The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown (84 page)

B. Arrival, Unrest, and Arrest in Jerusalem (21:17–23:35)
Upon arriving in Jerusalem, Paul was invited to pay for a Jewish vow to alleviate suspicion among the Jewish believers. But a charge from Jews of Asia Minor that Paul brought a Gentile into the temple created a riot. Paul was seized by the Roman soldiers garrisoned at the fortress of Antonia. (Ironically, the false charge that Paul brought a Gentile into the temple caused Gentiles to enter the temple to rescue Paul.)

C. Paul's Defenses Before Felix, Festus, and Agrippa (24:1–26:32)
After being allowed to give his defense before the crowd, Paul, over a period of at least two years, was brought before Felix (24:1–27), Porcius Festus (25:1–12), and Agrippa (25:13–27). Paul's appeal to Caesar necessitated the trip to Rome even though Paul was declared innocent of the charges at each interrogation (26:1–32).

D. Paul's Trip to Rome (27:1–28:31)
The actual seafaring journey comprises almost two-thirds of the final two chapters of the book. Just as God had been the major impetus behind the church's missionary expansion, he was also the driving force on the journey to Rome. While Paul was not in control of his movements, neither were the Romans. God's providence is clearly accentuated through this final section of the book. It ultimately brought Paul to Rome and proved God powerful throughout the journey.

When Paul arrived in Rome, he followed the pattern set throughout his ministry and met with the Jews first, with moderate success. Regarding those who rejected the message, Paul cited Isa 6:9–10 in order to show that the rejection of the Jews was not unexpected. After this, the Gentiles were invited to trust in Christ. Thus Luke concluded the book with Paul under house arrest in Rome yet preaching unhindered to all who would hear, Jews and Gentiles alike.

THEOLOGY

Theological Themes

Salvation History
Luke's organizing principle is best described as “salvation history.” His intent throughout Luke-Acts was to narrate the unfolding of God's salvation plan.
⁷⁵
This, of course, was impacted by the identification of the genre of Acts as historiography and the nature of Acts as being a sequel to Luke. In describing this approach, one must avoid importing all the negative conclusions reached by proponents of
Heilsgeschichte
(German for “salvation history”) to the interpretation of Luke-Acts. For Luke, focusing on salvation history was not a necessary correction to an embarrassing delay in the apocalyptic expectation within the lifetime of the early disciples.
⁷⁶
Rather, Luke presented God's
plan throughout history as one that brings about individual redemption through Jesus Christ. This redemption, in the fullness of time, was announced and offered through the proclamation of this historical event, that is, the gospel.
⁷⁷
As Köstenberger and O'Brien observed, “Luke's Gospel tells the story of Jesus and his salvation, while the book of Acts traces the movement of that salvation to the Gentiles.”
⁷⁸

One of the more prominent themes throughout the book of Acts is the sovereignty of God in moving the gospel out of Palestine “and to the ends of the earth” (1:8). This can be seen in a variety of ways. To begin with, Luke was clearly interested in the fulfillment of Scripture. The vast majority of the OT quotations occur in the evangelistic speeches in Jewish contexts (see esp. Peter's appeals in 2:14–36 and 3:12–26; Stephen's speech in 7:2–53; and Paul's address in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch in 13:16–41).
⁷⁹
In Gentile contexts (e.g., 17:22–31), this was a less effective appeal, but among those who hold to the inspiration of the Torah it was quite successful. The fulfillment of the OT was essential to the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch (8:30–35). Beyond these specific instances, there are also unspecified appeals in Acts to the fulfillment of the OT that point to God's activity in sending Christ (e.g., Peter speaks of what “all the prophets testify,” 3:18, 24; 10:43; cf. the summaries of Paul's preaching in 17:3; 24:14; 26:22; and of Apollos's preaching in 18:28). Thus, the message to Israel is, “Your Messiah has come,
according to the Scriptures
.”

This fulfillment of God's desire is seen in the continued emphasis on God's plan. The “divine must” (
dei
) is a continued phenomenon from Luke's Gospel (see 1:16,21). At many places in the narrative it is used to show the plans of God (see 3:21; 4:12; 9:6; 14:22; 17:3; 19:21; 23:11; 27:24; 27:26).

From a structural and literary standpoint, Luke showed that the expansion of the gospel to the ends of the earth was a movement of God. Above all else, it was in obedience to and in fulfillment of the explicit command of Jesus (1:8). The rest of the book unfolds as Jesus foretold (i.e., “Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”). But more than that, each step was a movement of God. The evangelization of Jerusalem came after the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost. In 8:4, the door was opened to Judea and Samaria. The persecution at the stoning of Stephen and the subsequent dispersion proved to be providential. Philip evangelized some Samaritans and then a Gentile God-fearer (the Ethiopian) at the command of an angel.

The door was further opened to Gentiles with the salvation of Cornelius, who received a vision to talk to a man named Peter (10:1–5). Meanwhile, Peter, in Joppa, received a
vision not to exclude anyone (10:9–16). At about that time the invitation from Cornelius arrived.

The outline of Acts is centered geographically, proceeding as follows: Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, Asia Minor, Macedonia and Greece, and Rome. At the entrance of the gospel to each of these regions, Luke was careful to note that the gospel penetrated these areas at the direction of God. In 13:2, Paul and Barnabas were selected by the Holy Spirit to take the gospel to Asia Minor. On the return trip, a Macedonian vision was interpreted as a message from God to go there (16:9). Paul was determined to go to Rome, but this happened in such a way that could only be considered providential (19:21). The purposes of God were clearly announced to Paul on his final trip to Jerusalem. In the end he was arrested, appealed to Caesar, and was sent to Rome at state expense, all of which was articulated to Paul as the decree of God (e.g., 21:10–14; 23:11; 27:23–24).

The Universal Scope of the Gospel
The second, unmistakable theme related to salvation history is that the gospel is for all nations. Luke stressed in Acts 1:8 that Jesus commanded the apostles to go to the ends of the earth. Yet he also documented that the steps to the inclusion of the Gentiles were slow and hesitating. Moreover, these steps were certainly not the result of human planning. For example, Peter had to be convinced by miraculous, divine means that Gentiles could receive the gospel apart from Judaism (10:1–48).

Although the inclusion of the Gentiles is widely accepted, it is often forgotten (and sometimes denied)
⁸⁰
that salvation includes the restoration of Israel through Jesus (see esp. the question at 1:6 and Peter's invitation at 2:36). Jesus' reply to the question at 1:6 (“Lord, at this time are you restoring the kingdom to Israel?”) was not that the kingdom would not be restored but that this would take place in the Father's timing. F. Thielman was certainly correct when he stated, “This implies that such a restoration is coming, although Christians should not calculate the timing of its arrival.”
⁸¹
Throughout the book of Acts, the pattern—as Paul announced it in Rom 1:16—is “to the Jew, and also to the Gentile.” Thus Luke demonstrated that the gospel was initially proclaimed “to the Jews first.”

The Holy Spirit
Related to the emphasis on the sovereignty of God in moving the gospel forward is an emphasis on the Holy Spirit as the agent of the church's life and growth. Luke described his Gospel as recording “all that Jesus began to do and teach” (Acts 1:1), implying that the book of Acts is about the continuing activity of Christ. This activity was accomplished through the Holy Spirit.
⁸²
Hence, the disciples were commanded to wait for the promise of the Spirit (1:4, 8). His coming at Pentecost signaled the beginning of the church's advance (2:1–4, 33).

Since God promised to give the Spirit at salvation (2:38; 9:17), his reception is proof of salvation. Speaking in tongues is the evidence that three key people groups have been
saved: Jews (2:4), Gentiles (10:46), and some disciples of John the Baptist (19:6). Since it is evident that the Samaritans had received salvation as well (8:16), it is possible that they spoke in tongues at salvation too—though this is not stated explicitly in the text. It is a mistake, however, to assume that salvation is always accompanied by speaking in tongues. The account of Paul's conversion, for example, makes no mention of tongues. Tongues in Acts are an indisputable sign that salvation has taken place with regard to specific people groups. The phenomenon strongly underscores the inclusiveness of the gospel.

The Holy Spirit was the one who sovereignly directed the Christian mission. Jesus gave orders through the Holy Spirit (1:2). Philip was ordered by the Holy Spirit (8:29, 39). Peter was instructed by the Holy Spirit to receive Gentiles (10:19–20). The Holy Spirit set apart Barnabas and Saul and directed them to depart (13:2,4). The Holy Spirit initiated Paul's departure to the Greek peninsula (16:6–10; cf. 20: 22–23, 28; 21:4).

The Holy Spirit not only directed the mission; he empowered it. This was in keeping with the promise of Jesus (1:8), which is affirmed repeatedly in the narrative (4:8, 31; 6:10; 7:55; 9:31; 11:28–29; 13:9–10; 21:11). Peter's citation of Joel 2:28 (2:16–21), where the Lord promised an eschatological outpouring of the Spirit that would inaugurate salvation on a universal scope, is programmatic for the entire book. Thus it is hard to overstate the Spirit's post-Easter role in salvation history.
⁸³

The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus
The key point in salvation history is the death, resurrection, and exaltation of Jesus. In the proclamation of the gospel, this cluster of significant events is the pivot point of history and the culmination of God's plan from long ago. This plan was commanded by God (4:23), predicted by the prophets (26:22), accomplished in Christ (13:28–39), and proclaimed by faithful witnesses (4:33).
⁸⁴

Luke's teaching on the resurrection of Christ entails not merely a restoration from the dead but an unprecedented exaltation. Even though others, such as Enoch or Elijah, had ascended to heaven, Jesus was elevated to the right hand of God. The importance of the ascension in Luke's theology is seen by strategic references to it in Luke-Acts at the end of the Gospel and at the beginning of Acts. Paul likewise, in the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch, connected the resurrection of Jesus to his sonship (13:33–34). Thus Jesus reigns as God's Messiah from the heavenly throne not only as the Son of David but also as the Son of God.

The resurrection of Jesus is the proof of Jesus' claims (see 3:15; 5:20; 25:19). It is also the guarantee of a personal resurrection for chosen humanity (see 24:15; 26:23). Finally, as noted above, it is also the starting point for the restoration of Israel. This is the first question asked of the resurrected Jesus in the book of Acts (1:6), and it is the “hope of Israel”
(28:20). This restoration begins with the reception of the Messiah and his purging of sin, a message powerfully proclaimed by Peter at Pentecost and marked especially by the pouring out of the Spirit as an inaugural sign of the last days (2:38).

The restoration includes a powerful “reconstituting” of the people of God to include the poor and oppressed in Israel and ultimately the inclusion of “all who are far off , as many as the Lord our God will call” (2:39).
⁸⁵
Peter's words thus provide a fitting summary: “Let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead. …This Jesus is the stone despised by you builders, who has become the cornerstone. There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved” (4:10–12).

CONTRIBUTION TO THE CANON

• Volume 2 of Luke-Acts: what Jesus continued to do through the Holy Spirit (1:1)
  
• Account of the spread of Christianity from Jerusalem to Rome (1:8) and of the life and practices of the early church (see 2:42)
  
• Giving of the Spirit at Pentecost and birth of the NT church (chap. 2)
  
• Ministry of Peter, John, James (Jesus' half brother), and others (chaps. 1–12)
  
• Inclusion of the Gentiles by decree of the Jerusalem Council (chap. 15)
  
• Ministry of Paul “to the Jew first and also to the Gentiles” in locations to which Paul addressed letters included in the canon (chaps. 13–28; see especially 28:23–28)
  

STUDY QUESTIONS

1. Who wrote Acts? Was the author an apostle? What ensures that the criterion of apostolicity was met?
   
2. When was Acts most likely written, and what is the major reason usually given for this date?
   
3. Who was Theophilus, how do we know who he was, and what was his likely role with regard to Luke/Acts?
   
4. Where was Acts most likely finished?
   
5. What are the major proposals regarding the purpose of Acts? According to the authors, what is the most likely purpose?
   
6. Why is the question regarding genre important for studying Acts?
   
7. Why is Acts considered historically reliable?
   
8. What are the sources that lay behind the composition of Acts?
   
9. What is the basic “blueprint” for Acts, and why?
   
10. What is the logic underlying Peter's Pentecost sermon?
    
11. What was the major issue discussed at the Jerusalem Council?
    
12. What role does the Holy Spirit play in Acts?
    

FOR FURTHER STUDY

Alexander, L. C. A.
Acts in Its Ancient Literary Context: A Classicist Looks at the Acts of the Apostles
. Library of New Testament Studies 298. London: T&T Clark International, 2005.