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Lesson 1—Acts 1–2SMAP13EL

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VOLUME 5NEw TEsTaMENTtHenew collegevillebible commentaryPELThe AcTs of TheAposTlesMAD e n n i s H a mm, S . J .SS e r i e S e D i to rDaniel D u r ke n , o. S. B .LITURGICAL PRESSCollegeville, Minnesotawww.litpress.org

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TExT AND COMMENTARyThe Acts of the ApostlesI.The Preparation for theChristian MissionThe Promise of the Spirit. 1In thefirst book, Theophilus, I dealt withall that Jesus did and taught 2until theday he was taken up, after giving instructions through the holy Spirit to theapostles whom he had chosen. 3He presented himself alive to them by many1MAELproofs after he had suffered, appearingto them during forty days and speakingabout the kingdom of God. 4While meeting with them, he enjoined them not todepart from Jerusalem, but to wait for“the promise of the Father about whichyou have heard me speak; 5for JohnP THE RISEN CHRISTAND THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL IN JERUSALEMSActs 1:1–8:3Luke shows how Jesus’ mission to initiate the end-time restoration ofIsrael finds expression in the emergent, Spirit-filled Christian communityin Jerusalem.1:1-5 Introduction: “As I was saying,Theophilus . . .”Luke introduces this sequel to his Gospel by addressing Theophilus,as he did in the prologue to his Gospel (Luke 1:1-4), indicating that this isa continuation of the same project described there. Literally, the Greek ofverse 1 says, “I dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach,” implyingthat Acts will treat what Jesus continues to do and teach through the apostolic church. And the phrase “through the holy Spirit” more naturallymodifies “chosen”—that is, “after giving instructions to the apostleswhom he had chosen through the holy Spirit.” For Luke, alone among theSynoptic writers, notes that Jesus chose the Twelve after spending thenight in prayer (Luke 6:12-13), which for Luke often precedes a special This symbol indicates a cross reference number in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Seepage 130 for number citations.11

Acts 1:6-11baptized with water, but in a few daysyou will be baptized with the holySpirit.”The Ascension of Jesus. 6Whenthey had gathered together they askedhim, “Lord, are you at this time goingto restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7Heanswered them, “It is not for you toknow the times or seasons that theFather has established by his own authority. 8But you will receive powerwhen the holy Spirit comes upon you,and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria,and to the ends of the earth.” 9When hehad said this, as they were looking on,he was lifted up, and a cloud took himfrom their sight. 10While they werelooking intently at the sky as he wasgoing, suddenly two men dressed inwhite garments stood beside them.11They said, “Men of Galilee, why areyou standing there looking at the sky?This Jesus who has been taken up fromP S1:6-12 The ascension of JesusSince the disciples are Jews who have identified Jesus as their longawaited Messiah, it is reasonable for them to ask if Jesus will now restorethe kingdom to Israel (v. 6). After all, he has been speaking to them forforty days about the kingdom of God, which, in the common expectationof the day, is supposed to be a restoration of the nation to what it waswhen David reigned a millennium before. Jesus does not deny the appropriateness of the question; he simply refuses to reveal to them the divinelydecreed schedule (v. 7). Jesus also reinterprets their implied notion of thekingdom; it is not going to be a matter of nationalism but a new kind of12 ELempowerment by the Spirit (see Luke 3:21, leading to 4:18; Acts 1:14, leading to 2:1-4; and Acts 4:23-31).As in the Gospel, the centerpiece of Jesus’ teaching remains the kingdom of God. Jesus’ reference to “the promise of the Father” alludes to atleast three passages in the Third Gospel: (1) Luke 11:13: “If you then, whoare wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how muchmore will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to those who ask him?”;(2) Luke 12:32: “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father ispleased to give you the kingdom”; (3) Luke 24:49: “And [behold] I amsending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until youare clothed with power from on high.” The gift of the Spirit at Pentecostwill also signal a further manifestation of the kingdom of God already inaugurated in the ministry of Jesus (see Luke 11:20 and 17:21).Linking this blessing with John the Baptist’s prophecy about being“baptiz[ed in] the holy Spirit” (Luke 3:16) also ties this promise to Ezekiel’s promise of a cleansing restoration of the people of Israel that willaccompany the gift of the divine Spirit (Ezek 36:24-27).MA

Acts 1:12-13you into heaven will return in the sameway as you have seen him going intoheaven.” 12Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet,which is near Jerusalem, a sabbathday’s journey away.The First Community in Jerusalem.When they entered the city they wentto the upper room where they werestaying, Peter and John and Jamesand Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of13ELunity empowered by the holy Spirit, as foreshadowed by the new “family” portrayed in Luke 8:1-21.In this, Jesus echoes what he had said to them on Easter Sunday (Luke24:49). When he tells them that the Spirit’s power will enable them to behis witnesses from Jerusalem “to the ends of the earth” (v. 8), he alludes toIsaiah 49:6, where the Lord tells his Servant that he will not only restorethe tribes of Jacob but will also be a light to the nations, “that my salvationwill reach to the ends of the earth.”Although the traditional word for the withdrawal of Jesus’ physicalpresence from the apostles is “the ascension,” it might be more accurate todescribe Luke’s description of this event as an “assumption,” since the author portrays it as an act of the Father. To describe this departure, Lukedraws upon the biblical traditions about the assumptions of Enoch (Gen5:23-24; Sir 49:14b) and Elijah (2 Kgs 2:9-11; Sir 48:9). To interpret the event,he adds what have been called “apocalyptic stage props”—the movementupward into the heavens, a cloud as vehicle, and the interpreting angels.This is Luke’s second account of the ascension. The first account, givenat the end of Luke’s Gospel (24:50-51), sets the event on Easter Sundayand describes Jesus in details that recall the description of the high priestSimon II in Sirach 50:1-24. Like Simon, Jesus’ presence occasions worship(Sir 50:17, 22); he raises his hands and pronounces a blessing (Sir 50:20),and this is followed by references to the community’s blessing God andrejoicing in the temple (Sir 50:22-23). In so doing, Jesus is acting like thetemple priest at the end of the daily Whole-Offering (also called the Tamid,or “regular,” service; Exod 29:38-42; Num 2:1-10). And within the Gospelnarrative, Jesus is doing what the priest Zechariah was unable to do at theend of the Tamid service, whose incense ritual is the scenario briefly portrayed at the beginning of Luke’s Gospel. By alluding in this manner toSirach 50, Luke was celebrating Jesus the way Ben Sira celebrated SimonII as the climax of his Praise of the Ancestors (Sirach 44–50). For Luke, it isJesus, not Simon II, who is the climax of Israel’s history; and so Lukechooses to end his first volume by portraying Jesus’ departure on EasterSunday with those overtones.SMAP13

Acts 1:14-19Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judasson of James. 14All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Marythe mother of Jesus, and his brothers.The Choice of Judas’s Successor.15During those days Peter stood up inthe midst of the brothers (there was agroup of about one hundred andtwenty persons in the one place). Hesaid, 16“My brothers, the scripture hadto be fulfilled which the holy Spiritspoke beforehand through the mouthof David, concerning Judas, who wasthe guide for those who arrested Jesus.17He was numbered among us and wasallotted a share in this ministry. 18Hebought a parcel of land with the wagesof his iniquity, and falling headlong, heburst open in the middle, and all his insides spilled out. 19This became knownto everyone who lived in Jerusalem, soELWhy, then, does Luke take the liberty to narrate this event so differently as he begins his second volume? Some scholars suggest that in ActsLuke has expanded the time frame of Luke 24 to the round (and biblicallysymbolic) number forty, in order to associate the ascension closely withthe outpouring of the Spirit on the fiftieth day, Pentecost (the Jewish feastof the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai). The apocalyptic stage propsserve four purposes: (1) to recall the transfiguration (Luke 9:18-36, anothermountain episode, when the disciples could not pray, as now they can);(2) to look forward to the outpouring of the Spirit and the mission thatfollows; (3) to recount the departure of Jesus in a way that recalls 2 Kings2:9-12 (another narrative about the transmission of spirit for propheticsuccession); and (4) to point toward the final coming (described already inLuke 21:27 as coming “in a cloud,” alluding to the cloud imagery of Daniel 7:13, but in the singular, to prepare for Acts 1:9). Thus Luke is able tospeak of one reality, the final departure of Jesus from his assembled followers, from two interpretive points of view. Luke 24 alludes to the ascension as a fitting ending of the story of Jesus; Acts 1 narrates the same eventas the beginning of the story of the mission of the Church, initiated by therisen Lord and empowered by the gift of the Spirit. SMAP1:13-26 The community gathers to restore “the Twelve” by electingMatthiasThe apostles (minus Judas Iscariot) whom Luke had carefully called“the eleven” at Luke 24:33 gather with the “women, and Mary the motherof Jesus, and his brothers” (v. 14). This group, numbered at 120 in verse 15(notice the multiple of 12), comprises the nucleus of the church that willbecome the heart of restored Israel in chapter 2.“The women” no doubt included Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna,and Mary the mother of James, and the many other women who had ac14

Acts 1:20-26that the parcel of land was called intheir language ‘Akeldama,’ that is,Field of Blood. 20For it is written in theBook of Psalms:‘Let his encampment becomedesolate,and may no one dwell in it.’And:‘May another take his office.’Therefore, it is necessary that one ofthe men who accompanied us thewhole time the Lord Jesus came and21went among us, 22beginning from thebaptism of John until the day on whichhe was taken up from us, become withus a witness to his resurrection.” 23Sothey proposed two, Joseph calledBarsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. 24Then they prayed,“You, Lord, who know the hearts of all,show which one of these two you havechosen 25to take the place in this apostolic ministry from which Judas turnedaway to go to his own place.” 26ThenPELcompanied Jesus and the Twelve and had “provided for them out of theirresources” (Luke 8:3). They are the ones “who had come from Galilee withhim” (Luke 23:55) and, coming to anoint the body of Jesus in the tomb,discovered it empty and became the first witnesses to the resurrection(Luke 24:10, 22-23).His “brothers” are the very ones who, together with Jesus’ mother,were last seen in Luke 8:19-21, standing at the edge of a crowd aroundJesus when he said, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear theword of God and act on it” (v. 21). Whatever the ambiguity of their statusthen, now they are at the center of the believing community. Like Jesusafter the water immersion by John and before his special anointing by theSpirit (Luke 3:21), the community is immersed in prayer.Jesus’ prayer that Simon Peter, even after denying Jesus, will turn backand strengthen his brothers (Luke 22:32) begins to be fulfilled, as Peternow asserts his leadership (Acts 1:15).The first agenda item to be addressed by the community is the replacement of Judas Iscariot, who had been “numbered” among the core group(v. 17). Because of the symbolic meaning of Jesus’ choice of twelve, indicating the restoration of the twelve tribes of the people of God, “theeleven” (Luke 24:33) must again become the Twelve.The importance of the number twelve becomes clear when one recallsthe words of Jesus at the Last Supper: “And I confer a kingdom on you,just as my Father has conferred one on me, that you may eat and drink atmy table in my kingdom; and you will sit on thrones judging the twelvetribes of Israel” (Luke 22:29-30). Whatever Matthew’s parallel saying maymean in the context of his Gospel (Matt 19:28), for Luke this is a referenceto the leadership of the Twelve in the Jerusalem church after Pentecost.SMA 15

Acts 2:1-10they gave lots to them, and the lot fellupon Matthias, and he was countedwith the eleven apostles.The Coming of the Spirit. 1Whenthe time for Pentecost was fulfilled,they were all in one place together. 2Andsuddenly there came from the sky anoise like a strong driving wind, and itfilled the entire house in which theywere. 3Then there appeared to themtongues as of fire, which parted andcame to rest on each one of them. 4Andthey were all filled with the holy Spiritand began to speak in different tongues,as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.2Now there were devout Jews fromevery nation under heaven staying inJerusalem. 6At this sound, they gatheredin a large crowd, but they were confused because each one heard themspeaking in his own language. 7Theywere astounded, and in amazementthey asked, “Are not all these peoplewho are speaking Galileans? 8Then howdoes each of us hear them in his ownnative language? 9We are Parthians,Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants ofMesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of LibyaMA5PEL“Judging” here has the sense it has in the book of Judges, which featurestwelve charismatic leaders who led the tribes of Israel before the time ofthe monarchy. The reconstituted Twelve will similarly “judge” (that is,exert Spirit-filled leadership among) the reconstituted people of Israelafter Pentecost.The way the words of Peter (1:16-20) and the prayer of the community(1:24-25) speak of Judas’s death is full of irony. Abandoning a communitythat will soon express its unity and detachment from material possessionsby selling fields, with no one calling anything his own, Judas invested hisblood money in a field (“turned away . . . to his own place,” v. 25) anddied there in a horrible, isolated death. Whereas Matthew’s account ofJudas’s death (Matt 27:5) parallels the suicide-by-hanging of David’s betrayer Ahithophel (2 Sam 17:23), Luke’s version reflects the punitivedeath-by-falling that was Antiochus IV’s end (2 Macc 9:12-14).The community makes sure that Judas’s replacement will be a qualified witness to the resurrection by choosing two candidates who werepresent with Jesus from the baptism of John through the ascension. Then,having done their human best, they put the final choice out of their hands,leaving it up to God through the device of casting lots. Thus Matthias ischosen to restore the Twelve. S2:1-13 The coming of the SpiritPent cost s (literally “fiftieth”) is the Greek name for the Israelite feastof Weeks (Shavu ot in Hebrew). The second of the three classical pilgrimfeasts of Israel—Unleavened Bread/Passover, Weeks, and Booths (see16The Upper Room, traditional site of the Last Supper

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Acts 2:11-14near Cyrene, as well as travelers fromRome, 11both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hearthem speaking in our own tongues ofthe mighty acts of God.” 12They were allastounded and bewildered, and said toone another, “What does this mean?”But others said, scoffing, “They havehad too much new wine.”13II.The Mission in JerusalemPeter’s Speech at Pentecost. 14ThenPeter stood up with the Eleven, raisedhis voice, and proclaimed to them,ELExod 23:14-17; 34:22; Deut 16:16)—the feast of Weeks was called “Fiftieth”in Greek because it occurred seven weeks, or fifty days, after the feast ofUnleavened Bread/Passover. Originally an agricultural feast celebratingthe end of the grain harvest, Pentecost eventually came to be associatedwith the giving of the Law at Sinai.Luke narrates the Pentecost events in words and images that evoke therevelation at Mount Sinai. The reconstituted Twelve (among the 120) aregathered like the twelve tribes at Sinai. The sounds from heaven, the filling of the whole house (like the shaking of the whole mountain in Exodus19:18), and the fire recall the theophany (appearance of God) at Sinai. Thetongues of fire symbolize the reality that the powerful presence of God(like fire) will find expression in human words, the prophetic ministry ofthe disciples. The appearance of fire also corresponds to John the Baptist’sprediction that Jesus would baptize “with the holy Spirit and fire” (Luke3:16). In the fuller sweep of the narrative, the parallel between Jesus andMoses is evident in that Jesus ascends with a cloud (1:9) and then mediates the gift of the prophetic word of God to the people (2:4, 11, 18, 33).Thus Luke underscores the fact that on the feast of the giving of the Law(the privileged communication of God’s word) comes the end-time gift ofthe holy Spirit to empower a fresh expression of the divine word in theministry of the apostles.The list of nations from which the Jewish pilgrims and converts comesymbolizes the future implications of what is happening here. By highlighting this inclusive gathering, Luke proclaims that this is in fact thefulfillment of the expected end-time ingathering of Israel. The Pentecostalgift is destined for Jews first, but then also for the “ends of the earth” (Acts1:8), “those far off” (2:39; see Isa 57:19).When Luke says that they “were confused because each one heard themspeaking in his own language” (v. 6, emphasis added), he appears to bealluding to the story of the tower of Babel (in its Septuagint version, thati

study guide THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES Little Rock Scripture Study Staff Little Rock Scripture Study A ministry of the Diocese of Little Rock in partnership with Liturgical Press These pages are drawn from the actual Study Guide and Commentary (Study Set) used for The Acts of the Apostles. The full