His reasoning was the product of fear. He was afraid of the reaction of the crowds in Jerusalem. The other members of that hastily convened Jewish Council imagined that they possessed the social standing and moral authority to get away with whatever their murderous instincts dictated. Gamaliel knew better, realizing that the death of the apostles could put the Council itself at risk. The people sympathized with the apostles on account of their power to heal.
History repeats itself.
Worse, the advocates of this new phenomenon may push me aside. On the other hand, if I encourage this new phenomenon too openly and too early, I will certainly meet with disapproval from others. He will not find a text presenting the words of Christ, or any prophet or apostle, to justify an ambivalent, compromising, equivocal position. But fortunately for the unworthy pastor, the words of a proud, self-righteous, unconverted Pharisee will come to his rescue. The counsel of Gamaliel is available for any pastor or elder interested only in self-preservation and peace at any price.