Please read the passage before reading the comments.
Gamaliel was a wise and good Pharisee. Some have thought that Jesus would have identified himself as a Pharisee. The Pharisees seemed to have been sympathetic to the teachings of Jesus during his lifetime and in the early days of the Church.
At the time of the Jewish revolt against Rome in 70, however, Jewish believers in Jesus did not revolt against Roman rule. At that time, the political and the theological situations between the Christian Jewish people and other Jews were seen as divisive and incompatible. At that time, the Pharisees began to put restrictions on those who had come to believe in Jesus. This adversariness is reflected in the Gospel accounts of the life of Jesus. The opposition of the Pharisees at the time of the fall of Jerusalem is pushed back to the life of Jesus as opposition to Jesus.
The wise Pharisee named Gamaliel drew the attention of the Sanhedrin to recent examples where charismatic leaders had drawn many followers, but when their leadership failed, the movements had died as well. Gamaliel was wise enough to understand that every movement not inspired by God is doomed to failure. He advised the leaders not to harass the apostles lest they be opposing God.
The advice is not to refuse to oppose injustice, but rather not to attack policies, behaviors, and actions that seem bad to us, but that may be part of God’s plan. Not everyone who seems against us or who preaches against us is out to get us. We are to resist evil, but pursue the good. When in doubt, we should probably follow the example of a wise Pharisee, such as Gamaliel.
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