Act 5:40b …, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
Act 5:41 So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.
Smiling and crying in the same situation might provide a paradoxical truth allowing for some sense of stability in the midst of the polarities of sorrow and joy. But such is the nature of human life which is often filled with paradoxes defying easy explanations. Believing the words of Jesus enables us to cry in the midst of our grief, as well as smile because we know what has been promised. ( Fr Joe Gillespie, O.P.)
This is what happened to the apostles . After Gamaliel’s intervention, the Sanhedrin called them together and seriously ordered the Apostles one more time not to speak in the name of Jesus. Then they gave them a “flogging” and released them. Instead of them wailing and complaining, the Apostles rejoiced because they had been counted worthy to share in Christ’s suffering.
In his song, Neil Enloe asserts:
We are peculiar people,
We rejoice when things go wrong,
We shed tears when we are happy
We sing a glad new song
We are redeemed by blood Jesus
We are the children of the heavenly king.
It’s true we may be going through a devastating situation. This could be but not limited to demise of a loved one, sickness and squabbles within the family circles, loss of income, rejection etc. But we will not allow them to water down our faith in God. Like the Apostles, we will continue to rejoice because ” the joy of the lord is our strength!
Further readings:
Ezra 3:12
Hab 3:17,18
1Pe 4:12-13
🙏Blessed Day🙏