ACTS—NOTE ON 1:1–2:13 Preparation for Witness. Acts opens with the account of the Spirit’s descent at Pentecost. Chapter 1 relates the preparation of the disciples for that event, which is covered in 2:1–13.
ACTS—NOTE ON 1:1–5 Jesus Prepares the Disciples. After a brief introduction (vv. 1–2), Luke reviews the 40-day period when Jesus prepared the disciples for their witness (vv. 3–5).
ACTS—NOTE ON 1:1 Luke’s first book is the Gospel of Luke, which gives an account of what Jesus began to do and teach. This suggests that the book of Acts is going to be about what Jesus continued “to do and teach” in the world. Though physically he had ascended into heaven (v. 9), yet spiritually he was still present on earth (cf. Matt. 28:20). When one realizes that the term “Lord” (Gk. Kyrios) in Acts usually refers to Jesus, it becomes evident that the entire book tells how Jesus was building his church: selecting an apostle to replace Judas (Acts 1:24), pouring out the Holy Spirit in new power (2:33), adding people to the church day by day (2:47), appearing to Ananias (9:10) and to Paul (9:5; 18:9), healing a paralyzed man (9:34), receiving worship from the church (13:2), stopping a magician who was opposing the gospel (13:11), and opening people’s hearts to believe the gospel (16:14). (See also 1:2 on the Holy Spirit’s role.) It is the execution of the divine program that Jesus directs and mediates. Luke’s Gospel was also dedicated to Theophilus, either an actual person or a symbolic name for any Christian seeker or convert.
ACTS—NOTE ON 1:2 The day when he was taken up refers to Jesus’ ascension into heaven (Luke 24:51). The beginning of Acts parallels the conclusion of Luke’s Gospel (Luke 24:36–53). Through the Holy Spirit means that as Jesus gave instructions and commands to his disciples, the Holy Spirit accompanied his teaching, empowering the disciples so that they would rightly understand it and obey it. apostles. See notes on Acts 1:20; Rom. 1:1.
ACTS—NOTE ON 1:3 Jesus appeared multiple times to his disciples and gave them many proofs to strengthen their faith. Solid evidence and knowledge of facts increase faith (an idea contrary to some modern views of “faith”). Only Acts provides the specific time reference of a 40-day period for the resurrection appearances, a number that evokes thoughts of many biblical events, such as the wilderness wanderings of Israel and the temptations of Jesus. Though common in the Gospels as the main theme of Jesus’ preaching, the phrase kingdom of God occurs only six times in Acts (1:3; 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 28:23, 31). Significantly, two of the six are at the beginning and end of Acts, indicating that the proclamation of the gospel in Acts represents the beginning of the fulfillment of God’s kingdom promises. The “kingdom of God” means not an earthly political or military kingdom but the present spiritually directed reign of God, gradually transforming individual lives and entire cultures through the power of the Holy Spirit. Cf. Matt. 6:33.
ACTS—NOTE ON 1:4 The promise of the Father refers to the gift that was promised by the Father, namely, the new and greater empowering of the Holy Spirit that the disciples were to await in Jerusalem (see Luke 3:15–17; 24:49).
ACTS—NOTE ON 1:5 Baptized with the Holy Spirit looks forward to Pentecost (see ch. 2). John had contrasted his “repentance” baptism with Jesus’ “Holy Spirit” baptism (Mark 1:8). Throughout Acts, baptism and the gift of the Spirit are closely related. Repentance, forgiveness, water baptism, and reception of the Spirit comprise the basic pattern of conversion.
ACTS—NOTE ON 1:6–11 Jesus Ascends. At the end of the 40 days (v. 3), Jesus took his disciples to the Mount of Olives and ascended visibly (vv. 9–11). Before doing so he commissioned them to be his witnesses (v. 8).
ACTS—NOTE ON 1:6 The place of the disciples’ assembly was the Mount of Olives (v. 12), at the foot of which lay Bethany (Luke 24:50). The disciples asked Jesus when he would restore the kingdom to Israel because they concluded from his resurrection and the promise of the Spirit that the messianic era had dawned and the final salvation of Israel was imminent. However, they were probably still expecting the restoration of a military and political kingdom that would drive out the Roman armies and restore national sovereignty to Israel, as had happened numerous times in the OT. Jesus corrected them, not by rejecting the question, but by telling them (Acts 1:8) that they would receive power from the Holy Spirit, not in order to triumph over Roman armies but to spread the good news of the gospel throughout the world. In other words, the return is in God’s timing; in the meantime, there are other key things believers are to do.
ACTS—NOTE ON 1:7 the Father has fixed by his own authority. Ultimate authority in determining the events of history is consistently ascribed to God the Father among the persons of the Trinity.
ACTS—NOTE ON 1:8 Jesus corrected the disciples’ questions (v. 6) with a commission: “this time” (v. 6) would be for them a time of witnessing for the gospel, and the scope of their witness was not to be just Israel but the world. Verse 8 is the thematic statement for all of Acts. It begins with the Spirit’s power that stands behind and drives the witness to Jesus. Then it provides a rough outline of the book: Jerusalem (chs. 1–7), Judea and Samaria (chs. 8–12), and the end of the earth (chs. 13–28). you will receive power. Interpreters differ over whether the Holy Spirit was at work in the lives of ordinary believers prior to Pentecost in a lesser way or not at all, except for empowering for special tasks. On either view, something new that needed to be waited for was here. This powerful new work of the Holy Spirit after Pentecost brought several beneficial results: more effectiveness in witness and ministry (1:8), effective proclamation of the gospel (cf. Matt. 28:19), power for victory over sin (Acts 2:42–46; Rom. 6:11–14; 8:13–14; Gal. 2:20; Phil. 3:10), power for victory over Satan and demonic forces (Acts 2:42–46; 16:16–18; 2 Cor. 10:3–4; Eph. 6:10–18; 1 John 4:4), and a wide distribution of gifts for ministry (Acts 2:16–18; 1 Cor. 12:7, 11; 1 Pet. 4:10; cf. Num. 11:17, 24–29). The disciples likely understood “power” in this context to include both the power to preach the gospel effectively and also the power (through the Holy Spirit) to work miracles confirming the message. The same word (Gk. dynamis) is used at least seven other times in Acts to refer to power to work miracles in connection with gospel proclamation (see Acts 2:22; 3:12; 4:7; 6:8; 8:10; 10:38; 19:11).
View this chart online at http://kindle.esvsb.org/c156
| Text | Region Named | Narrative of Ministry There |
|---|---|---|
| Acts 1:8: you will be my witnesses | in Jerusalem | Acts 1–7 |
| in all Judea and Samaria | Acts 8–12 | |
| to the end of the earth | Acts 13–28 |
ACTS—NOTE ON 1:9 Elsewhere in Scripture a cloud is often associated with a manifestation of God’s presence (Luke 9:28–36). This was not an ordinary rain cloud but the cloud of glory that surrounds the very presence of God. as they were looking on, he was lifted up. This visible ascension of Jesus into heaven indicates that Jesus retains a physical human body, as a man, though he is exalted to the right hand of God, i.e., given direct executive rule in God’s spiritual kingdom (Matt. 28:18). When coupled with Acts 1:11, it also indicates that he will someday return in the same physical body. The amazing miracle of the incarnation is not only that the eternal Son of God took human nature on himself and became a person who is simultaneously God and man, but also that he will remain both fully God and fully man forever.
ACTS—NOTE ON 1:10 The pair of “men” were angels in human form, as their white robes attest (see Matt. 28:3; Luke 24:4; John 20:12).
ACTS—NOTE ON 1:11 will come in the same way as you saw him go. Jesus’ return, like his ascension, will be bodily and visible. (See note on v. 9.)
ACTS—NOTE ON 1:12–26 Matthias Replaces Judas. The remainder of ch. 1 focuses on two events preparatory to Pentecost: the gathering of the band of followers to pray for the coming gift of the Spirit (vv. 12–14) and the selection of Matthias to replace Judas (vv. 15–26).
ACTS—NOTE ON 1:12 A Sabbath day’s journey was the maximum distance one could travel on the Sabbath without it constituting work. This was not an explicit OT law but a later Jewish tradition. The rabbis set the limit at 2,000 cubits (about 0.6 miles or 1 km). Jews at Qumran had a lower travel limit.
ACTS—NOTE ON 1:14 The women in the upper room likely included those who ministered to Jesus’ followers (Luke 8:2–3), accompanied them from Galilee (Luke 23:55), and witnessed the crucifixion and empty tomb (Luke 23:49, 55–56; 24:2–11). Jesus had four brothers—James, Joses, Judas, and Simon (Mark 6:3). The main activity in the upper room was prayer. Jesus had told them “to wait for the promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4), but “waiting” on God and prayer are closely related in several places in the OT, and therefore it is likely that they were praying constantly that the promised Spirit would descend.
ACTS—NOTE ON 1:15 Throughout chs. 1–15 Peter is the spokesman for the apostles.
ACTS—NOTE ON 1:16 The Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David is one of the clearest affirmations in Scripture that the Bible is the inspired word of God. The Holy Spirit “spoke” through David’s mouth in the sense that David’s written words were inspired by the third person of the Trinity (God the Holy Spirit) foretelling events that took place a thousand years later (see v. 20; cf. Ps. 69:25; 109:8).
ACTS—NOTE ON 1:18 this man acquired a field. That is, the field was acquired indirectly by Judas, through the agency of the chief priests. As Matt. 27:3–7 records, Judas brought the 30 pieces of silver back to the chief priests and elders. The chief priests then purchased the potter’s field with Judas’s money, with the same effect as if Judas had himself made the purchase. he burst open. The two accounts of Judas’s death are complementary retellings of the same event, each focusing in different ways on the same details. Both accounts involve: Judas’s remorse, the purchase of a field with his ill-gotten money, its reputation as “the Field of Blood,” and Judas’s gory death (for the location of “the Field of Blood,” see note on Matt. 27:7–8). The main difference is that Matt. 27:5 speaks of Judas hanging himself, while Acts speaks of his body falling headlong and bursting open with all his entrails spilling out. One possible explanation suggests that the field overlooked a cliff, and as Judas hanged himself, the rope (or the branch) may have broken, with his body falling headlong over the edge of the cliff onto jagged rocks below. Others have suggested that Judas’s body may have remained hanging for some time decaying and decomposing (“swelling up,” esv footnote), eventually falling to the ground and bursting open in its decomposed condition. In either case, there is no reason to see the two accounts as contradictory, since they focus on complementary details of the same event. In both accounts the effect of Satan’s control over Judas’s life is clear, demonstrating the general principle that Satan brings total destruction and disgrace to the person who comes under his control, for “he was a murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44).
ACTS—NOTE ON 1:20 Judas’s death was the fulfillment of Ps. 69:25, and his place among the disciples was now empty. Let another take his office. The selection of Matthias (Acts 1:26) as the twelfth apostle was a direct fulfillment of prophecy (cf. v. 16; Ps. 109:8), carried out under the direction of the Lord. The addition of this new twelfth apostle would complete the new nucleus for the people of God, parallel to the heads of the 12 tribes of Israel in the OT. Though these 12 would remain the core group of the apostles (see Luke 22:30; 1 Cor. 15:5; Rev. 21:12, 14), a few more later became “apostles,” including at least Paul and Barnabas (Acts 14:4, 14) and James, the Lord’s brother (Gal. 1:19). However, apostles were not replaced from this point onward: in Acts 12, James the brother of John was not replaced after his execution. See also note on Rom. 1:1.
ACTS—NOTE ON 1:23–24 Two men, Joseph and Matthias, met the necessary requirements to be considered for apostleship. The group turned the matter over to the “Lord” (v. 24; that is, the Lord Jesus, who had chosen all the other apostles), praying that he would make his choice known.
ACTS—NOTE ON 1:26 The lots were probably marked stones that were placed in a pot and then shaken out (cf. 1 Chron. 26:13–16). This does not imply that people should cast lots to make their decisions today, for there is no such command in any NT letter or in any of Jesus’ earthly teachings. The appointment of a twelfth apostle was a unique situation, a choice that was made by Jesus himself. In the rest of the NT, the elders and deacons and other church leaders are chosen according to decisions made by human beings, whether by an apostle or by others in the churches (see Acts 6:3–6; 14:23; 15:22; 2 Cor. 8:19; cf. 1 Tim. 3:1–13; Titus 1:5–9). On the 12 apostles, see note on Matt. 10:1.
ACTS—NOTE ON 2:1–13 The Spirit Descends at Pentecost. The promise of the Spirit (cf. 1:5; Joel 2:28–32; Matt. 3:11) is fulfilled at the feast of Pentecost. The event is narrated in two parts: the coming of the Spirit on the believers (Acts 2:1–4), and the reaction of the Jewish crowd to the Spirit-filled Christians (vv. 5–13).
ACTS—NOTE ON 2:1 Pentecost was the second of the annual harvest festivals, coming 50 days after Passover. All most likely included the entire 120 assembled in the upper room (1:15).
ACTS—NOTE ON 2:2 Jesus had compared the Holy Spirit’s work to the wind (John 3:8), but here the Holy Spirit is coming in greatly increased power, and it was appropriate that this event be accompanied by a sound that was not like a gentle breeze but like a mighty rushing wind. The house where they were sitting probably was the upper room (Acts 1:13), which must have been located close to the temple grounds.
ACTS—NOTE ON 2:3 The divided tongues as of fire were not literal flames (for Luke says “as of”) but looked enough like fire that this was the best description that could be given. “Fire” in the OT often indicates the presence of God, especially in his burning holiness and purity, consuming everything that is impure (see Ex. 3:2; 13:21; 19:18; 40:38; Isa. 4:5; Ezek. 1:4). These tongues may therefore portray both the purity and the power of the speech of these disciples as they proclaimed “the mighty works of God” (Acts 2:11), as well as the holy presence of God.
ACTS—NOTE ON 2:4 filled with the Holy Spirit. This is a fulfillment of what Jesus promised (see notes on 1:5; 1:8). It does not mean that the Holy Spirit was completely inactive prior to this time (for the Spirit of God was active in the world from Gen. 1:2 onward), but now the Spirit was coming to people in a new, more powerful way, signifying the beginning of the new covenant age (the time from Christ’s death until he returns at some time in the future). to speak in other tongues. The word translated “tongues” (Gk. glōssa, plural) can also be translated “languages,” and that is the sense that it has in this verse. In this case the other languages were understood by various people present in Jerusalem, but in 1 Corinthians 14 Paul expects that no one present in the church at Corinth will understand the languages being spoken “in tongues” (see 1 Cor. 14:2). Acts and 1 Corinthians are probably not speaking of different types of gifts but different kinds of audiences: people who understood the languages were present in Jerusalem but were not expected to be present in Corinth (see notes on 1 Cor. 12:10; 12:29–30; 14:2). This is clearly a miracle of speaking, not of hearing, for the disciples began “to speak in other tongues.” As the Spirit gave them utterance indicates that the Holy Spirit was directing the syllables they spoke. Speaking in tongues in this way also seems to be the phenomenon experienced by those at Cornelius’s house (Acts 10:45–46) and the disciples of John at Ephesus (19:6).
ACTS—NOTE ON 2:5 The presence of the crowd indicates that the setting must be the temple grounds, the only place in Jerusalem that could accommodate more than 3,000 persons (v. 41). The fact that they were dwelling in Jerusalem suggests not only Jewish pilgrims but local residents as well.
ACTS—NOTE ON 2:6 hearing them speak. They spoke the “mighty works of God” (v. 11), the language of praise.
ACTS—NOTE ON 2:9–11 The long list of nations covers most of the first-century Roman world, particularly areas where Jewish communities existed (see map). It provides one of the most comprehensive ancient catalogs of the Jewish Diaspora (Jews living outside Palestine) and is confirmed by other ancient lists (esp. Philo, Embassy to Gaius 281–284), by early Jewish archaeological remains, and by many ancient literary sources. It is only natural that first-century Jerusalem would be filled with devout Jews “from every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5). The list also demonstrates that already at Pentecost the Christians were starting their worldwide witness. At this point the converts were mainly Jewish. The only Gentiles at Pentecost were proselytes (v. 11), Gentiles who had become full converts to Judaism.
c. A.D. 30/33
Pentecost attracted Jews from all over the world to Jerusalem to celebrate the annual festival. Those who heard the apostles’ message in their native languages at Pentecost came from various regions within the two great competing empires of the day—the Roman Empire and the Parthian Empire—with Jerusalem near the center.
ACTS—NOTE ON 2:14–5:42 The Witness in Jerusalem. Beginning with Peter’s sermon at Pentecost and continuing through ch. 5, the witness of the Christians is confined to the city of Jerusalem and restricted to Jews.
ACTS—NOTE ON 2:14–41 Peter Preaches at Pentecost. Peter’s sermon is the first in a series of speeches and discourses in Acts (see chart). As a sermon to Jews it consists primarily of scriptural proofs: vv. 14–21 interpret the miracle of tongues as a fulfillment of Joel 2:28–32; Acts 2:22–36 presents Christ as Messiah in fulfillment of Ps. 16:8–11 and Ps. 110:1; and Acts 2:37–41 concludes the sermon with a call to repentance and baptism. There also is an allusion to Ps. 132:10, which itself alludes to 2 Sam. 7:6–16.
ACTS—NOTE ON 2:17 The last days are not just in the distant future but were inaugurated at Pentecost (cf. 1 Cor. 10:11; 2 Tim. 3:1; Heb. 1:2; James 5:3; 2 Pet. 3:3) and will continue until Christ’s return. They are the “last days” in that the coming of the Messiah, long predicted in the OT, has now occurred. His saving death and resurrection have been accomplished, and now the work of the Holy Spirit in building the church is a key event in the history of salvation that needs to occur before Christ returns. Most rabbis believed that the Spirit had ceased speaking through human prophets with the last of the OT prophets (Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi). Joel’s prophecy of an outpouring of the Spirit on all flesh was understood as referring to a new messianic age. daughters. The women in the upper room participated in the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost, further confirming Joel’s prophecy.
ACTS—NOTE ON 2:19–21 The darkened sun and bloody moon, whether literal or symbolic, indicate the final consummation of the earth. Peter included the full prophecy even though not all of it was yet fulfilled. Peter’s quotation from Joel ended with the key verse (Joel 2:32), which assures that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Although the audience would have thought the God of Israel is meant, for Peter the “name of the Lord” that saves is Jesus (see Acts 2:36; cf. 4:12). Peter’s application of the title “Lord” (Joel 2:32) to Jesus points to his deity.
ACTS—NOTE ON 2:23 Peter combines a clear affirmation of God’s sovereignty over world events and human responsibility for evil deeds. Although Jesus was delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, showing that God had both foreknown and foreordained that Jesus would be crucified, that still did not absolve of responsibility those who contributed to his death, for Peter goes on to say, “you crucified and killed” him. Though one may not understand fully how God’s sovereign ordination of events can be compatible with human responsibility for evil, both are clearly affirmed here and in many other passages of Scripture (cf. notes on 3:13–16; 3:17; 4:27; 4:28). by the hands of lawless men. Peter also places responsibility on the Gentile officials and soldiers who actually crucified Jesus.
ACTS—NOTE ON 2:25–31 Peter quoted Ps. 16:8–11 as a text pointing to the resurrection of Jesus, noting that David spoke of God not abandoning him to death. He then reasoned that, because David died, the psalm must have been speaking about one of his descendants. Since Jesus is the only one who conquered death and is a descendant of David, he must be the promised Messiah whom David foresaw.
ACTS—NOTE ON 2:29 Both the OT (1 Kings 2:10; Neh. 3:16) and early Jewish tradition locate David’s tomb on the south side of Jerusalem. The traditional tomb location is marked today by medieval Islamic and Christian buildings. Some suggest that this is where the earliest church met (e.g., Acts 2:44–45). Thus Peter may be referring to an earlier traditional tomb not far from where he was speaking.
ACTS—NOTE ON 2:31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ. Peter affirms that David, who was not only a king but also “a prophet” (v. 30), was able to foresee that Christ would be raised from the dead. Throughout the OT God was leading his prophets to predict the events of Christ’s earthly life (cf. Luke 24:25–27; Acts 3:18; 1 Pet. 1:18–20). Acts 2:30–31 looks back to the citation in v. 27 and forward to the seating in v. 34, linking Peter’s argument together by an allusion to Psalm 132 and God’s promise to David.
ACTS—NOTE ON 2:33 The interactive and differentiated relationship among the persons of the Trinity is clearly evident in this verse. Thus God the Father first gave the promise that the Holy Spirit would come in a greater, more powerful way to accomplish his work in people’s lives (as indicated in Peter’s quote from Joel 2 in Acts 2:17–19). Then, when Christ’s work on earth was accomplished, Christ was exalted to the second highest position of authority in the universe, namely, at the right hand of God, with ruling power delegated to him by God the Father. Then Christ received authority from the Father to send the Holy Spirit in this new fullness. Finally, on the day of Pentecost, Jesus himself poured out the Holy Spirit on the disciples in a new and more powerful way (cf. vv. 1–11); the image of pouring suggests overflowing abundance and fullness.
ACTS—NOTE ON 2:34 When Peter says that David did not ascend into the heavens, he is referring to his body, not his soul (cf. John 20:17).
ACTS—NOTE ON 2:38 repent and be baptized. This does not imply that people can be saved without having faith in Christ as Savior, because the need to believe is implied both in the command to “repent” and also in the command to “be baptized … in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” The willingness to submit to baptism is an outward expression of inward faith in Christ (cf. 1 Pet. 3:21). (On baptism “in the name of Jesus Christ,” see note on Acts 10:48.) The gospel can be summarized in different ways. Sometimes faith alone is named as the one thing necessary for salvation (see John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Rom. 10:9; Eph. 2:8–9), other times repentance alone is named (Luke 24:47; Acts 3:19; 5:31; 17:30; 2 Cor. 7:10), and sometimes both are named (Acts 20:21). Genuine faith always involves repentance, and vice versa. Repentance includes a change of mind that ends up trusting God (i.e., having faith). On repentance, see notes on Matt. 3:2; 3:5–6. The gift of the Holy Spirit does not mean some specific spiritual “gift” as in 1 Corinthians 12–14 but rather the gift of the Spirit himself, coming to dwell within the believer.
ACTS—NOTE ON 2:39 Peter’s word that the promise was not just for the Jews who were listening but for all who are far off implies the inclusion of Gentiles (cf. Eph. 2:13, 17). Everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself indicates that salvation is ultimately God’s work, and comes to those whom the Lord effectively calls into personal relationship with him.
ACTS—NOTE ON 2:40 many other words. Luke was able to provide only a small portion of Peter’s sermon.
ACTS—NOTE ON 2:41 The three thousand converts at Pentecost were added to the initial body of 120 believers.
ACTS—NOTE ON 2:42–47 The Christian Community Shares a Life in Common. This is the first extensive “summary” in Acts. It depicts a number of activities characteristic of the earliest church (see note on v. 42).
ACTS—NOTE ON 2:42 The early church was devoted to the apostles’ teaching, which would have included Jesus’ earthly teaching plus what he taught the apostles in his 40 days of resurrection appearances. Fellowship (Gk. koinōnia, “participation, sharing”) included the sharing of material goods (v. 44), the breaking of bread (vv. 42, 46), which likely covers both the Lord’s Supper and a larger fellowship meal, and prayers in house meetings and likely also in the temple (vv. 42, 46).
ACTS—NOTE ON 2:43 The church experienced awe (reverent fear) in response to miracles (wonders), which served as signs of the Spirit’s power and presence among them (v. 43). Miracles were occurring regularly (many … were being done), many more than the few that Luke records in detail.
ACTS—NOTE ON 2:44 all things in common. Though some people have referred to this situation as “early communism,” this is clearly not the case, since (1) the giving was voluntary and not compelled by the government, and (2) people still had personal possessions, because they still met in “their homes” (v. 46) and many other Christians after this still owned homes (see 12:12; 17:5; 18:7; 20:20; 21:8, 16; Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:15; Philem. 2; 2 John 10). Further, Peter told Ananias and Sapphira that they did not have any obligation to sell their property and give away the money (Acts 5:4). In contrast to communist theory, the abolition of private property is not commanded or implied here. (See 1 Tim. 6:17–19; but also 1 Tim. 6:6–10.) On the other hand, there is a voluntary generosity in sharing possessions that is seen as commendable.
ACTS—NOTE ON 2:45 On generosity among Christians, cf. 2 Cor. 8:9–15.
ACTS—NOTE ON 2:47 praising God. One of the characteristics of true revival is a desire to spend much time in worship. And the Lord added to their number is again an affirmation of God’s sovereignty in salvation, since he alone can change the human heart to enable true repentance and faith.
ACTS—NOTE ON 3:1–10 Peter Heals a Lame Man. The healing of a lame man at the temple gate provides an example of an apostolic miracle (2:43) and attracts a crowd to hear Peter’s second sermon in the temple area. In Acts, actions often lead to an explanation about what God is doing; word and deed go together.
ACTS—NOTE ON 3:2 alms. Gifts of money or goods given to the poor.
ACTS—NOTE ON 3:6 To heal in the name of Jesus was to invoke his power and presence.
ACTS—NOTE ON 3:8 The reference to the man’s leaping employs a rare word (Gk. hallomai), which is found in the Septuagint (Greek OT) of Isa. 35:6 with reference to the messianic age.
ACTS—NOTE ON 3:11–26 Peter Preaches in the Temple Square. As with his first, Peter’s second sermon took place in the temple precincts. His Pentecost sermon emphasized Jesus’ messianic status. This one was primarily a call for Jews to repent of their rejection of Jesus as Messiah and focuses the argument on the Torah.
ACTS—NOTE ON 3:11 Solomon’s portico was a colonnaded area along the eastern wall of the temple area. See also 5:12.
ACTS—NOTE ON 3:13–16 For the Jews’ refusal to take Pilate’s advice and their request for a murderer instead, see Luke 23:13–25. The reference to Jesus as God’s servant (Acts 3:13) recalls Isa. 52:13–53:12. you delivered over and denied … you denied … you killed. Peter directly and repeatedly tells these Jewish people that they were responsible for Jesus’ nonrelease and consequent death, and that they needed to repent (but see also Acts 3:17).
ACTS—NOTE ON 3:14 Holy One and Righteous One are messianic terms (cf. Isa. 53:11; Mark 1:24).
ACTS—NOTE ON 3:15 you killed … God raised … we are witnesses. Peter’s emphasis on the veracity of Jesus’ death and resurrection is a recurring theme in the speeches of Acts (see 2:23–24; 4:10; 5:30–32; 10:39–41; 13:28–29; see also 1 Cor. 15:1–4).
ACTS—NOTE ON 3:16 His name, in the full biblical sense of “name,” means everything that is true about the person, and therefore, in a sense, the person himself. By faith in his name refers to Peter’s faith rather than to any faith on the part of the lame man. Jesus healed the man, and faith (or trust) in Jesus also healed the man, because Jesus worked through Peter’s faith. the faith that is through Jesus. Jesus himself imparts this kind of miracle-working faith to people’s hearts.
ACTS—NOTE ON 3:17 you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers (cf. 1 Cor. 2:8). “In ignorance” probably means that they did not fully understand that Jesus was the true Messiah and also the true Son of God. But such ignorance, in Scripture, while it may diminish punishment, does not fully absolve people of responsibility for their actions.
ACTS—NOTE ON 3:18 Foretold by the mouth of all the prophets and fulfilled by God indicates that there is no contradiction between divine sovereignty and human responsibility (cf. notes on 2:23; 3:13–16; 3:17; 4:27; 4:28).
ACTS—NOTE ON 3:19 Turn back. I.e., turn back to God instead of continuing to turn away from him.
ACTS—NOTE ON 3:20 Peter promised three results of repentance: (1) The forgiveness of sins (v. 19). (2) Times of refreshing (a mark of the messianic age), as people are “refreshed” in their spirits when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within them. (This “refreshing” comes also to the world in general as it is affected by believers who are changed by the power of the Spirit.) (3) That he may send the Christ is a clear reference to the second coming of Christ, since the next verse looks forward to that time.
ACTS—NOTE ON 3:21 The time for restoring all the things looks forward to when Christ will return and his kingdom will be established on earth, and the earth itself will be renewed even beyond the more abundant and productive state it had before Adam and Eve’s fall (see note on Rom. 8:20–21).
ACTS—NOTE ON 3:22–23 Peter quoted Deut. 18:15 to establish that Jesus was the prophet like me (i.e., like Moses, a comparison that points to a leader prophet) that God had promised to send. In Acts 3:23 Peter quotes Deut. 18:19 to point out the danger of rejecting the coming prophet (i.e., Jesus).
ACTS—NOTE ON 3:24 Samuel was considered the next prophet after Moses, and Peter declared that he and the rest of the prophets consistently pointed to Christ. All the prophets … proclaimed these days affirms that all of the OT prophets (including Moses, which implies all of the OT from Genesis onward) were predicting the coming of Christ and the new covenant age that had begun at Pentecost.
ACTS—NOTE ON 3:25–26 Peter noted that the covenant promised to Abraham applied to all the families of the earth. The servant Messiah was for all, only being sent to Israel “first” (v. 26). The worldwide mission was already implicit in Peter’s message; only later, however, would he fully assimilate its meaning (see 10:1–11:18).
ACTS—NOTE ON 4:1–22 Peter and John Witness before the Jewish Council. Provoked by Peter’s sermon, the Sadducean leaders had the two apostles arrested and held for trial before the Sanhedrin. The section falls into three parts: the arrest (vv. 1–4), the hearing (vv. 5–12), and the warning (vv. 13–22).
ACTS—NOTE ON 4:1 The captain of the temple was second in rank to the high priest. The Sadducees may have accepted only the Pentateuch as Scripture; they also denied the resurrection (see 23:8), and represented the privileged aristocracy who worked closely with the Romans to protect their own political and economic interests. (See Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 13.297; 18.17–18; see also Jewish Groups at the Time of the New Testament.)
ACTS—NOTE ON 4:2 Though the Sadducees did not themselves believe in a resurrection, most other Jews did, including the Pharisees (Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 18.14). The Sadducees were upset with Peter’s preaching that in Jesus the general resurrection had begun, a message with definite messianic implications that was liable to be viewed by the Romans as revolutionary.
ACTS—NOTE ON 4:3 The Jewish high court, the Sanhedrin, met in the mornings. Since it was evening, the two apostles were placed in detention for the night.
ACTS—NOTE ON 4:4 Luke continues his catalog of Christian growth: 120 (1:15); then 3,000 (2:41); and now the men alone were about five thousand, suggesting that the total number of Christians would have been well in excess of 10,000. The incredible growth of the church occurred in response to two activities empowered by the Holy Spirit: the powerful preaching of the gospel message about Jesus and the “many wonders and signs” (2:43; cf. 4:14, 16).
ACTS—NOTE ON 4:5 The Jewish high court consisted of 71 members—70 elders according to the pattern of Num. 11:16 plus the high priest as presiding officer. It was dominated by the priestly Sadducees with a Pharisaic minority, represented mainly by the scribes (lawyers) of the court.
ACTS—NOTE ON 4:6 Annas is designated as high priest. (Much like U.S. presidents, high priests seem to have retained their title for life.) He had served in that role earlier (A.D. 6–15) and was the controlling figure in the high-priestly circle, which may also explain why he is given the title here. His son-in-law Caiaphas was the official high priest at this time (serving A.D. 18–36), and Annas’s son John would serve in the role later (36–37). See also note on John 18:13.
ACTS—NOTE ON 4:8 filled with the Holy Spirit, said. Cf. Luke 12:11–12.
ACTS—NOTE ON 4:10 whom you crucified. As he had accused the Jews in his two temple sermons (2:23; 3:15), Peter now accused the Sanhedrin judges of their role in Jesus’ death and pointed to the divine power that had raised him from the dead.
ACTS—NOTE ON 4:11 cornerstone. Cf. Ps. 118:22; Isa. 28:16.
ACTS—NOTE ON 4:12 Peter’s statement that there was salvation in no other name was an implicit invitation to the Sanhedrin to place their faith in Jesus. It was Jesus’ name that brought physical deliverance to the lame man (3:1–10)—the same powerful and exclusive name that brings eternal salvation to all who call upon him. Peter emphasizes this by saying that it is the only name under heaven (that is, throughout the whole earth) by which a person can be saved. Further, there is no other name among men (that is, in all of human society) that saves. On Christ as the exclusive way of salvation, see also Matt. 11:27; John 3:18; 14:6; 1 John 5:12. This verse also suggests that salvation comes only through conscious faith in Jesus.
ACTS—NOTE ON 4:13 Boldness (Gk. parrēsia) is an important word in Acts which depicts Spirit-inspired courage and confidence to speak in spite of any danger or threat. It also occurs at 2:29; 4:29, 31; 28:31; cf. 2 Cor. 3:12. Uneducated and common (“nonprofessional”) men like Peter and John were not expected to speak so confidently before the supreme court of the land. The two words do not mean that they were illiterate or unintelligent but rather that they had not gone through the advanced training of the rabbinic schools. they had been with Jesus. It is impossible to imagine how much the disciples would have learned from spending three years in close association with the Son of God living on earth, listening to him teach, hearing him pray, and watching him interact with the most difficult challenges. They knew Jesus, and in knowing him they knew much more than all the learned scribes of the Sanhedrin.
ACTS—NOTE ON 4:16 What shall we do with these men? The religious leaders didn’t know what action to take, since the healing of the man was well known and punishing his healers would displease the populace. Official leaders often act from fear of the people rather than from fear of God: see Matt. 14:5; 21:26, 46; Luke 19:48; 22:2; Acts 4:21; 5:26; cf. John 12:42–43.
ACTS—NOTE ON 4:17 in order that it may spread no further among the people. Sadly, the leaders were motivated by fear of losing power and influence rather than by a desire to glorify God, to be faithful to his Word, or to spread the true knowledge of salvation.
ACTS—NOTE ON 4:18–20 Though the leaders of the council charged them not to speak or teach … in the name of Jesus, Peter realized the impossibility of abiding by this prohibition, thus demonstrating that believers have the responsibility not to obey authorities when such authorities prohibit preaching the gospel or otherwise require Christians to disobey God’s explicit commandments (cf. 5:29).
ACTS—NOTE ON 4:23–31 The Christian Community Prays for Boldness in Witness. Peter and John returned to their fellow Christians and reported the Sanhedrin’s injunction against preaching the gospel. In response the Christians prayed, asking for power to witness even more boldly.
ACTS—NOTE ON 4:24 After praising God, the believers prayed, quoting Ps. 2:1–2 (Acts 4:25–26), which they treated as a messianic prophecy inspired by the Spirit speaking through David.
ACTS—NOTE ON 4:25 who through the mouth of our father David … said. Scripture is truly and totally the word of God even though it comes through flawed men like David. Even as they are persecuted, they address God as master and are in service to his will.
ACTS—NOTE ON 4:27 The psalm is interpreted in light of Jesus’ death. The “kings” and “rulers” of v. 26 correspond to Herod Antipas (see note on Matt. 14:1) and Pilate (see note on Matt. 27:2), while the Gentiles and peoples of Israel exemplify those who participated in the crucifixion (Acts 2:23). Much as in Peter’s second temple sermon (3:18), this is viewed as being planned by God. Human responsibility is compatible with divine predestination (cf. notes on 2:23; 3:13–16; 3:17).
ACTS—NOTE ON 4:28 In their prayer, reported with approval by Luke, the believers affirm both God’s sovereignty and human responsibility. Whatever includes all of the evil rejection, false accusation, miscarriage of justice, wrongful beatings, mockery, and crucifixion that both Jews and Gentiles poured out against Jesus. These things were predestined by God, yet the human beings who did them were morally “lawless” (see 2:23, 36); they were responsible for their evil deeds (see 3:13–15); and they needed to “repent” (see 2:38; 3:19). This prayer reflects both a deep acknowledgment of human responsibility and a deep trust in God’s wisdom in his sovereign direction of the detailed events of history.
ACTS—NOTE ON 4:29 Their prayer for boldness in witness shows a determination to directly disobey the command of the Sanhedrin. They do not pray against those who persecute them but pray for their own faithfulness in witness.
ACTS—NOTE ON 4:30 and signs and wonders are performed. The believers do not hesitate to pray that God would work more miracles as they continued proclaiming the gospel. Such a prayer does not indicate deficient faith but is rather an evidence of their strong belief that God would work in their midst in an immediate way that authenticates the gospel.
ACTS—NOTE ON 4:31 God answered the believers’ prayer. The place where they were gathered was shaken as if by an earthquake, and the Spirit descended upon them in a way they could perceive. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit indicates that people could be “filled” with the Holy Spirit more than once, for Peter was among them and he had already been “filled with the Holy Spirit” (v. 8), and all the disciples present at Pentecost had been “filled” with the Spirit as well (2:4). The Holy Spirit’s power did not come on them automatically but in answer to their expectant, believing prayer.
ACTS—NOTE ON 4:32–5:16 The Community Shares Together. The second extensive “summary” in Acts deals with the practice of fellow believers sharing goods (see 2:43–44). Luke describes their practice and holds forth Barnabas as a model (4:32–37), followed by the account of the abuse of the practice by Ananias and Sapphira (5:1–11). A final summary highlights the growth of the community and its experience with the Spirit’s power (5:12–16).
ACTS—NOTE ON 4:32 everything in common. See note on 2:44.
ACTS—NOTE ON 4:34 The believers’ sharing exemplified the OT ideal of there not being a needy person among them—that is, there should be no poor in the community of faith (cf. Deut. 15:4–11). To realize this ideal the Christians would sell some of their goods and bring the proceeds to the apostles for distribution to the needy. Neither their sharing nor their bringing offerings should be seen as any sort of communal ownership such as was practiced by the Essenes and by later Christian monks, for the practice was strictly voluntary (see Acts 5:4 and note on 2:44). Such sacrifice and giving is seen as exemplary.
ACTS—NOTE ON 4:36 Barnabas would not have been cited as an example of sharing if the practice had not been voluntary. Barnabas is introduced in the Acts narrative at this point; he is a major character in later chapters, particularly as Paul’s companion on his first mission. That mission began on Cyprus (13:4b–6), the home of Barnabas. The nickname son of encouragement fits his personality well. He introduced the newly converted Paul to the apostolic circle when everyone else was suspicious of him (9:27). He brought Paul to Antioch to participate in the outreach to the Gentiles (11:25–26). And he stood up for the young John Mark when Paul did not want to take him with them (15:36–39).
ACTS—NOTE ON 5:1–11 The positive picture of the community’s sharing is marred by the account of a couple who abused the practice by holding back a portion of a gift while claiming to be giving it totally to the church. The context is important to note: the incident is bracketed by references to the Spirit’s power (4:31, 33; 5:12–16). The Spirit was closely linked to the unity of the fellowship manifested in their sharing. Ananias and Sapphira abused the fellowship through their deception and thereby threatened its unity.
ACTS—NOTE ON 5:2 The couple kept back … some of the proceeds. “Kept back” (Gk. nosphizō) means “to put aside for oneself, to keep back” in a secret and dishonest way. It is an uncommon word, which was used also in the Septuagint in the story of Achan (Josh. 7:1), who received a sentence of death for holding back some of the spoils from Jericho that were dedicated to God.
ACTS—NOTE ON 5:3 Satan was the instigator behind the couple’s deed, “filling” their hearts just as the Spirit had “filled” the community for witness (4:31). Twice Ananias was charged with keeping part of the income from the land (5:2, 3), indicating that he must have claimed that he was dedicating the whole to the Lord’s work. His sin was the lie, claiming to be doing more than he did.
ACTS—NOTE ON 5:4 Peter made clear the voluntary nature of the church’s charity: Ananias did not have to give anything. Note that whereas Peter accused Ananias of lying to the Holy Spirit in v. 3, here he says that he has lied … to God, showing that the Holy Spirit is a person and that he is himself divine. Lying is characteristic of Satan (see John 8:44) and exactly opposite the character of God, who cannot lie (cf. Num. 23:19; Prov. 30:5; Titus 1:2; Heb. 6:18).
ACTS—NOTE ON 5:5 great fear (Gk. phobos). Fear in response to a manifestation of God’s presence involves both reverent awe and a healthy fear of God’s displeasure and discipline.
ACTS—NOTE ON 5:8 When Peter asked Sapphira whether she sold the land for so much, she repeated the lie, stating the partial amount the couple had given.
ACTS—NOTE ON 5:9 Peter accused Sapphira of testing the Spirit (cf. Ex. 17:2; Deut. 6:16; Matt. 4:7; Luke 4:12), an expression that echoes OT passages about testing the Lord. This is another indication of the Spirit’s deity (cf. note on Acts 5:4).
ACTS—NOTE ON 5:10 Peter informed Sapphira of her impending death before it happened; the note of divine judgment is unmistakable. The text does not give enough information to know if Ananias and Sapphira were “false” believers or if they truly belonged to the Lord despite their egregious sin. One could view the event as God’s removal from the young Christian community of the distrust and disunity provoked by the couple’s dishonesty. It was a time when the Spirit was especially present in the community, blessing it with unity of fellowship (4:32) and the power of miracles (5:12–16). That same power brought judgment to those who by their actions denied this unity and power. Satan (v. 3) was no match for the Holy Spirit.
ACTS—NOTE ON 5:12–16 This summary centers on the Holy Spirit’s activity in the apostles’ healing ministry.
ACTS—NOTE ON 5:12 The Christians had prayed for God to grant them the power to perform signs and wonders (cf. 4:30). This was mightily fulfilled through the apostles, especially in the temple area of Solomon’s Portico, where the Christians often witnessed (3:11). A “portico” (Gk. stoa) is a covered walkway (cf. 3:11; John 5:2; 10:23).
ACTS—NOTE ON 5:13 None of the rest dared join them. Some take the antecedent of “them” to be “the whole church” in v. 13 and understand “they” in v. 12 as referring to all the believers. Others understand “them” to be “the apostles” in v. 13 and understand “they” in v. 12 to refer to the apostles as well. The Greek grammar allows for either interpretation. The first interpretation would show that unbelievers were afraid to attach themselves to the church unless they were truly converted. The second interpretation would show the unique authority and miraculous power of the apostles.
ACTS—NOTE ON 5:15 his shadow might fall on some of them. Though this may seem strange to modern readers, it indicates that the Holy Spirit was so powerfully manifested in and around Peter that even those who only came near him experienced the healing of the Holy Spirit (cf. 19:12).
ACTS—NOTE ON 5:17–42 The Apostles Appear before the Council. Just as Peter’s healing of the lame man provoked a trial before the Sanhedrin (3:1–4:22), once again the apostolic miracles precipitated a trial, this time of all the apostles.
ACTS—NOTE ON 5:17 filled with jealousy. These Sadducees were “jealous” not for God’s honor or for the advancement of his kingdom but for retaining their own influence and power (this theme is repeated later; see 7:9; 13:45; 17:5; and note on 12:3).
ACTS—NOTE ON 5:20 The words of this Life means the words of salvation and eternal life. It seems that early Christianity may also have been called “the Life,” as well as “the Way” (see note on 9:1–2).
ACTS—NOTE ON 5:21 It was daybreak, and a crowd would be gathering at the temple for the morning sacrifices. The council and all the senate are two names for the same group, the Sanhedrin (“council” translates Gk. synedrion, “Sanhedrin”).
ACTS—NOTE ON 5:30 hanging him on a tree. See note on 10:39. The allusion is to Deut. 21:22–23.
ACTS—NOTE ON 5:33 On the Jews’ pattern of resistance (cf. 7:51; 12:1–3; 13:45; 25:7; 28:24), see note on Amos 4:6.
ACTS—NOTE ON 5:34 The lone voice in the Sanhedrin to speak against an immediate death sentence was that of Gamaliel. He was the most prominent rabbi of his day and the teacher of Paul (22:3). He belonged to the Pharisaic minority on the Sanhedrin but had considerable influence.
ACTS—NOTE ON 5:36 Gamaliel cited two examples from Jewish history to support his basic argument that movements not backed by God always come to nothing. Both examples were failed movements, the first being that of a revolutionary named Theudas, and the second that of “Judas the Galilean” (v. 37), who is said to have come “after him.” Judas the Galilean is well known, having led a tax revolt in A.D. 6 (Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 18.23), and this is evidently the person to whom Gamaliel is referring. Although there is no historical record of the “Theudas” mentioned here (other than this statement by Gamaliel), most likely this “Theudas” was one of many otherwise unknown leaders of such movements following the death of Herod the Great in 4 B.C. Although Jewish historian Josephus (writing in A.D. 95 in Jewish Antiquities 20.97) mentions someone named “Theudas” who led a movement at a later date (A.D. 44–46), it is clear that Josephus’s reference is to a different person, since the movement to which he refers occurred many years after the speech by Gamaliel (c. A.D. 30 or 33).
ACTS—NOTE ON 5:40 This time the Sanhedrin enforced their command by scourging the apostles. The text does not say whether it was with the maximum of 39 stripes prescribed by Jewish law (see 2 Cor. 11:24) or with fewer stripes. The lashing consisted of striking the victim’s bare skin with a tripled strip of calf’s hide. The victim received two blows to the back, then one to the chest. Thus each cycle had to be divisible by three, which explains the maximum limit of 39—one less than the 40 prescribed in Deut. 25:3.
ACTS—NOTE ON 5:41 The apostles left rejoicing at being considered worthy to suffer for their witness in Jesus’ name, which they boldly resumed despite the Sanhedrin’s threat. Their suffering paradoxically resulted in the growth of the church (6:1). Suffering for the name of Jesus is a characteristic theme in Acts.
ACTS—NOTE ON 6:1–12:25 The Witness beyond Jerusalem. Beginning with Greek-speaking Jewish Christians in Jerusalem (6:1–7), the Christian gospel was proclaimed to an ever-widening circle—to Samaria (8:4–25), to an Ethiopian (8:26–40), to a Gentile God-fearer (10:1–48), and to the Gentiles of Antioch (11:19–30). Key figures in the outreach were the Hellenists Stephen and Philip, the apostle Peter, and eventually Paul and Barnabas. The stage was then set for Paul’s ministry that would go to the “end of the earth” (1:8).
ACTS—NOTE ON 6:1–7 Seven Chosen to Serve the Hellenist Widows. The growth of the church created problems when a number of Hellenistic (i.e., Greek-speaking) Jews responded to the gospel. The resulting language barrier led to the neglect of some needy widows, and the apostles called upon the Greek-speaking community to choose leaders to meet the need.
ACTS—NOTE ON 6:1 The Hellenists were Greek-speaking Jews from the Diaspora (“dispersed” Jews living outside Palestine). Their primary language was Greek. The Hebrews were native Palestinian Jews who spoke Aramaic as their primary language and had attended the Hebrew-speaking synagogues. Not as fluent in Greek, they seem to have overlooked the Hellenist widows unintentionally. Some scholars claim this verse is just the “tip of the iceberg” indicating serious theological frictions between these two groups in the Jerusalem church, and that they had major differences over observance of the OT law and the proper role of the Jerusalem temple. But the text itself indicates just the opposite, for several places show essential unity in doctrinal understanding among the apostles and those who followed them (see 15:1–35; Gal. 1:18–19; 2:1–10). Any differences in emphasis were not major, but it does appear the Hellenists were less drawn to the temple, as Stephen’s speech in Acts 7 suggests. the daily distribution. That is, of provisions for the needy.
ACTS—NOTE ON 6:4 Essential to the work of the apostles was their devotion to prayer and to the ministry of the word. The burgeoning ministry of charity was distracting them from this calling. The Greek-speaking Hellenists from whom the seven were selected were better equipped to serve and communicate with the widows.
ACTS—NOTE ON 6:5 Stephen and Philip will become prominent in the Acts narrative; the NT makes no further mention of the other five.
ACTS—NOTE ON 6:6 The apostles confirmed the congregational election when they prayed and laid their hands on them. Laying on of hands is done in connection with several things in Acts: healing (9:17), the gift of the Spirit (8:18; 9:17; 19:6), and commissioning to a ministry (both here and at 13:3). Interpreters differ over whether these seven men should be considered the first “deacons” in the church. On the one hand, the noun “deacon” (Gk. diakonos) does not occur here. On the other hand, the corresponding verb (Gk. diakoneō, “to serve, help, render assistance”) is used in 6:2, and this same verb is used of those who serve as deacons in 1 Tim. 3:10, 13. However, this is a common verb for “service.” It could well be these men were called to deal with this issue and any like it.
ACTS—NOTE ON 6:7 the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem. In spite of suffering and persecution (5:41), in spite of sin in the church (5:1–11), and in spite of conflict (6:1), the church continued to grow. It grew in the context of remarkable love among the Christians in Jerusalem (4:32, 35), frequent miracles (5:12), and the courageous proclamation of the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit (5:29–32). The word of God continued to increase in spite of widespread opposition. A great many of the priests became Christians. The lower ranks of the priesthood numbered in the thousands, of whom many were poor and may have first been attracted to Christians by their charity, under the guidance of the newly appointed deacons (6:1–6).
View this chart online at http://kindle.esvsb.org/c158
| 6:7 | And the word of God continued to increase. |
| 12:24 | But the word of God increased and multiplied. |
| 13:49 | And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. |
| 19:20 | So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily. |
ACTS—NOTE ON 6:8–8:3 Stephen Bears the Ultimate Witness. The Greek word for “witness” is martys, which came to be associated with witnessing to the point of death, from which the word “martyr” derives. Stephen became the first such “ultimate” witness in the early church (c. A.D. 31/34).
ACTS—NOTE ON 6:8–15 The Arrest of Stephen. Stephen was the first listed of the seven Hellenists selected to minister to the widows (v. 5). Like the apostles, he not only ministered to the needy but was primarily concerned with the ministry of the Word. He preached Christ in the Greek-speaking synagogues of Jerusalem, where he was seized and dragged before the Sanhedrin.
ACTS—NOTE ON 6:8 Stephen is described as being filled with faith, the Holy Spirit (v. 5), grace, power, and wisdom (v. 10). He is the first person after the apostles said to have performed wonders and signs. His “power” was not physical strength or worldly knowledge or influence but the power of the Holy Spirit (see 1:8).
ACTS—NOTE ON 6:9 Those to whom Stephen preached were Diaspora Jews (see note on v. 1) and Greek-speakers like himself. There may have been only the one synagogue of the Freedmen, with the various names designating its constituency, or those names may represent individual synagogues. “Freedmen” would refer to Jews who had been enslaved and then granted freedom. The place names all point to the Diaspora: Cyrenians and Alexandrians represent North Africa, while those in Cilicia and Asia represent the area covered by modern Turkey, also a part of the Diaspora.
ACTS—NOTE ON 6:11 Secretly instigated (Gk. hypoballō) implies putting words in someone’s mouth or making false suggestions. The basic charge was blasphemy, speaking against Moses (the Law) and against God (that is, against the temple, God’s dwelling place; cf. vv. 13–14). Jesus was accused of the same thing (Mark 14:63–64).
ACTS—NOTE ON 6:13 The use of false witnesses is reminiscent of what happened at Jesus’ trial (Matt. 26:59–60) and confirms Jesus’ prediction that his followers would be persecuted as he was (John 15:18–21).
ACTS—NOTE ON 6:14 Stephen must have referred to what Jesus said about destroying the temple and rebuilding it in three days (Mark 14:58), which John clarified as referring to the temple of Jesus’ body (John 2:19–21).
ACTS—NOTE ON 6:15 Stephen’s face is described as being like the face of an angel. There was apparently a visible manifestation of the brightness of the glory of God on his face, as there had been with Moses (Ex. 34:29–30, 35) and, to an even greater extent, with Jesus at his transfiguration (Matt. 17:2).
ACTS—NOTE ON 7:1–53 Stephen’s Address before the Sanhedrin. Stephen’s defense is the longest discourse in Acts. It is a selective recital of OT history, including sections on Abraham (vv. 2–8), Joseph (vv. 9–16), Moses (vv. 17–34), and Israel’s apostasy (vv. 35–50). It was cut short when Stephen applied his history lesson to Israel’s present rejection of the Messiah (vv. 51–53). Stephen responded to the charges by turning them on his accusers: they were the ones who were really disobeying God because they rejected his appointed leaders.
ACTS—NOTE ON 7:4 after his father died. See note on Gen. 11:32.
ACTS—NOTE ON 7:5 Abraham himself was given no possession in the Promised Land, not even the length of a foot, showing that God was working even when a temple did not yet exist.
ACTS—NOTE ON 7:6 four hundred years. That is, the time Israel spent in Egypt.
ACTS—NOTE ON 7:7 Combining Gen. 15:13–14 with Ex. 3:12, Stephen spoke of God’s assurances to Abraham that even after a long exile his descendants would come to Canaan and worship God in this place. Stephen’s emphasis was on how God revealed himself outside the holy land and how he promised a place of true worship to come.
ACTS—NOTE ON 7:9 The Joseph history contrasts how the patriarchs were blessed by the brother whom they rejected. Israel’s rejection of God’s chosen leaders is a theme that runs throughout Stephen’s speech, culminating in the rejection of Jesus. God was with him. God’s presence with Joseph in Egypt shows that God can bless those outside the Promised Land, and therefore a physical temple is not crucial for his saving purposes.
ACTS—NOTE ON 7:14 When Stephen cites the number of Jacob’s kindred at seventy-five, he is following the Septuagint rather than Hebrew text for Ex. 1:5, which follows a different calculation and arrives at the number 70. The different texts were apparently based on different decisions regarding whether to include Jacob and his wife and the additional descendants born to Ephraim and Manasseh in Egypt.
ACTS—NOTE ON 7:15 Israel’s presence in Egypt for 400 years (v. 6) again indicates that the Lord is with his people even when they are not in the Promised Land (cf. notes on vv. 5, 9).
ACTS—NOTE ON 7:16 the tomb that Abraham had bought … from the sons of Hamor in Shechem. The OT shows that it was actually Jacob who bought a tomb “from the sons of Hamor” in Shechem (Gen. 33:19) and this is where Joseph was buried (Josh. 24:32). It seems that Stephen is using the name “Abraham” to refer to all of Abraham’s family or descendants, including Jacob (cf. Heb. 7:9–10). Another possible explanation is that Abraham had earlier bought the same piece of land when he built an altar in Shechem (Gen. 12:6–7), but Jacob later had to repurchase it just as Isaac had needed to renegotiate his rights to a well that Abraham had earlier bought in Beersheba (cf. Gen. 21:27–31 with Gen. 26:23–33).
ACTS—NOTE ON 7:20 Stephen’s recital of the story of Moses is in three parts, covering 40 years each: birth and years in Pharaoh’s court (vv. 17–22), flight from Egypt and sojourn in Midian (vv. 23–29), and divine commissioning at Sinai and wandering in the wilderness (vv. 30–43).
ACTS—NOTE ON 7:22 Moses’ education in Egyptian wisdom is not mentioned in the OT but was well established in Jewish tradition. Stephen emphasizes that the one who delivered Israel was educated in a secular setting, hence God accomplished salvation in an unexpected way, as he has now done through Jesus of Nazareth.
ACTS—NOTE ON 7:23 Stephen highlighted Moses’ middle years by relating his avenging of an abused Israelite and the subsequent rejection of his attempt to reconcile two quarreling Israelites (Ex. 2:11–15). The 40-year period was spent primarily in Midian (Acts 7:29), but Stephen chose to emphasize the single incident because it illustrated Israel’s constant rejection of its God-sent leaders (see v. 35).
ACTS—NOTE ON 7:30 After spending the middle forty years of his life in exile in Midian (cf. vv. 23, 29), Moses began his final 40 years, covered in vv. 30–43.
ACTS—NOTE ON 7:35–36 Stephen continued the story of Moses, emphasizing Israel’s rejection of his leadership. He implicitly presented Moses as a type of Christ: both were men whom God sent, both served as a redeemer (see Luke 24:21), and both performed wonders and signs (see Acts 2:22).
ACTS—NOTE ON 7:37 Christ is the prophet whom Moses predicted (see Deut. 18:15; Acts 3:22).
ACTS—NOTE ON 7:38 The Greek word for congregation is ekklēsia, the characteristic NT word for “church,” and it provides a comparison between Moses’ presence with the Israelites and Christ’s presence in the church. The word refers to an assembled group. The idea that the law was mediated by angels was well established in Judaism and is repeated in v. 53 and also by Paul in Gal. 3:19 and the author of Hebrews in Heb. 2:2. Stephen employed the Moses/Christ typology to show how both were God-sent deliverers and how Israel rejected the message of both.
ACTS—NOTE ON 7:40–41 The golden calf incident illustrates Israel’s continuing rejection of Moses’ leadership (we do not know what has become of him) and their sinful idolatry.
ACTS—NOTE ON 7:42–43 Stephen carried the accusation of Israel’s idolatry on down to their occupation of the Promised Land, when they began worshiping heavenly bodies (the host of heaven). To establish this he quoted the Greek (Septuagint) version of Amos 5:25–27. Moloch was the Canaanite sun god. The identity of Rephan is uncertain, but it possibly refers to Repa, the Egyptian name for Saturn.
ACTS—NOTE ON 7:44 Stephen turned to the charge made against him regarding the temple (6:12–14). He contrasted the tabernacle (or tent) with the temple. The temple is not necessary for God’s purposes, for in the wilderness God directed the construction of the tabernacle (Ex. 25:40). In distinction from the temple, it was movable, and it contained the witness, the stone tablets inscribed with God’s law. It continued as Israel’s place of worship through the period of the conquest on down to the time of David, who was the first to request a temple (2 Sam. 7:1–17). However, Stephen should not be understood as saying that the building of the temple was wrong, for he narrates this event without any hint of disapproval. (Acts 7:48 merely affirms that God cannot be contained in or confined to any earthly temple; cf. 17:24–25.) His point was not to make too much of the temple.
ACTS—NOTE ON 7:48 Stephen quoted Isa. 66:1–2 to establish that God does not dwell in houses, a point Solomon himself made in 1 Kings 8:27. Israel’s error was in confining God to the temple. Further, Stephen suggested that neither the tabernacle nor the temple were intended to last forever. Both pointed to something greater that was to come.
ACTS—NOTE ON 7:51 Stephen concluded with a direct attack on Israel for rejecting the Messiah. While this may seem harsh, Luke will soon say that Stephen was “full of the Holy Spirit” (v. 55; cf. 6:10, 15) and he was no doubt led by the Spirit, who knew the hearts of Stephen’s listeners, to make this accusation. Using the language of the OT he accused them of being stiff-necked (see Ex. 33:3, 5; 34:9; Deut. 9:6, 13), uncircumcised in heart and ears (Lev. 26:41; Deut. 10:16; Jer. 4:4, 6:10, 9:26; Ezek. 44:7, 9), and resisting the Holy Spirit (Isa. 63:10). In fact, the repeated rejection of God’s will is the point of his story, justifying the charge that prophets also made against the nation.
ACTS—NOTE ON 7:52 Like Jesus, Stephen accused his Jewish listeners of killing the prophets (cf. Luke 11:47–51; 13:34) and now rejecting their ultimate God-sent deliverer, the Righteous One (see Acts 3:14–15).
ACTS—NOTE ON 7:53 It was not Stephen but his accusers who were the ultimate rejecters of the law. In rejecting their God-sent deliverers they rejected God himself.
ACTS—NOTE ON 7:54–8:3 The Martyrdom of Stephen. Stephen’s testimony was cut short as the enraged Sanhedrin turned on him (7:54). Their anger intensified as he shared his vision of the exalted Christ (7:55–57). They stoned him (7:58), and he died praying for them (7:59–8:1a). His martyrdom triggered a general persecution against the church (8:1b–3).
ACTS—NOTE ON 7:56 On the Son of Man and the theme of vindication, see Dan. 7:13; Matt. 26:64.
ACTS—NOTE ON 7:58 It is debated whether Stephen was formally stoned by order of the Sanhedrin or killed by mob violence. The fact that he was appearing before that body (6:12) would favor the former, but the precipitous nature of the stoning suggests mob behavior. Also, under Roman rule the Sanhedrin did not have the legal right to execute without Roman concurrence (see John 18:31).
ACTS—NOTE ON 7:60 Stephen died with two prayers on his lips. The first (“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,” v. 59) recalls Jesus’ dying words from the cross (Luke 23:46), and the second (Lord, do not hold this sin against them) recalls Jesus’ earlier prayer for the forgiveness of those responsible for his death (Luke 23:34). Fell asleep is a Christian expression for death, reflecting assurance of a future resurrection. Stephen’s death surely had a profound influence on Paul, who later alluded to that experience (Acts 22:20).
ACTS—NOTE ON 8:1 they were all scattered. The scattering or “dispersion” (Gk. diaspeirō, “to scatter, disperse”) of the believers throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria was similar to the earlier diaspora (“dispersion”) of Jews throughout the world (see note on John 7:35), but this “dispersion” led to the fulfillment of the promise in Acts 1:8 that the gospel would go to the end of the earth (cf. James 1:1; 1 Pet. 1:1).
ACTS—NOTE ON 8:3 Saul was instrumental in the persecution, as he testifies later in Acts (22:4–5; 26:10–11) and in his epistles (1 Cor. 15:9; Gal. 1:13, 23; Phil. 3:6; 1 Tim. 1:13).
ACTS—NOTE ON 8:4–40 Philip Witnesses beyond Jerusalem. With his message of a God not bound to one people or place, Stephen had laid the foundation for a worldwide mission. Philip, who like Stephen was a Hellenist, was the first to put Stephen’s vision into practice, witnessing to the Samaritans (vv. 4–25) and to a God-fearing Ethiopian (vv. 26–40).
ACTS—NOTE ON 8:4–25 Witness to the Samaritans. The gospel spreads to the Samaritans through the witness of Philip and the apostles Peter and John.
ACTS—NOTE ON 8:5 Philip most likely visited ancient Sebaste, the main city of the Samaritans, lying at the foot of their holy mountain Gerizim. The Samaritans were a racially mixed group of partly Jewish and partly Gentile ancestry, disdained by both Jews and non-Jews (see notes on John 4:4; 4:20–21). They believed in Israel’s God and in many respects maintained their Jewish heritage but were not considered Jews by those from Judah.
ACTS—NOTE ON 8:6 The Samaritans would have been prepared for Philip’s message about the Christ (Messiah). They had their own expectation of a prophetic Messiah called the Taheb, who they believed would come to their holy mountain (see John 4:20). John the Baptist and Jesus had previously ministered in this area (John 3:23; 4:4–42). Like the apostles, Philip had received the Holy Spirit’s power to cast out demons and to heal, which served as a sign confirming the truth of his message.
ACTS—NOTE ON 8:9 Simon claimed to have divine powers, calling himself “the Great One.” (On ancient magic, see note on 13:6.)
ACTS—NOTE ON 8:13 Not only the Samaritans but Simon also believed and was baptized. Commentators differ over whether Simon had genuine saving faith. Peter’s strong rebuke to Simon soon after would suggest that Simon did not have genuine saving faith (see vv. 20–21).
ACTS—NOTE ON 8:14 The apostles at Jerusalem retained their authority over the entire church. When they heard of Philip’s Samaritan mission, they sent Peter and John to verify its legitimacy.
ACTS—NOTE ON 8:17 they received the Holy Spirit. Apparently in this unique case, where the gospel was first moving beyond the bounds of Judaism, the Lord sovereignly waited to give any manifestation of the full power of the Holy Spirit (cf. vv. 15–16) until some of the apostles themselves could be present (Philip was not an apostle), and therefore there would be no question at all that the Samaritans had received the new covenant empowering of the Holy Spirit in the same way that the Jewish Christians had. This would show that the Samaritans should be counted full members of the one true church, the new covenant community of God’s people, founded and based at that time in Jerusalem. It would also guarantee that the Samaritans, who for many generations had been hostile toward the Jews, would not establish a separate Christian church or be excluded from the church by Jewish believers. The Spirit was given only at the hands of the apostles, to show convincingly to Samaritan and other later, non-Jewish leaders of the church that both Jews and non-Jews who believed in Jesus now had full membership status among God’s people (see Rom. 11:13–24; Eph. 2:11–22).
ACTS—NOTE ON 8:18 Simon saw that the Spirit was given. Since this was outwardly evident to Simon and no doubt to others as well, there must have been some outward manifestation of the Spirit. This may have been speaking in tongues, prophesying, or both (see 10:46; 19:6), and it was an evident sign to the apostles that the Holy Spirit had fallen on the Samaritans in a similar way to what had happened to the apostles and those with them at Pentecost. offered them money. Simon was acting in character, because magicians often exchanged secrets for money.
ACTS—NOTE ON 8:21 Neither part nor lot is OT language for having no share in something (see Deut. 12:12; 14:27), and this seems to indicate that Simon has now disclosed the condition of his heart and that he did not truly belong to the people of God. The strong language in Acts 8:23 also seems to class Simon as an unbeliever (but see note on v. 13).
ACTS—NOTE ON 8:24 Whether Simon was truly repentant or not is unclear. Against that possibility is the tradition tied to Simon that he was the “first heretic” and the fact that he does not indicate he will do anything to show repentance.
ACTS—NOTE ON 8:25 This transitional verse shows the apostles preaching in many villages of the Samaritans along their route back to Jerusalem—a fulfillment of 1:8 concerning expansion of the gospel into Samaritan territory.
ACTS—NOTE ON 8:26–40 Witness to an Ethiopian Eunuch. Philip was next led to witness to an Ethiopian. This passage strongly emphasizes the Spirit’s leading.
ACTS—NOTE ON 8:26–27 Gaza was the last watering place before the desert on the road from Jerusalem to Egypt. Ethiopia was the ancient Nubian Kingdom, south of Aswan on the Nile. The designation eunuch could have been a mere title (for a “treasurer” or trusted royal servant), or could refer to his having been emasculated. Since he had been to Jerusalem to worship, the eunuch was probably a “God-fearer,” a Gentile who worshiped Israel’s God but had not become a full convert (“proselyte”). As a eunuch, he would have been barred from the inner courts of the temple, which makes his reading “the prophet Isaiah” (v. 28) especially significant. Isaiah held out the promise that God would grant devout eunuchs a heritage “better than sons and daughters” (Isa. 56:3–5).
ACTS—NOTE ON 8:30 The Holy Spirit directed Philip to approach the eunuch. People usually read aloud in those days, so Philip was probably aware that the eunuch was reading Isa. 53:7–8. A more appropriate passage could not have been chosen as a witness to Christ, attesting to the Holy Spirit’s leading. The passage cited focuses on the injustice done to Jesus, something that reflects Luke’s presentation of the cross (see Luke 23), as well as the death of Stephen, who followed in his way.
c. A.D. 34?
Philip, a leader in the church in Jerusalem, began his evangelistic ministry in Sebaste (also called Samaria). God then led him south toward Gaza, where he explained the gospel to a God-fearing Ethiopian royal official. Afterwards Philip was transported by God to Azotus, where he preached and continued his ministry up to Caesarea.
ACTS—NOTE ON 8:36 The direction of the Holy Spirit in this incident is apparent again as Philip and the eunuch arrive at a rare watering place in the desert precisely when the eunuch requested baptism.
ACTS—NOTE ON 8:39 Philip was snatched up and carried … away, much like Elijah was (2 Kings 2:11).
ACTS—NOTE ON 8:40 Philip was then taken to witness in the coastal region, first in Azotus (OT Ashdod), then in Caesarea, where he seems to have settled (see 21:8). Caesarea was a city with a large Greek-speaking population. Originally a small harbor town known as Strato’s Tower, it was rebuilt by Herod the Great in magnificent Hellenistic style with a greatly improved harbor. In Philip’s day it was the seat of the Roman government of Judea. Excavations have yielded significant finds, including the Herodian port and theater, an “amphitheater” shaped like a hippodrome for horse races, a palace built on a promontory out into the sea (frequently identified as Herod’s palace), and a great raised aqueduct. Herod built a temple to Augustus here, and an inscription found in the theater mentions Pontius Pilate’s dedication of a Tiberium (a sacred site devoted to the emperor Tiberius). Tense relations existed between the mixed Jewish and Gentile inhabitants, and one cause of the First Jewish Revolt (A.D. 66–73) was the Gentile desecration of the Jewish synagogue in Caesarea.
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:1–31 The Conversion of Saul. The conversion of Saul may seem like something of an interruption in the Acts narrative, since in this section of Acts (chs. 6–12) Luke deals primarily with the witness of the Jerusalem church through the dispersed Hellenists (Greek-speaking Jews) and the apostle Peter. Paul’s conversion fits into this time frame, however, and as a Greek-speaking Diaspora Jew he was a “Hellenist” himself and eventually the prime leader in their outreach to the Gentiles. His conversion is related in detail three times in Acts: here in narrative form, and twice subsequently in Paul’s testimony before a Jewish mob (22:3–11) and before King Agrippa II (26:2–18). Luke does not record the date of Paul’s conversion, but a reasonable estimate is c. A.D. 33–34.
View this chart online at http://kindle.esvsb.org/c159
| A.D. 5–10? | Born in Tarsus as an Israelite from the tribe of Benjamin and a Roman citizen (Acts 22:3, 28; Rom. 11:1; Phil. 3:5); raised in either Jerusalem (Acts 22:3?) or Tarsus |
| 15–20? | Trained as a Pharisee by Gamaliel I (Acts 22:3; 26:5; Gal. 1:14; Phil. 3:5–6) |
| 30/33† | Death, resurrection of Christ |
| 31–34 | Present at Stephen’s stoning; persecuted Christians (Acts 7:58; 8:1; 22:4a; 26:9–11; 1 Cor. 15:9; Gal. 1:13; Phil. 3:6) |
| 33/34* | Converted, called, and commissioned on the way to Damascus (Acts 9:1–19; 22:6–11; 26:12–18; Gal. 1:15–16) |
| 33/34–36/37 | Stays in Damascus a short time (Acts 9:19b); leaves for “Arabia” (i.e., Nabataean Kingdom; 2 Cor. 11:32; Gal. 1:17); returns to Damascus (Gal. 1:17; Acts 9:20–22?); Jews and the governor under King Aretas try to arrest and kill him; Paul escapes through the city wall (Acts 9:23–24; 2 Cor. 11:32–33) |
| 36/37* |
Meets with Peter (and sees James) in Jerusalem (Acts 9:26–30; Gal. 1:18) Hellenists seek to kill him and he flees to Tarsus (Acts 9:28–30; Gal. 1:21) |
| 37–45 | Ministers in Syria/Cilicia (2 Cor. 11:22–27?) |
| 42–44 | Receives his “thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor. 12:7–9) |
| 44 | Herod Agrippa I dies (Acts 12:20–23) |
| 44–47* |
Spends a year ministering with Barnabas in Antioch (Acts 11:25–26) Second Visit to Jerusalem; time of famine (Acts 11:27–30; Gal. 2:1–10) |
| 46–47 | First Missionary Journey (Acts 13:4–14:26): 1.5 years? |
| 48* | Paul and Barnabas spend “no little time” in Antioch (Acts 14:28; cf. Gal. 2:11–14); Paul writes letter to the Galatians |
| 48–49* | Returns to Jerusalem for the apostolic council (Acts 15); Paul and Barnabas return to Antioch (Acts 15:30–33), but a dispute over John Mark causes them to part ways (Acts 15:36–41) |
| 48/49–51* | Second Missionary Journey (Acts 15:36–18:22): 2.5 years? |
| 49 |
Edict of Claudius (Acts 18:2) Paul and Silas travel to southern Galatia through Asia Minor, on to Macedonia (notably Philippi [1 Thess. 2:2]); Thessalonica [1 Thess. 2:2; Phil. 4:15–16]; and Berea [Acts 17:10–15]), and then Achaia (notably Athens [1 Thess. 3:1] and Corinth [2 Cor. 11:7–9]) |
| 49–51* | Spends 1.5 years in Corinth (Acts 18:11); appears before Gallio (Acts 18:12–17); writes 1 and 2 Thessalonians |
| 51 | Returns to Jerusalem? (Acts 18:22) |
| 52–57* | Third Missionary Journey (Acts 18:23–21:17): 5 years? |
| 52 | Travels to Antioch, where he spends “some time”; then travels through Galatia and Phrygia (Acts 18:23) |
| 52–55 | Arrives in Ephesus (Acts 19:1; 1 Cor. 16:8); ministers there for three years (Acts 20:31) and writes 1 Corinthians in the spring, near the end of his ministry there; makes brief, “painful visit” to Corinth (2 Cor. 2:1), then returns to Ephesus and writes “tearful, severe letter” (now lost) to Corinth (2 Cor. 2:3–4; 7:8–16) |
| 55–56* | Travels north to Macedonia, where he meets Titus (Acts 20:1; cf. 2 Cor. 2:12–13); writes 2 Corinthians |
| 57* | Winters in Corinth (Acts 20:2–3; cf. 2 Cor. 9:4), writes letter to the Romans from Corinth; travels to Jerusalem and is arrested (Acts 21:27–36) |
| 57–59 | Imprisonment transferred to Caesarea, where he stays for two years (Acts 24:27) |
| 60* | Voyage to Rome; shipwrecked for three months on the island of Malta (Acts 28:11); finally arrives in Rome |
| 62* | Under house-arrest in Rome (Acts 28:30–31), writes Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon |
| 62–67 | Released from house-arrest in Rome, extends his mission (Spain?), writes 1 Timothy (from Macedonia?) and Titus (from Nicopolis); is rearrested, writes 2 Timothy from Rome shortly before his execution |
| 64–67* | Martyred in Rome |
* denotes approximate date; / signifies either/or; † see The Date of Jesus’ Crucifixion
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:1–9 Saul’s Encounter with Christ. While traveling to Damascus to arrest any Christians who might be there, Saul encountered the risen Christ and, blinded by a dazzling light, was led into the city to await further instructions.
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:1–2 The account of Saul resumes from 8:3. Saul’s papers from the high priest may have been official extradition documents or letters of introduction to the synagogues at Damascus. It is not known how Christianity had come to Damascus—perhaps through converts at Pentecost or by some of those “scattered” following Stephen’s martyrdom (8:1). This is the first time in Acts that Christians are described as belonging to the Way (Gk. hodos, “road, highway, way of life”), meaning either the way of salvation (16:17; cf. Jesus’ teachings in Matt. 7:14; John 14:6) or the true way of life in relation to God (cf. Acts 18:25–26; cf. Ps. 1:1, 6; 27:11). The expression also occurs at Acts 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22.
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:3 Damascus was 135 miles (217 km) northeast of Jerusalem, a six-day journey by foot. Settled as early as the second millennium B.C., Damascus was an oasis on the border of the Arabian desert and on the main route from Mesopotamia to Egypt. The Nabatean king Aretas IV maintained an ethnarch (i.e., governor) in Damascus (2 Cor. 11:32). Although the modern city of Damascus stands atop the ancient remains, one can still see the “street called Straight” (Acts 9:11) running east to west with its East Gate and monumental arch. Also visible are the ancient theater and the concentric courts of its temple to Jupiter (now replaced by a mosque). Jewish presence in Damascus (assumed by the mention of synagogues in vv. 2, 20) is confirmed in Josephus’s record that many thousands of Jewish people were killed in Damascus during the time of the First Jewish Revolt (A.D. 66–73; see Jewish War 2.559–561). For the brilliance of the light, see Acts 22:6 and 26:13, where it is described as exceeding the midday sun.
c. A.D. 35–39
As Paul approached Damascus to arrest followers of the Way, Jesus appeared to him (1). Galatians 1:17 makes it clear that soon after this Paul spent time in Arabia (2, 3) before going to meet church leaders in Jerusalem (4). When some believers learned of a plot to kill Paul in Jerusalem, they took him to Caesarea, and he returned to his hometown of Tarsus (5).
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:4 Jesus’ reference to Saul’s “persecuting me” shows his close identity with his followers: to persecute Christians was to persecute Christ.
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:5 “Who are you, Lord?” Though Paul was ultimately blinded by the bright light (cf. vv. 3, 8–9), he indicates elsewhere that he actually saw the risen Christ on this occasion (see 1 Cor. 9:1; 15:8; Gal. 1:16; cf. Acts 9:27). The scene is significant not only because of Saul’s conversion but also because it shows that he would have known of the resurrection from direct experience of Jesus and thus could come to appreciate why this was a key part of the Christian message (see 1 Corinthians 15).
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:7 Saul’s companions heard the voice but saw no one. In his later testimony to the Jews, Paul spoke of them seeing the light but not understanding the voice (22:9). They had no vision of Jesus nor did they hear the message to Saul, but they could testify to a brilliant light and a sound, which pointed to an objective event that was not a matter of Saul’s imagination.
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:9 Saul’s blindness and his fasting should not be seen as punishment but as a result of the intensity of his encounter with Christ. However, like the deaf-muteness of Zechariah in Luke 1, it was designed to produce a time of reflection.
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:10–19a Saul’s Encounter with Ananias. Jesus appeared to a believer in Damascus, instructing him to go to Saul, assist him in recovery of his sight, and inform him of his special calling.
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:10 The Lord is Jesus and not the Father (see v. 17). Ananias’s response, Here I am, is reminiscent of OT predecessors such as Abraham (Gen. 22:1, 11), Jacob (Gen. 31:11; 46:2), Moses (Ex. 3:11), Samuel (1 Sam. 3:4–8), and Isaiah (Isa. 6:8).
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:11 The street called Straight is one of the world’s oldest continually occupied streets, still existing today (see note on v. 3). Tarsus. See note on v. 30.
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:15 In the remainder of Acts, Saul (later called Paul) preaches to Gentiles and also to kings (Agrippa II, ch. 26) as well as to the children of Israel, since in each city he always goes first to Jewish synagogues.
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:17 Ananias’s laying his hands (see note on 6:6) on Saul was a physical symbol of the invisible power of the Holy Spirit coming to heal Saul from his blindness and dwell within him in new covenant fullness (see note on 2:4).
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:18 something like scales fell from his eyes. This physical event was also a symbol that Saul’s spiritual blindness had been overcome and he could now see and understand the truth (cf. 2 Cor. 3:14 for a related image). (Note that the change of Saul’s name to Paul [which will be first reported in Acts 13:9] is not connected with his conversion; he continues having a right to both names, the first Jewish, the second Roman; Paul continues to call himself [and to be called] Saul until his ministry in Cyprus [13:9].) was baptized. Through baptism Saul made an immediate public declaration of his faith in Jesus as the Messiah.
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:19b–31 Saul’s Witness in Damascus and Jerusalem. This section reports Saul’s witness to Christ in Damascus and Jerusalem. In Gal. 1:11–24, Paul provides an account of this same period.
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:19b–20 Saul likely received instruction in the Christian “way” from the disciples at Damascus. In Galatians, Paul notes that during this time he “went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus” (Gal. 1:17). (“Arabia” here means the Nabatean Kingdom, northeast of the Dead Sea, not the Arabian Peninsula.) synagogues. The pattern of Paul’s beginning his witness in the synagogues occurs throughout Acts, as does the pattern of opposition developing there (Acts 9:23).
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:23 The Jews does not mean all Jews, of course, since many Jews had believed in Jesus and Paul himself was a Jew. But from this point forward in Acts, Luke often uses the phrase “the Jews” as a shorthand expression to refer to Jewish people who opposed the gospel (see esv footnote; see also 12:3; 13:45, 50; 14:4; 17:5, 13; 18:12; etc.). Often it is the leaders of communities who are involved in this rejection. plotted to kill him. Enemies of the gospel cannot defeat it by free and open debate, so they often resort to force, falsehood, murder, and governmental suppression (cf. 9:29). But the gospel is from God and cannot be stopped. Elsewhere Paul specifies that “the governor under King Aretas” was helping in the attempt to kill him (see 2 Cor. 11:32–33).
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:24 their plot became known to Saul. The Holy Spirit intervenes again and again to protect Saul (cf. 23:16–22).
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:25 Sometimes God does not call his people to stand and lose their lives but rather to escape from the danger that he has revealed to them. Because his disciples took decisive action, Paul’s life was preserved for his future ministry, for at this point he had not begun his major missionary journeys or written any of his letters.
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:27 Barnabas, “son of encouragement” (4:36), interceded for Saul, introducing him to the apostles (in Jerusalem), who were initially skeptical about his conversion. According to Gal. 1:18–19, this visit took place three years (see note on Acts 11:27–30) after his conversion (which could make this c. A.D. 37), and Paul met with Peter for 15 days but had no substantial interaction with the other apostles, except for meeting James, the brother of Jesus.
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:29 The Hellenists here are not the same as the Jewish believers called “Hellenists” in 6:1; in this instance they were Jews and not Christians, perhaps some of the same who had seized Stephen (6:8–14). (For the term “Hellenist,” see note on 6:1.)
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:30 On Caesarea, see note on 8:40. Paul’s hometown of Tarsus was a strategically important Cilician city in southeast Asia Minor on the road from Syria into central Asia Minor. Paul calls it “no obscure city” (21:39). Founded on the banks of the river Cydnus, it oversaw the important harbor on Lake Rhegma (approximately 5 miles/8 km south on the Cydnus). The vital Cilician Gates, which allowed passage across the Taurus Mountains, were approximately 25 miles (40 km) north. Alexander the Great had stayed in Tarsus, Pompey had based his campaign against sea pirates on the city, and Antony first met Cleopatra in Tarsus. Tarsus was known as a home to philosophers, especially those of the Stoic school. Archaeologists have uncovered a basalt street with limestone gutters from the NT period, and one can also see the foundations of a huge second-century-A.D. temple (known as the Donuktash). to Tarsus. This corresponds to Gal. 1:21, where Paul says he went to “Cilicia,” the province in which Tarsus was located. Paul would be based in Tarsus and minister in Syria-Cilicia for the next eight years (c. A.D. 37–45). Some of the events of 2 Cor. 11:23–27 perhaps occurred during this time, and probably also his intense vision of heaven (2 Cor. 12:2–4). Saul is not mentioned again in Acts until Barnabas goes to Tarsus to find him in Acts 11:25. Saul will begin to be called Paul in 13:9.
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:31 the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria. There must have been hundreds of churches in the small cities and towns throughout this large region, but all of them together can be called a “church” (Gk. ekklēsia, singular in the earliest and best manuscripts of this verse, though some later manuscripts have the plural). The NT can apply the singular word “church” to the church meeting in a home (Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 16:19), in an entire city (1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:1), in a large region (as here), or throughout the whole world (1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 5:25). Peace came to the church after the conversion of its prime persecutor (see also Gal. 1:22–24). Fear of the Lord does not mean fear of final judgment but is a common theme in Acts referring either to fear as godly awe, reverence, and devotion (as in Acts 2:43; 10:2; 13:26) or fear of God’s displeasure and fatherly discipline (as in 5:5, 11; 16:29; 19:17; see also Heb. 12:7–10).
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:32–11:18 Peter Preaches in the Coastal Towns. Peter began to witness outside Jerusalem in the coastal plain of Judea, healing the lame Aeneas (9:32–35) and restoring life to Dorcas (9:36–43). God then led him to witness to a group of Gentiles at Caesarea (10:1–11:18).
c. A.D. 39?
The apostle Peter traveled to the crossroads town of Lydda and healed a paralyzed man, leading many in that region to turn to the Lord. Later Peter traveled to Joppa and raised a woman from the dead. While Peter was staying at the house of Simon, a tanner in Joppa, the Roman centurion Cornelius sent for him to come to Caesarea.
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:32–43 Healing of Aeneas and Dorcas. Peter was last mentioned in his witness to the Samaritans (8:25). Now he turned to the fertile coastal plain of Sharon, where the next two recorded miracles took place.
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:32 Saints refers to Christians. Lydda is the OT Lod, 23 miles (37 km) northwest of Jerusalem on the road to Joppa. Lydda served as a regional administrative town (toparchy) for Judea, and was on an important trade route.
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:33 Eight years points to the severity of his paralysis.
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:34 Jesus Christ heals you. See note on 3:6. Peter understands that Jesus is invisibly working to build his church. Make your bed probably refers to folding the mat on which he was lying.
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:35 they turned to the Lord. As is often the case in Acts, miracles such as this healing (cf. ch. 3) led to the advancement of the gospel. The news spread beyond the town of Lydda to the whole coastal plain of Sharon.
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:36 Joppa was on the coast, 11 miles (18 km) northwest of Lydda. The port city of Joppa (modern Jaffa/Yafa, just south of Tel Aviv) was captured by the Jewish Hasmoneans (2nd century B.C.) and contained a substantial Jewish population prior to the First Jewish Revolt (A.D. 66–73). Excavations under portions of the modern city have revealed evidence of first-century residences and an early fortress.
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:38 Hearing that Peter was there reflects an understanding that an unusual level of the Holy Spirit’s power was present in the apostles.
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:40 Tabitha, arise. See note on 3:6. Peter had no supernatural power in his own words, but the Lord had showed him what he was going to do in response to Peter’s prayer, and he imparted to Peter’s heart the knowledge and faith that he was going to restore Tabitha to life as Peter spoke.
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:41 The Greek verb for raised her up is the same word used throughout the NT for Jesus’ resurrection (Gk. anistēmi). Though her restoration to life was not permanent, it served to remind Christians of their promised resurrection in Christ.
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:42 many believed in the Lord. Once again there is the pattern that remarkable miracles lead to many more genuine conversions as the gospel spreads.
ACTS—NOTE ON 9:43 As a tanner, Simon worked with animal hides, which would explain his location close to the ocean breezes (10:6). This meant he was often left in an unclean state, but this was less significant since he is not in Jerusalem.
ACTS—NOTE ON 10:1–48 Conversion of Cornelius. The conversion of a Gentile soldier and his relatives and close friends is the longest narrative in Acts. The importance of the story is highlighted through repetition. The visions of Cornelius and Peter are repeated several times, and 11:1–18 is a detailed retelling of the events of ch. 10. The incident put Peter at the center of the mission to the Gentiles.
ACTS—NOTE ON 10:1 Cornelius resided at Caesarea, a city on the coast 31 miles (50 km) north of Joppa; Caesarea was the seat of the Roman government of Judea (see note on 8:40). Cornelius was a centurion, a commander of 100 men, and a member of the Italian Cohort. (A “cohort” consisted of 600 men under the command of six centurions, but with auxiliary forces in remote areas such as Judea a “cohort” might have as many as 1,000 men.) Ten cohorts formed a “legion.” Centurions were paid very well (as much as five times the pay of an ordinary soldier), so Cornelius would have been socially prominent and wealthy.
ACTS—NOTE ON 10:2 Devout man who feared God identifies Cornelius as a “God-fearer” (cf. v. 22; 13:16, 26), a Gentile who worshiped Israel’s God and was in some way attached to a synagogue but who had not submitted to Jewish conversion rites (esp. circumcision). He followed two of the primary expressions of Jewish piety—prayer and almsgiving. Alms are gifts to the poor.
ACTS—NOTE ON 10:3–4 The ninth hour is 3:00 P.M. This was a set hour of prayer for Jews, not according to the OT but according to later tradition.
ACTS—NOTE ON 10:4 The designation of Cornelius’s piety as a memorial is sacrificial language (cf. Lev. 2:2, 9, 16), indicating that something has been “remembered” by God (see Phil. 4:18).
ACTS—NOTE ON 10:5 Joppa was about 31 miles (50 km) south of Caesarea, along the coast.
ACTS—NOTE ON 10:7 Cornelius sent two of his most trusted servants and a soldier, whose description as being devout likely indicates he was a God-fearer himself.
ACTS—NOTE ON 10:9 housetop. Houses in Judea typically had flat roofs accessible by ladders or stairs.
ACTS—NOTE ON 10:12 All kinds of animals and reptiles and birds would include both clean and unclean animals. Jewish law forbade the consumption of unclean animals (see Lev. 11:2–47).
ACTS—NOTE ON 10:13 The command from Jesus to kill and eat made no sense to Peter, since it would have violated Jewish food laws. Verse 15 is the key: God was overturning the old clean/unclean distinctions and dietary laws in general, along with all other “ceremonial” laws in the Mosaic covenant (including laws about sacrifices, festivals and special days, and circumcision). Nothing like this was to get in the way of fellowship with Gentiles, as Galatians 2 also shows.
ACTS—NOTE ON 10:26 I too am a man. Compare Herod’s opposite response in 12:20–23; cf. Rev. 19:10; 22:8–9.
ACTS—NOTE ON 10:28 unlawful. Not in terms of violating OT commands but in the sense of not following the later customs of strict Jewish traditions about uncleanness. The Jewish traditions of purity made it virtually impossible for them to associate with Gentiles without becoming ritually unclean. God has shown me refers to the vision of vv. 10–16. This shows how Peter understood his vision.
ACTS—NOTE ON 10:34–43 This message to the Gentiles is unique among the sermons of Acts in providing a summary of Jesus’ ministry. It contains no scriptural proofs and was cut short before Peter could give an invitation to trust in Christ. It is quite likely, of course, that the speech was an extended one, of which Luke gives an abbreviated account.
ACTS—NOTE ON 10:35 in every nation. Not just among Jews. acceptable to him. The word used here (Gk. dektos, “acceptable, welcome”) does not refer to legal justification before God (for which the NT uses Gk. dikaioō and related terms), nor is Peter talking about the basis for justification. Rather, the question here is whether God’s favor is made available to Jews only (“partiality,” v. 34) or is now available to Gentiles also (those “in every nation”). fears him and does what is right. This expression summarizes the behavior of someone whose life is pleasing to God. Although Peter does not explicitly mention saving faith (as he will in v. 43), it would likely be included or implied in the meaning of these two terms in this context (see note on v. 2). After all, faith is trusting God and responding to him.
ACTS—NOTE ON 10:36 The references to the good news of peace and to Christ being Lord of all echo Isa. 52:7 and 57:19: the gospel is for all people, including Cornelius and his fellow Gentiles.
ACTS—NOTE ON 10:38 The simple statement he went about doing good and healing is a profound summary of Jesus’ life, and an ideal to which all Christians would do well to aspire.
ACTS—NOTE ON 10:39 The cross is referred to as a tree, making a clear connection with the use of the same word (Gk. xylon) in the Septuagint translation of Deut. 21:23, “cursed by God is everyone who is hanged on a tree.” Jesus was put in a position that the OT says is “cursed by God,” thus taking on himself the penalty for sin. See Gal. 3:13.
ACTS—NOTE ON 10:41 Who ate and drank with him shows that Jesus was not a ghost or a spirit but had a real physical body after his resurrection. Eating and drinking are signs of sharing close personal fellowship.
ACTS—NOTE ON 10:43 all the prophets. See note on 3:18. everyone who believes. See note on 2:38.
ACTS—NOTE ON 10:44 The Holy Spirit fell in a way that was visible and audible from the response of the people on whom he fell (see v. 46). These Gentiles had come to genuine saving faith in Christ and had received the new covenant power and fullness of the Holy Spirit, which was a sign that they had been accepted by God as full and equal members of his people. The fact that they had not followed any Mosaic ceremonial laws (such as those concerning circumcision, sacrifice, and dietary restrictions) before receiving the gift of the Spirit is an important point, as soon becomes evident (see 11:15–17).
ACTS—NOTE ON 10:46 Speaking in tongues and praise of God outwardly demonstrated the Spirit’s presence and God’s acceptance of Gentiles without circumcision (which had been required for conversion to Judaism).
ACTS—NOTE ON 10:47 Baptizing these people would be an outward sign of an inward work of God in their hearts and of their personal commitment to Christ. Just as we have is a reference to the reception of the Spirit at Pentecost. Speaking in tongues also occurred at Pentecost (2:4), later with the Ephesian 12 (19:6), and perhaps also among the Samaritans (8:18). In every case speaking in tongues validates that those in view belong to the people of God and have received the Holy Spirit in new covenant fullness.
ACTS—NOTE ON 10:48 To be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (see also 2:38; 8:16) is not different from being baptized “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19). Even though different words are used here in Acts, the meaning is the same because in biblical usage a person’s “name” represents the person’s character, everything that is true about the person. The “name” (character and attributes) of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit is the same as the “name” (character and attributes) of Jesus Christ. In fact, in Matt. 28:19, the word “name” (Gk. onoma) is singular, indicating that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share one “name” (i.e., one character). To be baptized into that name is a sign of identifying with that name and taking on Christ’s character, as well as committing to live one’s life from that point on as a representative of that name. remain for some days. Peter’s willingness to stay with them likely involved his sharing meals with the Gentiles, a bold step for one who formerly was so concerned about clean and unclean foods (see also notes on Gal. 2:11–21).
ACTS—NOTE ON 11:1–18 Peter’s Testimony in Jerusalem. The final scene of the Cornelius narrative takes place in Jerusalem, where some of Peter’s fellow Jewish Christians questioned his acceptance of the Gentiles. Peter defended his action by retelling the events of the Gentile conversions with an emphasis on God’s leading. This is basically a summary of ch. 10, with only a few added details.
ACTS—NOTE ON 11:1 The apostles and the brothers do not seem to have raised objection to the inclusion of Cornelius and his fellow Gentiles. The issue was raised by “the circumcision party” (v. 2), a group of strict Jewish Christians, perhaps of a Pharisaic background (see 15:1, 5). They probably held the position that Gentiles who wished to become Christians must first become converts to Judaism, which included circumcision and living by the ritual laws.
ACTS—NOTE ON 11:3 On eating with uncircumcised men, see note on 10:28.
ACTS—NOTE ON 11:12 Peter was to make no distinction or discrimination between Jews and Gentiles.
ACTS—NOTE ON 11:14 a message by which you will be saved. Some think this implies that Cornelius was saved for the first time here. Others think he previously had saving faith (as a Gentile “God-fearer” looking forward to the Messiah), but that this meant he would experience the fullness of new covenant salvation in Christ when he heard the gospel message (see notes on 10:2; 10:35).
ACTS—NOTE ON 11:15 Just as on us refers to Pentecost, apparently meaning that these Gentile believers began to speak in tongues and praise God, giving convincing evidence that they had received the Holy Spirit in the same sense as did those at Pentecost. See also 10:44–48 and note on 10:47. The fact that the Spirit came to Cornelius and other Gentiles without them having done anything in relationship to the Law is God’s answer to the debate and settled matters as far as Peter was concerned.
ACTS—NOTE ON 11:17 stand in God’s way. Here Peter used the same word (Gk. kōlyō) as in the earlier account of Cornelius’s conversion (10:47, “withhold”), and the Ethiopian eunuch used the same word at the time of his conversion (8:36). As these three examples demonstrate, God was expanding the church to include Gentiles, and no one should try to “prevent” or “stand in the way” of that. Though Peter did not explicitly refer to baptism, it was probably implicit in the use of this word: Peter knew he could not refuse to allow these new believers to be baptized and thereby give outward evidence that they were full members of the church.
ACTS—NOTE ON 11:18 they glorified God. Though it is taken for granted today that Gentiles can become Christians, it was an astounding realization for these Jewish Christians in Jerusalem that to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life. On repentance, see note on 2:38. This move was significant given the history of tension between Gentiles and Jews, especially in light of the Maccabean War. Reconciliation is a key theme of the gospel.
ACTS—NOTE ON 11:19–26 The Antioch Church Witnesses to Gentiles. The Jerusalem church was the center of the Christian witness to the Gentiles in its earliest days. With the establishing of a church at Antioch and their outreach to Gentiles, the focus in Acts shifts to that congregation.
ACTS—NOTE ON 11:19 The persecution that arose over Stephen (see 8:1, 4) caused believers to be scattered and led to the spread of the word among Jews in various outlying regions. Phoenicia was in the area of present-day Lebanon, its primary cities being Tyre, Sidon, and Ptolemais. (For Christian communities there, see 21:3–7.) Cyprus was 100 miles (161 km) off the coast. The primary language of these areas was Greek, as it was for Antioch (modern Antakya), the largest city of the area and capital of the Roman province of Syria, with a population of a half million or more. Only Rome and Alexandria were larger in ancient times. At Antioch, an island bearing a palace and a hippodrome stood in the middle of the Orontes River. Bridges connected the island to the main city. In the first century the main city contained an aqueduct, baths, two theaters, temples (e.g., to Artemis and to Herakles), the Pantheon, and the Kaisareion (a basilica dedicated to the imperial cult). Prior to Paul’s arrival, an earthquake in 37 B.C. had devastated Antioch, but the emperor Gaius (Caligula) helped rebuild it. Antioch periodically hosted Olympic-style games. Its great colonnaded and marble-paved road had been sponsored in part by Herod the Great. speaking the word to no one except Jews. These people had not yet heard about the events of 10:1–11:18.
ACTS—NOTE ON 11:20 men of Cyprus and Cyrene. They were Diaspora Jews, natives of the nearby island of Cyprus and of the northern African region of Cyrene (see note on 13:1). There is ample archaeological evidence of Jewish inhabitants in these areas. Hellenists here means not just people from Greece but Greek-speaking Gentiles who lived in Antioch. (See notes on 6:1 [where “Hellenists” are Greek-speaking Jewish Christians] and 9:29 [where “Hellenists” are Greek-speaking Jews].) Some of the Greek-speaking Jewish Christians who settled in Antioch began witnessing to the Gentiles.
ACTS—NOTE ON 11:21 The hand of the Lord was with them is another reminder that this remarkable expansion of the church came about only by God’s power, not by human wisdom or skill.
ACTS—NOTE ON 11:22 they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When the “mother church” in Jerusalem heard of Antioch’s witness to the Gentiles, they sent Barnabas to validate the new outreach, much as they had sent Peter and John to approve the Samaritan mission (8:14).
ACTS—NOTE ON 11:24 full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. This does not describe a single experience but a general characteristic of Barnabas’s life. The persecution by Herod (12:1–19) and Herod’s death (12:20–23) would have been inserted at this point in the narrative if Luke had been writing everything in exact chronological order, because Herod died in A.D. 44 (see 12:23), and Paul apparently stayed in Tarsus until A.D. 45, when Barnabas went there and summoned him to Antioch (11:25–26). But Luke here departs from strict chronological order because he is telling the story of the church in Antioch. He continues on this topic until v. 30 and then turns to discuss what happened to Herod at “about that time” (12:1). Cf. notes on Gal. 1:18; 2:1.
ACTS—NOTE ON 11:26 Paul had gone to his native Tarsus (v. 25) after his conversion (9:30). As a Diaspora Jew, he was particularly suited for the Gentile outreach. His year of participation in this mission in Antioch (probably in A.D. 45) prepared him and Barnabas for a much greater mission that would follow (13:1ff.). The fact that the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch probably reflects a label applied by the unbelieving public in Antioch and shows that the disciples were beginning to have an identity of their own apart from other Jews. Cf. also 26:28 and 1 Pet. 4:16.
ACTS—NOTE ON 11:27–30 The Offering for Jerusalem. Paul and Barnabas represented the Antioch church by conveying its offering to the Jerusalem church in a time of need. This offering may have inspired Paul for his own organizing of an offering for Jerusalem sometime later (see notes on 20:3; Rom. 15:25–28). Paul says in Gal. 2:1 that this second visit to Jerusalem (Acts 11:30) took place “after fourteen years” (presumably 14 years after his conversion), which would place this visit in either A.D. 45, 46, or 47. Most commentators believe that these calculations of years were not made according to modern standards of counting (which would require 14 full years) but by ancient “inclusive” methods, in which part of a year was still counted as a year. Paul’s “fourteen years” could have been as little as a month or two from the first year, plus 12 whole years, plus a month or two from the final year, giving about twelve and a half years by modern reckoning. Likewise, the “after three years” of Gal. 1:18 could be as little as one and a half years.
ACTS—NOTE ON 11:27 Christian prophets are mentioned elsewhere in Acts (13:1; 15:32; 21:9). Their role involved edification and encouragement as they spoke things that had been revealed to them by the Holy Spirit. Sometimes such prophecies foretold the future, as Agabus did here (see also 21:4, 10–11). On the gift of prophecy, see note on 1 Cor. 12:10 and other notes on 1 Corinthians 12–14.
ACTS—NOTE ON 11:28 a great famine. There were several famines in various parts of the Roman Empire during the reign of Claudius (A.D. 41–54) including several in Judea in the early years of his reign. Historians believe that this famine took place in the years A.D. 45–46 or else 47. Over all the world is a general prediction of the many regional famines that took place during Claudius’s reign.
ACTS—NOTE ON 11:30 The reference to elders marks a transition in day-to-day leadership of the Jerusalem church (cf. 4:35–37; 6:1–6).
ACTS—NOTE ON 12:1–25 The Jerusalem Church Is Persecuted. Chapter 12 is the last chapter in Acts that tells of the Jerusalem church without reference to Paul’s ministry.
c. A.D. 41
Largely due to his influential friendships with the Roman emperors Gaius (Caligula) and Claudius, Herod Agrippa I, a grandson of Herod the Great, pieced together what was essentially his grandfather’s old kingdom plus the region of Abilene to the north. He wielded great power over the whole region of Palestine, as well as Syria, including Tyre and Sidon.
ACTS—NOTE ON 12:1–5 The Death of James. Herod executed the apostle James and imprisoned Peter, intending to do the same to him.
ACTS—NOTE ON 12:1 about that time. See note on 11:24. Herod was Herod Agrippa I, a grandson of Herod the Great (see note on Matt. 2:1). He was reared in Rome, and because of boyhood playmates who later became emperors he was granted rule over various territories in Judea until his kingdom reached the full extent of his grandfather’s territory (A.D. 41–44). See map. His persecution of the Christians may have been an attempt to curry favor with the Jews (cf. Acts 12:3).
ACTS—NOTE ON 12:2 The martyred James was Jesus’ disciple, son of Zebedee and brother of John, not to be confused with James, the brother of Jesus and author of the book of James, who became a prominent leader in the Jerusalem church (see note on v. 17). Jesus had predicted his suffering (Mark 10:39).
ACTS—NOTE ON 12:3 Why this pleased the Jews is not specified. Perhaps the persecution following Stephen’s death (8:1) had escalated. The days of Unleavened Bread, the seven days following the Passover meal, were considered holy and not to be desecrated by an execution.
ACTS—NOTE ON 12:4 The prison was probably the Tower of Antonia, which was at the northwestern corner of the temple complex and was the quarters of the Roman garrison. The use of four squads of soldiers reflects Roman practice: one squad of four soldiers for each of the four three-hour watches of the night. Passover refers to the entire spring festival that unites Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
ACTS—NOTE ON 12:5 The mention of earnest prayer continues Luke’s emphasis that every step in building the church is due to God’s blessing and supernatural intervention.
ACTS—NOTE ON 12:6–19 Peter’s Deliverance from Prison. Peter was half asleep throughout his “escape” from prison. The angel had to rouse him and direct him (vv. 7–8), and he remained in a stupor until the angel led him through the gates and into a side street (vv. 9–11).
ACTS—NOTE ON 12:12 John whose other name was Mark will be a major figure in the next three chapters, going with Paul and Barnabas on the first part of their first missionary journey but then leaving them (see v. 25; 13:5, 13). This was a cause of contention between Paul and Barnabas (see 15:37, 39). Mark regained Paul’s favor later (see Col. 4:10; 2 Tim. 4:11; Philem. 24). Mark accompanied Peter (see 1 Pet. 5:13), and there is substantial testimony from the early church that he wrote the Gospel of Mark (see Introduction to Mark: Author and Title).
ACTS—NOTE ON 12:13–14 Rhoda’s failure to open the gate on account of her joy adds a touch of humor and heightens the suspense.
ACTS—NOTE ON 12:17 James here is the brother of Jesus (see Introduction to James: Author and Title; Gal. 1:19), not James the brother of John (who was killed by Herod, Acts 12:2). From this point forward in Acts, James seems to have the most prominent leadership role among the apostles in Jerusalem (see 15:13–21; 21:18). Though James was not one of the original Twelve, he apparently became an apostle as well (cf. 1 Cor. 15:7; Gal. 1:19; 2:9). The book of James also seems to be written on his own (apostolic) authority, not as a spokesman for someone else (see James 1:1). For some reason Peter no longer remained the leader and spokesman for the apostles in Jerusalem but went to another place. Luke does not specify where Peter went (some have suggested either Rome or Antioch); he was back in Jerusalem later for a conference (Acts 15:7–21).
ACTS—NOTE ON 12:18–19 In executing the sentries (i.e., guards), Herod was following Roman practice, which specified that soldiers who lost their prisoners were subject to the same penalty as that due to the prisoners. Since the soldiers knew that their lives were at stake, they certainly would not have all fallen asleep apart from the miraculous intervention of the angel who rescued Peter. Caesarea was the seat of the Roman government and had a mixed Jewish and Gentile population (see note on 8:40).
ACTS—NOTE ON 12:20–25 The Death of Herod Agrippa I. Chapter 12 begins and ends with Herod Agrippa I: the persecutor of the church now brings about his own death (see note on 11:24 and the parallel account of Herod Agrippa’s death in Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 19.343–350).
ACTS—NOTE ON 12:20 A chamberlain is a trusted personal assistant to a high government official; the Greek literally means “the one over the bedroom,” but such a person would have had wider responsibilities than this.
ACTS—NOTE ON 12:21 Josephus gives the added detail that Herod’s royal robes were made of silver that sparkled in the sun, provoking the crowd’s acclamation (Jewish Antiquities 19.344).
ACTS—NOTE ON 12:23 because he did not give God the glory. In contrast to Peter’s instantaneous rejection of worship in 10:26, Herod receives this wrongful praise with delight. In both cases the instinctive response to an unexpected situation revealed the condition of the man’s heart.
ACTS—NOTE ON 12:24 the word of God increased. No power can triumph over the word of God (cf. 6:7; 13:49), and those who attempt to harm God’s people will in the end face judgment themselves.
ACTS—NOTE ON 12:25 their service. That is, their famine relief journey to Jerusalem (see 11:29–30). Having completed that mission, Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch with Mark accompanying them (see 12:12).
View this chart online at http://kindle.esvsb.org/c164
| Activity | Text | Date |
|---|---|---|
| The church in Antioch sends Barnabas and Paul to Judea with relief funds. | Acts 11:29–30; 12:25 | c. A.D. 44–47 |
| James, Cephas, and John encourage Paul to remember the poor, which he is eager to do. | Gal. 2:10 | c. 44–47 |
| Paul raises support for the Christians in Jerusalem while in Ephesus. | 1 Cor. 16:1–4 (cf. note on Acts 20:4) | c. 53–55 |
| Paul raises support for the Christians in Jerusalem while in Macedonia. | 2 Corinthians 8–9 | c. 55–56 |
| Paul raises support for the Christians in Jerusalem while in Achaia. | Rom. 15:25–33 (cf. note on Acts 20:3) | Spring of 57 |
| Paul is arrested when he arrives in Jerusalem to deliver the gift. | Acts 24:17 (cf. Acts 21:17–33) | Pentecost, 57 |