Reading: Acts 1-2, Psalm 119:153-176
Luke begins his second book addressing the same patron for whom he wrote the first book. He issues a sort of quick summary of the last bit of his gospel, reminding the readers that Jesus is alive and has appeared to his disciples. He relates a late conversation that the disciples had with Jesus about the next steps. Okay, you came back from the dead, now what? Jesus as usual has other things in mind than the disciples, and tells them it is not for them to know, but to wait in Jerusalem before going throughout the world and to the ends of the Earth bearing witness about him.
Now, it is probably worth putting ourselves in the disciples shoes for a minute here. Jesus has risen from the dead, letting everyone know that he is in fact the Messiah of the Hebrew Scriptures. The Servant of the Lord from the book of Isaiah. The wounded victor of Genesis 3. The guy they were searching for all through the years of the kings of Judah. The faithful one. Being good students of the Scriptures, they know that this character is destined to rule as the new David, to make a new covenant with his people as the new Moses, and to bring about a new Eden as the new Adam. We should hardly be surprised they are anxious for all that to start. Who wouldn’t be? We have been promised paradise, so let’s go!
But Jesus lets them know that it isn’t time for all that yet. First, there is a mission to accomplish. He mentions the baptism of John, but goes one better. John’s baptism was with water, the baptism Jesus will send is of the Holy Spirit. When we jump forward to Peter’s great sermon in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, we will see that he really picked up what Jesus was saying. He realizes the connection with the Day of the Lord in the book of Joel, and preaches one of the most effective sermons in history.
But first we have to deal with the aftermath of Judas’ betrayal. We know he regretted his choice to betray Jesus, but that unlike Peter after his denial Judas did not return to the company of the disciples. We know some more of the details from the other gospels, but it boils down to Judas killed himself in his shame and regret. Not a very nice story, but instructive when considering the endpoint of shame and self loathing. In the end, you make a choice to repent and face the savior, or you destroy yourself.
Once Judas is dead, the disciples decide they need to replace him, and an odd scene follows in which they cast lots to appoint a guy named Matthias as the new number twelve. There are several traditions surrounding Matthias, but I do think it interesting that he basically vanishes from the story after this announcement, and Saul of Tarsus soon appears and acts how you might expect an apostle to act. Anyway. It appears that Peter was using the decision making methods of the times to select a replacement for Judas, at least indicating that he saw the importance of having twelve apostles. I’ll leave how this relates to the apostolic office to my catholic friends.
On to the day of Pentecost. Considering how monumental an event this was, Luke gives an incredibly concise account of it. The Holy Spirit comes and rests on the disciples. They go out and start speaking to the people gathered in Jerusalem for the feast and for trade. Everyone hears them in their own language. It is nuts. People begin to wonder if these guys are all drunk. Then one of them leaps up and starts quoting from the book of Joel about how the day has come that Joel saw in which God declares I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions and your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants male and female I will pour out my spirit and they shall prophesy. Let’s just take a minute and reflect on how nuts this is. The ancient world was not exactly an egalitarian place. There were not only very fixed gender roles, but very fixed social strata. This statement from Joel is the stuff of social revolution. Servants? Put on the same level as sons and daughters, young men and old? The Spirit of God poured out on all people? What nonsense to a world in which almost everyone’s life was determined by accident of birth. What Peter is saying sounds like a new world entirely.
Yeah. Yeah, it does. And he isn’t done yet. There are some odd bits about the sky going dark and there being a great and terrible Day of the Lord. But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. And what is the name of the Lord? He lets us know. This guy you crucified, Jesus of Nazareth, wasn’t just another messianic nut. In fact, he was delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God. It was all a part of the plan. This is the name by which you are saved. And he isn’t some dead guy, either. You killed him, but he had so much life in him he did not stay that way. Now he is alive, and as John would have, you may have life in his name.
Luke tells us that many who heard this were cut to the heart. They ask what they are to do to be saved. And here is where Peter picks up the message of John the Baptist and the message of Jesus the Messiah and welds them together. Repent and be baptized, every one of you, into the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself. Peter has picked up the message of the Scriptures and the words of Jesus and given us a two sentence summary of it all. Not bad for a Galilean fisherman. Three thousand people respond to his call, and their lives are transformed.
How do we know their lives are transformed? Luke tell us about that new world we mentioned a minutes ago. The believers start meeting together every day in the temple courts. They share with everyone who has need. Abundance takes the place of scarcity. We get the first definition of Christian community. They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching, to the fellowship, to breaking of bread together, and to the prayers. The literal first church spent it’s time learning, getting to know one another, eating together, and praying. Not a bad model, and we might learn something from it. But I think the point here is that this is that new world seen by Joel breaking into the old one. These people are different. As we will see in the epistles, the social class barriers, racial barriers, cultural barriers- they will all dissolve before the throne of God.