? How can you rejoice after beating? When someone is excited and happy after a beating, we should investigate!

After a beating, there is a focus on the bruises and wounds. After a beating, there is a focus on how mean the person beating us was. After being beaten we focus on revenge and cursing the one who beat us. After beating we seek consolation from those who sympathize and empathize. What we don’t expect after a beating is happiness. Why were the Apostles happy after being beaten?

Apostles were arrested for preaching. The angel of God saved them from prison. When they left prison the angel told them to continue preaching. The Apostles went back to preaching. They were arrested again and were about to be sentenced to death when Gamaliel stood and saved them. They were beaten and then released. After the beating, they went away rejoicing! Why were the Apostles happy after being beaten?

They were beaten and TOLD TO STOP preaching, Acts 5:40. They went away happy and THEY DID NOT STOP preaching, Acts 5:42. The beating did not stop their work. The beating did not make them bitter.

The Apostles were happy after being beaten because they were focused on their greater mission of preaching the gospel. The preaching assignment had been given to them by Jesus. Preaching was so urgent and important that if beating would release them from long court sessions, then beating was an exciting thing. Beating allowed them to go and preach.

Beating meant that they were suffering like Jesus. Beating meant that the world had identified them with Jesus. Beating gave them confidence that they were on the right track.

Beating meant that they were a threat to the Jewish leadership and Roman authorities. Beating meant that they were effective in their preaching. Effective enough to pose a threat. Otherwise, if they were inconsequential no one would bother.

We too get beaten in reality and by circumstances. We too get persecuted and hurt. We too go through experiences that are supposed to hurt us. Do we have big goals that make suffering inconsequential?

If the salary is big enough you can ignore the insults by the boss and smile as you work. If the revenue is good you can smile at customer insults and arrogance. Where the goal is great and important, inconveniences that would have been painful are easily ignored and treated as exciting.

One way to overcome that which should have hurt us is to have a goal that is big and compelling enough to dwarf the painful experience. To get hurt and accept it and focus on it would favor the enemy who hurt us and not us. What bigger goal in life would dwarf the pain of ill health? Could you have something you want to achieve before death? Something achievable that would make life better for others. May such a goal make the pain of sickness inconsequential in the name of Jesus!

What is the big goal in your studies that can make you tolerate hard life in school? What is the big goal in your spiritual life that can make you tolerate hypocritically harmful church people? What is the big goal in your relationships that can make you immune to provocation? May God grant you a big and compelling goal that would make you smile at what would have hurt and crippled others.

If you must suffer, suffer for being on the right and not for wrongdoing that deserves beating. Suffer in innocence like Jesus. Be glad that unintentionally you have been a threat to the evil people who are causing your suffering. Your suffering gives you credibility because they can’t ignore you. Your suffering means you are effective and empowered by God. Your suffering should cause you to rejoice that you are a true soldier of the cross.

May God make it possible for us to be happy after all the harm that others cause us. May God help us to rejoice under circumstances in which ideally we should be crying in pain. May it be so, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

1. Rei Kesis YouTube Channel (subscribe, click on the notification, and share)
2. Rei Kesis books on Amazon (Amazon will sell and deliver anywhere in the world. For those in Kenya you can buy from any ABC close to you. ABC is Adventist Book Center)
3. Rei Kesis daily blog here.