St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
Lecture Series Led By Rev. Mike Kreutzer
Sunday, May 27, 2007

27:1 – 28:16, the journey from Caesarea Maritima to Rome – This is the last of Paul’s 10-12 sea journeys in Acts. 

Paul is the center of attention in the narrative. Willimon (p. 184) points out: “He gives expert advice about weather and navigation, he maintains amazing calm in the middle of a raging storm, even delivering a sermon to the hardened sailors who had ‘abandoned all hope’ (27:20-25), and he helps to head off a mutiny. He predicts that no one will be lost (27:22), a prophecy fulfilled when ‘all escaped to land’ (27:44).”

The journey narrative moves on a step-by-step basis, moving closer and closer to its destination, with those in charge deciding at each stop where and how to go next.

27:2 – Aristarchus has been mentioned as a Macedonian in 19:29 and as a Thessalonian in 20:4. Col. 4:10 refers to him as “a fellow prisoner.” Philemon 24 lists him among Paul’s “fellow workers.”

27:4 – Instead of sailing directly west toward Italy, they stay close to the eastern and northern shores of Cyprus for protection from the winds.

27:5 – They then take to the open sea in order to be able to hug the coast of Asia Minor, again for protection.

27:6, “an Alexandrian ship bound for Italy” – Ships frequently sailed with grain from Egypt to Rome. Their food supply was especially critical in winter in order to supply the needs of the sometimes restive Roman population. To ensure adequate supplies of grain, Claudius provided insurance to ships that sailed with grain from Egypt to Rome during the winter, and he paid a premium for the food that they delivered.

27:7 – Cnidus was located at the most southwestern point of Asia Minor. Thucydides (Peloponnesian Wars) mentions Cnidus as a port used frequently by ships from Alexandria.

27:8 – The ship sailed close to Crete rather than taking to the open sea, arriving eventually at Fair Havens. Yom Kippur (27:9, “the Fast”) would have been in September or October. The Mediterranean was considered to be too dangerous to sail during the winter (at least November through March), and a premium was paid to anyone who dared to sail across it anyway.

27:12, Phoenix – There is disagreement as to whether Phoenix was located on the southwest shore of Crete or the northwest – but it doesn’t matter here since the ship never arrives there anyway.

27:16 – Cauda appears to have been to the southwest of Crete since the ship is heading for the open water.

27:26 – After an “I told you so” (vs. 21) and an exhortation to courage, Paul delivers the bad news last (vs. 26): the fact that they will shipwreck on some island.

27:27 – What is now called the Adriatic Sea was then referred to as the Gulf of Adria.

27:31-32 – Paul once again intervenes, but this time the centurion listens.

27:35-36 – Paul takes bread, gives thanks, breaks it, and begins to eat, which encourages the others to begin to eat of it as well. Willimon notes (p. 185): “The Eucharist is food of confidence shared in the middle of the storm.”

27:44 – Following the shipwreck, everyone arrives on the shore.

28:1-10, Paul and the others on Malta – Paul brings healing to a prominent man of the island.

28:11-13 – They board another Alexandrian ship, one with the figurehead of Castor and Pollux, the twin sons of Zeus; they were associated with protection at sea. They sail from Malta to Syracuse on Sicily, and then on to Puteoli where they meet a group of believers. Then (14) they sailed on toward Rome.

28:15 – At Paul’s arrival in Rome, he is enthusiastically greeted by the church who come out to meet him. Throughout Acts the call to embrace the good news is not a call to accept a certain way of thinking, but a call to join a community that is dedicated to carrying on the mission. Willimon puts it this way: “Jesus’ message formed a distinct people. His message was about a new community. The Acts question is not merely the intellectual one of ‘Do you agree?’ but the political and social question, ‘Will you join up?’”

28:16 – Paul remains at Rome, guarded by a soldier. The final “we” section comes to an end, and full attention is focused on Paul.


The significance of the journey narrative: è Luke Timothy Johnson, The Acts of the Apostles, pages 457-458


28:17 – Paul meets with the leaders of the Jewish community at Rome. Luke Timothy Johnson (p. 466) notes that there had been a Jewish community in Rome since probably the mid-second century BCE. Despite expulsions form the city under Tiberius and Claudius, the community appears to have been fairly large at this time.

28:20 – Paul asserts that he is being put on trial because he has affirmed “the hope of Israel.” His audience responds that they have heard nothing about these charges, but that they would like to hear more “for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against” (22). He teaches them from morning until evening (23), giving testimony and trying to convince them. Some were convinced, while others refused to believe (23). Paul once again turns to the Gentiles for “they will listen” (29).

28:30-31 – Paul continued for two years to proclaim the good news to all who came to him. Considering 28:22, they might have come to him because they had been expelled from the synagogues.

Willimon (p 190) suggests that these verses are an allusion to 2:11, the Pentecost scene that speaks of “God’s deeds of power.” Paul proclaiming the good news n Rome “with all boldness and without hindrance” (31) is itself a mighty act of God. Johnson (p. 473) notes: ”Luke therefore ends his work with a positive affirmation, much like that stated by Paul himself from his captivity, ‘I am suffering and wearing fetters like a criminal. But the word of God is not fettered.’ (2 Tim. 2:9).”

Some (e.g. David Tiede) have suggested that Acts ends on a triumphalistic note. Willimon (p. 191) denies that notion, pointing out that it ignores “Luke’s intended audience – a persecuted minority fighting for its life.”

Acts does not include an account of Paul’s death, but passages such as 20:25 & 38 indicate that Luke knew well the ultimate outcome of Paul’s trial – as well as the note in 28:30 about Paul living in Rome for “two whole years.” But the account of Paul’s death was not the end of the story. Despite Jesus’ death, despite the death of Stephen, and despite the death of Paul, the story goes on. Willimon (p. 192) puts it this way: “You and I live in the continuation of the story of Acts. Acts must close in an open-ended fashion, with the door still open for work and witness rather than closed by death, because the Spirit is still active. Luke is not simply writing history. He writes the story of the Spirit, the Spirit incarnate in people like you and me… We need not be gazing into heaven (1:11) when the Spirit is active here on earth… In your church and mine the story continues.”

St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
Lecture Series Led By Rev. Mike Kreutzer
Sunday, May 20, 2007

21:1-16, warnings about returning to Jerusalem: the cost of discipleship – Paul and his companions make their way from place to place on their journey toward Jerusalem. From Asia Minor, from island to island and on to Phoenicia, they meet with groups of disciples all along the way. Willimon (p 159) notes: “The church has become a counter-cultural, global network of communities caring for their own subversive missionaries who are now traveling to and fro throughout the Empire. Prayer and fellowship (20:36; 21:5) keep Paul going along each step of his foreboding journey toward Rome.”

In the power of the Holy Spirit, fellow believers warn Paul not to go to Jerusalem. This happens at Tyre (4) and again at Caesarea (10-12). It is obvious to the reader that the end is approaching for Paul. Yet Paul is determined to return once again to Jerusalem, just as Jesus himself had done despite those who warned him. It will be through his own imprisonment and suffering that he will finally bring the gospel to the ends of the earth, i.e. to Rome.

21:17-26: Paul arrives in Jerusalem – False rumors have circulated that Paul was teaching Jewish Christians not to obey the Law. The leaders of the church at Jerusalem called on Paul to undergo a rite of purification to show those critics that he was, in fact, still obedient to the Law. Luke portrays Paul, and the ancient church as a whole, as constantly returning to their roots, to their tradition, in order to understand and interpret the new things that God is doing in the present.

21:27-36 – Due to a false rumor, Paul is grabbed and beaten by the crowd. He survives only because the Roman soldiers step in.

21:37-39 – The tribune is surprised when Paul speaks to him in Greek, thinking that he was an Egyptians who had recently stirred up a revolt. He gives Paul permission to speak.

21:40 - 22:22 – Paul speaks to the people in “Hebrew”: most probably Aramaic. He recounts his Jewish background and training and the story of his conversion and call. His call is described as one of a loyal and zealous Jew. The story differs in several ways from the account given in chapter 9, and from the one that will be given in chapter 26. The crowd listens attentively to Paul, until the final verse where he mentions God sending him to the Gentiles.

22:23-30 – The crowd is ready to kill Paul. The tribune arrests him and orders him to be examined by torture. Paul mentions that he is a Roman citizen from birth: a very high distinction. The tribune orders him released and brought the next day before the Jewish council. Paul will never be completely free again.

Willimon (pp. 170-171) points out that, even as a captive, Paul is still in control of the exchange. He notes: “Paul is craft, shrewd, humorous in the face of Caesar’s power, the master of his would-be oppressors.”

23:1-10, Paul before the council – 

1-5, Paul begins to speak; Paul and the high priest

6-10 – “I am a Pharisee.” Paul uses the conflict between the Pharisees and the Sadducees to divide his accusers.

23:11 – “That night the Lord stood near him and said, “Keep up your courage! For just as you have testified for me in Jerusalem, so you must bear witness also in Rome.”

23:12-35 – Paul‘s opponents plot against him. They connive with the chief priests and the elders in order to have an opportunity to kill him. This is the second of three attempts on Paul’s life (with 21:31 and 25:3). Paul’s nephew discovers the plots and reports it to the tribune. The tribune immediately orders Paul to be taken to Felix, the governor, in Caesarea. He dispatches 470 troops to protect Paul. He sends along a letter to Felix, declaring that Paul’s so-called offense was a matter solely of Jewish religious law, and nothing that deserved Roman punishment, much less death. He declares further that he sent him in order to protect the rights of a Roman citizen. Felix orders Paul to be held until his accusers arrive and present their charges against him.

24:1-23 – Paul’s accusers present their charges against Paul, and Paul refutes them. Felix delays further proceedings until the tribune, Lysias, arrives.

24:24-26 – Felix and his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, listen again to Paul. Felix then orders him to be held for a later hearing, hoping that Paul will offer him a bribe.

24:27 – In order to win the favor of the Jewish leadership, Felix leaves Paul in prison for two years, allowing his friends to care for his needs. Felix is then succeeded by Porcius Festus.

25:1-5 – Three days after his arrival in Caesarea, Festus goes to Jerusalem. The Jewish leaders ask that Paul be brought there for questioning; their real intent is to kill him on the way. Festus refuses and insists that he himself will hear the case in Caesarea.

25:6-12 – Paul and his accusers appear before Festus at Caesarea. To appease the accusers, Festus appears willing to send Paul to Jerusalem for a hearing there. Paul, knowing that he would never reach Jerusalem, uses a privilege of his Roman Citizenship: he appeals to the emperor. Festus accedes to the request: “You have appealed to the emperor; to the emperor you shall go.”

25:13-27 – King Herod Agrippa II and his sister, Bernice, come to Caesarea. Festus has Paul appear before them. He is about to send Paul as a prisoner to Rome, but has not been able to find anything with which to charge him. He hopes that Agrippa can help.

26:1-32, Paul’s defense before Festus, Agrippa and Bernice – In Lk 21:12-13, Jesus says, “You will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake.”

Agrippa II and Bernice were children of Agrippa I. Agrippa was not a practicing Jew, but would have been very familiar with their beliefs and practices. In verses 4-11, he recounts his Pharisaic Jewish background. In 12-18, he tells of his encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus. In 19-23, he insists that everything he has proclaimed is in accordance with the law and the prophets. This is Paul’s final defense in Acts. The story of his “conversion” is really the story of his “call”.

24-26 – Felix breaks in to insist that Paul is out of his mind. Paul begins to defend his words and to turn the discussion back to Agrippa.

27-29 – Paul begins to preach even to Agrippa, but is quickly stopped.

30-32 – Festus, Agrippa and Bernice all agree that Paul has done nothing to deserve death or imprisonment. Agrippa adds that Paul could have been set free if he had not appealed to the emperor.

St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
Lecture Series Led By Rev. Mike Kreutzer
Sunday, May 13, 2007

15:1-35, the Council of Jerusalem – The church has had great success in its mission, but is now experiencing conflict within itself. “Certain individuals” had come down from Jerusalem to Antioch to insist on the necessity of keeping the law. Paul and Barnabas had “no small dissension and debate with them.” So the church decided to send them to Jerusalem to discuss the situation with the apostles and the elders. The church celebrates the new things that God is doing, but maintains its close contact with the tradition and with those who uphold the tradition.

6-11, Peter’s speech referring to his experience – Paul’s letters indicate that Peter may not have been so amenable to accepting the Gentiles, without them following the Law, as Luke portrays him here.

12 -- Barnabas and Paul tell of what they have seen God doing among the Gentiles.

13-21, James presents his decision, although the consensus of the wider church is cited later. He quotes Amos 9:11-12 on God’s call “in those days” to the nations (Gentiles); there is no mention in Amos of the nations being required to follow the Law.

Willimon (pages 129-130) offers this scene as a model for how the church needs to address controversies. The church begins by listening to its leaders; they are not merely functionaries or managers, but have been entrusted by the church with giving a larger perspective on what God is doing in the church and in the world. They call upon Scripture and tradition, but also upon the lived experience of the present-day church to discern where God is now calling the church.

James’ “decision”, confirmed by the church, welcomes Gentiles converts, but not without limits. The four regulations that he cites were accepted in Jewish teaching at the time as laws that God gave to Noah after the flood, and so were applicable to all humankind.

It is important to note that, for Luke, the Law was not a means of salvation, but rather a way of signifying ones’ identity as a member of the God’s people.

22-29, the letter to the church and the delegation to Antioch – “Then the apostles and the elders, with the consent of the whole church” make the final decision. They send Paul, Barnabas, Judas Barsabbas and Silas to deliver the letter. “It has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to impose on you no further burden than these essentials.”

30-35 -- The delegation delivers the message. Judas and Silas depart. Paul and Barnabas remain at Antioch and continue the work of proclaiming the good news.

15:36-41, the beginning of the Second Missionary Journey (c. 50-52) – Paul calls on Barnabas to return with him to the churches they had founded in order to encourage and strengthen them. Barnabas wants to take John Mark along, but Paul refuses, and so the two of them part company. Paul chooses Silas; and, with the blessing of the church, the two of them take a land route through Syria and Cilicia.

16:1-10 – In this section, Luke will continue to develop his theme of the expansion of the gospel to the whole world across every barrier put in its way. He may well have tailored his narrative to address issues faced by the church in Theophilus’ day.

Paul has taken with him Silas, a prophet associated with the church in Jerusalem, and also Timothy, a native of Asia Minor (Lystra), who had a Jewish mother and a Greek father. In doing so, he has assembled an effective team for preaching to both Jews and Gentiles. To address Jewish sensitivities, he has Timothy circumcised. Willimon (page 134) notes that leadership in the church is not a matter of personal privilege, but a function of what the church needs to be done, what and whom the church needs in order to accomplish its mission.

There are things that Luke does not tell us, e.g. how the churches in Galatia and Phrygia were established, since Paul was instructed not to preach there (although by 18:23, he goes to those places to strengthen the churches that now exist there). But Luke’s intent was not “historical” in our sense, but rather relating the account of the spread of the gospel to the ends of the earth.

9, Paul’s vision at Troas

10, “we” – The “we passages” comprise 97 verses (16:10-17; 20:5-15; 21:1-18; 27:1 – 28:16).

16:11-40, ministry, captivity and release in Philippi – 

11-15, Lydia and her household; Willimon remarks on the way that the early church broke through class boundaries. Page 138: “The mixing of classes is particularly interesting, given the context of the Roman world where there was virtually no movement out of the social class to which one was born nor any expectation of movement. Classes were hereditary, fixed at birth. Only the Roman army (and sometimes the marriage of women into the ranks of the socially privileged) offered much hope of movement towards the more economically advantaged classes. Acts’ picture of relaxed familiarity and warm hospitality between classes in the church would not have been missed by Luke’s readers.”

16-24, persecution after the healing of the slave-girl – The healing of the slave-girl has cost her “owners” money. They accuse Paul and his companions of being foreigners, Jews, and people who are violating their “traditional values”.

17-34, freedom from prison and the conversion of the jailer and his family

35-40, the hearing; Paul uses his Roman citizenship to make the magistrates squirm.

17:1-9, Thessalonica – (6) “These people, who have been turning the world upside down, have come here also.”

17:10-13, success at Beroea, but persecutors have followed them from Thessalonica

17:13-15 – Silas and Timothy remain at Beroea, but Paul is sent to Athens for his own protection.

17:16-34, Paul at Athens

18:1-17, the mission to Corinth -- In 49, the Emperor Claudius issued an edict expelling from Rome all Jews. According to Suetonius, the edict was issued because of disturbances over a man named “Chrestos.” Aquila and Priscilla (Prisca) arrived in Corinth (from Rome) before Paul’s arrival there. Here, Aquila is mentioned first; but later, Priscilla is mentioned first, possibly indicating that she was the leader of their missionary team. The restriction in 1 Tim. 2:12 on women serving in these kinds of roles obviously did not pertain everywhere. As in Lk, Luke in Acts shows women as full participants in the life and ministry of the church.

1-11, preaching first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles; The mention of Paul going to the Gentiles (6) does not mean that he had abandoned the Jews in all places, only that at Corinth he would now focus his work on the Gentiles.

12-17, accusations before L. Junius Gallio (proconsul in Achaia briefly in 52)

18:18-22, the conclusion of Paul’s Second Missionary Journey -- The team sails to Ephesus, and Paul leaves “Priscilla and Aquila” there. He himself sets sail from Ephesus to Caesarea. He goes up to Jerusalem to visit the church there, and then goes down to Antioch.

18:23 – 20:38, The Third Missionary Journey

18:23 – Paul passes through Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening the disciples.

18:24-28, Apollos – Apollos preached in Ephesus, but was limited in his understanding of “the Way”. Among other things, he knew only the baptism of John. Priscilla and Aquila worked with him to instruct him further. The church Ephesus then sent him to Corinth to work there.

19:1-41, Paul at Ephesus – He further instructs the people, baptizing them in the name of Jesus; and they receive the Holy Spirit.

21-22, Paul’s plan to go through Macedonia and Achaia, then to visit Jerusalem and then go to Rome

23-41, a disturbance because Demetrius and the artisans felt that their work for Artemis of the Ephesians was being threatened by Paul’s teaching.

20:1-12 – Paul begins his journey back to Jerusalem, but it is interrupted because of a plot against him. He stayed for a time in Troas. Verses 7-12 recount a near tragedy at Troas.

20:13-38 – Paul travels by ship to Miletus, and there meets with representatives from the church at Ephesus. Verses 18-35 are his “farewell” speech to that church, noting (25) that they will never see him again. Verse 35 is the only NT quote from Jesus (after the Ascension) that appears in any NT book other than the gospels.

St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
Lecture Series Led By Rev. Mike Kreutzer
Sunday, May 06, 2007

10:1 – 11:18, the Gospel is sent to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews – The story unfolds in seven scenes:

10:1-8, the vision to Cornelius – In Lk 7:2-10 Luke has already described a Gentile, Roman soldier who becomes a follower of Jesus. Here a centurion, an army officer, becomes a disciple.

10:9-16, the vision to Peter – Peter is totally confused since he is being asked to do something that was strictly forbidden by his religious beliefs. The violation of any of the laws could put one on the “slippery slope” to the loss of the individual’s or the community’s religious identity. “Three times” emphasizes that the vision was clear and certain.

10:17-23a -- The messengers arrive and recount the vision to Cornelius: a reminder that God is writing the story. The story of the vision will again be retold in 10:30 and 11:13.

10:23b-33 – Peter travels to Caesarea and meets Cornelius and his family and friends. They then provide an audience for another of Peter’s speeches. The scene includes a short speech by Cornelius. At this point, both Cornelius and Peter need a conversion experience – and have one. The breaking down of the barrier between Jew and Gentile is symbolized as Peter enters Cornelius’ house.

10:34-43, Peter’s speech – “I truly understand that God shows no partiality.” This is a critically important turning point in Acts.

è See Willimon, pages 98-99 (2nd full paragraph, “Peter’s sermon…” through the next paragraph).

10:44-48, the coming of the Holy Spirit and the baptism – By sending the Spirit, God clearly reveals himself as author of these things.

11:1-18 – When Peter returns to Jerusalem, he has some explaining to do to justify his actions. He does so by recounting the entire series of events. He concludes by asking (17), “If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?”

The actual objection of those in Jerusalem was most probably not only table fellowship, but also the acceptance of the uncircumcised as members of the community.

Willimon points out (pages 100-105) that conversion in Acts is a varied phenomenon: it does not follow a single pattern. They are always part of a larger story of what is happening in the community. Even the great conversion stories in Acts (e.g. chapter 2) involve incorporating those converted into the community through baptism and then by sharing in the breaking of the bread and the prayers. “Conversion is adoption into a family, immigration into a new kingdom: a social, corporate, political phenomenon.” Conversion in Acts is not a one-time phenomenon, but rather a life-long process. Stories of conversions in Acts are also stories of vocation: someone is being called to undertake some work for the sake of the gospel.

11:19-26 – The gospel spreads to Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, and comes to include Gentiles as well as Jews. Barnabas comes to Antioch to witness what is happening and to rejoice in what God is doing. Again we see the new direction that the gospel is taking alongside those from Jerusalem, those who are concerned with upholding the tradition. Verse 26: “Christians”.

11:27-30 – This account may reflect the Judean famine of 46-47. In these verses, the newer Gentile Christians in Antioch demonstrate by their deeds that they are a part of the same church as the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem.

12:1-19, the death of James, the son of Zebedee, and the arrest of Peter by order of Herod Agrippa I (appointed king by Claudius in 41) – Peter is locked in prison but escapes by the hand of God. Note that he was imprisoned during the great feast of liberation. 12: the first mention of “John Mark”. è Read 12-19.

12:20-23 – the death of Herod Agrippa I

12:24-25 – a concluding statement that sets the stage for Barnabas’ and Paul’s missionary journey with John Mark.

13:1 – 14:28, The First Missionary Journey --
Wayne Meeks has estimated that Paul eventually traveled about ten thousand miles during his three missionary journeys.

13:1-3, prelude – The journey is undertaken at the initiative of the Holy Spirit. Prayer and fasting send them off. “Barnabas and Saul”: Barnabas is the senior member of the team.

13:4-12, Cyprus – They began their pattern of preaching first in the synagogues. “And they had John also to assist them” (5); John Mark, Barnabas’ nephew. In Paphos, they had the encounter with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, and with Bar-Jesus (Elymas). 9: “Saul, also known as Paul”.

13:13- “Paul and his companions” sail from Paphos to Perga in Pamphylia. John left them and returned to Jerusalem; this will be the cause of the split between Barnabas and Paul prior to the second missionary journey.

13:16-41, Paul’s speech in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia

13:42-52 – They were well (or at least politely) received. The next Sabbath, however, the Jewish leaders, because of jealousy, began to oppose them. Having been rejected by the Jews, Barnabas and Paul declare that they will now go to the Gentiles. The leading men and women stir up persecution against them and drive them out. They then move on to Iconium; “And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit” (52).

14:1-7 – The disciples have a mixed reception, both from Jews and from Gentiles, at Iconium; and so they move on to Lystra and Derbe.

14:8-18, a healing at Lystra and a complete misunderstanding by the people

14:19-20 – Jews from Antioch and Iconium have followed the disciples to Lystra and attack them. They stone Paul and leave him for dead, but he survives and he and Barnabas move on to Derbe.

14:21-23 – Barnabas and Paul make many converts at Derbe. They then returned to Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the believers. They appoint elders in every church and, with prayer and fasting, entrust them to the Lord.

14:24-28 – Barnabas and Paul pass through Pisidia and Pamphylia and make their way to the port of Attalia. From there they sail back to Antioch in Syria, their “home base”. Once there, they recount for the believers all that God had done through them “and how he had opened a door of faith for the Gentiles” (27).

St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
Lecture Series Led By Rev. Mike Kreutzer
Sunday, April 29, 2007

6:1-7. conflict within the community -- Schillebeeckx, Ministry, pp. 6-7: The conflict between the “Hebrews” (i.e. the Aramaic-speaking Jewish Christians) and the “Greeks” (i.e. the Greek-speaking Jewish Christians) was most probably deeper and more far-reaching than just the issue mentioned by Luke. Those belonging to the church led by Stephen seem to have held much broader views of the gospel’s import and of the Church’s mission, and much more liberal interpretations of the Law, than did the much more rigid, non-Hellenistic Jewish church. It may well be that the widows of the Hellenists were deliberately ignored.

Willimon, page 59, offers three observations about the church’s ministry and leadership: “(1) Leadership within the church arises from the church’s quite mundane but utterly necessary functional needs.” “(2) Leadership arises from ‘below’ not from ‘above.’” “(3) The ordained ministry in its present form is an adaptation of the church to its leadership needs.”

6:8-15 With the reference to the seven, Luke turns attention to two key figures, Stephen and Philip, who were not among the 12. It will be a key section, because “the crowd”, who up until now had been receptive to the apostles teaching, will now turn violently against it. The story of Stephen is a pivotal point in Acts, because it prepares the way for the mission to the nations.

Stephen is obviously doing much more than waiting on tables. He is in a sense a “second generation apostle” who is actively preaching the word and performing signs and wonders. Defeated in their attempts to stop him, Stephen’s opponents resort to making false accusations against him. Here is reflected, not an opposition between the church and the Jewish people, but an intra-family conflict within Judaism, just as there has been for generations.

7:1-53 Following the high priest’s question, “Are these things so?”, Stephen makes the longest speech in Acts: an indication of its importance. He raises the question of who are really the faithful people of Israel. He accuses them of rejecting Moses and, in a revision of the commonly accepted view, accuses Israel of rejecting God by building the temple.

Johannes Munck (The Acts of the Apostles, Anchor Bible Series, p. 63) points out that, in apostolic times, one on trial would defend, not necessarily himself, but the cause that he represented and supported.

51-53 turn the attention directly to his hearers. He accuses them of rejecting God, just as their ancestors had done. Willimon, page 63, notes: “By the time this speech was composed by Luke, the conversion of the Israel was now only a wistful and increasingly unrealistic hope.”

This speech of Stephen brings the entire Jerusalem narrative to a close. It sums up God’s call to salvation and the peoples’ response: many accepted it, but their leaders rejected it.

Munck likewise notes (pp. 66-67) that, according to the speech of Stephen, almost all the actions of God have taken place outside Jerusalem. This is where God’s work in Acts will now take place as well.

7:54-60 the martyrdom of Stephen – Stephen’s speech contains nothing blasphemous. What “convicts” him is his vision of Jesus at the right hand of God. He asserts that Jesus is the exalted Lord, the Messiah. In rejecting Jesus, therefore, they have rejected God. The crowd doesn’t want to hear that, so they plug their ears and kill the one who dares to tell them what they don’t want to hear. The murder of Stephen is not an action of the leadership; it is the action of a lynch mob.

8:1-3 sets the stage for the conversion of Saul (chapter 9) and begins the account of a great persecution against the church. The apostles are left alone and remain in Jerusalem. The other leaders, those who are now turning to include non-Jews in the community of “the way”, are scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Persecution is the force that impels the spread and growth of the church. Note that those who remained within a totally Jewish context (in Jerusalem) are not harmed; only those who seek in include others along with Jews are persecuted.

8:4-25 Philip is introduced rather abruptly into the story. Willimon suggests that Luke is incorporating some previously existing material here. Many people in Samaria are converted by his teaching and by the works that he was doing. Among them was Simon the magician. When Peter and John come to see what is happening, Simon offers to buy the ability of invoking the Holy Spirit on people. Luke uses this narrative to help focus attention on what is really central in the mission of the church.

16: baptism in the name of Jesus; the Holy Spirit imparted by the laying on of hands by Peter and John

8:26-40 The “angel of the Lord” seems to be the actual central figure in this narrative. The eunuch of the queen of the Ethiopians would have been a very important man. The term “Ethiopian” was used in the ancient world for all people with black skin. It carried a connotation of wonder and great respect. This man is open to the word of God in his life. He may have been a Jew. He allows Philip to explain and apply the words of the book of Isaiah to him.

Placed after the story of the baptism of Samaritans, this story illustrates the gospel and baptism reaching out to the far places of the earth. It is accomplished, not through human planning, but through divine inspiration and empowerment.

The question “What is to prevent me from being baptized?” (37) appears to be wording taken from an early baptismal liturgy.

9:1-31, the conversion of Paul and the beginning of his ministry – Paul’s own account of his conversion is in Galatians 1:11-24. Luke gives three accounts of it in Acts: in chapters 9, 22 and 26. It is obviously a key moment to be given such a prominent, repeating place in Luke’s story.

The actual conversion account (1-19a) takes place in four scenes. Scene One (1-2): Saul takes the initiative in conducting a “search and destroy mission” against the church. Scene Two (3-9): On the way to Damascus, there is an abrupt interruption of his journey and an encounter with Jesus; the scene includes both the initial conversion and a hint of a commission. Scene Three (10-16): Saul, who was the persecutor of the church, is now helped by one of its members; Ananias, as is often the case in Acts, receives his instructions in a vision. Scene Four (17-19a): Ananias does as he is told; Saul received his sight, is baptized and receives the Holy Spirit.

At this point, Saul becomes no longer “this man” but “brother Saul.” And the church is left to marvel at the power of God to turn the enemy into the brother.

Willimon notes (p. 78) that the story is not a subjective approach, but an objective approach. It is not about Saul’s inner psychological struggles, his wrestling with his conscience, but about a man who has an encounter with God and is changed by it.

19b-31, the persecutor becomes the persecuted – Saul immediately begins to proclaim Jesus as “the Son of God.”

There are now two types of disciples and apostles: those like the 12 who were eyewitnesses to what Jesus said and did and who testify to and guard the tradition, and those like Saul whose faith and life are focused on a present encounter with the risen Christ. That present encounter with the risen Christ, with little concern for stories of Jesus’ earthly life, will dominate Saul’s life, faith and teaching for the rest of his life.

The disciples in Jerusalem are naturally very suspicious of Saul, and so it takes Barnabas to bring him to them, assuring them of the sincerity of his conversion. Luke combines here both types of discipleship, and the approaches both from tradition and from personal experience. Willimon (p. 82) comments: “Both sets of disciples suffer for the truth, both serve the same Lord; though they come to him by different routes, both need one another to ensure both power and fidelity in the contemporary community. Without the experience, the ‘facts’ can be cold and dead. Without the test of tradition, our spiritual experience can become radically subjective, severed from the community, and flights of mere fancy. Not every good news is the good news.”

He reflects G.K Chesterton’s warning about viewing our faith only from our limited, contemporary perspective without taking into account also the views of people of other times and cultures. Chesterton cautioned against “the arrogant oligarchy of those who happen to be walking about.”

31: The church is now spread throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria and temporarily lives in peace.

9:32-43, Peter’s healing of Aeneas and raising of Tabitha – These accounts further the story of God’s work of healing and teaching in the early church, and they bring the reader’s attention back to Peter to prepare the way for his encounter with Cornelius in chapter 10.

St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
Lecture Series Led By Rev. Mike Kreutzer
Sunday, April 22, 2007

William Willimon (Acts in the “Interpretation” series, pp. 2-4) describes three characteristics of stories that have relevance for Acts:
(1) “A story not only means something but does something… God is not just a character in the story, rather God is the author who makes the story possible and whose nature and purposes are revealed in the telling of the story.”
(2) “This world of Acts is not a sober description of what is but an evocative portrayal of what, by God’s work, shall be, a poetic presentation of an alternative world to the given world, where Caesar rules and there is enmity and selfishness between men and women and there is death. This is a world where God is busy making good of his promises.”
(3) “Acts, like the rest of Scriptures, has as its purpose the formation and equipment of disciples. Jesus did not come bringing an interesting philosophy of life. He came calling people to a new way of living and dying.”

While much of Acts, like Luke, is set within the context of a journey, Willimon points out (p. 9) that, “The real barriers to the gospel were national, theological, doctrinal and economic; not geographical.”

1:1-5, introduction – Luke gives a reference back to Lk. While Lk ends with Jesus’ resurrection and ascension on Easter day, Acts portrays a stretch of forty days between the two events. Later, it will spell out ten more before the coming of the Spirit. Acts alone does this. Perhaps Luke’s intent it to accord to each of the three events its own emphasis and character. This passage includes the familiar Lukan pattern of promise/fulfillment.

1:6-26, a prologue

1:6-14, waiting and praying for the restoration – The disciples are in a “time in-between”: not only between Jesus’ ascension and the Spirit’s coming, but also between Jesus’ ascension and his return. God’s kingdom is a gift, and so the disciples, like Jesus before them, pray.

1:15-26, a question of leadership, the election of Matthias – “about 120 persons”: According to Jewish law, 120 males were required to form a synagogue with its own council. Just as Jesus did in Lk, so do the disciples in Acts remain faithful to the Jewish law. They now have a sufficient number of people to form a new community. Leadership in the new community is to be based both on qualifications and on divine choice.

2:1-47, the Day of Pentecost – Willimon (p. 28) notes: “It is popular to refer to Pentecost as the birthday of the church, and there is much truth in that. But it is more accurate to speak of Easter as the birthday event of Pentecost.” It is, e.g. in Lk 24 that the risen Jesus is made known to his disciples in the breaking of the bread and that he opens their minds to the scriptures.

Originally, Easter, the Ascension and Pentecost were closely linked in the practice of the church. Later, they came to be observed almost as separate events. Today, liturgical churches are returning to that focus on the fifty days of Easter. One collect for Pentecost that Willimon cites (from the Catholic Mass) begins, “Almighty and ever-living God, you fulfilled the Easter promise by sending us your Holy Spirit.”

The story of Pentecost is not essentially about “what happened” that day. It is about what is asserted in the story about the nature of the community. “The community is at the center of Acts, with the God of the community being the chief actor in the drama” (p. 29).

Far from being a merely personal, interior, exotic event, the coming of the Spirit is inherently public and empowers the church for its mission. See Willimon, page 33, second paragraph.

Just as Jesus’ teaching in the synagogue at Nazareth (Lk 4) served as a summary of the entire gospel to come, so does Peter’s Pentecost sermon (Acts 2:14-36) serve as a précis of all that is to come. Like other ancient historians, Lk uses speeches to explore the meaning of events. In this particular speech, Peter uses the scriptures to enable Israel to understand itself and to understand what God has done for it in Jesus. 

Willimon, p. 36: “Nowhere does Luke speak of the ‘founding’ of the church or of the formation of some ‘new Israel.’ There is only one Israel – the faithful people who respond faithfully to the promises of God.”

2:42-47, the gospel lived in community – Luke includes both the apostles preaching to the crowds, plus other teaching for the benefit and growth of those who are members of the church. Willimon, p. 40: “Certainly, Luke makes a distinction between what is said to outsiders and what is proclaimed within the ongoing life of the church. Far from any modern mushy ‘inclusiveness,’ Luke is quite careful to separate those on the inside, who know, from those on the outside, who do not know. Yet teaching the ones who know about what is known continues to include the gospel.” He adds (p. 42): “This summary of the activity of the church focuses our attention away from preoccupation with individual action toward the true concern of the story – the community.”

3:1 – 4:31, the gospel in action

3:1-26, healing and witness at the temple – Frequently in the history of the church, small groups have gone off to try to create a community that exists for itself, cut off from the rest of the world. Perhaps this is why Luke follows his description of the primitive community with this story of their leaders going out in their mission to the world. Peter and John go up to the temple at the hour of prayer; yet their prayer is not an escape from human suffering, but a way of entering into it and a way of responding to it. Just as in Lk, Jesus’ mission is one of proclaiming the good news and healing in God’s name, and the mission that he gives both to the 12 and to the 70 is one of proclaiming the good news and healing in God’s name, so is the mission of all the disciples in Acts one of proclaiming the good news and healing in God’s name

As he often does, Luke uses the occasion of a miracle to introduce a speech. That speech explicates the miracle itself and goes on to proclaim the gospel. 

Note that in Acts, the explanation for Jesus’ death is not one of substitutional atonement. There is no divine requirement that Jesus die to serve some sort of divine justice. The sole explanation for Jesus’ death in Acts is sheer human perversity.

4:1-22, testimony before the authorities – Luke portrays a dramatic setting: all the powerful people and leaders on one side, and two uneducated men on the other. The authorities can do nothing, but the tension is growing; it provides a close parallel with the situation described in Lk between Jesus and the authorities.

4:23-31, a prayer for boldness in proclaiming the gospel


4:32 – 6:7, challenges both within and without – The challenges and concerns in this section seem rather mundane; yet they reflect the community’s attempt to live the gospel, to live as a resurrected people. 

4:32 – 5:11, the challenge of possessions
4:32-37, positive examples
5:1-11, negatives examples

5:12-42, more healings and more official opposition – The community was still centered in Solomon’s Portico (as in 3:11), the temple remaining as a focal point of the gospel. The high priest and the Sadducees arrested the apostles, but “an angel of the Lord” set them free and told them to go back to preaching in the temple, which they did. Verse 26: the same situation occurred as had happened with Jesus in Lk: the leaders wanted to take action against them, but were afraid of the people who supported them. 29: “We must obey God rather than any human authority.” 32: “We are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”

33-39, the advice of Gamaliel – Luke shows, both in Lk and in Acts, some of the leadership of the people supporting Jesus and his disciples. The words of the rabbi may be directed by Luke to a wider audience: to all those who hear it and who have seen the church’s growth throughout the world.

40-42, “worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name”

Return to Christian Education