The Jewish Annotated New Testament (63 page)

Acts includes quotations from several books of the Bible, most commonly Psalms and Isaiah, but also verses from Exodus, Jeremiah, Joel, Amos, and Habakkuk. In every instance Acts presents the Greek translation, commonly used by Greek-speaking Jews, known as the Septuagint (LXX). Characters are also described as reading from the “law” (i.e., the Pentateuch) and prophets (13.15; 28.23). Acts makes clear that Scripture, properly understood, foretells who Jesus is and how people will come to respond to him (13.41,47; 15.16–18; 28.26–27). Jews respond to these teachings in different ways, some accepting what the apostles preach (2.41; 13.42) and others rejecting it (7.54; 17.2). The book culminates with Paul’s fiery denunciation of Jewish unbelief, punctuated by a quote from Isaiah that predicts Jewish intransigence and justifies the opening of God’s promises to Gentiles (28.25–28).

Luke-Acts depicts the believers in Jesus as possessing the proper understanding of scripture, obedient to God, and serving as the true recipients of the divine promises and blessings. Jesus’ followers point to the fulfillment of prophecies (e.g., 2.14–28) as they exhort Jews to accept Jesus as the Messiah. Some Jews, however, generally prove unwilling to convert or are incapable of comprehending God’s actions. In contrast the ease with which many Gentiles, including God-fearers, come to this recognition casts further condemnation upon Jews for their unbelief.

Gary Gilbert

1
In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning
²
until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.
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After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
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While staying
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with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. “This,” he said, “is what you have heard from me;
⁵
for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with
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the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

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So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”
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He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.
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But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
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When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
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While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them.
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They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

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Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away.
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When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of
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James.
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All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.

¹⁵
In those days Peter stood up among the believers
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(together the crowd numbered about one hundred twenty persons) and said,
¹⁶
“Friends,
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the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus—
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for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.”
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(Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness; and falling headlong,
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he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out.
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This became known to all the residents of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their language Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
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“For it is written in the book of Psalms,

‘Let his homestead become desolate,
           and let there be no one to live in it’;
and

‘Let another take his position of overseer.’
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So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
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beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection.”
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So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.
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Then they prayed and said, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen
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to take the place
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in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”
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And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.

2.9–11
: The native lands of Pentecost pilgrims.

2
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.
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And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
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Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.
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All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

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Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem.
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And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.
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Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?
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And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?
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Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
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Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,
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Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.”
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All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”
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But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

¹⁴
But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say.
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Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning.
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No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

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‘In the last days it will be, God declares,
     that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
         and your sons and your daughters shall
             prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
         and your old men shall dream dreams.

¹⁸
Even upon my slaves, both men and
               women,
       in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
            and they shall prophesy.

¹⁹
And I will show portents in the heaven
               above
         and signs on the earth below,
             blood, and fire, and smoky mist.

²⁰
The sun shall be turned to darkness
          and the moon to blood,
              before the coming of the Lord’s great
                            and glorious day.

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Then everyone who calls on the name of
              the Lord shall be saved.’

²²
“You that are Israelites,
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listen to what
I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth,
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a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know—
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this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law.
²⁴
But God raised him up, having freed him from death,
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because it was impossible for him to be held in its power.

²⁵
For David says concerning him,
          ‘I saw the Lord always before me,
             for he is at my right hand so that I will
                      not be shaken;

²⁶
therefore my heart was glad, and my
             tongue rejoiced;
         moreover my flesh will live in hope.

²⁷
For you will not abandon my soul to
               Hades,
          or let your Holy One experience
                  corruption.

²⁸
You have made known to me the ways
             of life;
          you will make me full of gladness with
                   your presence.’

²⁹
“Fellow Israelites,
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I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
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Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne.
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Foreseeing this, David
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spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah,
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saying,