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PETER - A DOER OF THE WORD!
Luke
ends his account of the life of Jesus, in Luke 24:36 - 53, with these words:
While they were still talking about this, Jesus
himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."
They were startled and frightened, thinking
they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and
why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It
is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you
see I have."
When he had said this, he showed them his hands
and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and
amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" 42
They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it
in their presence.
He said to them, "This is what I told you
while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about
me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."
Then he opened their minds so they could understand
the Scriptures. 46 He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ
will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance
and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning
at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going
to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have
been clothed with power from on high."
When he had led them out to the vicinity of
Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing
them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped
him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually
at the temple, praising God.
Not long after penning the gospel of his account
of Jesus' life on earth, Luke picked up the story as it continued in the lives
of the apostles and disciples by writing what we know as the book of Acts. In
the first chapter of Acts, vv. 1 - 11, we read:
In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about
all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to
heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he
had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and
gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period
of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion,
while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave
Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me
speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will
be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord,
are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
He said to them: "It is not for you to
know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But
you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my
witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth."
After he said this, he was taken up before their
very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
They were looking intently up into the sky as
he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 "Men
of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the
sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back
in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
I want you to notice three things about these
two books which have become international bestsellers. First, the transition
between the two books is practically seamless. In Acts it's as if Luke
simply picked up the story where he left off in the last chapter of Luke. In
fact, the last chapter of Luke and the first chapter of Acts overlap each other
in terms of information.
In Luke 24 we see Jesus spending time with the
disciples convincing them that he is indeed the same person that walked and
talked with them for the last three years. In Acts, we're reminded that
between the resurrection and the ascension Jesus spent much of his time offering
one proof after another that he was alive. In Luke, the disciples are
told to stay in Jerusalem until they are clothed with power through the giving
of the Holy Spirit. In Acts, just in case it has many a few months between
reading Luke's first bestseller and his newest book on the market, we are reminded
that the disciples are to stay put until they are baptized with the Holy Spirit.
Furthermore, the two books are written to the
same person - Theophilus (See Luke 1:4). The name "Theophilus" literally
means "lover of God." It is for this reason that some believe
Luke simply used the name in a generic sense to refer to each individual reader.
However, I believe this was a real individual. I
believe this in part because we are told that he held an official position. As
such, and as a fellow believer, he may have financed the writing of Luke and
Acts. But most of all, I believe he was a real individual because in
writing a book, or even a lesson, it helps immensely to have one individual
in mind. This keeps a writer motivated, focused, and it compels us to
be very pragmatic in our writing.
Second, I want you to notice that Jesus
didn't simply teach about the Kingdom of God. He acted in a manner consistent
with what he taught. Today, we would say he didn't simply teach the Word. He
was also a doer of the Word. We're reminded of this in Acts 1:1 - 2a
where we read:
In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about
all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven,
. . .
We see some of this doing in Luke 24 where Jesus
spent time with the disciples so as to encourage and build them up. He
claimed to be the good shepherd and in Luke 24, as well as in Acts 1, we see
him acting like the good shepherd. Then too, throughout the gospel accounts
we see him acting again and again on behalf of others - even when he knew it
would get him into hot water with the religious rulers. At Cana, he turned
an anxious affair into a joyous affair by turning the water into wine. In
Nain he raised from the dead a widow's only son. In Bethsaida, when he
was dead tired, he spoke to the crowd about the kingdom of God and healed those
who needed healing. And on the cross, in the midst of suffering unjustly,
he prayed for those who had done him harm.
Third, I want you to notice the word picture
that sets the entire tone for the book of Acts. We see it in vv. 10 -
11. When Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father, the attention
of the disciples was riveted on the sky. They were so awestruck by the
moment, and perhaps by the fact that Jesus was defying the Law of Gravity,
so preoccupied with this glorious departure, that they were oblivious to two
angelic newcomers clothed in white robes standing right beside them.
Then as Jesus disappeared from their view, the
angelic visitors spoke up and said, "You silly Galileans! Why do
you stand here looking up at an empty sky? This same Jesus who was taken
up from you will return in the same manner. In the meantime, you have
a "to do" list. Yes, we know you have to wait for the coming
of the Holy Spirit. But there are still a few things you could be doing
- praying, studying, and being obedient to the prompting of the Spirit as you
meditate on the Word. So don't just stand there looking up - do what
Jesus would do in these circumstances!"
Eugene Peterson in his introductory remarks
to the book of Acts, as found in The Message, puts it like this:
"Because the story of Jesus is so impressive
- God among us! God speaking a language we can understand! God
acting in ways that heal and help and save us! - there is a danger that
we will be impressed, but only be impressed. As the spectacular dimensions
of the story slowly (or suddenly) dawn on us, we could easily become enthusiastic
spectators, and then let it go at that - become admirers of Jesus, generous
with our oohs and ahs, and in our better moments inspired to imitate him.
"It is Luke's task to prevent that, to
prevent us from becoming mere spectators to Jesus, fans of the Message. Of
the original quartet of writers on Jesus, Luke alone continues to tell the
story as the apostles and disciples live it into the next generation. The
remarkable thing is that it continues to be essentially the same story. Luke
continues his narration with hardly a break, a pause perhaps to dip his pen
in the inkwell, writing in the same style, using the same vocabulary.
"The story of Jesus doesn't end with Jesus. It
continues in the lives of those who believe in him. The supernatural
does not stop with Jesus. Luke makes it clear that these Christians
he wrote about were no more spectators of Jesus than Jesus was a spectator
of God - they are in on the action of God, God acting in them, God living in
them. Which also means, of course, in us."1
In short, Luke's point in this first chapter
of Acts is that the apostles and disciples were not to spend their time gazing
at cloud formations looking for the return of Jesus. To their credit
the disciples got the message. Picking up the story in vv. 12 - 26 we
read:
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill
called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk from the city (about 2000
yards). 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they
were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and
Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot,
and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer,
along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
In those days Peter stood up among the believers
(a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 16 and said, "Brothers,
the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through
the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested
Jesus- 17 he was one of our number and shared in this ministry."
(With the reward he got for his wickedness,
Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his
intestines spilled out. 19 Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so
they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
"For," said Peter, "it is written
in the book of Psalms,
"'May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,'
and,
"'May another take his place of leadership.'
Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the
men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among
us, 22 beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken
up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection."
So they proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabbas
(also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, "Lord,
you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to
take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs." 26
Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven
apostles.
In obedience they returned to the city, for
Jesus had told them to stay there until they were clothed with the Holy Spirit. The
names of the Apostles, minus Judas Iscariot, are listed. As usual, Peter,
as he is now called, is at the head of the list. In addition to the Apostles
there were a number of women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as
his brothers.
Much like Jesus at critical moments such as
this they spent their time praying. You'll note that Mary is just one
among many who are praying. Nothing suggest that the others turned to
her and asked that she intercede on their behalf. Nor is there any suggestion
that she put herself forward as someone special though she was certainly a
precious member of the group.
As they prayed the Spirit of God evidently spoke
to Peter about an unresolved issue that could be worked out while they waited. Or
perhaps the Spirit spoke to someone else who in turn brought the issue to Peter's
attention. There were supposed to be twelve Apostles and now would
be a good time to fill the vacancy.
So the nominating committee set forth the requirements. The
nominee had to be someone who had witnessed the baptism, resurrection, and
ascension of Jesus. Likewise he had to be someone of good character,
unlike Judas, and was now willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of following
Jesus.
As you know, two names were placed on the ballot
- Justus and Matthias. The small company of believers spent some
time in prayer over the names and then turned the matter over to God who knew
their hearts. By lot, Matthias was chosen.
This action, prior to the coming of the Holy
Spirit, raises a number of questions. Is this just another example of
Peter's impulsiveness? No! It was a prayerful decision by 120
believers. What about Paul? Why wasn't he considered? He
didn't meet the qualifications. Here is the real question. The
one tough question worth considering. How did Justus handle not being
chosen?
1 Eugene H. Peterson, The Message, Navpress, P. O. Box 35001, Colorado Springs, CO. 80935, p.1492.
PETER: THE MAN AND HIS LETTERS 10/07/07 1
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