Acts 5
IN AND OUT OF PRISON
17 Then the high priest (Caiaphas – not Annas) rose up. He and all who were with him, who belonged to the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy (passionately).

• Acts 23:8 - 8 For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, and neither angel nor spirit, but the Pharisees affirm them all.[1]
• Jealous because the crowds were listening and following the uneducated men rather than the educated men of the Sanhedrin.
• But they were doing this to “defend their faith”
• The council was educated, ordained, and approved, and yet they had no ministry of power.
• The Apostles were ordinary laymen, yet God’s power was at work in their lives.
• The council was trying desperately to protect themselves and their dead traditions, while the Apostles were risking their lives to share the living Word of God.
• The dynamic church was enjoying the new; the dead council was defending the old.[2]

18 So they arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.

• Not just Peter & John this time… all of the apostles.
• Peter & John had not adhered to their instructions by the Sanhedrin in Acts 4 – Shut up!
• One should not miss the irony of their being placed in the public jail, i.e., openly and for everyone to see.
• Soon they would be unable to find these very ones who were so openly placed in jail.[3]

19 But an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail during the night, brought them out, and said, 20 “Go and stand in the temple, and tell the people all about this life.” 21 Hearing this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach.

• Luke explains the breakout more in the next verses.
• The apostles received instructions from God via the angel.
• “Go and stand in the temple, and tell the people all about this life.”
• Somebody in here please show me what this looked like for them!

 
THE APOSTLES ON TRIAL AGAIN
When the high priest and those who were with him arrived, they convened the Sanhedrin—the full council of the Israelites—and sent orders to the jail to have them brought.

• This was the next morning and they had no clue what had occurred during the night.

22 But when the servants got there, they did not find them in the jail, so they returned and reported, 23 “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing in front of the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside.”

• The guards were standing so they were not sleeping.
• Clearly it said the angel opened the doors of the jail and brought them out.

24 As the captain of the temple police (the “sagan” - 2nd in line to the High Priest) and the chief priests heard these things, they were baffled about them, wondering what would come of this.

• Not how did this happen but now what is going to happen?
• How will they be perceived?
• People have a tendency to not be concerned about specifics of a situation but more concerned about how it affects them personally.

25 Someone came and reported to them, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple and teaching the people.”

• Timing here is everything.

26 Then the commander went with the servants and brought them in without force, because they were afraid the people might stone them.

• Not only did they bring them in without force because they were scared… but obviously the apostles went willingly.
• Why wouldn’t they? They get to stand before the Sadducees and tell them how they got out of jail… Angels!
• One more opportunity before the Sanhedrin to proclaim the miracles of God.

27 After they brought them in, they had them stand before the Sanhedrin, and the high priest asked, 28 “Didn’t we strictly order you not to teach in this name? Look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”

• The high priest as presiding officer began the interrogation, charging the apostles with two offenses.
• First, they had broken the interdiction of the Sanhedrin and continued to preach “in this name.”
• Second, they were determined to lay the guilt for “this man’s blood” on them, the Jewish leaders.[4]
• What the High priest avoided saying was:
• 1) Anything about their escape by an angel
• 2) He never would say Jesus’ name.

29 Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than people.

• This is a dangerous saying that has been quoted over by many people over the years.
• Most of the time it has been misappropriated and taken out of context.

30 The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had murdered by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted this man to his right hand as ruler (prince/pioneer – ushering in a new set of rules) and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him (not based upon how we act… but based upon a new nature that has transformed us into naturally obeying God.)”

• In their defense they presented the Gospel one more time to the Sanhedrin.
• The High Priest was worried that the Sanhedrin might even be killed because they were being accused of killing Jesus.
• But Peter & the Apostles were more concerned about saving the High Priest & Sanhedrin than getting them killed.
• The apostles give the Jewish leaders one more opportunity to repent.

 
GAMALIEL’S ADVICE
33 When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.

• Seeking the death penalty. – The Sadducees.

34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law who was respected by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered the men to be taken outside for a little while.

• Gamaliel was a Pharisee who probably did not want to see the Sadducees win any victories.
• He was a scholar highly esteemed by the people, rather liberal in his applications of the Law, and apparently moderate in his approach to problems.
• Paul was trained by Gamaliel (Acts 22:3).
• Gamaliel’s “counsel” was unwise and dangerous, but God used it to save the Apostles from death.
• That the Sadducees would heed the words of a Pharisee shows how distinguished a man Gamaliel was.[5]
• He didn’t think he needed much time to convince them… thus the “little while”.

35 He said to them, “Men of Israel, be careful about what you’re about to do to these men. 36 Some time ago Theudas (they-dus) rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, and all his followers were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After this man, Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and attracted a following. He also perished, and all his followers were scattered. 38 So in the present case, I tell you, stay away from these men and leave them alone. For if this plan or this work is of human origin, it will fail; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even be found fighting against God.”

• God will work out His will.
• Gamaliel used logic rather than emotion.
• He associated Jesus with two rebels which means he rejected all the evidence given by the apostles.
• Jesus was just another troublemaker to him.
• But the rebels never resurrected like Jesus did.
• “There is nothing to see or worry about here… it will dissolve on its own.”
• Gamaliel also refused to that we live in a fallen world and sometimes lies can prevail over Truth.
• But the Truth actually did prevail here.
• Gamaliel is recognized by the Jewish leaders as a distinguished scholar… but this doesn’t necessarily make him wise.
• Why didn’t he take what he knew (prophecy) and match it to what has already occurred right in front of his eyes… The evidence… again and again.

They were persuaded by him.

• They listened to Gamaliel and compromised.

40 After they called in the apostles and had them flogged, they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them.

• Deuteronomy 25:1-3 - 1 “If there is a dispute between men, they are to go to court, and the judges will hear their case. They will clear the innocent and condemn the guilty. 2 If the guilty party deserves to be flogged, the judge will make him lie down and be flogged in his presence with the number of lashes appropriate for his crime. 3 He may be flogged with forty lashes, but no more. Otherwise, if he is flogged with more lashes than these, your brother will be degraded in your sight.[6]
• 2 Corinthians 11:24 - 24 Five times I received the forty lashes minus one from the Jews.[7]

41 Then they went out from the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to be treated shamefully on behalf of the Name.

• How did the Apostles respond to this illegal treatment from their nation’s religious leaders?
• They rejoiced!
• Jesus had told them to expect persecution and had instructed them to rejoice in it (Matt. 5:10–12).
• The opposition of men meant the approval of God, and it was actually a privilege to suffer for His name (Phil. 1:29).[8]

42 Every day in the temple, and in various homes, they continued teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.[9]

• In the temple… they proclaimed the Good News (preached).

In the homes… they taught the Good News.

[1] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 23:8). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 425). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[3] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 166). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[4] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 168). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[5] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 426). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[6] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Dt 25:1–3). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (2 Co 11:24). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[8] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 427). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[9] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 5:1–42). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

Acts 5
LYING TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property.

• Ananias means “God is gracious,” but he learned that God is also holy; and Sapphira means “beautiful,”[1]

2 However, he kept back part of the proceeds with his wife’s knowledge, and brought a portion of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

• Nosphizomai – Greek word to describe his action in holding back part of the money.
• The verb means to pilfer, to purloin, to embezzle.
• One does not embezzle one’s own funds but those of another, in this instance those that rightfully belonged to the common Christian fund.[2]
• Same Greek word used Joshua 7 when Achan took from the fund of Jericho that was devoted for sacred use.
• Achan received the judgment of death from God.

3 “Ananias,” Peter asked, “why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the proceeds of the land?

• How did Peter know?
• The Church was of one heart and one mind (Acts 4:32)

4 Wasn’t it yours while you possessed it? And after it was sold, wasn’t it at your disposal? Why is it that you planned this thing in your heart? You have not lied to people but to God.”

• They were not required to sell the property; and, having sold it, they were not required to give any of the money to the church.
• Their lust for recognition conceived sin in their hearts, and that sin eventually produced death (James 1:15 - Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death. [3]).[4]

5 When he heard these words, Ananias dropped dead, and a great fear came on all who heard. 6 The young men got up, wrapped his body, carried him out, and buried him.

• Only prophets and kings were buried within Jerusalem and few of those.
• Burial was generally outside the walls, where the corpse was laid in a cave, which explains why the young men could complete the procedure so quickly.[5]

7 About three hours later, his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.

• Ananias was dead and buried, and Sapphira did not even know it!
• Satan always keeps his servants in the dark, while God guides His servants in the light (John 15:15).[6]
• In both his Gospel and in Acts, Luke paired women with men, particularly in contexts of witness and discipleship.
• Here perhaps he was showing that along with discipleship goes responsibility; and this applies to all disciples, female as well as male.[7]

8 “Tell me,” Peter asked her, “did you sell the land for this price?”
“Yes,” she said, “for that price.”
9 Then Peter said to her, “Why did you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”

• Peter’s role was to confront… not judge.
• This is the first Sapphira heard of Ananias’ death.

10 Instantly she dropped dead at his feet.

• Now she lay at Peter’s feet, in the place of her money.
• The same place that Ananias had laid the money.

When the young men came in, they found her dead, carried her out, and buried her beside her husband.

• He was letting everybody know that He would not tolerate deception in His church.
• If the Church is God’s temple, where He dwells… why wouldn’t Satan want to enter into the Church?
• The church is safe so long as Satan is attacking from the outside, but when he gets on the inside, the church is in danger.
• The Church as a flock
• If Satan cannot defeat the church by attacks from the outside, he will get on the inside and go to work.[8]
• Acts 20:28–31 - 28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. 29 I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Men will rise up even from your own number and distort the truth to lure the disciples into following them. 31 Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for three years I never stopped warning each one of you with tears.[9]
• The Church is God’s army.
• 2 Timothy 2:1-4 - 1 You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
• Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life; he seeks to please the commanding officer.[10]

11 Then great fear came on the whole church and on all who heard these things.

• This is the 1st time the word “Church” (Ekklesia) is mentioned in the Bible.
• The people of God gathered in a religious community.
• By the power of this spiritual presence in its midst, the young community worked miracles, witnessed fearlessly, and was blessed with incredible growth.
• The Spirit was the power behind its unity, and its unity was the power behind its witness.
• The church can only thrive as the people of God if it lives within the total trust of all its members.
• Where there is that unity of trust, that oneness of heart and mind, the church flourishes in the power of the Spirit.
• Where there is duplicity and distrust, its witness fails.[11]

 

• Often it is said that the pair died of psychological fright.
• This can be neither proved nor disproved from the text, and it well may have been the case; but it does not alleviate the strong judgmental note of the text.
• Peter knew and told Sapphira beforehand that she was about to be carried feet first out the door.
• When all is said and done, there is no “comfortable” solution to the passage.
• It is a unique story. There is nothing like it elsewhere in Acts, or for that matter in the New Testament.
• It’s as if God treated the early Church as an infant.
• Their death did not necessarily involve their loss of salvation.
• Still, the judgment that befell Ananias and Sapphira was severe, and one is all too aware that today’s churches would be much emptier if such standards were consistently applied.
• The same Spirit that gave the community its growth also maintained its purity.
• This seems to have been Luke’s point, for the Ananias and Sapphira story is bracketed by an emphasis on the unity of the community (4:32–35) and the power of the Spirit in its midst (5:12–16)[12]

 
APOSTOLIC SIGNS AND WONDERS
12 Many signs and wonders were being done among the people through the hands of the apostles.

• This was God’s way of authenticating the apostle’s ministry.
• Not only for God’s glory but His stamp of approval.
• We find no miracles performed in Genesis, but at the beginning of the age of Law, Moses performed great signs and wonders.
• Elijah and Elisha were miracle workers at the beginning of the great era of the Prophets, and Jesus and the Apostles performed signs and wonders when the Gospel Age was inaugurated.
• Each time God opened a new door, He called man’s attention to it.
• It was His way of saying, “Follow these leaders, because I have sent them.”
• Remember in John 14:13-14 when Jesus said you will do even greater works than these you have seen?
• When Jesus performed miracles during His ministry on earth, He had three purposes in mind:
• (1) to show compassion and meet human need;
• (2) to present His credentials as the Son of God;
• (3) to convey spiritual truth.
• For example, when He fed the 5,000, the miracle met their physical need, revealed Him as the Son of God, and gave Him opportunity to preach a sermon about the Bread of Life (John 6).
• The apostolic miracles followed a similar pattern.
• Peter and John healed the crippled beggar and met his need, but Peter used that miracle to preach a salvation sermon and to prove to the people and the council that he and John were indeed the servants of the living Christ. One[13]

They were all together (unified) in Solomon’s Colonnade.

• This is probably in reference to the apostles only so as not to contradict the next verse.
• Pictures of Temple & Cory at Colonnade.
• Crisis in the Church – Come together and wait for God to work.

13 No one else dared to join them, but the people spoke well of them.

• There was intimidation after what just happened with Ananias & Sapphira.
• The people were not only talking about them… they were watching them closely.

14 Believers were added to the Lord in increasing numbers—multitudes of both men and women.

• For the 1st time Luke includes women in his reference to salvations added.
• Luke is consistent in including women as part of the growth of the Church.
• This was not normal in that day.

15 As a result, they would carry the sick out into the streets and lay them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them.

• Whether or not they were healed by Peter’s shadow Luke did not explicitly say, but the note underlines the strength of the apostle’s healing reputation.[14]
• Acts 19:11 - God was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul’s hands, 12 so that even facecloths or aprons that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, and the diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them.[15]

16 In addition, a multitude came together from the towns surrounding Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

• At this point the apostles were still confined to Jerusalem.
• The people came to them from the outlying villages.
• Only later would they go forth from Jerusalem and take their gospel and their healing ministry into the villages of Judea.[16]

[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 422). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[2] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 156). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[3] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Jas 1:15). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 422). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[5] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[6] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 422). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[7] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 156). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[8] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 422). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[9] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 20:28–31). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[10] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (2 Ti 2:1–4). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[11] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 160). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[12] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, pp. 161–162). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[13] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 423). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[14] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 164). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[15] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 19:11–12). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[16] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 164). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Acts 4
PETER AND JOHN ARRESTED
1 While they were speaking to the people,
 

• Peter was interrupted in the middle of his message.
• “they” implies John was speaking too.

the priests, the captain of the temple police,

• “Sagan” - The sagan had extensive duties, which included assisting the high priest in all ceremonies and serving as his alternate in such capacities.
• Ranking second in the priestly hierarchy, he was always chosen from one of the families of the priestly aristocracy.
• Serving as sagan was viewed as a stepping-stone to appointment as high priest.
• The sagan’s involvement in this scene is particularly appropriate since he had ultimate responsibility for order in the temple grounds and had the power to arrest.[1]

and the Sadducees confronted them, 2 because they were annoyed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.

• The Sadducees of the first century represented the “conservative” viewpoint.
• They rejected the oral traditions of the Pharisees and considered only the written Torah of the Pentateuch as valid.
• They considered the concepts of demons and angels, immortality and resurrection as innovations, believing in no life beyond this life[2]

3 So they seized them and took them into custody until the next day since it was already evening.

• The religious leaders were not only disturbed at the apostles’ teaching, but likely offended that they were instructing the people in the first place.
• The priests and Sadducees, along with the Pharisees, typically occupied the role of teachers, and the apostles have usurped that status—with great success.[3]

4 But many of those who heard the message believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.
 
PETER AND JOHN FACE THE JEWISH LEADERSHIP
5 The next day, their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem 6 with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all the members of the high-priestly family.

• Annas was the high priest recognized by the Jews
• Caiaphas (son-in-law) was the high priest recognized by the Romans when Annas was deposed.

7 After they had Peter and John stand before them, they began to question them: “By what power or in what name have you done this?”

• Their question was legal, but they did everything they could to avoid admitting that a miracle had taken place (Acts 4:14).
• They were evasive and merely referred to the miracle as “this.”
• They were probably scornful as well, so that their question might be paraphrased, “Where did common people like you get the power and authority to do a thing like this?”[4]

8 Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said to them,

• The Holy Spirit was telling Peter what to say.

“Rulers of the people and elders: 9 If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a disabled man, by what means he was healed,

• They asked for a name but Peter redirects them to the healing of the lame man whom they all probably contributed to many times over the years.
• Then he gives them the name they dread to hear.

10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing here before you healthy. 11 This Jesus is
the stone rejected by you builders,
which has become the cornerstone. (Psalm 118:22)

• Peter made it clear that Jesus was the stone that was rejected by the builders (Sanhedrin).
• “Cornerstone” may refer to:
• (1) the stone in a new building laid first with great care and ceremony so as to ensure a straight and level foundation;
• (2) the interlocking cornerstones that join and strengthen two connecting walls;
• (3) the capstone at the top corner of a wall; or
• (4) the keystone of an arched door or gateway, the center and topmost stone that joins the two sides and supports the arch itself (the most important stone in which the name of the city, the ruler, and builder were often carved).[5]
• This metaphor is picked up again by Peter (1 Pet 2:4) and Paul (Rom 9:32–33; Eph 2:20). Jesus cites this psalm in Matt 21:42.[6]

12 There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”

• Peter’s message usually ends with an appeal to receive Jesus… not here.
• Their decision to believe would rest in their verdict.

 
THE BOLDNESS OF THE DISCIPLES
13 When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus.

• This does not imply that Peter and John were ignorant, but that they lacked formal training in the law of Moses.[7]
• When you are filled with the Holy Spirit… He will give you the words to say.
• “I don’t know what to say…”
• “I can’t teach…” At camp… “that was the best class”

14 And since they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in opposition.

• Peter’s testimony was the healed man “standing” there and Jesus’ name!

15 After they ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin, they conferred among themselves, 16 saying, “What should we do with these men? For an obvious sign has been done through them, clear to everyone living in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But so that this does not spread any further among the people, let’s threaten them against speaking to anyone in this name again.”

• In this instance they were at something of a loss.
• They really had no charge to lay upon them.
• Further, the accused were popular with the people, for the news about healing of the lame man had already spread throughout Jerusalem.
• There was only one thing they could do—they could threaten.[8]

18 So they called for them and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
19 Peter and John answered them, “Whether it’s right in the sight of God for us to listen to you rather than to God, you decide; 20 for we are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

• Peter was not intimidated by the council.
• The response was much the same as that given by Socrates to his Athenian accusers who warned him to desist from his teaching.
• The saying had become quite proverbial, however, and was widely used by Jews and Greeks.
• It would seem a bit ironic if these unlearned and common men (v. 13) were throwing the words of the Greek philosopher at them.[9]

21 After threatening them further, they released them. They found no way to punish them because the people were all giving glory to God over what had been done. 22 For this sign of healing had been performed on a man over forty years old.

• The council did not want the Gospel message to spread, and yet that is exactly what happened!
• From 120 praying men and women in Acts 1, the church increased to more than 3,000 on the Day of Pentecost; and now there were more than 5,000 disciples in the fellowship.
• In the days that followed, “believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women” (Acts 5:14; and see 6:1, 7).
• Satan’s attempts to silence the church only led to a stronger witness for the Lord.[10]

 
PRAYER FOR BOLDNESS
23 After they were released, they went to their own people and reported everything the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together to God and said, “Master, you are the one who made the heaven, the earth, and the sea, and everything in them. 25 You said through the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father David your servant:
Why do the Gentiles rage
and the peoples plot futile things?
26 The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers assemble together
against the Lord and against his Messiah. (Psalm 2:1-2)
27 “For, in fact, in this city both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, assembled together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, 28 to do whatever your hand and your will had predestined to take place. 29 And now, Lord, consider their threats, and grant that your servants may speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand for healing, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God boldly.

• They did not pray to have their circumstances changed or their enemies put out of office.
• Rather, they asked God to empower them to make the best use of their circumstances and to accomplish what He had already determined.
• They did not ask for protection; they asked for power.
• They did not ask for fire from heaven to destroy the enemy, but for power from heaven to preach the Word and heal the sick.
• Their great desire was for boldness in the face of opposition.
• The emphasis is on the hand of God at work in the life of the church, not the hand of man at work for God.
• God’s answer was to shake the place where they were meeting and to fill the people once again with the Spirit of God (Acts 4:31).[11]

 
ALL THINGS IN COMMON
32 Now the entire group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but instead they held everything in common.

• Perfect picture of the Church.
• This was said many times at camp this week.

33 With great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on all of them. 34 For there was not a needy person among them because all those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the proceeds of what was sold, 35 and laid them at the apostles’ feet. This was then distributed to each person as any had need.
36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus by birth, the one the apostles called Barnabas (which is translated Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a field he owned, brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.[12]

• We also learn that Barnabas was a Levite from Cyprus.
• Levites were not supposed to own land, but that no longer seemed to apply in Barnabas’s day.
• Jeremiah, a priest, owned land (Jer 32:6–15).[13]
• Possibly could have meant land outside of Palestine… Cypress was not in Palestine.
• Barnabas mentioned 25 times in verses to come.

[1] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 139). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[2] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 139). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[3] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ac 4:2). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[4] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 416). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[5] Swanson, D. M. (2000). Cornerstone. In D. N. Freedman, A. C. Myers, & A. B. Beck (Eds.), Eerdmans dictionary of the Bible (p. 285). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.
[6] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ac 4:11). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[7] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ac 4:13). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[8] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 146). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[9] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 146). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[10] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 417). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[11] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 419). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[12] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 4:1–37). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[13] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 154). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Acts 3
HEALING OF A LAME MAN
1 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple for the time of prayer at three in the afternoon.

• Peter did all the speaking and acting, with John merely standing in the background.
• John’s presence is sometimes explained as based on the Jewish law that at least two witnesses are necessary to confirm any testimony (2 Cor 13:1).
• The practice may be traced to Jesus’ sending his disciples out on mission by pairs (Luke 10:1), a practice that still retains its wisdom and validity.
• John was his intern?
• Peter and John are often found together in Scripture.
• They were partners in the fishing business (Luke 5:10); they prepared the last Passover for Jesus (Luke 22:8); they ran to the tomb on the first Easter Sunday morning (John 20:3–4); and they ministered to the Samaritans who believed on Jesus Christ (Acts 8:14).
• Now that they were filled with the Holy Spirit, the Apostles were no longer competing for greatness, but were at last working faithfully together to build the church (Ps. 133).[1]​
• There were various accesses to the temple, some of which involved a descent.
• Whether one actually ascended or descended to the temple, the customary idiom was to “go up” for worship there.
• The time of the apostles’ visit was the “ninth” hour, three in the afternoon, i.e., the hour of prayer.
• It was also the time of the evening Tamid, one of the two sacrifices held daily in the temple.
• These had become prescribed times of prayer, and people would come to the temple at the sacrifice times to observe the ceremony and pray.
• The largest crowds would thus have been found at the times of sacrifice, as Peter and John must have been well aware; for they went to the temple for prayer and for witness.[2]

2 A man who was lame from birth was being carried there. He was placed each day at the temple gate called Beautiful, so that he could beg from those entering the temple.

• The rabbis taught that there were three pillars for the Jewish faith—the Torah, worship, and the showing of kindness, or charity.
• Alms giving was one of the main ways to show kindness and was thus considered a major expression of one’s devotion to God.
• With their minds set on worship, those who entered the temple for the evening sacrifice and prayer would be particularly disposed to practice their piety by generously giving alms to a lame beggar.[3]
• Almost placed there as “an opportunity”
• This man had been lame for over 40 years according to Acts 4:22.

3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter the temple, he asked for money.

• This sounded like a broken record.
• Repeated his begging hundreds of times a day for years.

4 Peter, along with John, looked straight at him and said, “Look at us.”

• The beggar gave them his total attention.
• He expected something in return.

5 So he turned to them, expecting to get something from them. 6 But Peter said, “I don’t have silver or gold,

• They had already given their resources to the community in Acts 2:44-45

but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” 7 Then, taking him by the right hand he raised him up, and at once his feet and ankles became strong. 8 So he jumped up and started to walk, and he entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God.

• To invoke the name of Jesus is to call upon his authority and power.
• In a real sense, then, Jesus through Peter continued his healing ministry.
• With a healing touch common to miracle narratives, Peter grasped the man’s right hand and lifted him up.
• It is almost as if at this point the man needed all the encouragement he could get.11
• The man felt the new strength surging through his feet and ankles.
• He jumped to his feet and began to walk.
• With his increasing awareness of the miracle that had happened to him, he entered the sanctuary with Peter and John.
• Before, as the lame beggar, he sat in the court of the Gentiles at the gate to the sanctuary.
• Day by day he sat there at the threshold to the place of worship, but he could not enter.
• He was lame, blemished, and denied access to the inner courts (cf. Lev 21:17–20; 2 Sam 5:8).
• At this time not only had he received physical healing, but he had found spiritual acceptance as well.
• For the first time he was deemed worthy to enter the house of worship.
• This theme will repeat itself in Acts.
• Those who were rejected as unworthy for worship in the old religion of Israel found full acceptance in the name of Jesus, whether a lame beggar, an Ethiopian eunuch, a woman, or a Gentile.[4]

9 All the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and they recognized that he was the one who used to sit and beg at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. So they were filled with awe and astonishment at what had happened to him.

• Luke (the narrator) has already established the familiarity of local people with the once lame, but now healed, man.
• The people in the temple clearly grasped that a miracle had taken place; there was no doubt about its authenticity.[5]

 
PREACHING IN SOLOMON’S COLONNADE
11 While he was holding on to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astonished, ran toward them in what is called Solomon’s Colonnade.

• Show Map of the Temple
• A shaded area along the eastern wall of the Court of the Gentiles. It was used for commerce, teaching, and conversation. Acts later records that Christians sometimes gathered there (5:12).[6]

12 When Peter saw this, he addressed the people: “Fellow Israelites, why are you amazed at this? Why do you stare at us, as though we had made him walk by our own power or godliness? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and denied before Pilate, though he had decided to release him. 14 You denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer released to you. 15 You killed the source of life, whom God raised from the dead; we are witnesses of this.

• This was just about 8 weeks ago.

16 By faith in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. So the faith that comes through Jesus has given him this perfect health in front of all of you.

• In his sermon at Pentecost, Peter had to refute the accusation that the believers were drunk.
• In this sermon, he had to refute the notion that he and John had healed the man by their own power.
• (Paul and Barnabas would face a similar situation after healing a lame man. See Acts 14:8–18.)
• Peter immediately identified the source of the miracle—Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
• Wisely, Peter said that this was the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.[7]
• As at Pentecost, Peter was addressing people who knew the Scriptures and were acquainted with the recent events in Jerusalem (see Luke 24:18).
• It was not a group of ignorant pagans with no religious background.[8]
• There must be conviction before a sinner can experience conversion.
• Unless a patient is convinced that he is sick, he will never accept the diagnosis or take the treatment.
• Peter turned the temple into a courtroom and laid all the evidence out for everybody to see.
• How could two ordinary fishermen perform such a great miracle unless God was with them?
• Nobody would dare deny the miracle because the beggar stood there before them all in “perfect soundness” (Acts 3:16; 4:14).
• To accept the miracle would have been to admit that Jesus Christ is indeed the living Son of God and that His name has power.[9]

17 “And now, brothers and sisters, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your leaders also did. 18 In this way God fulfilled what he had predicted through all the prophets—that his Messiah would suffer. 19 Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out, 20 that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send Jesus, who has been appointed for you as the Messiah.

• But Peter did not leave the people without hope.
• In fact, he almost seemed to defend them by pointing out that they had acted in ignorance (Acts 3:17) while at the same time they had fulfilled the Word of God (Acts 3:18).
• In the Old Testament Law, there is a difference between deliberate sins and sins of ignorance (see Lev. 4–5; Num. 15:22–31).
• The person who sinned presumptuously was a rebel against God and was guilty of great sin.
• He was to be “cut off” from his people (Num. 15:30–31), which could mean excommunication and even death.
• The defiant “high-handed” sinner was condemned, but the person who sinned unwittingly and without deliberate intent was given opportunity to repent and seek God’s forgiveness.
• Ignorance does not remove the sinner’s guilt, but it does mitigate the circumstances.[10]
• The call to repentance is always included in the gospel message.
• Acts emphasizes the essential place of repentance in embracing the salvation Christ offers. See 2:38.[11]

21 Heaven must receive him until the time of the restoration of all things, which God spoke about through his holy prophets from the beginning. 22 Moses said: The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers and sisters. You must listen to everything he tells you. 23 And everyone who does not listen to that prophet will be completely cut off from the people.
24 “In addition, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those after him, have also foretold these days. 25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors, saying to Abraham, And all the families of the earth will be blessed through your offspring. 26 God raised up his servant and sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your evil ways.”[12]

• Having announced the crime, presented the evidence, and explained the nature of their sin, Peter then offered them pardon!
• What a strange thing for the prosecuting attorney to become the defense attorney and the pardoning judge!
• Peter’s burden was to encourage his people to trust Christ and experience His gracious salvation.[13]
• What Peter was concerned to do was to convince his Jewish hearers that God’s covenant with Abraham was fully realized in Jesus.[14]
• What was true for the Jews in Solomon’s Colonnade still holds true today.
• Only in receiving the Christ of God by repentance and turning to him is there forgiveness, refreshing, and restoration.[15]
• It may have taken the apostles some time to fully realize the implications of the missionary imperative, but there it is.
• Peter was primarily concerned with the Jews.
• The gospel was preached to them first.

Soon it would reach far beyond the boundaries of Judaism “to all the peoples on earth.”[16]

[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 412). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[2] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 125). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[3] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 126). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[4] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 128). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[5] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ac 3:10). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[6] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ac 3:11). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[7] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 412). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[8] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 413). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[9] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 413). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[10] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 413). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[11] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ac 3:19). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[12] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 3:1–26). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[13] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 413). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[14] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 137). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[15] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 135). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[16] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 137). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

The Date: The book of Acts closes with Paul in prison for two years in Rome (acts 28:16, 30-31).

• The apostle Paul was taken to Rome as a prisoner about 61-62 AD.
• It is likely the book was written at the end of Paul’s two-year imprisonment (63-64 AD), which was a little over 30 years after the crucifixion of Christ.

 
PENTECOST
Acts 2
1 When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place.

• Pentecost - Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks
• The Hebrew is shah-voo-oat, but it is also correct to say Shavuos (shah-voo-ohs).
• Shavuot means weeks.” The Greek word for this holiday is Pentecost, which means “50th.”
• Shavuot in the Old Testament (see Leviticus 23:15-21)
• Shavuot occurs 50 days or seven weeks after Passover. In the month of Sivan (May/June)
• It is a harvest celebration commemorating God’s provision for and sustenance of His people.
• Shavuot shares two important characteristics with the holidays Pesach (Passover) and Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles):
• All three holidays involved a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
• All three holidays involved firstfruit offerings at the Temple.
• Passover, in early spring, included firstfruits from the first harvest, barley.
• Shavuot, in late spring, included firstfruits from the wheat harvest.
• Among the many offerings given, was a “wave offering” of two loaves of leavened bread. This was the firstfruits offering.
• Sukkot, in the fall, was the final harvest and included firstfruits of olives and grapes.
• Jerusalem is less than 1 square mile
• Population of 60,000
• 125,000-500,000 show up for Pentecost
• According to Jewish tradition, Moses received the Law from God at Mount Sinai during Shavuot.
• Jewish tradition also suggests that King David both was born and died on Shavuot.
• The Ten Commandments are read to commemorate the giving of the Law.
• Some Jewish people stay up all night studying the Torah (Law) to “re-live” the revelation at Mount Sinai.
• Jewish people traditionally decorate their homes and synagogues with flowers and greens.
• An older tradition prescribes that two loaves of leavened bread be baked; some say they represent all of humanity (one loaf is the Jewish people, the other Gentiles), while others see them as representing the two tablets Moses brought down from Sinai.

 
Shavuot in the New Testament

• (see Acts 2)
• Peter seemed to know the tradition that King David was born and died on Shavuot as he gave his sermon. He used the prophecies of David in the Psalms to speak of the resurrection of Jesus, the Son of David.

 
Prophecy fulfilled

• Peter pointed out to the crowd that what they were witnessing was a fulfillment of prophecy from the book of Joel (Joel 2:28).
• An experience of revelation and community
• A mighty revelation occurred that day as 3,000 Jewish people understood the truth of Peter’s words and became followers of Jesus.

 
Shavuot in the future: the harvest festival to come

• Just as there was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit so that Jewish people heard and accepted Jesus in a supernatural way on Pentecost, so an even greater outpouring is predicted by the prophet Zechariah: “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10).
• Yes, there will be mourning when all of Israel finally realizes who Jesus is, but after the mourning and the repentance there will be great joy. Yeshua said this regarding the end-time harvest of souls:
• “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest”
• Matthew 9:37, 38[1]

 
2 Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind (pnoe –no-eee) came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. 3 They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and rested on each one of them. 4 Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them.

• The picture is that of one great flame representing the Spirit, which separates into many tongues of flame with one resting on each individual.[2]
• The tongues of fire symbolized the powerful witness of the church to the people.
• They were able to speak with Jewish pilgrims of many languages from all over the Mediterranean world.[3]
• There would be two changes: the Spirit would dwell in people and not just come on them, and His presence would be permanent, not temporary[4]

5 Now there were Jews staying in Jerusalem, devout people from every nation under heaven.

• Jews of the “diaspora” (dispersion; cf. James 1:1; 1 Peter 1:1) were … in Jerusalem for the feast.
• Perhaps they were bilingual, speaking both Greek and their native languages.
• They were dumbfounded to hear Jews from Galilee speaking the languages of peoples surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.[5]

6 When this sound occurred, a crowd came together and was confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 They were astounded and amazed, saying, “Look, aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 How is it that each of us can hear them in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites; those who live in Mesopotamia, in Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts), 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the magnificent acts of God in our own tongues.” 12 They were all astounded and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But some sneered and said, “They’re drunk on new wine.”

• Note that the believers were praising God, not preaching the Gospel, and that they used known languages, not an “unknown tongue” (Acts 2:6, 8).
• Luke named fifteen different geographical locations and clearly stated that the citizens of those places heard Peter and the others declare God’s wonderful works in languages they could understand.[6]
• Show Middle East Map
• Here for the first time appears a motif that runs throughout Luke-Acts—in itself, without the element of personal faith and experience, even the most profound aspects of the good news are not self-confirming but can lead to skepticism and even rejection (cf. Luke 24:11; Acts 17:32; 26:24).[7]

 
PETER’S SERMON
14 Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them: “Fellow Jews and all you residents of Jerusalem, let me explain this to you and pay attention to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it’s only nine in the morning.

• The joyful worship of the believers was not the result of too much wine; it was the evidence of the arrival of God’s Holy Spirit to dwell in His people.
• Orthodox Jews did not eat or drink before 9 a.m. on the Sabbath or on a holy day, nor did they usually drink wine except with meals.[8]

16 On the contrary, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
17 And it will be in the last days, says God,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all people;
then your sons and your daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
and your old men will dream dreams.
18 I will even pour out my Spirit
on my servants in those days, both men and women
and they will prophesy.
19 I will display wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below:
blood and fire and a cloud of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.
21 Then everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.

• Peter did not say that Pentecost was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel 2:28–32, because the signs and wonders predicted had not occurred.
• When you read Joel’s prophecy in context, you see that it deals with the nation of Israel in the end times, in connection with “the Day of the Lord.”
• However, Peter was led by the Spirit to see in the prophecy an application to the church. He said, “This is that same Holy Spirit that Joel wrote about. He is here!”
• Such an announcement would seem incredible to the Jews, because they thought God’s Spirit was given only to a few select people (see Num. 11:28–29). But here were 120 of their fellow Jews, men and women, enjoying the blessing of the same Holy Spirit that had empowered Moses, David, and the prophets.[9]

22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to these words: This Jesus of Nazareth was a man attested to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through him, just as you yourselves know. 23 Though he was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail him to a cross and kill him. 24 God raised him up, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by death.
 
25 For David says of him:
I saw the Lord ever before me;
because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart is glad
and my tongue rejoices.
Moreover, my flesh will rest in hope,
27 because you will not abandon me in Hades
or allow your holy one to see decay.
28 You have revealed the paths of life to me;
you will fill me with gladness
in your presence.
29 “Brothers and sisters, I can confidently speak to you about the patriarch David: He is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn an oath to him to seat one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke concerning the resurrection of the Messiah: He was not abandoned in Hades, and his flesh did not experience decay.
32 “God has raised this Jesus; we are all witnesses of this. 33 Therefore, since he has been exalted to the right hand of God and has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, he has poured out what you both see and hear. 34 For it was not David who ascended into the heavens, but he himself says:
The Lord declared to my Lord,
‘Sit at my right hand
35 until I make your enemies your footstool.’

• But Peter told them the truth: Jesus of Nazareth had indeed been raised from the dead, and the Resurrection proves that He is the Messiah!
• Peter gave them four proofs of the resurrection of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and then he called on them to believe on Christ and be saved.

 

1. His first proof was the person of Jesus Christ (vv. 22–24). Peter’s audience knew that Jesus was a real Person from the town of Nazareth and that He had performed many signs and miracles. (On “Jesus of Nazareth,” see Acts 2:22; 3:6; 4:10; 6:14; 10:38; 22:8; 26:9; also 24:5.) It was clear that God’s hand was on Him. They had heard Him speak and had watched His life. They had even seen Him raise the dead, yet they could find no fault in Him—and these things were not “done in a corner”! (Acts 26:26)

 
       2. Peter’s second proof was the prophecy of David (vv. 25–31). He quoted Psalm 16:8–11, verses that obviously              could not apply to David who was already dead and buried. Being a prophet of God, David wrote about the                Messiah, that His soul would not remain in hades (the realm of the dead) or His body in the grave where it would              decay. 
       3.  The third proof was the witness of the believers (v. 33). After His resurrection, Jesus did not appear to the                      world at large, but to His own followers whom He had commissioned to give witness to others that He was                     alive (Acts 1:3, 22).

• But were these people dependable witnesses? Can we trust them? We certainly can!
• Prior to Christ’s resurrection, the disciples did not even believe that He would be raised from the dead; and they themselves had to be convinced (Mark 16:9–14; Acts 1:3). They had nothing to gain by preaching a lie, because their message aroused official opposition and even led to the imprisonment and death of some of the believers.
• A few fanatics might be willing to believe and promote a lie for a time, but when thousands believe a message, and when that message is backed up by miracles, you cannot easily dismiss it. These witnesses were trustworthy.
  
• 4. Peter’s fourth proof of the resurrection of Christ was the presence of the Holy Spirit (vv. 33–35). Follow his logic.
• If the Holy Spirit is in the world, then God must have sent Him.
• Joel promised that one day the Spirit would come, and Jesus Himself had promised to send the gift of the Holy Spirit to His people (Luke 24:49; John 14:26; 15:26; Acts 1:4).
• But if Jesus is dead, He cannot send the Spirit; therefore, He must be alive.
• Furthermore, He could not send the Spirit unless He had returned to heaven to the Father (John 16:7); so, Jesus has ascended to heaven!
• To back up this statement, Peter quoted Psalm 110:1, a verse that certainly could not be applied to David (note Matt. 22:41–46).[10]

36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
 
CALL TO REPENTANCE
37 When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles: “Brothers, what should we do?”
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

1. Surrender… raise a hand… help!
2. Receive repentance
3. Receive forgiveness
4. Receive the Spirit
5. Be baptized

• From this point on in Acts, the gift of the Spirit became a normal connection of becoming a Christian believer (2:38).[11]

39 For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt generation!”

• Peter said, “Look around you… there is a lot of corruption going on around you that is accepted and be normalized. Turn from what is sucking you into a worldly view and be ready to be opposed because the corruptness cannot understand it.”
• There is a new view with the help of the Spirit who has come to live your life for you.

 
A GENEROUS AND GROWING CHURCH
41 So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them. 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.

• The stuck around to be taught by the Twelve and become their disciples.

43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles.

• Can you see the “awe” of God?
• Have you ever experienced the “awe” of God?

44 Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. 45 They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. [12]

• The selling of property and the common possession of the proceeds may imply that the early church expected the Lord to return soon and establish His kingdom.
• This may explain why the practice was not continued.
• Holding everything in common was not socialism or communism because it was voluntary (cf. 4:32, 34–35; 5:4).

Also their goods were not evenly distributed but were given to meet needs as they arose.[13]

[1] https://jewsforjesus.org/newsletter-jun-2005/newsletter-jun-2005/newsletter-jun-2005/shavuot-the-feast-of-weeks/
[2] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 98). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[3] Bond, S. (2003). Pentecost. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 1273). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 407). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[5] Toussaint, S. D. (1985). Acts. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 357). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[6] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 408). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[7] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 104). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[8] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 409). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[9] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 409). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[10] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 409–410). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[11] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 98). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[12] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 2:1–47). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[13] Toussaint, S. D. (1985). Acts. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 360). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

??? - What is the difference between an apostle and a disciple?
        While a disciple is one who learns from a teacher, a student (pupil), an apostle is sent to deliver those teachings to others (delegate). Apostles – Those who saw Jesus after the resurrection and were sent as messengers to tell the Gospel.
          The word "disciple" comes from the Latin discipulus, or pupil. "Apostle" comes from the Greek word apostolos, or delegate.
 
Acts 1
1 I wrote the first narrative, Theophilus,

• Theophilus “dear to God” or “friend of God”. A person to whom Luke dedicated his gospel (Luke 1:3) and its sequel, the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1:1).
• Theophilus was most likely a Gentile “God-fearer” in need of an “orderly account” of the gospel, about which he may have had some knowledge.[1]
• Theophilus may have received the special dedication for being a patron who helped defray some of the costs of Luke’s writing.[2]

about all that Jesus began to do and teach 2 until the day he was taken up, after he had given instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After he had suffered, he also presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

• After His resurrection, Jesus remained on earth for forty days and ministered to His disciples.
• He had already opened their minds to understand the Old Testament message about Himself (Luke 24:44–48), but there were other lessons they needed to learn before they could launch out in their new ministry.
• Jesus appeared and disappeared during those forty days, and the believers never knew when He might show up.[3]
• The period of instruction was a time of transition. In the Gospel it was the time when Jesus completed his earthly ministry.
• In Acts it was the time when Jesus prepared the apostles for theirs.[4]

 
THE HOLY SPIRIT PROMISED
4 While he was with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. “Which,” he said, “you have heard me speak about; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days.” (Luke 3:16 - 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I am is coming. I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.[5])
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?”
7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

• This explains that the power of the church comes from the Holy Spirit and not from man.
• God’s people experienced repeated fillings of the Spirit as they faced new opportunities and obstacles (Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31; 9:17; 13:9).
• Ordinary people were able to do extraordinary things because the Spirit of God was at work in their lives.
• Throughout Scripture we have stories of the Spirit coming “upon” people.
• Numbers 11:16-30

SEVENTY ELDERS ANOINTED

• The Lord answered Moses, “Bring me seventy men from Israel known to you as elders and officers of the people. Take them to the tent of meeting and have them stand there with you. 17 Then I will come down and speak with you there. I will take some of the Spirit who is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you bear the burden of the people, so that you do not have to bear it by yourself.

• 18 “Tell the people: Consecrate yourselves in readiness for tomorrow, and you will eat meat because you wept in the Lord’s hearing, ‘Who will feed us meat? We were better off in Egypt.’ The Lord will give you meat and you will eat. 19 You will eat, not for one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, 20 but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes nauseating to you—because you have rejected the Lord who is among you, and wept before him: ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’”
• 21 But Moses replied, “I’m in the middle of a people with six hundred thousand foot soldiers, yet you say, ‘I will give them meat, and they will eat for a month.’ 22 If flocks and herds were slaughtered for them, would they have enough? Or if all the fish in the sea were caught for them, would they have enough?”
• 23 The Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm weak? Now you will see whether or not what I have promised will happen to you.”
• 24 Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. He brought seventy men from the elders of the people and had them stand around the tent. 25 Then the Lord descended in the cloud and spoke to him. He took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and placed the Spirit on the seventy elders. As the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they never did it again. 26 Two men had remained in the camp, one named Eldad and the other Medad; the Spirit rested on them—they were among those listed, but had not gone out to the tent—and they prophesied in the camp. 27 A young man ran and reported to Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”
• 28 Joshua son of Nun, assistant to Moses since his youth, responded, “Moses, my lord, stop them!”
• 29 But Moses asked him, “Are you jealous on my account? If only all the Lord’s people were prophets and the Lord would place his Spirit on them!” 30 Then Moses returned to the camp along with the elders of Israel. [6]

 

• Jesus did not reject the concept of the “restoration of Israel.”
• Instead, he “depoliticized it” with the call to a worldwide mission.[7]
• He promised two things: power & witness
• The ministry of the Holy Spirit is not a luxury; it is an absolute necessity.[8]
• The geographical scope of Acts 1:8 provides a rough outline of the entire book: Jerusalem (1–7), Judea and Samaria (8–12), the ends of the earth (13–28).
• The story of Jesus led to Jerusalem and the story of the Church led from Jerusalem.[9]

 
THE ASCENSION
9 After he had said this, he was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While he was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them. 11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen him going into heaven.”

• Our Lord’s ascension into heaven was an important part of His ministry, for if He had not returned to the Father, He could not have sent the promised gift of the Holy Spirit (John 16:5–15).[10]
• Luke did not dwell on the ascension. He quickly shifted the apostles’ gaze back to earth. [11]
• We have incredible spiritual experiences. It is in these moments that we don’t remain but we become witnesses to others.
• We share what we know is true with others.

 
UNITED IN PRAYER
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem—a Sabbath day’s journey away. 13 When they arrived, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. 14 They all were continually united in prayer, along with the women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

• Luke 24:50-53 -  50 Then he led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 And while he was blessing them, he left them and was carried up into heaven. 52 After worshiping him, they returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they were continually in the temple praising God.[12]
• Jesus ascended from the Mt. of Olives (1/2 mile away)
• The disciples returned probably to the Upper Room.
• Prayer meeting in Mary’s house (John-Mark’s mother) (Lord’s Supper & Peter)

 

• What a variety of people made up that first assembly of believers!
• There were men and women, apostles and “ordinary” people, and even members of the Lord’s earthly family (see Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3).
• His “brethren” had not believed in Him during His ministry (John 7:5), but they did come to trust Him after the Resurrection (Acts 1:14).
• Mary was there as a member of the assembly, participating in worship and prayer along with the others.
• The center of their fellowship was the risen Christ, and all of them adored and magnified Him.
• How easy it would have been for someone to bring division into this beautiful assembly of humble people!
• The members of the Lord’s family might have claimed special recognition, or Peter could have been criticized for his cowardly denial of the Savior.
• Or perhaps Peter might have blamed John, because it was John who brought him into the high priest’s house (John 18:15–16).
• John might well have reminded the others that he had faithfully stood at the cross, and had even been chosen by the Savior to care for His mother.
• But there was none of this. In fact, nobody was even arguing over who among them was the greatest!
• The key phrase is “with one accord,” a phrase that is found six times in Acts (1:14; 2:1, 46; 4:24; 5:12; 15:25; and note also 2:44).
• There was among these believers a wonderful unity that bound them together in Christ (Ps. 133; Gal. 3:28), the kind of unity that Christians need today.[13]

 

• Jesus set the pattern of prayer for His disciples.
• Jesus even downloaded this to Paul.
• Romans 12:12 - 12 Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.[14]
• Colossians 4:2-6 - 2 Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us that God may open a door to us for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains, 4 so that I may make it known as I should. 5 Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.[15]
• The time before Pentecost was a time for waiting, a time spent in prayer undoubtedly for the promised Spirit and for the power to witness.
• There is no effective witness without the Spirit, and the way to spiritual empowerment is to wait in prayer.[16]

 
MATTHIAS CHOSEN
15 In those days Peter stood up among the brothers and sisters--

• Peter is portrayed throughout Luke and Acts as one of the primary leaders among the apostles—although that does not mean he possessed sole authority (15:6,22–23) or was beyond rebuke (see Gal 2:11–14 and note; compare note on Acts 1:13).[17]

the number of people who were together was about a hundred and twenty—and said: 16 “Brothers and sisters, it was necessary that the Scripture be fulfilled that the Holy Spirit through the mouth of David foretold about Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. 17 For he was one of our number and shared in this ministry.” 18 Now this man acquired a field with his unrighteous wages. He fell headfirst, his body burst open and his intestines spilled out. 19 This became known to all the residents of Jerusalem, so that in their own language that field is called Hakeldama (that is, Field of Blood). 20 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms:
Let his dwelling become desolate;
let no one live in it; and
Let someone else take his position.

• Arnold Fruchtenbaum has this to say about Judas’ death in his Life of Christ series:
  “According to Jewish law, if there was a dead body in Jerusalem, the city was considered defiled and the morning Passover sacrifice could not be offered and could not be celebrated. However, Jewish law goes on to say that if the body is taken and cast into the valley of Hinnom, a place of burning… then the city is reckoned as cleansed and the Passover can be partaken of, and then later they can return and bury the body.”
• November 4, 2018 – Gospels #77 – For more details on Judas’ death.

 
21 “Therefore, from among the men who have accompanied us during the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us--22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day he was taken up from us—from among these, it is necessary that one become a witness with us of his resurrection.”
23 So they proposed two: Joseph, called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “You, Lord, know everyone’s hearts; show which of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this apostolic ministry that Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias and he was added to the eleven apostles.[18]

• “But it was wrong for them to select a new apostle,” some claim, “because Paul was the one who was chosen by God to fill up the ranks.
• They chose Matthias and he was never heard of again!”
• Except for Peter and John, none of the original Twelve are mentioned by name in the Book of Acts after 1:13!
• Paul could not have “filled up the ranks” because he could never have met the divine qualifications laid down in Acts 1:21–22.
• Paul was not baptized by John the Baptist; he did not travel with the Apostles when Jesus was with them on earth; and, though he saw the glorified Christ, Paul was not a witness of the Resurrection as were the original Apostles.
• Paul made it clear that he was not to be classified with the Tw elve (1 Cor. 15:8; Gal. 1:15–24), and the Twelve knew it.
• If the Twelve thought that Paul was supposed to be one of them, they certainly did not show it! In fact, they refused to admit Paul into the Jerusalem fellowship until Barnabas came to his rescue! (Acts 9:26–27)
• The 12 Apostles ministered primarily to the twelve tribes of Israel, while Paul was sent to the Gentiles (Gal. 2:1–10).

No, Paul was not meant to be the twelfth apostle. Peter and the other believers were in the will of God when they selected Matthias, and God gave His endorsement to Matthias by empowering him with the same Spirit that was given to the other men whom Jesus had personally selected (Acts 2:1–4, 14).[19]


[1] Myers, A. C. (1987). In The Eerdmans Bible dictionary (pp. 997–998). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
[2] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 79). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[3] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 402–403). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[4] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 80). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[5] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Lk 3:16). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Nu 11:16–30). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, pp. 84–86). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[8] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 403). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[9] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 86). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[10] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 403–404). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[11] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 87). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[12] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Lk 24:50–53). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[13] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 404). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[14] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ro 12:12). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[15] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Col 4:2–6). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[16] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 90). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[17] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ac 1:15). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[18] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 1:1–26). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[19] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 405–406). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

• Let’s try to make sense of the New Testament for you today.
• Galatians was the first letter Paul wrote in 49 AD after his 2nd missionary journey.
• Keep in mind that scholars dispute the date and origin of some of our NT books.
• But a council put the 4 Gospels and Acts at the beginning of the NT.
• Then Paul’s letters from the longest (Romans) to the shortest (Philemon)
• Lastly are all the other letters of the NT.
• When we use the term “church” in this series, we are referring to the Greek word “ekklesia” which means assembly or gathering of the members of a community.
• The “church” is the community of those who believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who came to be the Savior for the World… and they “gather” to express Him.
• The “big picture” has at its center an unbroken pattern of God’s working. And this pattern reflects God’s ultimate goal – which is to have community on this earth that expresses His nature in a visible way.

 

• It is great for reading one’s own biases into the text, but it is horrible for understanding the intent of the biblical authors.
• Filter the text with the text.
• Without understanding the historical context of the NT, Christians have managed to build doctrines and invent practices that have fragmented the Body of Christ into thousands of denominations.

 

1. The Godhead/Trinity has always existed.

• Titus 1:1-2 – 1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness, 2 in the hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.[1]

 
- God’s purpose was to create a community on earth that would reflect the community among the Father, the Son and the Spirit.

• John 17:21-23 - 21 May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe you sent me. 22 I have given them the glory you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me, so that they may be made completely one, that the world may know you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me.[2]
• Ephesians 3:9-11 - 9 and to shed light for all about the administration of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things. 10 This is so that God’s multi-faceted wisdom may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens. 11 This is according to his eternal purpose accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.[3]

- God, who sees the end from the beginning, takes the first step in carrying out His plan.
- Within the Eternal Son are hidden ones who God has chosen to part of His ordained community.
The names of the hidden ones are written in an eternal volume called “The Book of Life.”
 - Revelation 3:5 - 5 “In the same way, the one who conquers will be dressed in white clothes, and I will never erase his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name before my Father and before his angels.[4]
 
-God completes all things before He creates all things.

• Hebrews 4:3 - 3 For we who have believed enter the rest, in keeping with what he has said, So I swore in my anger, “They will not enter my rest,” even though his works have been finished since the foundation of the world.[5]

 
- God’s “eternal purpose” provokes Him to create a universe and an earth.
- He weaves into His creation pictures and symbols of His Son and of this future community that will express His nature.
 

1. The Son is sent to earth.

• The Son will come into the world to establish the community that God purposed in the timeless past.
• Galatians 4:4 - 4 When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law[6]
• Ephesians 5:25-27 - 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. 27 He did this to present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless.[7]

 

• How did Jesus’ life become the division of world history through our dating system of BC/AD?

 
Question: "What is the meaning of BC and AD (B.C. and A.D.)?"

Answer: It is commonly thought that BC stands for "before Christ" and AD stands for "after death."

• This is only half correct.
• How could the year 1 B.C. have been "before Christ" and 1 A.D. been "after death"?
• BC does stand for "before Christ."
• AD actually stands for the Latin phrase "anno domini" which means "in the year of our Lord."
• The B.C. / A.D. dating system is not taught in the Bible.
• It actually was not fully implemented and accepted until several centuries after Jesus' death.
• The year numbering system for the Common Era was devised by the monk Dionysius Exiguus in the year 525 to replace the Diocletian years, because he did not wish to continue the memory of a tyrant who persecuted Christians.
• He attempted to number years from an event he referred to as the Incarnation of Jesus although scholars generally believe that Jesus was born before AD 1.
• Dionysius labeled the column of the Easter table in which he introduced the new era "Anni Domini Nostri Jesu Christi".
• Numbering years in this manner became more widespread with its usage by Bede in England in 731.
• Bede also introduced the practice of dating years before the supposed year of birth of Jesus, and the practice of not using a year zero.
• In 1422, Portugal became the last Western European country to switch to the system begun by Dionysius.

 

• Philippians 2:10-11 - 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth--11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. [8]

 

• CE – Common Era, Christian Era or Current Era
• BCE – Before Common Era, Before Christian Era or Before Current Era

 

1. Nazareth Chronicle (4 BC – 28 AD)

• Divinity takes on humanity.

Matthew 1:21-23 - 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
23 See, the virgin will become pregnant
and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel, which is translated “God is with us.”[9]
 
What year was Jesus actually born?

• Josephus recorded that Herod died in April of 4 BC.
• Yet sometime before Herod died, he had calculated that Jesus might already be two years old.
• Therefore by this reasoning, Jesus could have been born no later than 6 BC.

 
When did Jesus’ ministry begin?

• Jesus is a carpenter by trade. He lives around thirty years on earth before he begins His earthly ministry.

Matthew 1-3; Mark 6; Luke 1-4

• All four of the New Testament Gospels mention the ministry of John the Baptist who was a forerunner of Jesus, but only Luke makes the essential connection with secular history.
• (Luke 3:1) states that the Word of the Lord came to John in the 15th year of the reign of Caesar Tiberius, calling him to preach in the region around the Jordan River.
• The reigns of the Roman emperors are well known from secular history.
• Caesar Augustus reigned during the period 27 BC-AD 14 and was followed by Caesar Tiberius who reigned during the period AD 14-37.
• Therefore, the 15th year of Tiberius’ reign must have been AD 28, fixing the date for the start of John the Baptist’s ministry.
• The Law prescribed a minimum age of 30 years before someone could enter into Priestly service (Numbers 4.1-4).
• Sometime later into the ministry of John the Baptist, Jesus came and was baptized by him (Luke 3:21-22).
• Then He was tested 40 days in the Judean wilderness (Luke 4:1-13), after which time He returned to the region of Galilee where He began His ministry (Luke 4:14-15).
• Therefore, Jesus’ ministry could have begun as late as AD 29 but could not have begun before AD 28.
• The community of the Father, Son and Spirit dwells inside of Him.
• The eternal fellowship that exists within the Godhead continues unbroken.
• It simply moves from the heavens to the earth where Jesus has taken up residence.
• Colossians 2:9 - 9 For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ, 10 and you have been filled by him, who is the head over every ruler and authority.[10]
• The Message: 9 Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him clearly. You don't need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. (Message)

 

1. Galilean Chronicle (28-30 AD)

How long was Jesus’ ministry?
When did Jesus die?

• The Bible does not actually give a duration for Jesus’ ministry, but it does record two distinct Passovers during His ministry subsequent to the one discussed above.
• Following the Passover mentioned in (John 2.13), another one is mentioned in (John 6.4), and then the final one in (John 13.1) when He was crucified.
• Of course if these were the only ones, His ministry could have lasted only a little over two years.
• The problem with such a view is that it forces Jesus’ entire Galilean ministry, i.e. (Matthew 4.12-19.1; Mark 1.14-10.1; Luke 4.14-9.51), into an interval of only about 18 months.
• Although this is theoretically possible, it seems implausible because it would require a much more compressed sequence of events during this period than is indicated in the remainder of the Gospels.
• For this reason, most scholars believe that Jesus’ ministry actually lasted a little over three years and that mention of a fourth Passover is simply omitted.
• Depending on one’s view, Jesus’ ministry would have ended in the Spring of AD 30/31/32, with the most likely year being AD 30.
• In Galilee, Jesus calls 12 men to live with Him for three years:

Peter (also called Simon & Cephas)
James and John, the sons of Zebedee (but Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder”)
Andrew, brother of Peter
Philip
Bartholomew (also called Nathanael)
Matthew (also called Levi)
Thomas (also called Didymus)
James, son of Alphaeus
Thaddaeus (also called Judas and Lebbaeus)
Simon, the Zealot (also called Simon the Canaanite)
Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him)

• Just as the Son fellowships with His Heavenly Father, the 12 disciples learn to fellowship with the Son.
• The Twelve will become the primitive embryo of this community.

 

1. Calvary (30 AD)

• Jesus enters Jerusalem (Matthew 21:11; Mark 11:1; John 12:1)
• Friday – Noon to 3:00 PM – Cries of the lambs fill Jerusalem as they are slaughtered for the feast
• Jesus, the real Lamb of God, is crucified.
• Jesus breathes His last breath
• Earthquake occurs
• The veil in the temple is torn from the top to the bottom
• Jesus has solved the problem of the fall of man
• Sunday – Jesus was put into the earth as a corn of wheat, suffering death alone.
• He resurrected as a new grain with many others to follow.
• John 12:23-24 - 23 Jesus replied to them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces much fruit.[11]
• Jesus meets with the Twelve and breathes the Holy Spirit on them.
• John 20:21 - 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.” 22 After saying this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.[12]
• Jesus ascends to heaven, takes the right hand seat next to His Father
• Jesus now acts as the High Priest for His people
• He has paved the way for the Church – a community that will express His nature

• How many books of the New Testament were written during Jesus’ human life on earth?

 
The Church is Born
Ephesians 3:9 - 9 and to shed light for all about the administration of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things. 10 This is so that God’s multi-faceted wisdom may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens. 11 This is according to his eternal purpose accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.[13]

[1] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Tt 1:1–2). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Jn 17:21–23). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Eph 3:9–11). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Re 3:5). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Heb 4:3). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ga 4:4). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Eph 5:25–27). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[8] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Php 2:10–11). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[9] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Mt 1:21–23). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[10] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Col 2:9–10). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[11] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Jn 12:23–24). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[12] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Jn 20:21–22). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[13] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Eph 3:9–11). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.