The movement from the four Gospels to the Acts of the Apostles expresses the transition from the life of Jesus to the early days of his church. In this new stage of saving history, Peter is portrayed in a much more favorable light. His cloud of guilt has lifted, and he is able to serve with confident zeal. In Acts we will watch Peter carrying out the mission entrusted to him by Jesus as the rock, the fisherman, and the shepherd of the church. He will fulfill his multiple roles as spokesperson for the apostles, powerful witness to Jesus Christ, and pastoral leader of the faith community.
Luke, who is the author of both his Gospel and of the Acts of the Apostles, demonstrates the close connection between his two books through the work of the Holy Spirit. The divine Spirit who filled the life of Jesus so completely throughout his earthly life now is given to his church. This Spirit of the risen Jesus empowers the church to announce the good news, in word and deed, and to manifest the reality that Jesus continues to live at the heart of his church. Though established in his heavenly abode, Jesus continues to be present to his community on earth, empowering mediators to act on his behalf to continue the mission he began.
This point of transition from the earthly life of Jesus to the life of his church is dramatized at the top of the Mount of Olives as Acts begins.
So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:6–11)
Meeting on the Mount with the risen Jesus, the disciples are filled with yearning and hope. They want Jesus to finish the work he has begun, to fulfill his promise to restore God’s kingdom. The reply of Jesus is twofold: first, he tells them that they cannot know the timetable for God’s plan, which ends their speculation; and second, he tells them that they will be his witnesses in the world. The promised kingdom will be restored in God’s own time. In the meantime, they are not to wait idly; rather, they are to be witnesses filled with hope in the promises Jesus has left them.
The key to Acts is provided by the words of the risen Christ: “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” This opening-out of the gospel message to a continually wider audience forms the structure of the book, and Peter is shown to be the catalyst of each new stage of the church’s expansion. The good news of salvation is offered first to the Jews in Jerusalem, and from there it spreads first to the Samaritans. Then the gospel is brought to the coastal region, to the inhabitants of Lydda, Sharon, and Joppa. The outreach to the Gentiles, the clearest expression of the church’s universal mission, begins with Peter entering the home of Cornelius and the conversion of his household. This mission then continues with Paul’s journeys throughout Asia Minor, into Greece, and finally to the capital of the empire, the city of Rome.
The thrust and guidance of the church’s expanding mission comes from the Holy Spirit. In what is sometimes called a “triple Pentecost,” Acts traces the gift of the Spirit first to the Jews, then to the Samaritans, and finally to the Gentiles. At the first Pentecost, many Jewish people who have gathered in Jerusalem accept Peter’s invitation to repent, be baptized, and receive the Holy Spirit. As the witness of Jesus’ disciples spreads out into Judea and Samaria, many begin accepting the word of God. So the apostles send Peter and John to pray for the Spirit with the Samaritans, and they “laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:17). Then the good news expands even to the Gentiles, beginning in the city of Caesarea. When Peter speaks to the crowd, he proclaims that “God shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34)—that people from any nation can experience God’s salvation. While he was speaking, “the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word.”
This third outpouring of God’s Spirit indicates that both Jews and Gentiles could be equally endowed with the gift of the Holy Spirit, thus making way for the expansion of the Christian mission to the whole world. The Spirit drove the church to cross every barrier in proclaiming the gospel, thus guiding the church’s mission, first in Jerusalem, then into Judea and Samaria, and finally to the ends of the earth.
When I bring pilgrims to the small circular shrine representing the Ascension of Jesus at the top of the Mount of Olives, I reflect with them on the departure of Jesus. We should avoid being too literal in our understanding of Christ’s ascending and descending. The descent of Christ expresses his coming among us in the flesh. The ascent of Christ, the Ascension, represents his leaving this world and entering into the presence of God. It is his transition from flesh to glory that conveys the beginning of a new kind of presence for Jesus—and our hope for his glorious return.
Sometimes people wonder what it would have been like to live with Jesus and follow him during his earthly life. But truly we are able to live more closely with Jesus now than we could have when he walked the earth. The first disciples lived with Jesus; but now, in his return to the Father and the sending of his Spirit, we live in Jesus. Not only is Jesus deeply and personally present in us, but we are now united to his mission. We must not stand gazing up toward heaven, because we are to be witnesses to Jesus Christ in every place and to everyone.
The two great figures of the Torah and the prophets, Moses and Elijah, each transmitted their “spirit” to their successors at their departure. Because Moses laid his hands on Joshua, his successor, Joshua was filled with the spirit of wisdom and did as God had commanded Moses (Deuteronomy 34:9). Before Elijah ascended into heaven, Elisha, his successor, asked for a double share of his spirit. So when Elijah departed, his spirit became actively present in his successor (2 Kings 2:9, 15). Likewise, as Jesus departs, he promises his Spirit to his disciples. In fact, the two men in white garments may well represent Moses and Elijah, the departed predecessors of Jesus, who appeared with him at the Transfiguration. Of course, Jesus could have stayed longer, or even forever, but he departed in order to leave his work in the hands of his church.
From the top of the Mount of Olives, in light of Christ’s Spirit-filled church, I challenge pilgrims to discover the “other side of pilgrimage.” Conventional pilgrimage, of course, means going somewhere else to find God in a new way; the other side of pilgrimage means going somewhere else in order to bring God in a new way to that place. The call of the risen Christ for us to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth convinces us that now every place can be a holy land. We can witness to the good news and discover the open-ended movements of God’s Spirit in the least likely places, and we can bring the presence of God to people and places that wait in darkness for the dawning light of our Risen Lord.
The amazing event we call Pentecost in Acts 2 marks the baptism of the church with the Spirit and fire. It stirs into flame the grace of Christ’s death and resurrection and breathes divine power into the newborn church. This Spirit-filling event happened during the ancient Jewish feast of Pentecost, held fifty days after Passover and also known as the Feast of Weeks (Leviticus 23:15–16). Faithful Jews came to Jerusalem to give offerings and celebrate God’s giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai as a covenant-making event. When the new church is born in Jerusalem during Pentecost, God completes his promises to Israel and confirms the new covenant. At Sinai, God came down upon the mountain with a terrifying noise and in a mysterious fire. The great sound and fire of the Pentecost event in Jerusalem signify the mysterious presence of God that fills and renews God’s people with his Spirit.
The church begins with the coming of the Holy Spirit in the presence of Jews on pilgrimage from all around the world; the Jewish apostles of Jesus announce the good news of Jesus to them all. Luke tells us that everyone was “amazed and perplexed” and they began to ask one another, “What does this mean?” Again, as with all questions of Scripture, this is a query that we all must seek to answer. Through the interplay of Luke the writer and our questioning as the readers, we will be able to articulate and answer this question as we continue to read and listen.
The very first person to speak at Pentecost, in response to the inquiry of the crowd, is Peter. Not only is God creating his people anew, but the Spirit has come to rest on Peter as he begins to speak fearlessly. The same spirit that God blew into the dust to create a human being at the first creation (Genesis 2:7) now breathes life into this once cowardly disciple to create a new man. The same Peter who only a few weeks before could not speak up when his master was on trial now proclaims the message of Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Peter calls on the crowd to listen and begins to speak. He presents Jesus the Nazorean and proclaims what God has done through him. Even though he was crucified as a criminal in Jerusalem, his death was not an arbitrary tragedy; rather, his death and resurrection were necessary according to God’s saving will.
“You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know—this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power.” (Acts 2:22–24)
Peter’s speech is replete with quotations and allusions to the Scriptures of Israel. He expresses the early Christian interpretation of the Old Testament in light of the resurrection of Jesus, the key that opens up all the mysteries hidden in Israel’s Scriptures. He proclaims that Jesus is the climax of God’s saving plan and that his life, death, and resurrection complete the ancient Scriptures. The climax of Peter’s speech and the heart of all Christian witness is his declaration that the crucified Jesus is both Lord and Messiah.
The preaching of Peter makes a decisive impact on many people and provokes them to ask another question: “What should we do?” Peter responds with a clear call for a decision.
Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” (Acts 2:38–39)
The decision that Peter evokes from the crowd involves both a no and a yes: “Repent” says no to your past life of rejecting God and living for yourselves, and “Be baptized” says yes to God by faith in Jesus Christ. Through repentance and baptism, all who enter this new community of Jesus’ disciples will receive forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
From his own bitter experience of denying Jesus—and then his renewing experience of Jesus’ forgiveness—Peter knows only too well what is needed to receive abundant life. Repentance is not just being sorry; it is an act of radical conversion of mind and heart, a conscious turning toward God to receive the life he offers through Jesus. While repentance is primarily an interior experience, baptism is a public and communal expression of this new life. Baptism in the name of Jesus Christ expresses a person’s faith in him and demonstrates that this person has received new life from God.
Peter announces that God calls those in Jerusalem and their children, as well as those who are far away and dispersed among the distant nations. His exhortation is met with enthusiastic acceptance, and thousands are added that day to the community of faith. These form a powerful communal witness to others in the city, so that more and more people come to know Jesus as Messiah and Lord.
These events told in the Acts of the Apostles demonstrate that the ministry of Jesus continues in the apostolic community. The teaching, reconciling, and healing ministry of Jesus extends into the life of the church through the Holy Spirit of Pentecost. Author Luke illustrates this unity and continuity by showing parallels between the Gospel and Acts. Like master, like disciple.
Sometime after Pentecost and the birth of the new church, Peter and John meet up with a man who was lame from birth. The words and gestures of Peter are reminiscent of so many healing accounts of Jesus in the Gospels. It is as if Jesus were still with them, responding to the needs of the sick and afflicted people who came to him for help.
One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon. And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. All the people saw him walking and praising God, and they recognized him as the one who used to sit and ask for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. While he clung to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s Portico, utterly astonished. (Acts 3:1–11)
For years the man sat every day at the Beautiful Gate, one of the entrances into the temple area, to beg for alms. Because Peter and John regularly entered the temple for afternoon prayers, they must have known the man. Perhaps they had even given him coins; faithful Jews took seriously their responsibility to offer alms.
But on this particular afternoon, the apostles look very intently at him, sensing the Spirit’s desire to intervene in this man’s life. The lame man gives them his attention, no doubt hoping for financial help. Peter, however, provides him with more than money can buy. His words are emphatic and surprising: “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.”
The miracle is not performed as a feat of magic to amaze the crowds. Just as in the healings of Jesus, the miracle is a visual act that points to a deeper reality. In effect, Peter gives the man new life, portraying what God’s salvation can do in the life of anyone who receives it. This story is reminiscent of what the prophet Isaiah said, speaking of the salvation to come: “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy” (Isaiah 35:5–6). The lame man walking, leaping, and praising God is a tangible sign of the wholeness and fullness that salvation brings, which God desires for all people.
The healing of the lame man shows us how the emerging church engaged the larger community in which it lived—demonstrating compassion in visible ways to manifest God’s saving power. The miracle causes “wonder and amazement” in those who recognize the healed man as the one who used to helplessly ask for alms at the temple gate. Such deeds and responses from the people, as we saw with Jesus’ ministry, have the potential to awaken faith and also to create controversy.
As he did at Pentecost, Peter uses the opportunity of the crowd’s amazement to focus their attention on Jesus Christ and to rightly place the credit for the healing. The speech Peter delivers expresses the deeper meaning of the miracle account, and it establishes further parallels between Jesus and his apostles. Like Jesus, the apostles are now teaching in the area of the temple; and like Jesus, their teaching is closely connected to the amazing deeds they perform.
Peter’s speech makes clear that the power at work in the apostles is not their own: “By faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you” (Acts 3:16). Peter is not in control, manipulating the power he has received. His healing, rather, is an expression of faith and a form of prayer that the will of God be done.
Peter knows that helping his audience understand who Jesus is will help them appreciate what Jesus did. Peter wants to show them how everything that God has done in his servant Jesus is the culmination of a long history of prophecy and expectation. Proclaiming how Jesus is the fulfillment of ancient Scriptures, Peter testifies to the significance of his death and resurrection. Jesus is the Messiah who suffered for his people, the Christ who fulfilled what God foretold through all the prophets. He is “the Holy and Righteous One” who was rejected by those he came to save and handed over to death. But in him, a tragic human “no” was met by God’s marvelous “yes” when God raised Jesus from the dead to become “the Author of life.”
The name of Jesus is the authority Peter evokes when he preaches. In the power of that name, the sick are healed and sins are forgiven. In this name, Christ’s reign in heaven is joined with his church on earth. He alone has the authority to restore people to their original wholeness and create them anew. Peter emphasizes life, not death; repentance, not blame; the forgiving power of God that can raise anyone from the death of sin, just as he raised Jesus from the grave.
Peter’s healing of the lame man demonstrates the on-going role of Christ’s church in the world. People are broken and wounded, sick and oppressed. Jesus leaves it in the hands of his church—his community of disciples—to be his instruments of healing and compassion today. This healing takes many forms: prayer, medicine, surgery, counseling, forgiveness, and encouragement. Called to heal in the name of Christ, we use whatever means given us to enable others to experience healing as a visible manifestation of the fullness of life God desires for all people.
After the healing of the lame man in the temple courtyard, the religious authorities arrest Peter and John and put them in custody. The temple leaders are threatened by the growing number of people responding to the apostles, now about five thousand believers. Brought in for a judicial inquiry the next day, Peter respectfully addresses his examiners, seeing another opportunity to proclaim the name of Jesus Christ. Without apology, Peter declares what he has done and by whom it was made possible.
The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead.” (Acts 4:5–10)
Peter, “filled with the Holy Spirit,” speaks like a prophet and confronts his listeners with their own accountability. Jesus, whom they crucified and whom God vindicated by raising him to life, is the sole source of all power and healing.
The episode draws a sharp contrast between the Sanhedrin and the apostles. Who holds legitimate leadership over God’s people? Is it the Sanhedrin, the leaders in Jerusalem who first rejected Jesus, or is it the apostles, who continue to teach and work wonders in his name? As the book of Acts continues, Luke will show how the apostles become the true leaders of the restored Israel and rule over the twelve tribes, as Jesus had predicted.
After the council deliberates, they know they cannot punish the apostles. As evidence of the power of Jesus’ resurrection at work through the apostles, the healed man stands before them. Instead, they try to intimidate the apostles and warn them never to speak to anyone again in the name of Jesus. Will their orders prevail? We can already guess the answer.
This first indication of persecution against the apostles demonstrates that God has not called them to proclaim a gospel without sacrifice. They follow Jesus and are sent out in imitation of the one who suffered and experienced the rejection of many. These Spirit-filled apostles will not be deterred, neither by their own fear nor by the threats of others. In response to the order to cease speaking in the name of Jesus, Peter and John reply, “Whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19–20).
In the Acts of the Apostles we see several characteristics of the community of disciples. The believers form a learning church, a loving church, a worshiping church, and an evangelizing church. They find their unity in the teachings of the apostles, they hold their possessions in common to serve the needy, they celebrate the breaking of the bread and the prayers, and they proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed. The quality of their life together earns them the good favor of those outside the community. The church’s witness is infectious, and their numbers grow steadily as God converts hearts and leads many to salvation.
When Peter and John are released, they return to the community of disciples and report what the authorities said to them. In response to the warning of the religious leaders to cease preaching or teaching in the name of Jesus, the community raises their voices in prayer. They pray neither to avoid maltreatment nor for God’s punishment on their persecutors but for the strength to do God’s will and to preach the message boldly in the midst of persecution.
“And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:29–30)
The preaching of the church and the visible deeds of God go hand in hand, each confirming and upholding the other. They express their dependence on God and their desire only to carry out the mission to which they have been called.
As the healing ministry of Jesus continues in the work of his church, the apostles bring physical and spiritual healing to people, performing “signs and wonders” on behalf of the sick and the possessed. In a culture that often links sin with suffering and that regards sick persons as under the power of evil spirits, the early church extends compassion and welcome to the sick. It does so in confidence that Jesus’ death and resurrection has broken the power of the Evil One. There is nothing to fear from contact with outcasts, and the sick and suffering are God’s beloved ones.
During the earthly life of Jesus, Peter had followed Jesus from town to town, watching him cure the sick and heal the hopeless from despair. Now the crowds are following Peter around the streets of Jerusalem, bringing their sick for healing.
Yet more than ever believers were added to the Lord, great numbers of both men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on cots and mats, in order that Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he came by. A great number of people would also gather from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all cured. (Acts 5:14–16)
The people’s hope that Peter’s shadow might fall on the sick demonstrates the extent of Christ’s power working through him. It is not necessarily the direct touch and awareness of Peter that brings healing to people’s lives. Their cures occur, rather, through faith in Jesus that the presence of Peter inspires within them. Peter has become so transformed through God’s Spirit working in him that his closeness conveys to people something of the presence of Jesus.
The growth and success of the church are remarkable. Despite the continual arrest and imprisonment of the apostles, their preaching cannot be contained. The greater the authorities’ efforts to prevent the apostles from proclaiming the good news of Jesus, the more effective their witness becomes. The distinguished religious council of Jerusalem is continually embarrassed and perplexed that, despite all the precautions they take, the apostles are back again and again, preaching in the temple courts and on the streets of the city.
The Sanhedrin is powerless to stop the spread of God’s word as the apostles follow the divine mandate to continue preaching. The bafflement of the religious leaders contrasts starkly with the wondrous deeds and fearless teaching of the apostles, who remain undaunted by threats, arrests, beatings, and imprisonment. It is clearer than ever that the apostles of Jesus are the true rulers of the restored Israel. Nothing will be able to stop the advance of the gospel. The opposition may be able to persecute the church, but they will never defeat the community of those who believe in the Resurrection.
The impulsive abruptness that characterized Peter during the ministry of Jesus has now become courageous boldness through the transformation that faith offers. Willing now to suffer and die for the sake of the gospel, his life illustrates the power of forgiveness and the transformation offered through the risen Christ. Called before the highest authorities in Jerusalem, Peter and the apostles refuse to obey their order to be silent about Jesus. Ordered to cease preaching, Peter defiantly responds, “We must obey God rather than any human authority” (Acts 5:29). Standing before the council more as their judge than their victim, Peter the fisherman powerfully proclaims the salvation given by Jesus Christ.
Peter shows us that the experience of faith in Jesus as Lord implies a vocation to evangelize, to pass on the good news to others. So he makes it plain to the authorities who persecute the apostles that they have no other option than to place their divine calling before all other human commands and prohibitions. The persecution of the church in Jerusalem leads to the expansion of Christianity into the regions around the city. This same pattern continues for the church throughout history. The more the church is silenced, oppressed, and persecuted, the more it grows and the stronger it becomes. Truly the gospel cannot be contained.
What does the transformation of Peter that happened between Christ’s Passion and the Day of Pentecost say to you about the forgiving power of Jesus and the anointing power of his Spirit?
What does Peter do for the lame man besides enabling him to walk? Why is Peter able to work wonders?
In what ways can you imitate Peter in bringing healing to others in the name of Jesus?
As in the life of Jesus, the preaching and the deeds of Peter are often intertwined. Why are words and actions bound together in the ministry of Christ’s church?
Through the Holy Spirit, the same power and courage given to Peter is available to us. When have you felt empowered to do something that you felt completely inadequate to do?