Bible Study: Acts 1-2

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 can look at this geography.

Begin to notice how these Jewish apostles, most of whom have known Jesus personally, interact with one another, as they gather for prayer, teaching, fellowship, and the breaking of bread; with Jewish people who gather around them; with the religious authorities; and with the Holy Spirit. Notice how often they are together, and how often and fervently they pray. Notice how much they rely on both the Hebrew scriptures and their own experience with Jesus to shape their preaching and teaching. The stories they tell are stories of God, but they are their own stories, as well, as they witness to what they have experienced of God through their Jewish faith, their walk with Jesus, and their encounters with the Holy Spirit.

Exegetical notes:

Remember, their “Bible” was the Greek version of the Old Testament. Your Bible contains the Hebrew version, so if you cross reference the quotes, they may not match exactly. (1:20, 2:17-21, 2:25-28, 2:31, 2:34)


Pentecost (2:1-13) was a harvest festival, one of three primary pilgrimage festivals in Jewish religious practice (Ex. 34:23-24; these three, which are still observed, are Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Weeks or Pentecost), and Sukkot (Tabernacles, Tents or Booths). This is why there were “devout Jews from every nation under heaven” in Jerusalem. Many of the nations listed there do not exist any more, and perhaps did not exist any more at the time the story is set. The point is, every different kind of person was there, and all the Jews of the world were represented and present for this miracle. (One possibility for where these were located can be seen here.)


Remember our guiding questions:
1. What is God doing?
2. What are the people doing?
3. What do we learn about being Church?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sermon: Daniel 7-8 August 11, 2019

Image
Daniel is different from other prophetic books— less messenger and more fortune teller, predicting future events based on the visions from God. In the first half, Daniel interpreted dreams of the king; now he is having the dreams himself, and we’ve jumped ahead about 500 years. The visions point to a time when four kingdoms will rise, then be overthrown: Babylonia, Media, Persia, and Greece— but  then God will enter history and establish God’s kingdom forever.  This is what makes Daniel apocalyptic literature, stories about the end times: the world as we know it will be completely destroyed, and God will usher in a new reality through “spectacular divine intervention”. Why is apocalyptic literature in the Bible so confusing, and so intriguing?   It seems to be a secret code, describing events we can’t decipher. I mean, life is pretty good for us, white, middle-class Christians living in the US--we don’t need our reality repl...
Read more

Bible Study: Mark 1

Image
Mark 1             5-27-18 Although the gospel of Mark is noticeably short, the first chapter is pretty long, and a lot happens here! The story begins in the Judean wilderness (the south) where John baptizes, but Jesus begins his public ministry in Galilee (the north). Why would Mark begin with a quote from Isaiah/Malachi? What is the significance of Jesus being baptized? Hold on to verses 9-11; you’ll notice they’re a motif that will come again in this gospel. Notice Jesus’s places and times. He goes to various cities and locations in those cities, and “on the Sabbath” marks the time. Why does that matter? Sunrise over the Sea of Galilee Jordan River in the Judean wilderness  Synagogue at Capernaum How many different “hooks” can you find, something that assumes you know something more than is stated in the story, or that calls to mind another event or story? Being 2000 years removed from this sto...
Read more

Bible Study: Acts 11-12

Image
After Peter’s retelling of his interaction with the centurion Cornelius, chapter 11 shifts to remind us how far and wide the apostles are now traveling to preach, teach, and heal. Remember that after Stephen was executed, the infamous Saul began a persecution that caused the apostles to scatter for their safety (8:1). Now we have an update about where they traveled. They are beyond the boundaries of Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, deep into foreign territory. While they begin their ministry among other Jews (11:19), after spending a year in Antioch, a community is established which is called “Christian”, probably indicating that it is far enough removed from Jewish identity--perhaps because of distance, maybe because of practice—that this group of believers needs its own name. [1] Chapter 12 describes a miraculous rescue from prison. Note that the Herod in this story is the grandson of the Herod who reigned when Jesus was born. Herod the Great was a powerful ruler of the Roma...
Read more