Day #324

Sermon - Audio
Acts 11-12 - Reading
Acts 11-12 - Audio

Daily Insights - Please Comment

Acts 11-12

Acts 11

The mission to the Gentiles and how it will be carried out becomes a matter of great debate in the early church. In chapter 11 we find that the mission and the way Peter carried it out (including eating with Gentiles who were considered unclean and so welcoming them fully into the Way) is backed up by three powerful works of God: 1. The vision given to Peter 2. The vision given to Cornelius 3. The giving of the Holy Spirit. Since each of these originated with God, it was clear this was his desire and not something thought up and pushed by Peter.

Notes:

• Acts 11.2: The circumcision party was most likely a group that believed anyone who converted to Christianity first had to convert to the ways of Jewish living including food laws and circumcision.
• 11.18: While all agree that the Gentiles are now a part there will be continuing struggles over how and what that looks like. Acts 15 will speak an important word into the controversy.
• 11.18: This verse also makes legitimate Paul’s Gentile mission.
• 11.20-21: Antioch on the Orontes in Syria was the third largest urban center of antiquity (after Rome and Alexandria), with an estimated population of half a million, and was the headquarters of Rome’s Syrian legion. With a famous cult center of Apollo within walking distance and Seleucia, its port city off the Mediterranean coast, only a brief river journey, it boasted numerous mystery cults and was known for its pagan religious diversity. IVP NT Commentary
• 11.20: Hellenists were Greek speaking Jews who lived outside of Israel. They were often looser in their keeping of Jewish laws and rituals.
• 11.25: Saul enters back into the picture. His mission and work, however, remain outside the mainstream of Israel as he goes to the urban center of Antioch. This place of ministry marks how his entire ministry will be carried out: he ignores rural areas and focuses on cities. This is significantly different from how we often see outreach as we focus on suburbs and rural areas while ignoring the cities.
• 11.27-30: The churches outside Jerusalem begin a pattern of caring for the church of Jerusalem which struggled financially. Paul held that this was proper because the Jerusalem church had given the Gentiles the gospel, in return they offered gifts of mere money.

Acts 12

This chapter raised a timeless question: why does God rescue some and not others. Peter’s rescue is wonderful, but why does James lose his life? Luke gives no answers but simple tells both stories

As always one needs to be careful reading not to assume the Jews of Acts 12.3 are all Jewish people. If such were the case the Jerusalem church would be pleased that James was killed.

Notes:

• 12.8: “Dress yourself”: In John 21 Jesus said to Peter, 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) The command of the angel to “dress yourself” shows that Peter is not going to die at the hand of Herod.
• 12.14-16: The difficultly those praying had in believing that Peter was at the door probably came from the reality that James had not been rescued. We can imagine the prayed for him as well. Now they pray for Peter but don’t expect different results. At the same time, the way the story is written Luke would have expected his readers to laugh at their surprise.
• 12.15: In Jewish tradition righteous believers became like angels after they died. Those praying both held Peter in high regard and assumed that he had died.
• 12.24: The one who attacked God’s people dies, but God’s church increases.
• 12.25: Barnabas and Saul have traveled to Jerusalem to bring famine relief, now they return to Antioch. What is especially worth noting is the contrast between Saul/Paul and Herod. Saul too has attacked the church of Jesus Christ. He too has killed members of the church. However instead of dying as Herod did, he hears and obeys the voice of Jesus and so lives and becomes part of his movement.