A Cup of Eau Claire

[Acts 10-11 are a single story, so I will write about both of them in next week's blog.]  The "conversion of Saul" (to Paul) is one of the best-known stories from Acts. In a very dramatic display (which is often confused and bound up with a similar legend about Martin Luther), God gets Saul's attention and creates a complete change in him.  Saul, an infamous persecutor of all Jews who were following the Way of Jesus (8:3, 9:1-2), is traveling from Jerusalem in Judea to Damascus in Syria, some 150 miles. He carries authorization from the high priest to arrest any Jesus followers and return them to Jerusalem for trial by the Jewish court. Jesus interrupts this mission and asks, "Why are you persecuting ME?" Though people will suffer because of Saul's zeal for Jewish orthodoxy, it is Jesus who is persecuted when his name and his way are prevented from working through the apostles for transformation. Saul may not recognize the voice as belonging to ...

     In this middle part of Acts, we start to see some of the well-known stories from this book, including the stoning of Stephen (ch 7), Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch (ch. 8), the conversion of Saul/Paul (ch. 9), and Peter’s vision and revelation about Gentiles (ch. 10-11). Stephen      Stephen’s story began in chapter 6, when he was among the seven deacons appointed to tend to the needs of the widows. He also preaches, and so is brought to the attention of the Jewish officials negatively, riling them up to violence in this chapter. Stephen’s “defense”, in answer to the query, “Is it true that you are turning people against the customs of Moses?” is a retelling of Jewish history from Abraham to Jesus. He recalls major scenes in Jewish history from Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Samuel, and Chronicles, in addition to referencing Amos, Isaiah, Psalms, and Luke.      The purpose of this retelling is to demo...

This section begins with a very vivid story, continuing the theme of sharing all things in common, which we have seen already in 2:44-45 and 4:32-37. Apparently this practice of sharing property and providing for members of the community has a very long tradition, from the time of Moses and the Israelites receiving the Torah (instruction) in the Sinai wilderness, to the prophets, to the early church, to Martin Luther and the Reformation, and even to our current day. It is not, however, either communism or individual welfare. As it is described here, when a need was discovered in the community, someone found the resources to provide for that family or that particular need. It is not that everyone automatically sold everything and contributed to communal living, nor that some always had what they needed and others never had what they needed. This providing for one another, then, is part of their identity; it’s been part of what it means to be Israelites/Hebrews/children of God [YHWH],...

 Acts 3-4 center around another sermon by Peter, this one prompted by a healing at the temple and subsequent arrest for what he says. Notice that the action is still taking place in the city of Jerusalem (the first location Jesus gave (1:8) for where they are to be witnesses). These Jewish disciples are still going to the temple for daily prayer, being faithful Jews, in addition to expanding their understanding of faithfulness by following what Jesus would have them do, at the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Peter and John heal a lame beggar, sitting at the gate of the temple. Then they speak to the crowd that gathers, using the opportunity to talk about Jesus—this healing is not some magic on the part of the apostles, but the work of the risen Jesus, in whose name they proclaimed the healing. Once again, Peter tells the story of Jesus, weaving it together in a story they already know, citing Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and the prophets. This is a good reminder that the Jesus s...

Acts begins with a review of the end of Luke: the Ascension of Jesus (Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:1-11).   These last words of Jesus to the disciples will shape the book of Acts: “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you”—we will see the Holy Spirit showing up in many and various ways, empowering people to do things they didn’t even know they could do (healing, speaking in foreign languages, challenging authorities), and sending the apostles into situations to be able to witness. The book is also shaped according to the geography specified by Jesus: “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The story starts in Jerusalem, where they are living, among the Jewish community and authorities. It will branch out later to Judea and Samaria, when Gentiles are included in the new community of believers. And finally Paul will take it across the sea, to “the ends of the earth.” If you have a Bible with maps in the back, you...

This summer, June-August 2017, we are reading and studying the Acts of the Apostles, 2 chapters each week. This book is often regarded as the “history” book of the New Testament, as it details the work and struggles of the newborn church, discovering what it means to follow Jesus after the resurrection and ascension. However, I caution you not to read it primarily as an historical account. Scripture shows us what God is like by recounting stories and theology of how God has been noticed in the world, so that we might recognize God acting similarly in our lives. In this way, scripture witnesses to God in the world, that we might also we witnesses; its chief aim is not to record past events, but to witness. We need to give Acts the latitude NOT to be completely historically accurate, as we do for most of scripture, but to discover through these stories the one true God to whom they point. Commonly regarded as the “second half” of the Gospel of Luke (due to similarities in language, ...