Acts 1

The Voice

Luke, in this his second volume concerning the genesis of the Christian movement, doesn’t preserve Jesus’ teachings during those mysterious meetings with His emissaries after His death. Surely they are filled with joy, curiosity, and amazement as His followers hang on His every word and gaze on the reality of His bodily resurrection as He describes the kingdom of God. His words are undoubtedly intended to prepare each of them for this journey, a journey with a clear destination in sight—the kingdom of God.

An integral part of this kingdom is the activity of the Holy Spirit to empower the people of God as they expand the kingdom beyond the region of Palestine. Luke records surprisingly little about the day-to-day life of these early Christians, about how they integrated their faith into their culture; but he does emphasize the work of the Spirit who empowers miracles and gives believers the means to testify of their faith before Jews and the outsiders.

1 To a lover of God, Theophilus: In my first book, I recounted the events of Jesus’ life—His actions, His teachings— ^2-3from the beginning of His life until He was taken up into heaven. After His great suffering and vindication, He showed His apostles that He was alive—appearing to them repeatedly over a period of 40 days, giving them many convincing proofs of His resurrection. As before, He spoke constantly of the kingdom of God. During these appearances, He had instructed His chosen messengers through the Holy Spirit, ⁴prohibiting them from leaving Jerusalem, but rather requiring them to wait there until they received what He called “the promise of the Father.”

Jesus: This is what you heard Me teach— ⁵that just as John ritually cleansed people with water through baptism,^[a] so you will be washed with the Holy Spirit very soon.

⁶When they had gathered just outside Jerusalem at the Mount of Olives, they asked Jesus,

Disciples: Is now the time, Lord—the time when You will reestablish Your kingdom in our land of Israel?

Jesus: ⁷The Father, on His own authority, has determined the ages and epochs of history, but you have not been given this knowledge. ⁸Here’s the knowledge you need: you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. And you will be My witnesses, first here in Jerusalem, then beyond to Judea and Samaria, and finally to the farthest places on earth.

⁹As He finished this commission, He began to rise from the ground before their eyes until the clouds obscured Him from their vision. ¹⁰As they strained to get one last glimpse of Him going into heaven, the Lord’s emissaries^[b] realized two men in white robes were standing among them.

Two Men: ¹¹You Galileans, why are you standing here staring up into the sky? This Jesus who is leaving you and ascending to heaven will return in the same way you see Him departing.

¹²Then the disciples returned to Jerusalem—their short journey from the Mount of Olives was an acceptable Sabbath Day’s walk.

^13-14Back in the city, they went to the room where they were staying—a second-floor room. This whole group devoted themselves to constant prayer with one accord: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (the Zealot), Judas (son of James), a number of women including Mary (Jesus’ mother), and some of Jesus’ brothers.

¹⁵As the disciples prayed, Peter stood among the group of about 120 people and made this proposal:

The Creator of heaven and earth is orchestrating a redemptive story that will radically change the course of history. The most significant supernatural event in the history of this newly formed church will be the filling of the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit, God will direct the church’s growth. But how does the early church make important decisions before the Holy Spirit descends on them?

The company of disciples turns to the practice of “drawing lots,” a practice used by saints for centuries to discover God’s providential leading. After much prayer, Joseph and Matthias most likely write their names on scraps; then someone draws the replacement’s name out of a bag. What seems like a 50/50 chance is, in fact, God’s way of imparting His will. The disciples aren’t putting their faith in “chance”; they are putting their faith in a God who lives. This living God isn’t distant; He is a player in their lives, active when His people seek Him and His will. They know God directs the process, start to finish, and determines whose name is drawn to join the eleven.

Peter: ^16-17My friends, everything in the Hebrew Scriptures had to be fulfilled, including what the Holy Spirit foretold through David about Judas. As you know, Judas was one of us and participated in our ministry until he guided the authorities to arrest Jesus. ¹⁸(He was paid handsomely for his betrayal, and he bought a field with the blood money. But he died on that land—falling so that his abdomen burst and his internal organs gushed out. ¹⁹News of this death spread to everyone in Jerusalem, so Judas’s property is known as Hakeldama, which means “field of blood.”) ²⁰In this way, one of David’s psalms was fulfilled: “May their camps be bleak, with not one left in any tent.”^[c] But the psalms also include these words: “Let his position of oversight be given to another.”^[d] ²¹So we need to determine his replacement from among the men who have been with us during all of the Lord Jesus’ travels among us— ²²from His baptism^[e] by John until His ascension. We need someone to join us as a witness of Jesus’ resurrection.

²³The group put forward two men: Joseph (who was also known as Barsabbas or Justus) and Matthias.

Disciples: ²⁴Lord, You know everyone’s heart. Make it clear to us which of these two is Your choice ²⁵to take on this ministry as Your apostle, replacing Judas who went his own way to his own destination.

²⁶Then they drew lots, and the lot fell to Matthias, so he was added to the eleven apostles to reconstitute the twelve.

Notas al pie

1:5 Literally, immersed, to show repentance
1:10 Literally, apostles
1:20 Psalm 69:25–26
1:20 Psalm 109:8
1:22 Literally, immersion, an act to show repentance

Acts 2

The Voice

2 When the holy day of Pentecost came 50 days after Passover, they were gathered together in one place.

²Picture yourself among the disciples:

A sound roars from the sky without warning, the roar of a violent wind, and the whole house where you are gathered reverberates with the sound. ³Then a flame appears, dividing into smaller flames and spreading from one person to the next. ⁴All the people present are filled with the Holy Spirit and begin speaking in languages they’ve never spoken, as the Spirit empowers them.

⁵Because of the holy festival, there are devout Jews staying as pilgrims in Jerusalem from every nation under the sun. ⁶They hear the sound, and a crowd gathers. They are amazed because each of them can hear the group speaking in their native languages. ⁷They are shocked and amazed by this.

Pilgrims: Just a minute. Aren’t all of these people Galileans? ⁸How in the world do we all hear our native languages being spoken? ⁹Look—there are Parthians here, and Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamians, and Judeans, residents of Cappadocia, Pontus, and Asia, ¹⁰Phrygians and Pamphylians, Egyptians and Libyans from Cyrene, Romans including both Jews by birth and converts, ¹¹Cretans, and Arabs. We’re each, in our own languages, hearing these people talk about God’s powerful deeds.

¹²Their amazement becomes confusion as they wonder,

Pilgrims: What does this mean?

Skeptics: ¹³It doesn’t mean anything. They’re all drunk on some fresh wine!

This miraculous sign of God’s kingdom is astounding. The followers of Jesus are not known as people who drink too much wine with breakfast, so this fantastic episode requires some other kind of explanation. Unfortunately it is impossible to comprehend or explain what transpires on Pentecost. But this is not a novelty performance; rather, it is the foundation of the kingdom of God in that it establishes the church as the place where God moves on the earth through His Spirit. They expect a political kingdom, but God moves in people’s hearts to transform individuals and communities.

¹⁴As the twelve stood together, Peter shouted to the crowd,

Peter: Men of Judea and all who are staying here in Jerusalem, listen. I want you to understand: ¹⁵these people aren’t drunk as you may think. Look, it’s only nine o’clock in the morning! ¹⁶No, this isn’t drunkenness; this is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel. ¹⁷Hear what God says!

    In the last days,
    I will offer My Spirit to humanity as a libation.
    Your children will boldly speak the word of the Lord.
    Young warriors will see visions,
        and your elders will dream dreams.
¹⁸    Yes, in those days I shall offer My Spirit to all servants,
        both male and female, and they will boldly speak My word.
¹⁹    And in the heaven above and on the earth below,
    I shall give signs of impending judgment: blood, fire, and clouds of smoke.
²⁰    The sun will become a void of darkness,
        and the moon will become blood.
    Then the great and dreadful day of the Lord will arrive,
²¹    And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
        will be liberated into God’s freedom and peace.^[a]

²²All of you Israelites, listen to my message: it’s about Jesus of Nazareth, a man whom God authenticated for you by performing in your presence powerful deeds, wonders, and signs through Him, just as you yourselves know. ²³This man, Jesus, who came into your hands by God’s sure plan and advanced knowledge, you nailed to a cross and killed in collaboration with lawless outsiders. ²⁴But God raised Jesus and unleashed Him from the agonizing birth pangs of death, for death could not possibly keep Jesus in its power. ²⁵David spoke of Jesus’ resurrection, saying:

    I see the Lord is ever present with me.
    I will not live in fear or abandon my calling because He guides my right hand.
²⁶    My heart is glad; my soul rejoices;
        my body is safe.
²⁷    You will not abandon me to experience the suffering of a miserable afterlife,
        nor leave Your Holy One to rot alone.
²⁸    Instead, You direct me on a path that leads to a beautiful life.
    As I walk with You, the pleasures are never-ending, and I know true joy and contentment.^[b]

²⁹My fellow Israelites, I can say without question that David our ancestor died and was buried, and his tomb is with us today. ³⁰David wasn’t speaking of himself; he was speaking as a prophet. He saw with prophetic insight that God had made a solemn promise to him: God would put one of his descendants on His throne. ³¹Here’s what David was seeing in advance; here’s what David was talking about—the Anointed One would be resurrected. Think of David’s words about Him not being abandoned to the place of the dead nor being left to decay in the grave. ³²He was talking about Jesus, the One God has raised, whom all of us have seen with our own eyes and announce to you today. ³³Since Jesus has been lifted to the right hand of God—the highest place of authority and power—and since Jesus has received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, He has now poured out what you have seen and heard here today. ³⁴Remember: David couldn’t have been speaking of himself rising to the heavens when he said,

    The Master said to my master,
    “Sit here at My right hand,
        in the place of honor and power,
³⁵    And I will gather Your enemies together,
        lead them in on hands and knees,
        and You will rest Your feet on their backs.”^[c]

³⁶Everyone in Israel should now realize with certainty what God has done: God has made Jesus both Lord and Anointed King—this same Jesus whom you crucified.

³⁷When the people heard this, their hearts were pierced; and they said to Peter and his fellow apostles,

Pilgrims: Our brothers, what should we do?

Peter: ³⁸Reconsider your lives; change your direction. Participate in the ceremonial washing of baptism^[d] in the name of Jesus God’s Anointed, the Liberating King. Then your sins will be forgiven, and the gift of the Holy Spirit will be yours. ³⁹For the promise of the Spirit is for you, for your children, for all people—even those considered outsiders and outcasts—the Lord our God invites everyone to come to Him.

Just as God raised Jesus from a decaying body, Peter holds out hope for God to liberate those who follow Him from their decaying culture.

⁴⁰Peter was pleading and offering many logical reasons to believe. ⁴¹Whoever made a place for his message in their hearts received the baptism;^[e] in fact, that day alone, about 3,000 people joined the disciples.

⁴²The community continually committed themselves to learning what the apostles taught them, gathering for fellowship, breaking bread, and praying. ⁴³Everyone felt a sense of awe because the apostles were doing many signs and wonders among them. ⁴⁴There was an intense sense of togetherness among all who believed; they shared all their material possessions in trust. ⁴⁵They sold any possessions and goods that did not benefit the community and used the money to help everyone in need. ⁴⁶They were unified as they worshiped at the temple day after day. In homes, they broke bread and shared meals with glad and generous hearts. ⁴⁷The new disciples praised God, and they enjoyed the goodwill of all the people of the city. Day after day the Lord added to their number everyone who was experiencing liberation.