Setting Pentecost festival 50 days after Passover Jews from all over the Mediterranean remain gathered in Jerusalem (Acts 2:5, 9 11)

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Lawrence Cummings
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1 CVCC, Fall 2013 Fiery Beginnings (Acts 2 4) Setting Pentecost festival 50 days after Passover Jews from all over the Mediterranean remain gathered in Jerusalem (Acts 2:5, 9 11) The Presence of the Spirit Begins to Redeem Israel As we saw last week, many Jews of Jesus day including Jesus own disciples anticipated that the Messiah would usher in a new age in which Israel would be redeemed from its oppression by foreign powers. You can see this expectation in these lines by the disciples at the end of Luke and beginning of Acts. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. (Luke 24:21) Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel? (Acts 1:6) The Gospels depict Jesus as fulfilling these expectations, but in a surprising way. He declares that the kingdom is near, and he begins to defeat of evil by healing people and casting out demons. These actions show that the kingdom is beginning to break into the world through Jesus. The resurrection is the ultimate indicator of this triumph over evil. But now Jesus is leaving, taken up into heaven. What will this mean? In Acts 2, before he ascends, Jesus replies to the disciples question about the restoration of Israel in two ways. First, he says he won t tell them when this will occur (Acts 1:7). Second, he tells them this: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8) They ask about the restoration of Israel, and he tells them they will receive power through the Holy Spirit. This exchange suggests that although he won t tell them when the restoration of Israel will occur, he will tell them how: through the power of the Spirit, beginning in Jerusalem and then spreading outward to the ends of the earth. A short time later, we see the arrival of this restorative power, when tongues of fire come upon the disciples, and they break into miraculous and bold speech. 1 We see it too in Peter s powerful call to repentance and the response of thousands of people in Israel to this call, who are baptized to show their change of direction from having rejected God s Messiah to accepting him (Acts 2:36 41). 1 This is one way of interpreting Jesus response to the disciples question. Jesus is redefining the kingdom of God. It s not territorial but the rule of God over human hearts. The restoration is the healing of God s people. Another way to interpret his response is that the restoration is not happening now but rather will occur later, when the witness of the kingdom has been taken to the ends of the earth, when Jesus will return in power. Personally, I m convinced of the former interpretation: that Luke depicts the restoration of Israel in the Spirit-empowered new community centered on the messiah.

2 Peter s speech in Acts 2 quotes the Old Testament prophet Joel to make the point that these amazing events in Jerusalem are the long-awaited restoration of Israel: Acts 2:16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17 'In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20 The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. 21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' (Act 2:16 21) When Peter says this in the first line above, he is referring to the presence of the Spirit upon the disciples of Jesus. Joel anticipated that someday, when God would intervene to redeem Israel, the Spirit would be poured out on all people men, women, young, old, free, slaves and they would prophesy. And this would bring salvation to all who would call on the name of the Lord. 2 So Peter is saying that the arrival of the Spirit shows that God is in the process of restoring Israel. (Perhaps this is why it is so important to replace Judas: so that the new community will have twelve apostles, just as there were twelve tribes of Israel.) Peter s quotation of Joel shows that this new community will be a place where the Spirit is present and active, empowering all people equally. It also shows that this community later called the church is not a new idea: it s been God s plan from the beginning. Toward the end of chapter two, we learn that this new community shares its possessions in common so that everyone s economic needs are being met (Acts 2:44-45; 4:31 35). In other words, the new community centered on the Messiah is actually living out what God designed for Israel in the first place: in this sense, it is Israel restored. 3 It s also possible that Luke shows us the restoration of Israel, metaphorically, in the story of the lame man in Acts 3:1 11. After an exchange of dialogue with the man, God heals him through Peter and John, and he runs into the temple leaping and praising God. Compare this scene with the following passage from Isaiah, which anticipates Israel s restoration by God: NRS Isaiah 35:1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus 2 it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The 2 Today, a lot of people think of salvation as having to do with the afterlife where we go after we die. But in Peter s day, the word had much more to do with being saved in the present world. It referred to being rescued or set free from some kind of oppressive force. It s closely related to the expectation that God would redeem Israel. 3 For example: Deut 26:12-13 When you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce in the third year (which is the year of the tithe), giving it to the Levites, the aliens, the orphans, and the widows, so that they may eat their fill within your towns, then you shall say before the LORD your God: "I have removed the sacred portion from the house, and I have given it to the Levites, the resident aliens, the orphans, and the widows, in accordance with your entire commandment that you commanded me; I have neither transgressed nor forgotten any of your commandments:

3 glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God. 3 Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. 4 Say to those who are of a fearful heart, "Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you." 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6 then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; (Isa 35:1 NRS) As the formerly lame man leaps through the temple praising God, it s almost as if the words from Isaiah come to life before our eyes. However, if Luke is trying to tell us that Jesus brought the expected restoration of God s people, then there s a major problem. Most Jews believed that this restoration would be accompanied by a complete triumph over evil. But on the pages of Acts as in our world today evil, oppression, and sin are still very present. They haven t ceased to exist. So it s clear that the final triumph of God has not yet arrived. Peter s second speech, in Acts 3, seems to address this problem: Acts 3:18-23 Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah appointed for you, that is, Jesus, who must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration [lit. restoration of all things] that God announced long ago through his holy prophets. If Peter was confused about the restoration at the beginning of Acts, he doesn t seem to be now. Speaking through the power of the Spirit, he describes God s renewal arriving in two stages: the words times of refreshing seem to refer to the present inbreaking of God s kingdom, while the words time of the restoration of all things describe a later time when Jesus will return. In the present (now), God is in the process of defeating evil, but in the future (not yet), evil will be finally defeated. This way of understanding the kingdom is sometimes referred to as inaugurated eschatology. In other words, God s new era has begun. (Here in Acts 2 4, it is focused on the restoration of Israel, but it will later extend to the whole world.) But there s also a hidden quality to the kingdom. It has not arrived in irresistible power, like an invading army. 4 Rather, it has come in a kind of covert operation, through people who accept the Messiah and experience the transforming power of the Spirit ( times of refreshing ). 5 While the evil of the old era continues, its power has been broken in principle through the resurrection, and that power is available in the present through Christ. Someday, the kingdom will arrive with irresistible force ( time of the restoration of all things ). 4 In fact, in chapter four, we see people resist the restoration of God s people. 5 Some of the language in this paragraph comes from author Michael Bird.

4 What does this mean for us? Perhaps it means that when we become followers of Christ, we re not just on a holding pattern, waiting to go to heaven or for the kingdom to arrive at some point in the future. Baptism isn t an end but rather a beginning. It s a commitment to be a vital part of God s kingdom now. Each of us is crucial to the covert operation that is bringing God s restoration into the world. With every ethical choice we make, with every person we decide to help or hurt, we are choosing whether to be part of that operation or to resist it. Our actions don t save us; if we accept the Messiah, then we ve already experienced what Peter calls times of refreshing, that is, salvation. Our actions won t bring the restoration of all things : only God does that. But still, every moment that we live a kingdom life, every time we bear fruit for God, the kingdom grows organically outward into the world, like a tiny mustard seed that becomes the greatest of all shrubs (Luke 8:15; 13:19). And where the kingdom reaches, the world is being redeemed. Possible discussion points: What do you think of the suggestion that being part of kingdom is like being God s covert operative in the world? Does it seem right to you, based on what you ve read in scripture? What do you think it means to live a kingdom life? If you think about ethical choices as living in the kingdom instead of simply doing the right thing, does this change anything for you? If so, what? Notice the difference the Spirit makes in the actions of the apostles. For example, compare Peter in Luke 22:54 62 with Acts 2: Have you experienced this difference in your life? What does the power of the Spirit look like today? To what extent does our community (CVCC) reflect the descriptions of the community of the messiah in Acts (2: 2:44-45; 4:31 35)? What steps might we take to reflect more fully the refreshed community depicted in Acts?

5 Possible Jeopardy Questions Acts 1-2 Answer Question Luke 1:1; Acts 1:1 1:5 1: : :8 2:1 2:2-4 2:13 2:15 2:16 2:22 The meaning of the Greek name Theophilus. The person to whom both Luke and Acts are addressed Volume one to which Acts is volume two Speaking to the disciples Jesus said, John baptized with water but you will be baptized with this The disciple who was added to the 11 to replace the one who was lost. The disciple of Jesus who Peter said should be replaced by another, causing them to cast lots for his replacement The four places where Jesus said the disciples would be his witnesses The feast where the disciples speak in tongues After a sound like a rushing wind came from heaven and filled the house, this appeared to rest on each of the Disciples When the twelve disciples spoke in tongues, some of the crowds accused them of this According to Peter the twelve spoke in tongues to the crowd at Pentecost at about this time of day Peter quotes this prophet, saying in the last days God will poor out his Spirit on all people Peter said Jesus was accredited to people by God through these three things This Apostle gives a famous sermon in Acts chapter 2 What is lover of God Who is Theophilus What is the Gospel of Luke What is The Holy Spirit Who was Matthias Who was Judas What is Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth What is Pentecost What are tongues or flames of fire What is having too much wine What is 9:00 in the morning Who is the prophet Joel What are miracles, wonders and signs Who is Peter

6 2:41 Peter says in Acts 2:38 that to be saved a person must The number of believers added to the ekklesia on Pentecost The simple meaning of the Greek term ekklesia The believers devoted themselves to these four things, according to Acts 2:42 The simple meaning of the word disciple The simple meaning of the word apostle What is repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins What is about 3,000 What is called out What are the Apostle s teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer What is one who follows or learns from a teacher or a Master What is one who is sent for a specific purpose or a messenger Acts 3-4 Answer Question This Apostle healed a man Who is Peter 3:6 at the temple saying, Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I will give you The first two disciples to be Who are Peter and John 4:1-3 arrested for preaching about Jesus Peter refers to him as the Who is Jesus 4:11 stone the builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone 4:36 The nickname given to What is Barnabas Joseph, a Levite from Cypress by the apostles 4:36 The meaning of Barnabas What is son of encouragement

Advent 3: Gifts in the Wilderness For December 12, 2010 By Ruth Haley Barton

Advent 3: Gifts in the Wilderness For December 12, 2010 By Ruth Haley Barton The desert of which I speak is a desert of the spirit: a place of revelation, conversion, and transformation. A true revelation