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LUKE'S STORY IN 'THE ACTS'
Last time we considered the first part of Luke's two-volume contribution to the NT, in comparison with the other two gospels, Mark and Matthew, which follow the same structure, and therefore are known as the 'synoptic gospels'. This time we consider his second volume, The Acts of the Apostles, on its own, as Luke's story, albeit with many subtleties to note on the way, before concluding, next time, putting his two volumes together again.
Luke could only look through tinted lenses, back to the events he described in The Acts, back in time from the late 80s, back to the atmosphere of Judaism in the 2nd Temple era, before Jerusalem had been demolished, before the loss of the Jesus-Jews' headquarters in Jerusalem, and before the Jesus-Community had been expelled from the synagogues. Life had changed so much for Christians, that the early beginnings of their story seemed to belong to a different world. Few Christians in the gentile world of the Diaspora had personal connections with the story Luke told, - but as no other text exists, so far as we know, giving comparable information about those early years, (apart from snippets of information gleaned from the 7 letters of Paul), it is not easy to check Luke's story for historical verification.
The Acts, therefore, must be accepted as an 'historical essay', and its material edited by a great Story-teller, rather than 'History', pure and straightforward. This enables the reader to search beneath the story for nuances, subtleties, and questions, all of which are embodied in this two-volume work, the longest of all in the NT. Luke was the most sophisticated writer of the NT, but he was not the most sophisticated theologian! And in spite of his great admiration of Paul, his hero, Luke sadly failed to understand Paul's thinking, as becomes most evident in Acts ch 15!
Luke's story is told in brilliant narrative style, but its chronology is too simplistic, and its catalogue of events is too neat and tidy, to have happened just the way he describes. The Acts divides into three clearly defined parts:
Part One: The Golden Age. Luke's prelude describes the departure of the 'empirical' Risen Jesus at the mount of the Ascension, in the presence of angels. (cp the beginning of the Gospel). The election of Matthias by lot, and the conditions for his election, having accompanied Jesus throughout his earthly ministry, immediately raise two points of interest: Luke never thought of Paul as an apostle, making the reader wonder if Luke had ever read any of Paul's letters! Then, at the very beginning of his story, the method of Matthias's election, 'by lot', would be understood, not only by Jewish readers familiar with the OT, but also by Gentile readers familiar with other religions in the Graeco-Roman world. This will be a book for all, whatever their background!
Pentecost is chosen by Luke to describe the theophany of the Spirit's descent upon the disciples. It was the Jewish festival commemorating the giving of the Law to Moses at Mt Sinai, and the Church has ever since accepted this as its calendar. The many languages introduce the idea that the gospel will, one day, be universal. Peter's speech, the first of many such constructs in Luke's story, starts the course of preaching which gradually unfolds the missionary thrust of the new movement. The first speech introduces two regularly used 'proof texts', the first from Joel, the apocalyptic description of the out-pouring of God's Spirit 'on all flesh', with salvation for 'whoever calls on the name of the Lord', and the second, to explain the significance of Jesus, that David's hope was indeed the messianic hope, proved in Jesus by his ascension 'into glory' as Lord and Christ.
The crowd's reaction enabled Luke to lay out the route to membership of the new Community, which still prevails today: repentance, forgiveness, baptism and receiving the gift of the Spirit. The embryo Community started with 3,000 converts. Its existence was idyllic, and reminiscent of the paradise garden of Genesis.
The healing activities of Peter and John, in the 'name of the Lord Jesus', evoke the concerns of the Temple authorities, while the story of Ananias and Sapphira describes the first 'fall' from perfection. Angels open doors, suggesting divine approval for their activities, while wise Gamaliel, with the benefit of Luke's own hindsight, spells out the key issue, that no-one can successfully oppose the work of God.
The climax of the first part of Luke's story concerns Stephen. With tantalisingly few details of the group behind the event, Stephen appears as one of the Church's 'Deacons', appointed from the members of a synagogue in Jerusalem, frequented by Jews from the Diaspora. He was soon preaching, and upsetting the Temple authorities with his 'diaspora view' of Israel's story, which put more emphasis on God among His people, rather than living in a Temple. The story of Stephen's trial and condemnation is told very dramatically, with Stephen's vision of Jesus in his glory, and his death recalling that of Jesus on the cross. Its message is that the dying, Christian, martyr goes 'to the Lord Jesus', as Luke's generation firmly believed. The Church's innocence, its Golden Age, was ended.
Part two: Expansion into Samaria The next cycle of stories build up to a great climax at the heart of this book, and revolve around the apostle, Peter. It begins, however, with two episodes involving Philip, another of the six Deacons. He left Jerusalem, where there was more trouble in the synagogue of the Diaspora, and went into the countryside around Samaria. He healed, and converted people, including Simon the magician, and was followed by a visit from the apostles who brought the gift of the Spirit to these people. (Another Pentecost at the beginning of the next phase). Then on his travels he met the Ethiopian eunuch, explained the Servant prophecy of Isaiah in connection with Jesus, and baptised him. The Gospel was beginning to attract non-Jews!
Luke prepared his story about Peter's theophany experience, by describing Paul's first. Remember, Paul was not converted to another 'religion', but to another version of Pharisaic Judaism. (Paul. in his letters, makes no mention of this story about himself, except that Damascus was the location of his theophany, his awareness of meeting the Risen Jesus, and being commissioned as an apostle by him, directly.) Luke's story is vividly told, and will be repeated twice later, in the next section. Surprisingly, Ananias is already the leader of the Jesus-Jews in Damascus, but Luke hasn't explained how the Gospel arrived there. Later, in Jerusalem, Paul aroused the same objections as Stephen had done, and was 'retired' home to Tarsus.
The scene was now ready for Peter to take centre-stage. First, Peter is portrayed as a healer, in the name of Jesus, of Aeneas, and then Tabitha in Joppa, but recalling OT memories of Elijah and Elisha. And then the story of Cornelius's conversion follows. (or is it really the conversion of Peter?) Peter's vision of the animals, clean and unclean, brought him reluctantly to accept the sudden invitation to visit the house of the Roman centurion, where Cornelius and his family listened to the fullest summary of the gospel, in Peter's speech. (ch 10) God's full approval became clear when another 'Pentecost experience', the coming of the Spirit, came upon these Gentiles, after which, Peter baptised them all, without any conditions.
It became the turning point in Luke's story of the Church's acceptance of gentile members, but in giving credit to the apostolic leader, he inadvertently lessened the revolutionary nature of Paul's work which is the theme of most of his letters.
After introducing the Christian community of Antioch in Syria, where the Gospel had gained a large number of members, Barnabas and Paul are described working there, while the Peter-stories end in Jerusalem. For no apparent reason, Herod Agrippa I killed the apostle, James, and then imprisoned Peter. Peter's escape through open prison doors, with help from angels, is contrasted humourously with the closed door of the Upper Room, but with a message for 'James', the brother of the Lord who is introduced as the Leader of the Jerusalem Church, Peter then moves on into historical obscurity. This section is concluded with the wry telling of the death of Herod Agrippa who claimed divine honours for himself, while the activities of the real God, in the Church, went on and on.
Part three: the journeyings of Paul. This story begins in the young Christian community at Antioch. It had grown in confidence, and in response to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, (directing events in this next development), commissioned Barnabas and Paul, without any permission from Jerusalem, to go out and preach the good news of Jesus in synagogues of the Diaspora. They went first to Cyprus, and then to S Turkey, during which time John Mark left them and went home to his Mum in Jerusalem. At Antioch in Pisidia, they preached in the synagogue, to both Jews and Godfearers, and received a favourable response. Later, when some objected to what they heard, there was trouble, and the travellers quickly went further on into areas where there was less Jewish influence. At Lystra, they were hailed as Greek gods! Before returning to Antioch in Syria, however, they had met with considerable success, particularly among interested Gentiles, and established small new Churches in the main towns. The Jews, though, were divided: some accepted the baptism of Gentiles, while others insisted that they should first fully embrace the Jewish Law, and be circumcised before baptism. By the time Barnabas and Paul had returned to Antioch to give a report on their activities, news of it had reached the authorities in Jerusalem.
Acts 15 describes Luke's version of the 'Council' in Jerusalem. It is Peter's account of his theophany that gives weight to the argument about the inclusion of Gentiles without prior conditions, before Barnabas and Paul spoke, and before James, brother of the Lord, gave his considered judgment. In consequence, the most 'Pauline' speech in The Acts is put in the mouth of Peter, but it does not tally with Paul's account of his row with Peter over table fellowship with Gentile Christians, in Galatians!. Paul would have objected most strongly to the apostolic decree, with its conditions. Paul allowed no compromise: for him Christ had broken all the chains of the Law, not some of them! While Luke admired what Paul had done, he sadly failed to understand him!
Luke's story continued, full of interest for his readers, describing the journeys of Paul alone, after the break with Barnabas. (Luke did not give the real reason, making John Mark the cause). Paul went further and further, through Asia to the mainland of Greece, founding young Christian Churches in many of the main cities, Philippi, Thessalonike, Beroea, even Athens, the heartland of Greek philosophy. Gradually Paul's status is raised in the eyes of Rome, as his Citizenship commands respect. His most important achievements were in Corinth and Ephesus. Always the pattern of his work was the same: first he preached to the Jews, but when rejected by them he preached to the Godfearers, and soon to all Gentiles who were interested. The Churches were Housegroups. Luke eventually brought Paul back to Jerusalem, for the start of the last part of his story which follows very closely the pattern of Jesus in the gospel volume.
Paul arrived, and taught in the Temple, but was in conflict with the Temple authorities. He, an innocent man, was arrested, and became a prisoner, whereupon his full stature as a Roman citizen was revealed, and he was tried by the Roman governors, Felix and Festus. He was then investigated by Herod Agrippa II, (as Jesus was in the Gospel, - the only Gospel to describe such a trial). The story of his sea journey and shipwreck are considered the Martyrdom of Paul, and his survival to continue preaching to Jews and to Gentiles in Rome is the end of Luke's story. The whole two- volume work ends peacefully, and the Church's growth continues ..... into the future.
Next time, we shall probe more deeply into this important book of the NT.
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