<p>5:40 <em>They took his advice</em>- It was unusual for Sadducees to take advice from a Pharisee in this way. See on :17 <em>The Sadducees</em>. The sense that these men might in fact be of God was very strong. Again, the Lord was working on their consciences in an attempt to save even them.</p><p><i>And when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go</i>- The same word used about the beating of the Lord, probably at the same hands (Lk. 22:63). Paul uses the same word about how he 'beat' the Christians &quot;in every synagogue&quot;, and that surely included in Jerusalem (Acts 22:19). His anger at the attitude of his teacher Gamaliel would have been given full vent in beating the Christians. Perhaps Paul even whipped Peter at this time. For Paul was Gamaliel's former pupil and was present in Jerusalem at this time. This would explain his deep respect for Peter and what appears to be a desire to follow Peter's ministry, in witnessing to the Jews, rather than in developing his own ministry to the Gentiles as the Lord intended. See my comments throughout Acts 20 for more on this. It also makes the more wonderful Peter's reference to Paul as his &quot;beloved brother&quot; (2 Pet. 3:15).</p>