The Book of Acts Chapter 2
Originally posted Monday, May 5, 2008
General Comment: Chapter one introduced us to
the work of the Holy Spirit. All of Jesus' instructions to the disciples
during his ministry and for forty days before ascension were through the
Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit spoke through the Psalms regarding Judas' death
and the need to select his replacement. Both are examples of the prophetic
nature of the Spirit's work. It was this same Spirit that spoke through the
ancient prophets and will speak through the prophets of the Church.
"Speaking" is understood as more than words. John used the term
"Spirit of Truth" to define the Spirit's acts of reminding and
teaching, as well as guidance and encouragement. These would fit well within
Luke's understanding.
While
the Spirit will act in all these ways there is a significant
difference between the Christian and Old Testament
understanding of the way the Spirit works. In the Jewish prophetic
tradition the Spirit's work, as God's word to be spoken or acted, is episodic.
In the time of the Judges of Israel (Samson, Deborah, Gideon, et al.) the Spirit
was with the Judge only when God had work for the Judge to accomplish,
which was usually delivering the Israelites from persecution or attack. It was
an intermittent possession. Even in the later prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah
and Ezekiel, the work of the Spirit is introduced with the words, "Then
the Lord spoke to me." When God needed to speak to Israel God would
speak through the prophet. In early Christianity the Holy Spirit was given
(sent, descended) as part of baptism and repentance. It was continuously
present as long as a person remained (abided) in the faith.
Unlike
John who writes of Jesus' breathing the Spirit upon the disciples before
his ascension, in Acts the Spirit has not yet been given. They must
wait in Jerusalem for the opportune time. That time will be during Shavuot, the
Jewish Festival of Weeks celebrated fifty days after the second day of
Passover. It was one of three Temple festivals when attendance was
required of all able bodied Jews no matter where they lived. In Hellenistic
Judaism the name given was Pentecost (fifty) and originally was a celebration
of the wheat harvest and the bringing of the first fruits to the altar of God.
By Jesus' time it had become a celebration of Moses' receiving the Ten
Commandments on Mount Sinai fifty days after the Hebrews were led out of Egypt.
In Christianity Pentecost (Whitsunday) celebrates the descent of the Holy
Spirit upon the disciples as noted in Chapter two. Its celebration is held on
the seventh Sunday after Easter (May 11, 2008). The liturgical color for
Pentecost is red, symbolic of the "tongues as of fire" from heaven.
Acts Chapter 2:1-13 The
Spirit's Descent
We
are reminded of the story of Pentecost at least once a year in the Church
liturgical calendar. It is well known to us yet rarely connected to our
ongoing practice of Christianity. It is a piece of tradition usually
associated with the birth of the Church. But birth is a rather tame word for so
important an event. The sending of the Spirit at Pentecost was symbolic of
the "passing of the torch" from Jesus to those who will now be the
extension of his work in the world. As Jesus was sent into the world, now the
"Spirit filled" disciples are sent into the world. As Jesus was
guided by the Spirit, now the disciples will be guided by the same Spirit.
This is the story that Luke will unfold for us, from its beginning in Jerusalem
all the way to Rome.
It
begins with the entire community of disciples (see 1:15) meeting together in one place
somewhere in the city. We can imagine a neighborhood location where houses
would be in clusters opening to a common courtyard. A loud sound like a
sudden gale of wind rushes through. There is ferocity in
the sound of the wind as it comes out of nowhere, seemingly localized
in this one place, then disappearing as quickly as it came. The
visual and auditory experience of the disciples belongs to another
age beyond our limited frame of reference. Indeed, the brevity of Luke's
wording, held within four verses, indicates that it is not the disciples'
experience that is most important, but the result: a large crowd converged on
the spot. They were Pentecost pilgrims from every corner of the
Diaspora, every province of the Roman Empire, Jews living in the city
and Gentile proselytes. To their amazement they heard these Galileans,
whose dialect and accent were the frequent object of disparagement,
speaking of what great deeds God had done though Jesus of Nazareth. Not simply
speaking but doing so in a way that everyone could clearly understand. The
message was indeed being proclaimed to the known ends of the earth. For most
the words were understood but the meaning of the content was foreign. Others
ridiculed them as being drunk. "What does this mean," was a
question needing an answer as powerful as the wind.
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Note
that the "tongues of fire" phenomenon is not the same as Paul's
spiritual gift of "speaking in tongues." In Acts the disciples
are said to be speaking in foreign languages known to the listeners from
related provinces. In Paul the language is ecstatic speech which cannot be
understood by anybody unless there is someone present who has the gift of
interpretation. It is the language of the Spirit.
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Acts Chapter 2:14-36 The
First Christian Sermon
Peter
would provide the answer. His words would be rooted in the Scripture
so the audience would understand that this Jesus about whom Peter preached was
one of their own. His presence, what he did as well as what happened to him
would be rooted in their tradition. Beginning with the Prophets, Peter reminded
his "fellow Israelites" of the word of the Lord that had come
to Joel, that in the last days God would pour out the Spirit upon all of
humanity accompanied by many signs and wonders (Joel 2:28-32a). Those who turned (repented) to
the Lord (God in Joel's case, Jesus in Peter's) would be saved (forgiven)
and accepted in the Kingdom.
Peter
announces that the time of Joel has arrived. This Jesus of Nazareth came with
deeds of power, signs and wonders as witnesses to God's approval. He was
betrayed to "you" and "you" crucified and killed him by the
hands of others (Pilate). But this Jesus overcame death through resurrection by
the hand of God. According to David (the presumptive author of
Psalms) writing prophetically, God's Holy One (Jesus), will not be
abandoned or see the corruption of the grave but will make known the ways of
[eternal] life (Ps. 16:8-11).
Rather, this Jesus whom they crucified has been exalted to God
who has made him both Messiah and Lord.
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Note
in this passage that the blame for Jesus' crucifixion, while carried out by
those "outside the law (Gentiles), is firmly placed upon Peter's "fellow
Israelites." This is the strongest statement in the process of shifting
the blame for Jesus' death away from the Romans to the "Jews".
It is they who crucified and killed Jesus! It is their sin that has killed
Jesus. This shift could be understood as a way to gain favor with the Romans by
deflecting responsibility. It can also be used to convince the Romans that
Christianity was part of the ancient religion of Israel thereby gaining
recognition as a legitimate religious group deserving of protection. It can
also be useful as a preaching tool as we will read in the following passage - a
creating of a sense of deep corporate guilt among those who hear Peter's words
(or the preaching of later evangelists). Unfortunately, and for whatever
purpose, the outcome was disastrous for the Jews, not only in the early
centuries of Christian history but continues even until our own day.
Note
that the Old Testament references cited in Acts (and in other New Testament
writings) will frequently be worded differently in our bibles. This is because
the New Testament writers are quoting (sometimes loosely) from the Greek Old
Testament (the LXX) while in our
bibles we will be reading a translation from the Hebrew Scriptures (the TANAKH). Sometimes the difference can be striking.
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Acts Chapter 2:37-42 The
First converts
The
reaction of the crowd is as expected. They feel the guilt (cut to the heart)
and are desperate to know how they can be forgiven for such a sin against God.
Peter's answer is simple: repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus
so their sins will be forgiven and receive the Holy Spirit. Having
given the remedy he exhorts the people to save themselves from this corrupt
generation which is guilty of so heinous a sin. Couched within his words is the
urgency of their situation. They must act now for the time is already here and
judgment is approaching. The result is a nice round number of 3,000 persons
baptized and added to the community, devoting themselves to the Apostles'
teaching, table fellowship and prayer.
Acts Chapter 2:43-47
Community Life
Luke
provides a snapshot image of the Jerusalem community under the Apostles'
leadership. As Jesus had demonstrated his leadership with signs and wonders, so
the Apostle's are empowered by the spirit to do the same. The community was
organized around the principle of shared resources. The needs of any
member of the community were met by all members. They worshipped together daily
in the Temple, ate together "from house to house" praising God
"with glad and generous hearts." Their manner of life earned them the
respect of others and their example of piety and worship won over many of
their fellow Jews to the faith.
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There
is something very inviting about this image of the first Christians. We talk
about love for one another. We talk about being brothers and sisters in the
church, all of us as children of God. We talk about the value of prayer,
breaking bread together in fellowship. We talk about the necessity of worship.
We talk about considering our resources as belonging to God and available
for God's work in the world, beginning in our own community. We talk about
it. They did it, at least for a while. What kind of change is necessary for a
person to believe such a life style is the right thing to do? What kind of
inner power would a person need to actually live that way? Luke says it was the
power of the Holy Spirit. Maybe we ought to study that idea. Who knows
what might happen.
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