Restore 24: Acts

Stephen, one of the seven chosen by the community, is dragged before the Sanhedrin by a diaspora synagogue (i.e. a synagogue composed of diaspora Jews who had moved to Israel). The details here are just like Jesus' trial, with the invention of (semi) false charges and stirring up the crowds and leaders. Even one of the charges is the same (Mk 14:55-58; although not mentioned in the Gospel trials, no doubt they also accused Jesus of trying to change or nullify the law, given how they had clashed over the Sabbath and other matters).  In 6:15, Luke says that "all who sat in the council looked intently at him, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel." What does this mean? Part of the answer must be that this is the equivalent of 4:8, where Peter first faces this Sanhedrin: "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them..."* But part of the answer may also be that this is something like a transfiguration experience. Moses famously had a shini...

The Jerusalem church now has what might be called a 'good problem': their numbers have increased so much that meeting practical need is starting to fail. The Greek Jewish widows are being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. These are Jews from the diaspora who have moved to Israel. Quite a number of diaspora Jews moved—when the time drew near—to die in the Holy Land. But, as the men would often die first, a large amount of widows were left behind, who had also left their other family members in the countries they'd come from. Thus they might now be completely without support.  The practical decision the apostles have now to take is similar to that which Moses faced when leading Israel after the Exodus. His father-in-law exhorted him to focus on representing the people to God, and teaching the law to the people. Meanwhile, selected trustworthy men were to handle all the other lesser affairs of the people (see Exod 18:17-23). This is essentially how the apostles han...

Yesterday's reading concluded with a shocking display of Peter's power at the instant deaths of the deceitful couple, Anaias and Sapphira. This episode installed great fear and awe about this community, and proved that God was indeed in its midst. The verses which follow continue demonstrate this presence and power, but now back in a positive direction. Great numbers of men and women join the group as believers, and, in a summary which could have been written about Jesus, many were brought to Peter and were all healed, even by his passing shadow. Peter is certainly the chief of the apostles, but I doubt Luke means to say that only Peter had miraculous powers of healing. More likely is that Luke needs to highlight a 'hero', and cannot tells the stories of everyone else. Peter is the 'hero' of the first half or so of Acts, before in ch. 13 the focus is handed over to Paul, who takes the Gospel out into the wider world among the Gentiles. Indeed, a similar summary ...

Now there is an amazing episode in the life of the new church which brings out a different dimension of the holy awe of the presence of God. As we saw when we read Leviticus together, the proximity of God brings great blessing, but with it great danger, which has to be carefully managed by the laws and regulations that God gave to Moses to set up the priesthood. In this tiny community -- where all the world's Christians are still gathered in one city -- the presence and the power of God with the apostles is particularly strong. Indeed, their idyllic situation of brotherhood and favour has not yet been diluted. They are still at a size where the apostles are involved in the practicalities of dividing out donated properties. Indeed, the money is brought directly to the apostles! This will soon change in ch. 6.  But right now, a new threat emerges for the nascent church, this time from within. When the devil attacked the church through the authorities, the immediate effect was greater...

The church reacts to the official opposition it has received from the Jewish authorities. They are united in their response, and they lift their voices in prayer, beginning with words from Ps 146:6: "Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and everything in them..." (Acts 4:24). The previous line in that psalm is "Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God..." (Ps 146:5), and the line following their quotation is this: "...who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed..." (v. 7). Thus they address God using words from a psalm which confirms their hope in God against the ruling oppressors. Then they move on to one of the most important psalms, Ps 2. This psalm is alluded to numerous times in the New Testament, with different verses being highlighted for various purposes. The most important is 2:7: "He said to me, 'You are my Son; today I have begotten you.'" Thi...

Jesus had warned his disciples that "they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name." (Lk 21:12). Here in our reading today we see the first fulfilment of these words, and, of course, there is plenty more to come. But Jesus also went on to say, "I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict", and this also we see in our reading (Lk 21:15). This is the second sermon of Acts, both given by Peter, and both following an extraordinary sign which filled people with "wonder and amazement" (Acts 3:10). Peter uses the sign not merely as an opportunity to gather an awestruck crowd, but as the proof of what he is about to say. The speech will contrast who Jesus really is and who they thought he was, what they did to him, and what God has done for him. This contrast is intended to be damming, but onl...

The pouring out of the Spirit in the last days generates mass repentance, and, following that, a vision of life in the kingdom of God which is a foretaste of what is to come at the return of Christ. We see, in particular, joy, praising God together, and every need being met.  Verse 42 gives us four basic things that this first community devoted themselves to: (1) the apostles' teaching (2) fellowship (3) breaking of bread (4) the prayers. This was surely the time when the apostles began to not only teach about the resurrection with many proofs from scripture, but to tell the whole story of Jesus beginning with the baptism of John to the time when Jesus was taken from them into heaven. In that oral culture, I can only imagine that these events formed the basic framework of the 'Jesus' story', and then within it the apostles told the miracle stories, the teaching, the parables, the confrontations, and then the climactic events in Jerusalem: the cleansing of the temple, de...

In yesterday's reading, the Holy Spirit fell on the gathered believers and they began praising God in various languages. Luke records that all who saw and heard this were "amazed and perplexed" (2:12), but, whereas some wondered at its significance, others simply dismissed it as drunkness. Peter responds to both reactions and explains what is really happening, what it means, and how to respond. Peter turns to Joel 2: "In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh..." (Acts 2:17). What you are seeing and hearing is not drunken raving but the pouring out of the Spirit, and not some occasion like when the Spirit fell on Saul and he started prophesying (1 Sam 10:10-12), but a new thing altogether. The Spirit is poured out on all people, male and female, young and old, slave and free. At this point, Peter does not know about God's plan to include the Gentiles, so that 'all people' really will mean 'all people...

Here we come to the beginning of the Church with the pouring of the Holy Spirit. Peter will explain to the crowds what all this means in tomorrow's reading, but for today, we concentrate on the moment itself and the initial reaction it from the crowds. As we shall see repeatedly in Acts, some are impressed and persuaded, and others react with contempt and unbelief. It shows that even the most remarkable of events can still be dismissed by those who will not believe; there is no event so amazing, nor argument so compelling, that will conquer the hardened heart (cf. Lk 16:31). The action begins in a house where the believers are gathered and sitting down, but, although Luke does not make this clear, it moves into a public space, most likely the temple. Perhaps we should imagine that, after the Spirit has fallen, the believers get up and move outside, speaking all the while in the various languages.  But what has happened? First, there is a sound of violent wind. Then, there is the si...

The first verses of Acts saw Jesus commissioning his disciples before ascending to heaven. The Holy Spirit is referred to in verses 2, 4 (as the "promise of the Father"), 5 and 8. He is then mentioned once more in our reading today, in v. 16. The Holy Spirit is what the disciples are waiting for, according to Jesus' instructions. Luke even describes this giving of instructions by Jesus as "through the Holy Spirit" in v. 2, even though Jesus is speaking them directly before his ascension. According to v. 8, the Holy Spirit will provide the disciples with power to witness to Jesus where they are in Jerusalem, and outwards to the ends of the earth. In our reading today, Peter quotes from two psalms (Pss 69:25 and 109:8), but says in v. 16 that these verses were spoken by the Holy Spirit through David. Thus already we have seen that the Holy Spirit is given to the disciples for power to witness to Jesus, and also that he is the one who has spoken in OT prophecy, inc...