So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.
— Acts 5:41
This attitude of the apostles is not easy to understand when viewed through a modern lens. Just prior to this verse, Peter and John had healed a man who was unable to walk at the entrance of the temple. Because they were preaching in the name of Jesus Christ, the priests were displeased and had them arrested. But after realising they were losing favour with the people, they released them — and it is at this point that Luke records this remarkable conclusion. The apostles went away from the council rejoicing.
Not Rejoicing Because They Were Released
It would be easy to misread this. One might assume that the disciples were simply relieved and happy to be free. But Luke tells us precisely why they were rejoicing — and it had nothing to do with their release. They were rejoicing because they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for the name of Jesus Christ.
That is a strikingly different reason for joy.
To understand what was going on in their hearts, we can look to what Peter himself would later write to believers scattered in persecution:
In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
— 1 Peter 1:6-7
Peter gives us a window into the mindset the disciples carried. They understood what they had — they had salvation. And they understood that the tribulation and suffering they were going through was the testing of their faith, which would ultimately result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Their suffering was not meaningless. It was purposeful, and the purpose was glorious.
Suffering as Blessing
Peter goes further still:
But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled.
— 1 Peter 3:14
Here is another reason the disciples rejoiced. They understood that nothing in this universe happens by accident. They had grasped the sovereignty of God — that God Himself ordains and allows the sufferings that come to His people. And more than that, they understood that the same hand that permitted the suffering was the very same hand that would protect them, keep them, and bring them through to the end. That was cause for celebration. They were not simply enduring hardship — they were being blessed by the hand of God, whose purposes were being worked out through their suffering.
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.
— 1 Peter 4:12-13
Peter urges believers not to be amazed or thrown off by suffering — as though it were something unexpected. It was promised from the beginning. And the proper response to it is not despair or complaint, but rejoicing — because the King of the universe, who holds all things in His hands and has seen the end from the beginning, is the one strengthening them through it.
The Spirit of Glory Rests on You
Peter adds one final and deeply encouraging word:
If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
— 1 Peter 4:14
To suffer for the name of Christ is not only a blessing — it is a form of assurance. It is evidence that the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon them. Their suffering was itself a confirmation that they belonged to Christ.
A Different Way to See Suffering
This is a profoundly different way to look at tribulation. The reason Peter and the disciples went away rejoicing was because they understood several powerful truths simultaneously — that their suffering was for the sake of Christ, that it was testing and maturing their faith, that they were sharing in the sufferings of their Lord, walking in His footsteps, and that the Spirit of God who was with them would bring them through to glory.
Jesus Himself had prepared them for this in John 15 — a student is not greater than his master. If they persecuted the Lord, they would persecute His disciples also. Suffering for Christ’s name was not a surprise. It was expected. And it was to be met with joy.
James captures this beautifully:
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
— James 1:2-4
Wisdom to See Rightly
May the Lord grant us wisdom to see the sufferings of this age not as mere oppression or cause for despair, but as something that conforms us to the image of Christ — as a sharing in the sufferings of Christ, which carries with it the promise of sharing in the glory of Christ in the age to come.
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
— James 1:5
Amen.
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