The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown (82 page)

The question remains concerning Luke's sources for Acts 1–15, when he was not present at the events. Hemer, in a rather extensive look at how Luke treated his sources, concluded regarding Acts that “Luke obtained parts of his material by interviewing participants, and that he sometimes edited older traditions by re-interviewing such surviving participants as may have been accessible to him, and that this process accounts for some of the significant ‘L-nuances’ in the Third Gospel.”
⁶⁹

Hemer further suggested that a close connection to Peter (such as a personal interview) can be sustained, so that Luke was not necessarily dependent on second-hand sources.
⁷⁰
This, then, would coincide with Luke's declaration of his sources in the preface to Luke (Luke 1:1–4); some written sources (see Acts 15:23–29; 23:25–37); eyewitness testimony; and personal investigation. Luke's extensive travels would have allowed for sufficient opportunities to make contact with individuals who could supply him with information regarding events in which he was not personally involved.

Literary Plan

As stated above, and as widely agreed upon, the basic blueprint of Acts is given at Acts 1:8: “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.” The rest of the book shows the fulfillment of Jesus' command and the unfolding of God's plan from the church in Jerusalem and Judea (1:1–6:7) to Samaria (6:8–9:31) and to the ends of the earth (9:3–28:31).
⁷¹
Luke took pains to show that the expansion of Christianity was at God's direction, including the Gentiles, while at the same time continuing salvation “to the Jews first.”

At the heart of the book is the Jerusalem Council (chap. 15) where the church regulated the inclusion of the Gentiles in the rapidly growing Christian movement. Paul's ministry is presented through three missionary journeys (one before and two after the Jerusalem Council). Similar to Luke's Gospel, where the extended “Lukan Travel Narrative” shows Jesus on his way to Jerusalem, the action slows down during the last quarter of the book of Acts as Paul made his way to trial in Rome. Unlike Luke's Gospel—where Jesus is arrested, tried, and crucified, and on the third day rises from the dead—Acts ends on an inconclusive note, with Paul still awaiting trial in Rome.
⁷²

Table 8.2: Alternate Structural Proposals for Acts

OUTLINE

1. FOUNDATIONS FOR THE CHURCH AND ITS MISSION (1:1-2:47)
   
   1. Preface (1:1-5)
      
   2. Jerusalem: Waiting for the Spirit (1:6-26)
      
      1. The Ascension of Jesus (1:6-14)
         
      2. The Choice of a Twelfth Apostle (1:15-26)
         
   3. Pentecost: The Church Is Born (2:1-47)
      
      1. The Event: The Exalted Jesus Sends the Spirit (2:1-4)
         
      2. The Evidence of the Spirit's Coming: Foreign Languages (2:5-13)
         
      3. The Explanation: Peter's Message (2:14–40)
         
      4. The Expansion: The Growth of the Early Church (2:41-47)
         
2. THE CHURCH IN JERUSALEM (3:1—6:7)
   
   1. A Miracle and Its Aftermath (3:1-4:31)
      
      1. The Miracle (3:1-10)
         
      2. The Aftermath: Peter and John's Arrest and Bold Witness (4:1-31)
         
   2. Trouble Within and Without (4:32-6:7)
      
      1. The Sharing of Property in the Early Church: Good Example (4:32-37)
         
      2. The Sharing of Property in the Early Church: Bad Example (5:1-11)
         
      3. Further Growth in Numbers and Geographical Extension (5:12-17)
         
      4. Another Arrest (5:18-42)
         
      5. Serving the Hellenists' Widows: Potential Conflict Avoided (6:1-7)
         
3. WIDER HORIZONS FOR THE CHURCH: STEPHEN, SAMARIA, AND SAUL (6:8-9:31)
   
   1. Suffering: One of the Servants Arrested and Martyred (6:8-7:60)
      
      1. The Charges Against Stephen (6:8-15)
         
      2. Stephen's Defense (7:1-53)
         
      3. Stephen's Martyrdom (7:54-60)
         
   2. Palestine and Syria: Philip, Saul, and Peter (8:1-9:30)
      
      1. Saul the Persecutor (8:1-3)
         
      2. The Gospel Spreads to Samaria Through Philip (8:4-25)
         
      3. Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch (8:26–40)
         
      4. Saul's Conversion (9:1–19a)
         
      5. Saul's Postconversion Days (9:19b-30)
         
   3. Summary: Judea, Galilee, and Samaria (9:31)
      
4. PETER AND THE FIRST GENTILE CONVERT (9:32-12:24)
   
   1. The Proof of Gentile Conversion (9:32-11:18)
      
   2. Gentile Conversion in Antioch and the Return of Paul (11:19-26)
      
   3. Events in Jerusalem (11:27-12:24)
      
5. PAUL TURNS TO THE GENTILES (12:25-16:5)
   
   1. First Missionary Journey (12:25-14:28)
      
      1. Syrian Antioch: Sent Out (13:1-3)
         
      2. Cyprus: Proconsul Sergius Paulus Believes (13:4-12)
         
      3. Pisidian Antioch: Gentiles Believe Despite Jews (13:13-52)
         
      4. South Galatia: Iconium, Derbe, Lystra (14:1-23)
         
      5. Return to Syrian Antioch (14:24-28)
         
   2. Jerusalem Council (15:1-35)
      
      1. Setting (15:1-4)
         
      2. Apostles and Elders Convene (15:5-6)
         
      3. Reports by Peter, Paul, and Barnabas (15:7-12)
         
      4. James' Response on Behalf of Jerusalem Church (15:13-21)
         
      5. The Council's Decree (15:22-29)
         
      6. Return to Syrian Antioch (15:30-35)
         
   3. Second Missionary Journey Begins (15:36-16:5)
      
      1. Paul and Barnabas Separate (15:36-41)
         
      2. Paul and Silas Deliver Decisions of Jerusalem Council, Take Timothy (16:1-5)
         
6. FURTHER PENETRATION INTO THE GENTILE WORLD (16:6-19:20)
   
   1. Second Missionary Journey (16:6-18:22)
      
      1. Paul's Vision of the Man of Macedonia: Ministry in Philippi (16:6-40)
         
      2. Ministry in Thessalonica (17:1-9)
         
      3. Ministry in Berea (17:10-15)
         
      4. Ministry in Athens (17:16-34)
         
      5. Ministry in Corinth (18:1-17)
         
      6. Return Trip (18:18-22)
         
   2. Third Missionary Journey (18:23-19:20)
      
      1. Apollos Instructed by Priscilla and Aquila (18:23-28)
         
      2. Apollos Goes to Corinth, Paul Ministers in Ephesus (19:1-20)
         
7. ON TO ROME (19:21-28:31)
   
   1. From Ephesus to Jerusalem (19:21-21:16)
      
      1. Ephesus: Opposition by Demetrius (19:21-41)
         
      2. Paul's Journey to Macedonia and Greece, Seven Days in Troas (20:1-13)
         
      3. From Troas to Miletus (20:14-16)
         
      4. Farewell to Ephesian Elders (20:17-38)
         
      5. Paul's Journey to Jerusalem (21:1-16)
         
   2. Paul's Final Visit to Jerusalem and His Removal to Caesarea (21:17-23:35)
      
      1. Paul's Visit with James and the Elders (21:17-26)
         
      2. Paul Arrested at the Temple (21:27–40)
         
      3. Paul's Defense (22:1-29)
         
      4. Paul Before the Sanhedrin (22:30-23:11)
         
      5. Paul's Removal to Caesarea (23:12-35)
         
   3. Paul's Defenses Before Felix, Festus, and Agrippa (24:1-26:32)
      
      1. The Jews' Charges Against Paul (24:1-9)
         
      2. Paul's Defense Before Felix (24:10-27)
         
      3. Paul's Defense Before Festus and His Appeal to Caesar (25:1-12)
         
      4. Paul Before Agrippa: Charges Specified (25:13-26:32)
         
   4. Paul's Trip to Rome (27:1-28:31)
      
      1. Sea Voyage and Shipwreck on Malta (27:1-28:14)
         
      2. Paul Preaches the Gospel Openly in Rome (28:15-31)
         

UNIT-BY-UNIT DISCUSSION

I. Foundations for the Church and Its Mission (1:1–2:41)

A. Preface (1:1–5)
The book of Acts opens by referring to the “first narrative,” Luke's Gospel, which narrated that which Jesus began to do and teach. By implication, Acts, the sequel, sets forth the continuation of God's plan by recording what Jesus
continued
to do and teach through the Holy Spirit and the apostolic church. The resurrected Jesus reminded the disciples of the promised Holy Spirit and commanded them to wait for his imminent coming in Jerusalem.

B. Jerusalem: Waiting for the Spirit (1:6–26)
The disciples asked when Jesus would establish his kingdom, but Jesus just told them that they would be his Spirit-empowered witnesses. A period of waiting and praying followed as the early believers prepared for the coming of the Spirit (1:6–14).

Acts 1:15–26 shows the replacement of Judas by the Eleven. After setting the ground rules, Matthias was selected by lot. It is a matter of debate whether Matthias's selection was approved by God.
⁷³
However, on balance, since Luke includes this narrative without any negative comment, the action was most likely appropriate.

C. Pentecost: The Church Is Born (2:1–47)
When the day of Pentecost arrived, the gathered disciples experienced the coming of the Holy Spirit (2:1–13), which took place in fulfillment of Jesus' promise (see 1:8). Because devout Jews from every nation were present, all Israel was represented. These worshippers heard the word of God in their own languages and witnessed the power of the Spirit, a sign of the end time. In this way the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost highlights the worldwide implications of the gospel, reversing the confusion of languages that ensued at the tower of Babel incident (Gen 11:1–9).

Peter explained the significance of the events that had transpired (2:14–40). In essence, the logic of Peter's address is as follows: (1) the Spirit had now been poured out; (2) Jesus predicted that this would occur once he had been exalted with God subsequent to his ascension (Luke 24:49; see Acts 1:8–9); (3) hence the coming of the Spirit proved that Jesus had now been exalted: “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” (2:33).

Peter quoted the prophecy of Joel 2:28–32 to explain that this was the promised coming of the Holy Spirit (2:14–21). The last line of Joel's prophecy, “Then whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved,” transitions into Peter's evangelistic appeal (2:22–36).
He concluded with a call to repentance (2:37–40), with the result that 3,000 were converted. The citation of Joel 2:28–32 can be compared to the citation of Isa 61:1–2 in Luke 4:18–19 in that it sets the stage for the rest of the book by narrating the coming of the Spirit to all those who called on the name of the Lord.

Luke concluded his account of these preliminary events with the first of several summaries that mark the transitions (2:41–47). The church devoted itself to the apostles' teaching (the standard of doctrinal orthodoxy prior to the formation of the NT), to fellowship, to the breaking of bread (i.e., celebrating the Lord's Supper), and to prayers (note the plural in the original Greek, which may suggest set prayers). Many miraculous signs and wonders were performed by the apostles. The believers shared everything in common, worshipped God in gladness, and continually grew in numbers.

II. The Church in Jerusalem (3:1–6:7)

Subsequent to the foundational narrative of the ascension of Jesus and the coming of the Spirit in the first two chapters, this unit presents the establishment of the church in Jerusalem, stage one of the three-part expansion of the gospel predicted by the risen Jesus at the beginning of the book of Acts (1:8). At this early juncture the church is wholly Jewish and expanding rapidly, which is further underscored by the reference to a number of priests coming to the faith, which concludes this section (6:7). Jesus' promise that his followers would be witnesses in Jerusalem was powerfully fulfilled.

A. A Miracle and Its Aftermath (3:1–4:31)
God performed a remarkable miracle through Peter who, together with John, was on his way to the hour of prayer in the temple (3:1–10). When approached for money by a man born lame, Peter healed the man, whose great rejoicing drew a large crowd. Peter's ensuing speech at the temple (3:13–26) charged the people with putting Jesus to death but acknowledged that they had done so out of ignorance. Peter told the crowd that they would experience “times of refreshing” if they repented and followed Jesus.

At this, Peter and John were seized by the Jewish leaders (4:1–4). This gave Peter the opportunity to extend a similar message to the Sanhedrin, albeit without an appeal to repent. Subsequently, Peter and John were released with orders to stop talking about Jesus (4:5–22). Upon their return to the community of believers, the place was shaken, and the believers were all filled with the Holy Spirit to “speak God's message with boldness” (4:31).

B. Trouble Within and Without (4:32–6:7)
This section of Acts shows the nature of the new community and the lengths to which God was prepared to go to protect her purity. Barnabas, first mentioned here, sold a piece of property and donated the proceeds to the church (4:32–37). This spurred a couple in the church, Ananias and Sapphira, to do the same but to keep back a portion for themselves. By itself, this was unobjectionable, but lying about it in order to increase one's stature was an affront to God. The couple was
severely judged: first Ananias and then his wife were struck dead on the spot (5:1–11). As a result, great fear came upon the church.

Undaunted, the apostles preached continually in the temple, boldly healing in Jesus' name (5:12–16). Once more the apostles were arrested but freed by an angel who told them to go on so they could “tell the people all about this life” (5:20). When arrested again and forbidden to preach about Jesus, the apostles retorted, “We must obey God rather than men” (5:29). Gamaliel's advice to his fellow Sanhedrin members was to wait and see. If this movement was not from God, it would fail, as other movements had done in the past. After receiving a flogging, the apostles returned joyfully to preaching the word, in direct disobedience to the Sanhedrin (5:40) but in obedience to God.