We could easily call this book 2nd Luke. He is the author, dedicated it to the same fellow who sponsored his Gospel, and continues directly from the end of it. Everything we could say about him still applies. The research Luke did for this narrative was conducted and the material compiled during the same period he worked on his Gospel. Acts simply carries the story forward into the immediate period following the Ascension. We could also call it the Acts of Peter and Paul, since they are the prime movers in the narrative. Peter fulfills his call as the leader of the Apostles until it was simply too dangerous for him to be the front man. The danger is the transition to a man who struggled hard to make it even more dangerous, until a miracle leads him to change sides. Luke's narrative relates how these men passed the baton from Christ to the Christians at large across the Empire.
However, we find at 16:10 Luke suddenly includes himself by shifting from the third person plural ("they") to the first person plural ("we"). Thus, when Paul had his vision of the Macedonian call from Troas, we safely assume it was at Troas Luke joined the mission. Naturally, there is no explanation for this, but I'm sure Luke had told his wealthy and educated Gentile sponsor those details which aren't part of the greater narrative.
The substance of the book can be summed up thus: This is how the gospel of Jesus Christ went from a tiny sect of Judaism to a global faith embracing all mankind. From a handful of Jewish men, mostly with rather poor education, this faith was adopted by a very politically powerful and well-educated Pharisee who was the perfect man for carrying such an odd-ball minor Eastern sect across the Empire to become the religion which shook Rome to its core.
Chapter 1 -- Luke offers a transition between his Gospel and the shift from Law-centered life to Spirit-centered.
Chapter 2 -- The arrival of the Holy Spirit, as promised, shook the whole world of that first congregation of faith.
Chapter 3 -- Upon the healing of a rather famous beggar, Peter preached the gospel to the residents of Jerusalem.
Chapter 4 -- Arrested along with the beggar, Peter and John face the entire ruling caste of Israel.
Chapter 5 -- The Early Jerusalem Church continues to distinguish itself as a rival Kingdom.
Chapter 6 -- As the gospel spread to a wider audience, the tension with the Jewish authorities grew to fever pitch.
Chapter 7 -- The trial of Stephen was the last chance for the Nation of Israel to accept God's revelation.
Chapter 8 -- Having made the final offer to the Jewish nation, the Lord next reached out to the Samaritans.
Chapter 9 -- Luke traces the two threads of Saul's conversion and Peter carrying the gospel far from its birth among Jews.
Chapter 10 -- God takes a very active hand in bringing Peter to the place where he opens the Kingdom finally for the Gentiles.
Chapter 11 -- Peter faces the first attack from the Judaizers, while the first Gentile church is born in Antioch.
Chapter 12 -- Though his life is spared, Peter is forced to go underground and drops from the story. At about the same time, Herod Agrippa I dies, ending a very short reign.
Chapter 13 -- Using the Roman form of his name, Paul begins the first of his missionary journeys with Barnabas.
Chapter 14 -- The pattern of rejection by Jews and embrace by Gentiles, along with manipulation by Jewish agitators, followed Paul and Barnabas across the Galatian region.
Chapter 15 -- The church decides to extend the ancient practices of association between Jews and Gentiles, rather than burden Gentiles with becoming actual Jews themselves.
Chapter 16 -- Experiences of Paul and Silas on the Second Journey required some compromises.
Chapter 17 -- Luke explores the range of reactions Paul got as he traveled across Greece.
Chapter 18 -- Paul is stymied from returning to Macedonia, and plants a strong Christian community in Corinth.
Chapter 19 -- Paul's sojourn in Ephesus shows the methods of the Jews in persecuting Paul were hardly different from those pursuing pagan religions.
Chapter 20 -- Luke allows us to sense the tensions rising: that of the Talmudists against Paul, and those between Paul's longing to stay on the field versus the utter necessity of returning to Jerusalem.
Chapter 21 -- The tension between a dying covenant of Moses and the call to a New Israel overwhelms Paul, as he is arrested in the Temple.
Chapter 22 -- Paul recounts his testimony, but probably knew already how the Jews might react.
Chapter 23 -- Paul realizes the Sanhedrin would easily murder him, so he plays on partisan rivalries to force the commander to keep him out of Jewish hands.
Chapter 24 -- The Sanhedrin go so far as to hire a real Roman lawyer, but their case was without merit by Roman law. Still, Felix was not a just man, but left Paul in custody for two years until Festus succeeded him as governor.
Chapter 25 -- Try as he might, the efforts by Festus to make nice with the Sanhedrin would have to be without Paul's assent.
Chapter 26 -- Paul makes his defense before King Agrippa.
Chapter 27 -- The voyage to deliver Paul, among other prisoners, turned into a disaster, wrecking on Malta.
Chapter 28 -- After a fine medical ministry on the Island of Malta during the winter, they all finally set sail in the Spring to Rome. Luke describes Paul's reception with the local synagogues and ends with Paul still under house arrest, indicating the original purpose of this account.
By Ed Hurst
02 May 2009
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