Acts of the Apostles—The Prophet’s Movement

I. Reading Acts as the continuation of Luke’s Gospel reveals a distinctive understanding of history. A. At the surface level it is a straightforward account of the events of Christianity’s first great expansion Jerusalem to Rome. 1. Jesus’s programmatic prophecy in Acts 1:8 provides a table of contents: Jerusalem (1-8); Judaea and Samaria (8- 12); to the ends of the world, that is, Rome (13-28). 2. It is a selective account, with particular attention given to Peter and Paul and the transmission of the good news from Jews to Gentiles.

B. At a deeper level, Acts portrays the church as the continuation of the prophetic movement started by Jesus. 1. The bestowal of the Holy Spirit on the disciples means that they are empowered as Jesus was. 2. All the protagonists are described in stereotypical prophetic terms as they proclaim the “good news” about what God had done in Jesus. 3. Thus, Luke’s portrayal of the disciples is not as negative as it is in Mark.

II. The first church in Jerusalem is portrayed as the restoration of Israel for which Jesus worked. A. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all flesh is interpreted as the sign of the resurrection and exaltation of Jesus (2:1-37). B. Those who “save themselves from this evil generation” fulfill the prophetic program. 1. They share their possessions fully so that no one was in need (2:41-47; 4:32-37). 2. The apostles continue to heal as a “sign of salvation” of the people (3: 26).

C. The thousands of Jews who join the community demonstrate Luke’s two major concerns. 1. Even though his people - or, mainly, their leaders- -rejected God’s first “visitation,” he remained faithful and provided another chance or repentance through the preaching of the apostles. 2. Even though they had rejected Jesus, many of the Jews accepted ‘the prophet whom God raised up,” with the result that they became the authentic remnant of Israel. 3. The theological point that Luke is making here is that the mission to the Gentiles, especially as carried on by Paul. is not a replacement of Israel but a continuation.

III. The apostles are portrayed as prophets who continue Jesus’s radical manner of life in new circumstances. A. They share their possessions and manifest “servant leadership” by their “waiting at tables’ (4:32-37; 6:1-7). B. They pray at every moment of crisis, just as Jesus had done, and are empowered by the Holy Spirit, as he was (4:23-31) C. They heal the outcast of the people, breaking the boundaries of separation and stigma caused by illness (5:12-16; 6:4-8; 8:32-43). D. They bear witness boldly, even in the face of trial, persecution, and death (4:5-22; 5:17-42; 6:8-7:60; 22:1-21; 23:1-1l; 24:10-21; 26:2-23).

IV. The church continues the radical prophetic program of table-fellowship for the outcast through the bold initiative of including Gentiles without requiring circumcision and the observance of Torah. A. As part of their doctrine of separateness, Jews did not eat with Gentiles. Thus, the church was radical in its program of table-fellowship that included Gentiles. B. Luke tells the story as one of God’s initiative and human discernment, debate, and decision-making (Acts 10-15) C. Luke suggests that the church was even more radical in its vision than Jesus was: Accepting Gentiles without circumcision and Law meant accepting God’s new work more than the precedent of scripture.