This will be a little of a general introduction including the whole first chapter, which is intended to be Luke's introduction to the book. For a discussion of some items of general interest such as authorship and time of writing, you can look at the information in any standard reference book.
Let's start out with the major theme of the book. For this I turned to my main source for getting anything I need: Amazon.com. They sell a number of commentaries on Acts, and I thought it might be instructive to look as the sub-titles the authors gave for their books. These tended to fall into several categories.
Holy Spirit emphasis –
Seeing the Spirit at Work
The Gospel of the Spirit
Filled With the Spirit
The Wind of the Spirit
The Gospel of the Holy Spirit
The Spirit, the Church and the World
Living in the Power of the Holy Spirit
Some feel that the book should more rightly be called The Acts of the Holy Spirit.
Action and Power –
Be Dynamic
Divine Action
Put Your Faith Where the Action Is
Seeing God's Power in Action
Kingdom Power
The Message of Jesus in Action
Witnessing emphasis -
Witnesses to the World
Witness to Christianity
The Spread of the Gospel
Witness to the Gospel
To Every Nation Under Heaven
Jerusalem to Rome
Triumphant Christianity
Acts 1 This short section takes the form of two thematically related chiasms: the first is an elaboration of events ending Luke's Gospel and the second concerns finding a replacement for Judas.
The Structure of Acts 1
Jesus taken up into heaven (1:1-2a)
Instructions to Apostles to wait for the Holy Spirit (1:2b-8)
Jesus taken up into heaven (1:9-11)
-------------------------------------------------
Eleven Apostles enumerated (1:12-13)
Constant prayers (1:14)
Peter's speech (1:15-22)
Prayer for guidance (1:23-25)
Matthias becomes the Twelfth Apostle (1:26)
The two speeches (one by the risen Jesus and one by Peter) that form the center units of these chiasms
end on the same note: the Apostles are to be Jesus' witnesses to the world. The final verse of the
introduction ends appropriately by emphasizing the handful of believers who form the small nucleus of
what will become the church in subsequent chapters.
1:1-2 What is the “former book” mentioned here? They are separated in our Bibles but originally
composed one book in two volumes. You can see this by looking at the dedication to Luke's Gospel.
“I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account
for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which
you have been instructed.” Luke 1:3
The title “most excellent” indicates that Theophilus was probably not a believer – formal Roman title.
Situation may have changed by time of writing of Acts. Most common understanding is that
Theophilus (“God lover,” which may be a pseudonym) was a highly placed Roman official. If so, then
he undoubtedly knew the details of Paul's trial and execution already, which is why Acts ends without
talking about Paul's ultimate fate. A second possibility is that Theophilus was actually Paul's defense
attorney, and the Book of Acts was written to help him defend Paul at his trial, which hadn't taken
place yet.
There is, however, a third interesting possibility. Theophilus was the name of one of the five sons of
Annas the high priest. This Theophilus served as high priest himself from 37-41 AD. He was deposed
by Herod Agrippa when he came into power – a suggestion that perhaps Theophilus was not as
antagonistic to Christianity as Herod liked. We know that “most exalted” was a title also used by high
priests at least at a slightly later date and they kept their title even after service was over.
The first sentence of Acts lays out Luke's intention for this second volume. It will be a sequel to the
Gospel's account of Jesus' bodily ministry by describing His continued ministry in the Spirit; the Spirit
is not to be dissociated from Jesus. “The Spirit is Jesus at work in continuation of his ministry.” Verse 1
suggests that while the Gospel was concerned with the earthly deeds of the earthly Jesus, Acts will
dwell on the earthly deeds of the heavenly Jesus. “What Jesus commenced in the flesh as recorded in
the Gospel, he now continues in his new humanity, the church, as recorded in Acts.”
The unity of Luke-Acts.“The two books are related in a conscious pattern of promise and fulfillment
which is emphasized by the overlapping material at the end of Luke and the beginning of Acts.”
Several other features unifying these books have been noted. Both are very close in size to one another
and would have been written on scrolls of nearly identical length; each narrates a thirty-year period;
and approximately 23% of Luke's Gospel covers the period of Jesus from his final entry into Jerusalem
through the ascension, corresponding closely to the 24% of Acts describing events in the life of Paul
from his arrest in Jerusalem to the end of the story in Rome. Lastly, there is a set of bookends which
encloses Jesus' earthly ministry.
1:3 “After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was
alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.”
Thus, the forty days at end of Jesus' earthly ministry parallels 40 days in wilderness at start of his
ministry. Verb tense indicates frequent appearances throughout the 40 days, not his continued presence.
1:4 "Don't just do something, stand there!" is an appropriate motto for this verse. Waiting on the Lord.
Just as important as the waiting itself is where they are to wait. Frederick Bruner: “Here in Jerusalem,
holy-history is to find again its vital center and its new beginning.” “Wait” in verse 4 and “stay” in
Luke 24:49 express a passive idea hinting that the giving of the Spirit is an act of grace, not something
that must be actively pursued or earned.
Earlier translations say “staying with them, assembled with them” vs. modern translations “eating with
them.” What does this indicate to us about the nature of the resurrection?
1:5 The Holy Spirit appeared at Jesus' conception, Jesus' baptism, his temptation before beginning his
ministry, and now in the beginning of a new phase of his ministry.
1:6-8 refers back to Luke 24:50-51 stressing the responsibility entrusted to apostles to further the kingdom.
1:6 It has been pointed out that there are three misunderstandings by the Apostles here: (1) it is their
right to be told such knowledge, (2) the coming of the kingdom will be a physical, earthly event, and
(3) it will be centralized around Israel, not the whole world.
1:7 Before Jesus' death, the disciples had asked basically the same question, as we find at the end of
Mark and Matthew. According to those Gospel accounts Jesus had already told them that they wouldn't
know the day or hour. Here, Jesus makes it clear they can't even know the times or periods. This should
put an end to such speculation by Christians completely – but it hasn't.
Jesus deflects their question by getting them to focus on what they are to do, not what He will be
doing. This is one danger of really getting into prophecy: it can serve as a distraction so that we quit
focusing on what is important in the Christian life here and now.
1:8 “Holy Spirit come upon you” – the Greek here is identical to that in the account of the Holy Spirit
coming upon, or overshadowing, Mary. It is also similar to Holy Spirit hovering over the waters in
Genesis 1. In each case, it signals a new creation coming.
“You will be my witnesses” is a quote from Isaiah 43:10: “You are my witnesses, says the LORD, and
my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the LORD, and besides me there
is no savior.”
This is a good time to digress a little and talk about how the book is organized. In verse 8, it has been said, that Jesus himself presents the outline of the book. Attempts to collate the geographical indicators in this verse of the gospel's progressive spread with specific chapters in Acts have given rise to the following interesting results I found after consulting nine different commentaries on Acts. No two of these sources agreed entirely on how to divide the book up according to this criterion. This represents an amazing lack of agreement on interpretation of a verse that is supposed by these scholars to be, in one commentator's words, “the explicit statement of its [Acts'] plan.” Two commentators point out that the identification of Rome as “the ends of the earth” is almost certainly false. The phrase utilized in the Roman world at the time usually denoted regions such as Spain, Ethiopia or India.
The reason for this disagreement is the failure to take into account another major theme in the book. Going back to the sub-titles for the commentaries sold on Amazon. A fourth one is:
Establishment of the Church
Apostolic Life
Build Community
Called to Be Church
True to the Faith
The Sure Foundation of the Church
Authentic Christianity
This overall theme is reflected in the other major structuring device used by Luke: summary statements. These can be found at Acts 2:43-47; 6:7; 9:31; 12:24-25; 16:4-5; 19:20; and 28:30-31.
Several telling patterns can be seen in these seven summaries. The even-numbered ones all contain the phrase “the word of God/Lord” and concentrate on the rapid expansion experienced by the early church while the odd numbered summaries don't have this phrase but do talk about the nature of the church's life in the Spirit. This purposeful alternation between expansion and consolidation, between numerical growth and spiritual growth, is a good characterization of one of the major dual themes of the book.
Major Divisions in Acts
Another hint as to how Acts is organized is that it appears to have two distinct parts to it that are quite different from one another. The first half of the book is dominated by Peter and the second half by Paul [with the figure of Stephen perhaps serving as a bridge between the two] and both people are purposely presented as having similar and parallel ministries, indicating that it is God who is acting through both.
A second manner of bisecting Acts is geographically. Many have noted that the book begins in Jerusalem and ends in Rome. As Albert Winn remarks, this transition from one city to another “is not a question of mere geographical transfer...There has been a theological transfer. God's great deed for his People has been rejected by them and accepted by the Gentiles.” Or, as Goodspeed puts it, “There is an obvious propriety in a narrative which, beginning in Jerusalem, the historic seat of the old religion, ends in Rome, the center of its field, which was to be the world.”
Thirdly, “In the first part, the church discovers its identity: in the second, it reaches out to the world.”
Seven-Part Structure
It is now only necessary to put together these two parts with the geographical “Table of Contents” in Acts 1:8 and the seven sections concluding with these summary statements. This is shown in outline form below:
The Structure of the Acts of the Apostles
Introduction (Acts 1:1-26)
First Part: Peter/Jerusalem (Acts 2:1-9:31)
1. "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses..." (Acts 2:1-2:47)
2. "...in Jerusalem..." (Acts 3:1-5:42)
3. "...and in all Judea and Samaria..." (Acts 6:1-9:31)
4. Transition (Acts 9:32-12:25)
Second Part: Paul/"...and to the end of the earth." (Acts 13:1-28:31)
5. Paul's First Trip and Jerusalem Council (Acts 13:1-16:5)
6. Paul's Second and Third Trips (Acts 16:6-19:20)
7. To Rome (Acts 19:21-28:31)
Interestingly, an integral portion of the preaching witness in Part I consists of statements regarding Jesus’ position in heaven, as evidenced by three similar verses found near the respective centers of sections 1, 2 and 3:
“ The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand, till I make thy enemies a stool for thy feet.'” (Acts 2:34)
“God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.” (Acts 5:31)
“Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:56)
Similarly, at the start, middle and conclusion to Part 2, the Jewish people are shown to have rejected the gospel:
“It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you. Since you reject it and judge yourselves to be unworthy of eternal life, we are now turning to the Gentiles.” (3:46)
“When they opposed and reviled him, in protest he shook the dust from his clothes and said to them, 'Your blood be on your own heads. I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.'” (18:6)
“Let it be known to you then that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.” (28:28).
Sandwiched between parts 1 and 2 is a transitional section in which it is Peter and members of the scattered Jerusalem church who preach to the Gentiles. quite openly and unhindered." (28:30-31)
Enough digressions: back to Acts 1
1:9 Cloud = Shekinah glory of God = the cloud that led the Israelites through the wilderness and
appeared in the inner sanctuary of the temple.
1:11 Hearkens back to Luke 21:27: “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power
and great glory.” Those words of Jesus in turn come from Daniel 7:13-14: “I saw one like a Son of man
coming with the clouds.” This shows the continuity of revelation in Scripture.
The comment of the two men in white also remind us of the words of the two angels at the tomb to the
women:”Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here but has risen.”
1:12 Jews were prohibited from traveling more that 2,000 cubits (about 5/8 mile) on the Sabbath. Any
further was considered working on the Sabbath.
1:13 This is probably the upper room in the house belonging to Mary the mother of Mark and where the
Last Supper took place. We will encounter it again later in Acts.
1:14 Frederick Bruner (A Theology of the Holy Spirit): “The united and devoted prayer of the
Christians in the upper room is notable when it is allowed to be a fact; it is troubling when it is required
as a condition.” [in reference to some Pentacostal circles]
Note that his earthly brothers (including James and Jude) who had not believed earlier were now
believers.
1:16 It is not known exactly which Scripture is being referred to here. It possibly refers to Psalm 41:10:
“Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted the heel against me.” The
more important thing to note is what this says about the inspiration of Scripture.
1:17 “for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.”
kleros --- share. The literal meaning is “lots.” Guess how his replacement will be chosen – by lots.
A little foreshadowing here.
1:18-19 Notice how Luke avoids repeating Judas' name: “this man.” There appear to be minor
discrepancies with the account in Matthew 27:3-8.
Three questions arise, but the details can be easily harmonized. The field was purchased with Judas'
money so legally it was his. The field could have been named for both reasons: blood money and
Judas' blood. Swelling up and bursting was due to his body being left hanging, decomposition and
animals eating the body (Even though I am a fan of Bones, I'm glad we don't have to watch a video of
this event).
1:20 These are quotes from Psalm 69:25-6 and Psalm 109:8, respectively, referring to someone who has
turned against an innocent man.
1:21-23 We don't know anything about Matthias' later career, but the Christian historian Papias, on the
authority of Philip's daughters, says that Barsabbas later drank snake venom and suffered no harm, an
account you are free to accept as true or treat as legendary.
1:24-26 Why was it necessary to replace Judas at all since James the brother of John wasn't replaced
when he died (Acts 12:2)? It has been suggested that it was since (a) the Twelve had been promised that
they would judge the 12 Tribes of Israel (Luke 22:30) and (b) Judas had gone to his own place (i.e.,
Hades).
It has even been suggested by some teachers that the fact that we know nothing about Matthias' career
afterward indicates that the Apostles made a mistake in using lots and should have used a more
spiritual method. I think the driving force for this interpretation is due mainly to a concern that it seems
to sanction gambling. This method of determining God's will is actually found throughout the Bible.
Proverbs 16:33: “The lot is cast into the lap, but God decides the outcome.” During the ten-day period
when neither the risen Christ nor the guiding Spirit are in evidence the Apostles fall back on the OT
method of casting lots. Notice that they first used logical requirements to narrow down the candidates,
both of whom would be acceptable; then they prayed as a group for God's guidance; and finally left it
up to Him to break the tie.
There is an interesting parallel here between the beginning of Luke's Gospel (1:9) where Zechariah is
chosen by lots to serve in the temple. This is yet another unifying device tying together Luke's Gospel
and Acts.
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