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Two Layers of Meaning (Acts of the Apostles #4)

Joshua Edgren on

INTRODUCTION

In the second chapter of Acts, we have the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, resulting in the gift of tongues, a powerful sermon, and a massive ingathering of new believers. As we read about this stupendous gift of tongues, we might have the same reaction that the initial hearers did. What on earth does this mean (v. 12)?

THE TEXT

“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language  . . . And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine” (Acts 2:1–13).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

The day of Pentecost was one of the feasts of the Lord appointed in the Old Testament Mosaic calendar (Lev. 23:15). The Feast of Firstfruits was celebrated the day after the Sabbath of Passover week, and the Israelites were instructed to count fifty days after that day, which would end on the day of Pentecost (from the Greek word for fifty). This festival is also called the Feast of Weeks, or the Feast of Ingathering. It was a harvest festival. When that day arrived, the followers of Christ were all in one place, and were all in one accord (v. 1). And suddenly the room where they were all sitting was filled with a sound from heaven—like a rushing mighty wind (v. 2). Cloven tongues like fire appeared, and rested on each of them (v. 3). They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began speaking in other languages (glossa) as the Spirit enabled them (v. 4). Devout Jews were there in Jerusalem, coming from every nation under heaven (v. 5). We are not told directly, but the disciples apparently spilled out into the street because a multitude gathered as the report spread. All of them were confounded because they all heard their own languages (dialektos) being spoken (v. 6). They began to speak to one another about it because they could tell that all the speakers were Galilaeans (v. 7). How is it we are hearing our native tongues (v. 8)? The word again is dialektos. All the nations are then listed, 17 in all (vv. 9-11). The wonderful works of God are being declared in all these different tongues (glossa). They were astonished, but still in doubt about what it could all mean (v. 12). There were also some wiseacres, of course, who accused them of being drunk (v. 13).

TONGUES ARE LANGUAGES

The tongues here are not to be understood as mystical jabbering. These are languages, with grammar, vocabulary, and syntax. We can assert this confidently for various reasons. First, the people listening identified what was being spoken with the languages of their home countries (vv. 6, 8). Second, glossa and dialektos are words that refer to languages. We get our word dialect from the second one. Third, elsewhere the apostle Paul requires any such expressions in church to be translated (1 Cor. 14:13).

153 AND THE FEAST OF INGATHERING

There are 17 nations mentioned here, and 17 is the triangular of 153. This means that 17 plus 16 plus 15 down to 1 all adds up to 153. And that is the number of fish that were caught in John 21:11, when Peter was restored to ministry. And what was that ministry? He had been called to become a fisher of men (Mark 1:17). When Jesus had done a similar miracle for Peter, this overwhelmed him with his own sinfulness (Luke 5:8). So the fish were clearly emblematic of the coming haul at Pentecost. We also have the fact that throughout Scripture, the sea represents the Gentiles and the land the Jews. No one in the Old Testament is shown eating fish, but in the New Testament fishing (and the eating of fish) comes to the front and center.

The practice of encoding numbers in names (called gematria) was common in the ancient world. They could do this in a way that we cannot because they used the same symbols for letters and for numbers. We have Roman letters and Arabic numbers. But in Hebrew, the first nine letters corresponded to 1-9, the next nine were 10-90, and the last five were100-400. So?

Well, the prophet Ezekiel promised that the time of the New Covenant would be a time of glorious fishing. “And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many” (Ez. 47:10). The prefix En simply means spring, and so if we look at the numerical value of Gedi in Hebrew, we find that it is 17, and the value of Eglaim is 153. Ezekiel is talking about the salvation of the Gentiles under the figure of fish, swimming in living waters from the Temple, and he uses these two numbers. This means that we are justified in taking 153 as a symbolic number for the Gentile nations who will be brought into the kingdom of God—fulfilled here at Pentecost.

TWO LAYERS OF MEANING

Because these tongues were actual languages, one of the things meant would be the things that were being said. What the disciples were declaring were “the wonderful works of God” (v. 11). The languages meant what the languages were saying.

But what did the mere fact of this miracle mean?

“Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men. In the law it is written, with men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord [Is. 28:11-12 (see also Dt. 28:49)]. Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe. If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? [or drunk]” (1 Cor. 14:20–23).

For the unbelieving Jews, the sign of foreign languages in the streets of Jerusalem was a sign of pending judgment. You would not listen to the prophets who continually warned you in your own language (Is. 28:9-10), so maybe you will understand when you hear the languages of foreign soldiers in your streets. But for the foreigners who heard the wonderful works of God in their own language, this was the equivalent of prophecy, which was for those who believe.

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The Replacement of Judas (Acts of the Apostles #3)

Joshua Edgren on

INTRODUCTION

The main action in the second half of this first chapter has to do with the replacement of Judas Iscariot. But along the way, we learn quite a few things about the early days of the apostolic company.

THE TEXT

“Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey. And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren . . . And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles” (Acts 1:12–26).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

 After seeing Jesus ascend, the disciples came back to Jerusalem from Olivet (v. 12). This was a sabbath day’s journey, or about 2/3 of a mile. They came to an upper room, where all the remaining disciples were staying (v. 13). They devoted themselves there to prayer, together with the women, the Lord’s mother and brothers (v. 14). At some point, Peter stood up and addressed them, with the assembled numbering around 120 (v. 15). He said that the treachery of Judas, who guided them to Jesus, was a fulfillment of prophecy (v. 16). Judas was one of them, and was a minister with the rest (v. 17). The 30 pieces of silver had been used to purchase a field, the same field where Judas burst apart (v. 18). This become common knowledge, which resulted in that field being name Aceldama, field of blood (v. 19). The previously mentioned prophecy is then cited, from two places (v. 20). The first is from Ps. 69:25 and the second from Ps. 109:8. The task before the disciples that day was select a replacement for Judas, someone who had been with them from the baptism of John on, up to the ascension (vv. 21-22) They picked out two men who met those qualifications, Joseph and Matthias (v. 23). They then prayed to the one who knows all hearts, asking Him to demonstrate which one He chose (v. 24). This would be a man to join them in ministry, filling the office that Judas fell from by transgression, in order to go to his own place (v. 25). They then cast lots, Matthias was selected, and he was installed with the eleven (v. 26).

A BRIEF HARMONY

The gospels tell us that Judas threw the money down in the Temple before leaving to hang himself (Matt. 27:5), but this passage tells us that Judas bought a field with the money (Acts 1:18). The harmonization is that the Temple authorities bought the field with Judas’s money, and in Judas’s name. And the gospels tell us that Judas hanged himself (Matt. 27:5), and here it says he fell headlong and burst open (Acts 1:18). Which is it? Both. He hanged himself, but no one came and got him, and after some time the rope broke and he fell headlong and came apart.

THE USE OF LOTS

The Lord’s intention in selecting twelve apostles was not accidental. He was deliberately establishing the foundations of a new Israel, and Israel was composed of twelve tribes. The New Jerusalem is the Christian church, and it has twelve gates that are named for the twelve tribes of Israel (Rev. 21:12). The foundation stones of this same church are the apostles (Eph. 2:20). Not only so, but the territory of Canaan was divided up between the tribes by lot. “By lot was their inheritance, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine tribes, and for the half tribe” (Joshua 14:2).

And when Peter is exhorting elders not to be imperious, he tells them not to be lords over God’s heritage. The word for heritage is kleros—allotment. And in 2 Cor. 10:16, Paul is being very careful not to intrude into another man’s area of ministry, or territory. Paul also comments that he had a special commission to Gentiles just as Peter had to the Jews (Gal. 2:8). It appears that apostles could cross these boundaries, but they did so with care . . . because good fences make good neighbors.

In short, we shouldn’t conclude that casting lots is a great way to make decisions so much as to conclude that the early disciples were clearly echoing the ancient Israelite conquest of Canaan. They were dividing up the world, preparing for their invasion of it . . . once the Spirit was given.

CENTURIES BEFORE JUDAS WAS BORN

Jesus knew that one of the twelve was going to betray Him, and He knew who it was going to be very early in His ministry. “Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him” (John 6:64). John says this knowledge was “from the beginning,” which may account for why the Lord prayed all night before He announced His selection (Luke 6:12-13). At the Last Supper, the Lord washed the feet of Judas, and then later we are told that Jesus identified Judas by giving him a piece of bread after dipping it (John 13:26). Centuries before, David had prophesied that one who had shared bread with the Christ would be the one who betrayed him (Ps. 41:9), and Jesus pointed to this prophecy that evening (John 13:18). And the fact that Judas would create a vacancy by his betrayal was written long before he was born.

Psalm 69 is a clear Messianic psalm, and is quoted in the New Testament in five different places. “Those who hate me without a cause” (v. 4) is quoted in John 15:25 and applied to those who had seen the Lord’s miracles and hated Him anyway. “Zeal of thine house hath eaten me up” is quoted in John 2:17 in the description of the Lord’s first cleansing of the Temple. The second part of that same verse—“the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me” is quoted in Rom. 15:3, where Paul applies it to Christ who lived out an example for us to follow. “Let their table becomes a snare before them . . .” (vv. 22-23) is quoted in Rom. 11:9 and applied by Paul to reprobate Israel. And then the verse that Peter quotes in our passage comes next—“let their habitation be desolate,” talking about the void that Judas left.

The next psalm quoted is one of the fiercest imprecatory psalms in the Bible (Ps. 109), and Peter quotes it without embarrassment. “Let another take his office.” The Greek in Acts 1 is episkopas—his bishopric. Prior to this, Judas had cast out demons, and had healed the sick. His treachery did not unwind those blessings, and did not cause the office itself to disappear.

Nothing is clearer than that God has the ability to wield sinful and wicked actions in a way that results in His own greater glory. “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain” (Acts 2:23). “For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done” (Acts 4:27–28).

There is no way for the Christ to be appointed to die for you without having other elements of the story appointed also.

 

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Many Infallible Proofs (Acts of the Apostles #2)

Joshua Edgren on

INTRODUCTION

The first verse of Acts contained the formal introduction to the book, but the following verses fill it out a bit more. These verses refer to the Lord’s resurrection appearances, and the proofs He gave His disciples that He was in fact alive. Second, He taught them about the kingdom, and told them to wait in Jerusalem until they had been given kingdom power. When that power had descended upon them, they would be ambassadors of that kingdom out to the ends of the earth. And then last, the angels promised that Christ  would at some point return in the same way that He left, meaning that He would descend from the sky.

THE TEXT

“THE former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Luke begins volume two of his history by referring to volume one. The former book, also addressed to Theophilus, recorded all that Jesus started to do (v. 1), up to the point of His ascension (v. 2). Before He ascended, He delivered commandments to His chosen apostles (v. 2). Over the course of forty days, He appeared to them alive and provided many proofs of His resurrection, and taught them about the kingdom of God (v. 3). Gathering together with them, He required them to remain in Jerusalem until the promise of the Father came, which He had told them about (v. 4). John baptized with water, but in a very few days, they would be baptized by the Holy Spirit (v. 5). On one of their gatherings, they asked Him if this would be the moment when the kingdom was restored to Israel (v. 6). He replied that this was not for them to know, as the Father had it put under His authority (v. 7). But when the Holy Spirit comes upon them, they would be imbued with power, and would be made witnesses of Christ—in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the far reaches of the earth (v. 8).

After saying this, while they were watching, He ascended into the sky and disappeared into a cloud (v. 9). They were staring as He went, and suddenly two men, clearly angels, clad in white, appeared next to them (v. 10). You men of Galilee, they said, why are you staring? He will return in exactly the same way that He left (v. 11).

OUR TABLE OF CONTENTS

The eighth verse provides us with a fine overview of the entire book of Acts. It almost serves as a table of contents. They would be witnesses in Jerusalem (Acts 1:4), Judea (Acts 2:14), Samaria (Acts 8:5), and the uttermost parts of the earth (Acts 13:4ff). Imagine a rock thrown into a pond, and the place where the rock entered was Jerusalem. The concentric ripples going out from that place were Judea (the province where Jerusalem was), then Samaria, just to the north, and then out to the rest of the world. Infallible Proofs
What does it mean to prove something? The Lord appeared to His disciples and provided them with convincing proofs. To prove something means that what you have done is created a moral obligation to believe. A person might be stubborn, and continue to say nuh uh for a while, but if he is sinning by doing so, then this means that the thing was proven to him. The existence of proof is not dependent upon whether or not the person you are talking to is continuing to hold out. The issue is whether he is sinning by continuing to hold out.

What we are told here is that the resurrected Lord met with His disciples over the course of almost a month and a half, during which time He convinced them that He had risen from the dead bodily. The proofs therefore ruled out dreams, hallucinations, wish fulfillment, or anything else like that. He offered His wounds to Thomas (John 20:27). He asked if they had anything to eat in the fridge—ghosts don’t eat (Luke 24:42-43). He had angels add their testimony (Luke 24:23). He conducted Bible studies, showing how it had to go this way (Luke 24:27). And since that time, because the Holy Spirit was poured out in power, the resurrection of Jesus is not so much an historical fact to be proven as it is an historical proof of two other great doctrines—first, that Christ is in fact the Son of God (Rom. 1:4), and second, that He is going to judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:31).

REASONING ON FIRE

When the Holy Spirit is given, as we will see in the next chapter, He comes down upon the disciples in the form of fire. They were given convincing proofs in the first verses of Acts. But it is quite striking that these proofs were insufficient. You have the proofs, Jesus said, but you must still wait in Jerusalem. So their proofs just sat there waiting, like so much tinder and kindling. Wait, Jesus said. Your syllogisms will not be worth anything unless the Spirit sets them on fire first. Some Christians just want to stack and organize the wood, and also conduct conferences, seminars, and lectures about the wood. Other Christians just want the fire—and because it is just a massive Kleenex fire, their talks devolve into mere harangues. Why not both? The Scriptures are a vast forest, with wood enough and to spare. How long will this fire burn? We are stocked with enough wood to burn until the second promise of these verses comes to pass, and Jesus Christ returns. The first promise of the Father was the outpoured Spirit. The second promise of the Father is the return of the Son. Maranatha, come Lord Jesus.

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Theophilus the High Priest (Acts of the Apostles #1)

Grace Sensing on

INTRODUCTION

The longest book in the New Testament is the gospel of Luke. The second longest is volume 2 of this same set, the Acts of the Apostles, the book where we are now going to spend some time. These two books were written by the same man and were dedicated to the same man—Theophilus. While we are beginning to work through the Acts, it is important to remember to keep this book connected in your minds and hearts with what Luke recorded about the Lord’s ministry earlier. This first message is going to focus on that. 

THE TEXT

“The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach . . .” (Acts 1:1). 

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Luke begins the book of Acts by making explicit reference to the gospel of Luke. It is clear that as the author he sees them as a matching set. He is addressing this treatise (logos) to Theophilus, the same man who was addressed in the account given in the gospel of Luke. He then says that the first account was concerning all that Jesus began to do and teach. The implication is that this book of Acts will be an account of what Jesus will continue to do and teach. 

This will be accomplished because the Spirit of Christ will be poured out at the very beginning of this book, and so He will continue His teaching and deeds through His appointed (and anointed) servants (v. 1). Christ indwells believers, and this means that believers are His hands and feet out in the world. Jesus continues His ministry through His body. Christ, the hope of glory, is in us (Col. 1:27). Christ is being formed in us (Gal. 4:19), and this in turn has an impact on the world.  

WHO WAS LUKE?

The author of the third gospel—and of our only inspired account of the early church—is a bit of a mysterious figure to us. We are introduced to him (obliquely) in Acts 16. In Acts 16:8, the account says they came to Troas. Then Paul was given a vision in the night. 

“And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us” (Acts 16:9). 

And in the next verse, v. 10, it says that immediately we endeavored to go to Macedonia. This is the place where Luke teamed up with Paul, and so it seems related to the vision somehow. If Luke is the man in the vision, this lends support to the long tradition that Luke was a Gentile—he would be a man of Macedonia, northern Greece. In support of this, the Greek of these two books is the most polished and sophisticated of all the New Testament, written by an educated man who knew Greek well.   

We know that he was a medical doctor because of a passing remark that Paul makes in Colossians. “Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you” (Colossians 4:14). Not only was Luke a faithful member of Paul’s entourage, he remained so until the end of Paul’s life. “Only Luke is with me . . .” (2 Timothy 4:11a). He is mentioned only one other time, at the conclusion of Philemon (v. 24).

Nevertheless he has had a pronounced impact on the character of the church. His gospel pays close attention to Gentiles, as well as to those who were suffering in various ways, or oppressed. His urbanity, careful scholarship, and compassion have helped to set the tone for countless numbers of believers over the history of the church.   

WHO WAS THEOPHILUS?

Different suggestions have been made regarding the identity of this Theophilus. Was he an unbelieving seeker that Luke was wanting to evangelize? Was he the patron who financially backed Luke’s research?

In my view, the most likely candidate is Theophilus ben Ananus, who was the High Priest from 37 A.D. to 41 A.D. This would make him the son of Annas (Luke 3:2), and brother-in-law of Caiaphas (Matt. 26:3). This identification does not make Theophilus a friendly, as though the son of the corrupt Annas was about to become a Christian. But it does make him a player, and so it makes sense that such a dedication would be attached to these two great apologetic works. Think of it like John Calvin dedicating the Institutes to King Francis I, a Catholic monarch who was decidedly unsympathetic to the Reformation. 

How would someone write an account for a hostile authority? The two great questions are: who was this Jesus? Who are these Christians?

INVITED BY LUKE

These books were no composed slapdash. We are invited by Luke to read two-volume set side-by-side, both of them together. Consider these parallels, gathered by a scholar named Mark Powell.  

Address to Theophilus (Luke 1:1-4), address to Theophilus (Acts 1:1-5). The Spirit descends on Jesus while He is praying (Luke 3:21-22), the Spirit descends on disciples as they were praying (Acts 2:1-13). A sermon announces prophecy fulfilled (Luke 4:16-27), a sermon announces prophecy fulfilled (Acts 2:14-40). Jesus heals a cripple (Luke 5:17-26), Peter heals a cripple (Acts 3:1-10). Religious authorities attack Jesus (Luke 5:29-6:11), religious authorities attack apostles (Acts 4:1-8:3). A centurion invites Jesus to his house (Luke 7:1-10), a centurion invites Peter to his house (Acts 10:1-23). Jesus raises a widow’s son from the dead (Luke 7:11-17), Peter raises a widow from the dead (Acts 9:36-43). A missionary trip to Gentiles (Luke 10:1-12), a missionary trip to Gentiles (Acts 13:1-19:20). Jesus goes to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51-19:28), Paul goes to Jerusalem (Acts 19:21-21:17). Jesus received favorably (Luke 19:37), Paul received favorably (Acts 21:17-20). Jesus was devoted to the Temple (Luke 19:45-48), Paul was devoted to the Temple (Acts 21:26). Sadducees oppose Jesus and scribes support Him (Luke 20:27-39), Sadducees oppose Paul and Pharisees support him (Acts 23:6-9). Jesus breaks bread, giving thanks (Luke 22:19), Paul breaks bread, giving thanks (Acts 27:35). Jesus seized by a mob (Luke 22:54), Paul seized by a mob (Acts 21:30). Jesus slapped by high priest’s aides (Luke 22:63-64), Paul slapped by order of the high priest (Acts 23:2). Jesus is tried 4 times and declared innocent 3 times (Luke 22:66-23:13), Paul is tried 4 times and declared innocent 3 times (Acts 23:1-26:32). Jesus is rejected by the Jews (Luke 23:18), Paul is rejected by the Jews (Acts 21:36). Jesus regarded favorably by a centurion (Luke 23:47), Paul regarded favorably by a centurion (Acts 27:43). Final confirmation of fulfilled Scripture (Luke 24:45-47), final confirmation of fulfilled Scripture (Acts 28:23-28).

CHRIST AND HIS BODY

As we reflect on what Jesus did during His earthly ministry, and as we study how He worked in the first century through those who had believed in Him, we are going to learn a great deal about how to read the narrative that is unfolding all around us now. What does it mean for fallen but forgiven sinners to walk in the footsteps of Jesus? What does it mean for Christ to work through His body? We have a template set out for us, enabling us to look to Christ effectively.

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