Good News for Everyone
An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on the Book of Acts
Marion Adams
This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.
Words in boxes are from the Bible.
A word list at the end explains words with a *star by them.
Most people agree that Luke wrote Acts. Luke also wrote the third *Gospel. In Acts, he told how the good news about Jesus *Christ spread. It spread to the world beyond *Jerusalem.
Luke was a *Gentile and he was a doctor (Colossians 4:14). He worked with Paul and he travelled with Paul (Philemon 1:24).
Luke was very careful about what he wrote. He knew that some things were true. And he wrote only those things. At the beginning of his *Gospel, he wrote this. ‘You have heard many things. I am writing this account so that you will know the truth about them’ (Luke 1:4). In Acts, he continued with this account.
Luke was travelling with Paul. Luke wrote about what happened during that time (Acts 16:10-17; 20:5-21:18; 27:1-28:16). In these verses, he used ‘we’ instead of ‘they’ or ‘he’. So, we know that Luke was there at those times.
After Luke had arrived in *Jerusalem (Acts 21:17), he stayed in *Judea. He stayed there for two years. Then he left to travel to *Rome (Acts 27:1). He went to *Rome with Paul. While Luke was in *Judea, he probably spoke to other witnesses. They told him about the other events that he describes.
Luke had several reasons why he wrote Acts. People were telling false stories about *Christians. They were afraid that *Christians wanted to make trouble. Luke wanted the *Roman rulers to know that this was not true. *Christians helped other people to behave well. He wanted to show that to the rulers. It was good for the *Roman government.
Luke wrote about many *miracles. God gave to *Christians the power to cure people, for example. Also, God rescued Peter from prison by a *miracle. So, anyone who opposed the Christians was opposing God. He also wanted to show to the *Jews that the *Christian *faith was not a separate religion. Instead, it made *Judaism complete, because Jesus is the *Messiah.
However, Luke had one main reason why he wrote this book. The good news about Jesus had travelled from *Jerusalem to *Rome. Luke wanted to record how that happened. *Rome was the most important city in the world. Luke showed that the *gospel was for all people in every nation. It was for *Jews and it was also for *Gentiles.
We can divide Acts into 6 parts. Each part ends with a report that more people were joining the *church.
In the first part, Luke describes how the *church grew in *Jerusalem. This part ends like this: ‘So, God’s message spread. The *disciples in Jerusalem continued to increase quickly in number. And very many priests obeyed the *faith.’
From this part, we learn how the good news reached *Samaria because of Stephen’s death. This part ends like this: ‘Meanwhile, the *church all over *Judea, *Galilee and *Samaria enjoyed a peaceful period. The *Holy Spirit made the *church strong and he encouraged the *Christians. They respected the *Lord and more people joined the *church.’
In this part, the writer tells us how Paul met Jesus. This happened on the road to Damascus. Damascus is a city in Syria. We learn how the *gospel reached Antioch, the capital city in Syria. Also, we learn how Peter accepted Cornelius into the *church. Cornelius was a *Gentile. This part ends like this: ‘God’s message continued to grow and it continued to spread.’
In this part, Luke describes how the *gospel spread through more countries. It ends like this: ‘So, the Christians became stronger in the *faith and more people joined the *churches daily.’
We learn from this part how the good news about Jesus reached Europe. Paul started a new *church in Corinth, a city in Greece. He also started a new *church in Ephesus. Ephesus was a very important city. It was in the same country that is called Turkey today. It is near Greece. This part ends like this: ‘In this manner, the *Lord’s message continued to increase in power and it spread widely.’
In the final part, Luke tells us that Paul reached *Rome. When it ends, Paul is in prison. There, ‘he *preached boldly about God’s *kingdom. He taught the facts about the *Lord Jesus *Christ and nobody tried to stop him.’
When the book ends, Paul is in *Rome. The *Romans had arrested him. Luke does not say what happened to Paul next. So, many students think that Luke completed Acts very soon after this. Also, he said nothing about Nero. Nero was an *Emperor. He killed many *Christians in *AD 64. Probably Luke had finished the book in *AD 62. But we do not know the exact date.
v1 Dear Theophilus, Jesus began to do many things and he began to teach many things. In my first book, I wrote about all those things. v2 He spoke to the *apostles that he had chosen. Then he went up to heaven. He told them what he wanted them to do. He did this by the *Holy Spirit’s power. v3 After he had suffered, he showed himself to these men. He showed himself to them in many ways. This proved that he was alive. He appeared in front of them many times. This was during a period of 40 days. He talked to them about God’s *kingdom.
Verse 1 Luke referred to his *Gospel here as ‘my first book’. Acts is the second book in the history that Luke wrote. He wrote both books for Theophilus. This *Greek name means ‘someone who loves God’. Perhaps Luke was using it to mean any *Christian reader. But it is more likely that Theophilus was a real person. In Luke 1:3, Luke called him ‘most excellent’. Therefore, Theophilus might have been an important man that worked for the government.
Verse 2 Luke wrote that his *Gospel was about everything that Jesus began to do. And it was about everything that Jesus began to teach. After he had returned to his Father, Jesus continued to do things. And he continued to teach. Luke’s second book describes these things. Jesus continued his work by his *Holy Spirit, by means of his *apostles. The *Greek word ‘apostolos’ means a person with a message. That person (an *apostle) had special authority from the person who had sent him. Therefore an *apostle could act for the person who sent him. So, the *apostles too would be leaders of *Christians, as Jesus was their leader. Jesus chose his 12 *disciples to be his *apostles.
Verse 3 The *disciples were sure that Jesus had overcome death. He had proved to them many times that he was still alive. His *resurrection had really happened. It was true. This was the most important part in their message.
Jesus continued to teach them about his favourite subject. This was God’s *kingdom. God’s *kingdom had come by means of Jesus’ life, death and *resurrection.
v4 One time, while he was staying with them, he told them not to leave *Jerusalem. He said, ‘You must wait for the gift that I told you about. My Father promised to give this gift. v5 As you know, John *baptised with water. But after a few days, you will receive *baptism with the *Holy Spirit.’
Verse 4 Jesus was ‘staying with them’. The *Greek word for this can also mean that he was ‘eating with them’. Jesus was eating with his *disciples after his *resurrection. He also did this on other occasions after the *resurrection (Luke 24:30-31, 42-43). This was not because he needed food. It was to prove that he was real.
In his *Gospel, Luke recorded the Father’s (God’s) promise. The Father had promised that power from above would come to the *disciples (Luke 24:49).
Verse 5 In this verse, Luke reminds us about John the *Baptist’s words. John said this about Jesus: ‘He will *baptise you with the *Holy Spirit and he will *baptise you with fire’ (Luke 3:16).
v6 So, when they were all together, they asked him this: ‘*Lord, will you now give back the *kingdom to *Israel?’ v7 He said to them, ‘The Father has fixed these times and dates. They are under his control. You cannot know them. v8 But you will receive power when the *Holy Spirit comes upon you. You will be my witnesses in *Jerusalem. You will also be my witnesses in all *Judea and *Samaria and all over the earth.’
Verse 6 The *Jews were proud that God had chosen them as his people. They wanted other nations to know that they (the *Jews) were important. But other nations had defeated them. The *Jews seemed weak and the *Romans ruled over them. The *Jews wanted God to prove that they were superior. They wanted him to give them power over all the other nations. So, the *disciples asked Jesus, ‘*Lord, will you now give back the *kingdom to *Israel?’
Verse 7 Jesus did not answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the *disciples’ question. Instead, he said that this information belonged to the Father only. He did not want them to think about political power. He wanted them to *preach the *gospel. He wanted them to concentrate on that.
Verse 8 The power that they would receive was not power over other people. Instead, it was power from heaven. This power would make them able to continue *Christ’s work on earth.
‘You will be my witnesses in *Jerusalem. You will also be my witnesses in all *Judea and *Samaria, and all over the earth.’ A witness has seen something with his own eyes. Therefore, he knows that it is true. The *Greek word for ‘witness’ is ‘martus’. It also means ‘*martyr’ (a person who is willing to die for his or her beliefs). A witness must be willing to die for *Christ if this is necessary. In verse 8, Luke tells us what the whole book is about. In the first 7 chapters, he describes how the good news spread in *Jerusalem. In Acts 8:11-11:18, he describes what happened in *Judea and *Samaria. In the last part, he describes how the *gospel spread through the *Gentile world.
Of course, the story did not end there. Today, *Christians must continue to tell people in every nation about Jesus. God wants everyone in the world to hear the good news.
v9 After he said this, he returned to heaven. They watched as he went there. A cloud hid him, so then they could not see him. v10 While he went, they were staring up at the sky. Immediately, two men in white clothes stood next to them. v11 They said, ‘Men from *Galilee, you should not stand here and you should not look at the sky. This Jesus has left you and he has gone up to heaven. But he will come again. He will come in the same way as you have seen him go.’
Verse 9 Luke also described this event in his *Gospel (Luke 24:50-53). Jesus had showed his *disciples that he was alive. He had done this during a period of 40 days. At the end of that period, this event happened. The cloud contained God’s *glory. The last time when the *disciples saw Jesus on earth, God’s *glory surrounded him.
Verse 10 They were ‘staring up at the sky’. Some students say that Jesus did not actually rise up to heaven. But Luke uses words like ‘watched’, ‘see’, ‘staring’, ‘look’ and ‘seen’. With their own eyes, the *disciples saw everything that happened!
The ‘two men in white clothes’ were *angels with a message. Two men also appeared in front of the women in Luke 24:4. These men in Acts were like them. Luke wants us to consider them as witnesses. There had to be two witnesses that saw an event. (Two was the minimum number.) Only then, people would believe that the event had happened (Deuteronomy 19:15).
Verse 11 Jesus went from the earth in power. And he went with *glory. He will return to the earth in power. And he will return with *glory. Nobody knows when that will be. Until then, the *Holy Spirit is here. Some people believe in Jesus and they trust in him. The *Holy Spirit lives in all those people. Our *Lord is alive and he is in heaven. We can talk to him. We can do this by means of the *Holy Spirit.
v12 Then the *apostles returned to *Jerusalem. They returned from the hill that was called the *Mount of *Olives. This is a *Sabbath day’s walk away from the city. v13 They entered the city. And they went up to the room where they were staying. Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James (Alphaeus’s son), Simon the Zealot and Judas (James’s son) were there. (A zealot was an enemy of the *Roman government.) v14 They were always gathering to pray as a group. Certain women were with them. Also, Jesus’ mother Mary and his brothers were there.
Verse 12 ‘The Mount of *Olives’ was a hill where *olives grew. ‘Mount’ here means ‘hill’. Olives were fruits that were important for food. People made oil from them. They used the oil to cook with. There were many olive trees on this hill.
‘A *Sabbath day’s walk’ was the distance that *Jews could walk on the *Sabbath day. The *Sabbath is the day when *Jews rest. On that day, they must not walk further than 2000 cubits. (This is about a kilometre or two thirds of a mile.)
Verse 13 The *disciples had eaten the *Passover meal with Jesus in a room upstairs (Luke 22:7-13). This was probably the same room.
Here Luke names all the *disciples except Judas Iscariot. But he mentions only Peter, James and John again in Acts.
Verse 14 Luke shows that women were important. These women had travelled to *Jerusalem from *Galilee with Jesus and his *disciples (Luke 8:2-3, 23-55). Mary, Jesus’ mother, was also there. This is the last time that anyone mentions her in the *New Testament. For the first time, Jesus’ brothers were together with the *disciples. Jesus’ brother James became a leader in the *church in *Jerusalem (Acts 12:17; 15:13-21; 21:18).
v15 At this time, Peter stood up and he spoke to the *believers. About 120 people were there. v16 He said, ‘Brothers, the things that the *Holy Spirit said about Judas have happened. The *Holy Spirit said these things by means of David’s mouth. Judas led men to Jesus and they arrested Jesus. v17 He was a *disciple with us and he worked with us.’ v18 (Judas received money for his wicked act. With this money, he bought a field. He fell down and he died there. His stomach burst open. And the parts that were there inside his body fell out. v19 Everyone in *Jerusalem heard about this. So, they called the field ‘Akeldama’. In their language, this means ‘Field of Blood’.) v20 Peter said, ‘In the book called Psalms, the writer says, “Let his house become empty. Let nobody live in it” (Psalm 69:25). He also says, “Let someone else do his work” (Psalm 109:8).’
Verse 15 Luke records that there were about 120 *believers there. The *church began with only a few people. It is good for us to remember this. You may be the only *Christian in your family. Or you may be the only *Christian in the place where you work. There may be only a few *Christians in your country. But God will use you to spread the good news.
Verses 16 -17 Jesus had chosen 12 *disciples to work with him. The number 12 was important because there were 12 important families in *Israel. Now there were only 11 *disciples. So, they needed to replace Judas.
Verses 18-19 Peter did not speak the words in these two verses. Everyone in the room knew what Judas had done. Luke probably heard this story when he went to *Jerusalem in *AD 57. He tells it to us here.
‘His wicked act’ happened like this. Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests. They wanted to arrest Jesus. They gave Judas 30 pieces of silver and he led them to Jesus. He greeted Jesus with a kiss. In this way, he showed the people whom to arrest. (Luke 22:3-6; 47-48).
In Matthew’s *Gospel too, we can read about Judas’s death. The details are not exactly the same as they are in Acts. But we can be sure that Judas killed himself (Matthew 27:1-10).
Verse 19 Here, ‘their language’ means the *Aramaic language.
Verse 20 Here, Peter began to speak again. He said some words from Psalm 69 and Psalm 109. The famous king David wrote these psalms. Peter had said that ‘the *Holy Spirit said these things by means of David’s mouth’ (verse 16). David wrote them many hundreds (100s) of years before. But they are about Judas. In his *Gospel, Luke tells us that Jesus helped the *disciples to understand the *scriptures. He taught them these things after his *resurrection (Luke 24:25-27, 32, 45-49). They began to understand that the *Old Testament had many *prophecies about the *Messiah. Psalm 69 is about Jesus. We learn this from 5 verses in the *New Testament (John 2:17; John 15:25; Romans 11:9-10; and here, Acts 1:20).
v21-22 ‘So, then, we must choose someone. That man must be someone who saw the *Lord Jesus with us. It must be someone who was there from the beginning. He must have been at Jesus’ *baptism. That man must have seen Jesus rise up to heaven. That man must have been with us all the time, between these two events. One such man must become a witness, with us, that Jesus has become alive again after death.’ v23 They decided to choose between two men. One man was Joseph, who was called Barsabbas. He was also called Justus. The other man was Matthias. v24 Then they prayed, ‘*Lord, you know everything about everyone. Here are these two men. Show us which man you have chosen v25 to serve as an *apostle. Judas would go to where he belongs. So, he has gone away from us.’ v26 Then they cast lots. (Look at the note below.) Matthias won. So, he too became an *apostle. Then there were 12 *apostles in total.
Verses 21-22 The 11 *disciples that remained had been very close to Jesus all the time. He had taught them when they were away from the crowds. They had helped him in his special work on earth. Also, they had seen him many times after his *resurrection. They had watched him leave the earth. And they had watched him go up to heaven. They wanted the new *disciple to be someone who had known Jesus like this. With them, he must tell everyone that Jesus had beaten death. So, he needed to have seen with his own eyes that Jesus was alive.
Verse 23 Barsabbas means ‘son of the *Sabbath’. Maybe he was born on the *Sabbath day. Justus is a *Gentile name. Many *Jews had both a *Jewish name and a *Gentile name.
Eusebius lived from about *AD 260 to *AD 340. He was a writer, who wrote history. He said that the 70 *disciples in Luke 10:1 included Matthias and Barsabbas. But we do not really know that. Luke does not write about Matthias and Barsabbas again.
Verse 24 ‘Then they prayed’. The *disciples asked God to choose between Matthias and Barsabbas. God always knows what is best. Therefore, we should pray about everything that we do.
Verse 25 Judas chose to leave his life as a *disciple. Therefore, the place ‘where he belongs’ was not with the *disciples. And it was not with Jesus. It was with *Satan. God does not force us to do what he wants. God allows us to choose what we do.
Verse 26 ‘Then they cast lots.’ This was the usual way for *Jews to make a choice. It was used many times in the *Old Testament.
When people ‘cast lots’, they wrote people’s names on stones. They put the stones in a jar. Then they shook the jar until a stone fell out. The name on the stone was the person that they must choose. This was the last time when they cast lots in the *New Testament. After the *Holy Spirit came, the *disciples did not need to do this. Instead, the *Holy Spirit guided them.
v1 On the day called *Pentecost, the *disciples were all together, in one place. v2 Immediately, there was a sound from heaven. It seemed as if a very strong wind was blowing. It filled all the house where they were sitting. v3 They saw tongues that seemed like fire. These tongues separated and they came to each *disciple. And the tongues stayed on them. v4 The *Holy Spirit filled all the *disciples. Then, as the Spirit gave them power, they began to speak in different languages.
Verse 1 The day called *Pentecost was an important day for the *Jews. It came 50 days after the *Passover. Many *Jews had grown plants for food. Then on *Pentecost day, they gave the best ones to God. They also remembered how God had given the *Law to them. On this special *Pentecost, God gave the *Holy Spirit. Now, the *Holy Spirit lives in every *Christian. The *Holy Spirit helps us to obey God’s rules. The *Holy Spirit helps us to do the things that God wants.
Verse 2 Everyone knew when the *Holy Spirit came. Luke says that it was ‘as if a very strong wind was blowing’. In the Bible, writers often use the word ‘wind’ to describe the Spirit’s power. (Look at Ezekiel 37:9-14, for example.)
Verse 3 First, they heard the *Holy Spirit. Next, they saw something. It was ‘tongues that seemed like fire’. In the book called Exodus, we read that Moses saw a very special bush. We know that God was in the bush. We know it because the bush was burning all the time (Exodus 3:2-5). We can see that God was here in Acts too, because of the fire.
Verse 4 The words ‘different languages’ here can also be ‘other tongues’. People do not always agree about what this means. The *disciples spoke in foreign languages. This was so that all the foreign visitors in *Jerusalem could understand them.
Some people think that Luke is describing the gift called ‘tongues’ (special languages). (We will explain this below.) Other people disagree. They think that the *disciples spoke in foreign languages because this was a special day. There were many foreign visitors in *Jerusalem on that day. So, by means of those foreign languages, these visitors could understand the *disciples when they spoke about God.
Paul writes about the gift called ‘tongues’ in 1 Corinthians chapters 12 and 14. Many Christians believe that the *Holy Spirit still gives this gift to *Christians today. With it, people can speak in special languages. These are languages that they have not learnt. These languages may be human languages or *angels’ languages (1 Corinthians 13:1). This gift is for prayer and it is for *prophecy. Usually, when people speak in ‘tongues’, they cannot understand that language. They cannot understand what they are saying. But sometimes the *Holy Spirit tells another person what the translation is.
v5 There were some *Jews who were staying in *Jerusalem. They were *holy men from every nation in the world. v6 When they heard this noise, a large crowd gathered. They did not know what was happening. When each person heard the *believers, the *believers were speaking in his own language. v7 They were very surprised. They tried to understand what was happening. They said, ‘These men who are speaking like this are from *Galilee! v8 So, when we all hear them, how can they be speaking in our own languages? v9 We are from Parthia, Media and Elam. Other people are from Mesopotamia, *Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, v10 Phrygia, Pamphylia and *Egypt. Some people are from areas in Libya. These areas are near Cyrene. Some people among us are from *Rome. These include *Jews. And they also include *Gentiles that have become *Jews. v11 Some people among us are from Crete and Arabia. But we all hear the *disciples and they are speaking in our own languages. They are talking about the great things that God has done!’ v12 The visitors did not know what to think about it. They did not understand it. They were saying to each other, ‘What does this mean?’ v13 But some other people laughed at the *believers. They said, ‘These people (the *believers) have drunk too much sweet wine.’
Verse 5 ‘Every nation in the world’ means every nation where there were *Jews. These *Jews had travelled to *Jerusalem because it was *Pentecost.
Verse 6 A large crowd came together because of the noise. The *believers came out into the street. Perhaps they were going to the *Temple.
Verses 7-8 People from *Galilee spoke in an unusual way. People from other places could not always understand them. But now, these *disciples from *Galilee were speaking in different languages. Everyone could understand what the *disciples were saying.
Verses 9-11 More *Jews lived in other countries than in *Judea. Their enemies had taken them there more than 500 years earlier. This list shows that many *Jews from many different nations were in *Jerusalem. They all heard about the wonderful things that God had done on this special *Pentecost day. They would go back to their countries and they would tell other people. The other people in the world were beginning to hear the good news about Jesus.
Verses 12-13 Luke says that they could not explain what was happening. He says it several times. But some people tried to explain things in their own way. They said that the *disciples had drunk too much wine. It is the same nowadays, too. When the *Holy Spirit comes with power, people do not always understand this event. They do not always understand what is happening.
v14 Then Peter stood up with the other 11 *apostles. He began to speak loudly to the crowd. ‘Listen to me, men from *Judea. Listen, all you who are staying in *Jerusalem. Let me tell you what this means. v15 These people have not drunk too much wine, as you think. It is only 9 o’clock in the morning. v16 Instead, this is what the *prophet Joel spoke about.’
Verse 14-16 Here Peter was full of the *Holy Spirit and he showed his authority. He denied that the *believers had drunk wine. It was too early in the day. He explained that the *prophet Joel had spoken about these events.
v17 ‘God says, “In the last period I will send out my Spirit onto everyone. Your sons and daughters will speak God’s message. Your young men will see pictures that I give to them. Your old men will have dreams. v18 Yes, I will send out my Spirit onto my servants, onto both men and women. And they will *prophesy. v19 I will show *miracles in the sky above. And I will show wonderful things on the earth below. There will be blood, fire and thick smoke. v20 Before the great and wonderful Day of the *Lord comes, the sun will become dark. The moon will become red like blood. v21 Then, the *Lord will *save whoever calls to him for help.” ’
Verses 17-18 Peter spoke verses from the book called Joel (Joel 2:28-32). They describe the Day of the *Lord. For *Jews, this meant the day when God would change the world. They believed that God would give power to *Israel then. (Look at the note about Acts 1:6.) It would also be a day when God would bring terrible judgement. The *Jews divided time into two ages. ‘The Present Age’ was completely evil. There was also the ‘Age that would Come’. This was the time when God would rule over all. The Day of the *Lord separated the two ages. These strange events at *Pentecost happened because God was sending his *Holy Spirit to people. The *Greek word for ‘send out’ here also means ‘pour out’. This was the beginning of the ‘last period’ before Jesus returns. ‘Last period’ can also mean ‘last days’ in *Greek.
Verses 19-20 A few weeks earlier, people in *Jerusalem had seen that the sun became dark. This had happened in the afternoon when Jesus died on the *cross. Maybe the moon had also appeared to be red in the dark sky. Or perhaps these events may still happen in the future.
Verse 21 People cannot save themselves from God’s judgement. But God will *save anyone who calls to him. But the person must really want God to help him or her.
v22 ‘Listen, men in *Israel. I am speaking about Jesus, who was from *Nazareth. This man proved that his authority came from God. The proof was this. It was the fact that God did all those *miracles and wonderful things by means of him. You know this. This happened while he was here with you. v23 You had this man in your power. But this was only because God had already decided this. It was in his plan. You killed this man, and bad men helped you to do it. They put him on a *cross. v24 But God freed him from death’s power. It was impossible for him to remain dead.’
Verses 22-23 Even today, many people think that Jesus should not have died on the *cross. They think that it was not in God’s plan. But Peter said here that Jesus’ death on the *cross was not a mistake. It was the most important part in God’s plan! Jesus died to save us. He wanted to save us from the results that come from our *sin. However, the people who killed Jesus were guilty. They did not have to kill him. They chose to kill him. They had proof that God had sent him. But although this was true, they still killed him.
Verse 24 People decided that Jesus must die. That was their judgement about him. But God’s judgement was that he should not remain in death’s power. Jesus’ death was in God’s plan. But his *resurrection was also in God’s plan.
v25 ‘David said about him, “Always, I saw the *Lord in front of me. He is next to me, so I will not be anxious. v26 Therefore I feel happy and I speak happy words. I shall live with hope, v27 because you will not leave me in the grave. You will not let death destroy your *Holy One’s body in the grave. v28 You have shown to me the paths that lead to life. I am full of joy when I am with you.” v29 Brothers, I tell you this with confidence. David was the head of a famous family. He died and they buried him. His grave is still here. v30 He was a *prophet. He knew what God had promised to him. God had made a serious promise about what he would do in the future. God would make someone from David’s family into a king. v31 David saw what God would do. So, David was speaking about *Christ’s *resurrection. God did not leave Jesus in the grave and death did not destroy his body. v32 Jesus is the person whom God has raised up from death. We are all witnesses to this fact.’
Verses 25-28 These words are from Psalm 16:8-11. Peter wanted the people to understand that this *prophecy is about Jesus.
Verse 29 The *prophecy cannot be about David, because David died. His grave was in a famous place near *Jerusalem.
Verse 30 *Jews knew that the *Messiah would be a ‘son of David’. This did not mean that David would be his father. David had lived many hundreds (100s) of years earlier. But it meant that David would be his *ancestor. God had told this to David.
Verse 31 David was a *prophet. In his psalm, he was talking about *Christ’s *resurrection. He saw that Jesus did not remain dead. Nor did Jesus’ body go bad.
Verse 32 ‘We are all witnesses to this fact.’ Many people saw Jesus after his *resurrection. Peter wanted everyone to know this.
v33 ‘God has raised Jesus, so that Jesus is sitting at God’s right side. Jesus has received the *Holy Spirit from the Father, as the Father had promised. That is what you are now seeing. And you are now hearing it! v34 David did not go up to heaven. But certainly he said, “The *Lord said to my *Lord, sit at my right side. v35 Sit there until I put your enemies under your feet.” v36 All the people in *Israel can be sure about this: You killed this Jesus on a *cross. But God has made him both *Lord and *Christ.’
Verse 33 Forty (40) days after Jesus became alive again, he went to heaven. He is sitting at God’s right side.
Verses 34-35 Peter used another proof from the *scriptures. This showed that Peter was speaking the truth. The proof is Psalm 110:1. Jesus had already said that this verse was about himself (Mark 12:35-37; Luke 20:41-44). Jesus had said that this would happen. He had said, “Now the Son of Man will sit down and he will continue to sit. He will sit at the right side of the great and powerful God” (Luke 22:69). *Jews believed that the word ‘*Lord’ here meant God and ‘my *Lord’ referred to the *Messiah. Certainly, it did not mean David. David did not go straight up to heaven to sit next to God. Jesus is the *Messiah. He rules over everything in heaven and on earth.
Verse 36 Here, Peter did not call Jesus ‘*Lord’ to be polite. In the *Greek Bible, ‘*Lord’ is the name that *Israel’s people gave to their God. This was the most important part in Peter’s message. Jesus is *Lord. He rules over all things.
v37 The people were very worried when they heard this. ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ they asked Peter and the other *apostles. v38 Peter answered, ‘You must be sorry for the wrong things that you have done. Choose to do good things instead of evil things. You must each receive *baptism in the name of Jesus *Christ. This is so that God will forgive your *sins. Then you will receive God’s gift. This gift is the *Holy Spirit. v39 This promise is for you and it is for your children. It is also for all those who are far away. It is for everyone whom the *Lord our God will call to come to him.’
v40 Peter said much more. He warned them. And he tried very hard to persuade them. He said, ‘Save yourselves from the punishment that is coming to these wicked people!’ v41 Many people believed his message and they received *baptism. About 3000 people came to be with them on that day.
Verse 37 The people knew that they had killed Jesus. So, they were very sad. He was their *Messiah. He was the only person who could save them. Only he could save them from the results that came from their *sins. They felt very guilty. And they wanted to know what they should do.
Verse 38 Peter told them that they must recognise Jesus as the *Messiah. *Baptism would be difficult for them. But it would show that now they had genuine *faith in Jesus.
‘In the name of Jesus *Christ’ meant that they believed in his authority. They trusted him to *save them. And they accepted him as their *Lord. If they did this, they would receive two gifts. God would forgive them for the things that they had done wrong. This was the first gift. The *Holy Spirit would come and he would live in them. The Spirit would make them into new people. This was the second gift.
Verse 39 ‘This promise’ means the gift that God has promised. This gift is the *Holy Spirit. It is for everyone. It was not just for the *disciples at *Pentecost.
‘All those who are far away’ means *Jews in different countries and *Gentiles also.
‘Everyone whom the *Lord our God will call to come to him’ actually meant everyone. It included people who were not born yet. Of course, this includes people who are living now. When God calls us, he wants to give us these gifts too.
Verse 40 A person can begin to believe in Jesus. And he or she can begin to trust in him. When a person does this, it must not be a secret. Some groups of people do wicked things. So, the person must not belong to such a group. To show that the person has changed, he or she must come to be with other *believers.
Verse 41 The group of *believers in *Jerusalem increased. They increased from 120 people to over 3000 people. They became the first *Christian *church.
v42 The *believers learnt from the *apostles all the time. They met together with other *believers. They broke up bread together and they prayed together.
v43 The *apostles did many *miracles and they did wonderful things. Everyone felt both excitement and fear. v44 All the *believers were together. And they shared all that they had. v45 They sold the things that belonged to them. And they shared the money. They shared everything when they sold things. So, everyone had what they needed. v46 Every day, they met as a group in the *Temple. They broke up bread. (Look at the note.) And they shared it together in their homes. When they ate together, they were happy and generous. v47 They *praised God always. Everyone liked them. And every day, the *Lord added people to their group. Those people were people who had found *salvation.
In verses 42-47, Luke describes the people in the first *church. He describes what their daily life was like. *Christians today can learn much from what he writes.
Verse 42 The *apostles continued to teach the new *believers. As *Christians, we must continue to learn about our *faith always. We have the *Holy Spirit to teach us. But we must also listen to wise human teachers. It is also very important to have regular meetings with other *Christians.
‘They broke up bread’. *Jews did this before they ate a meal. *Jewish people did not cut their bread. They broke it into pieces and then they shared it. On the night before Jesus died, he ate a meal with his *disciples. He broke up the bread and he gave it to them. He said, ‘Take this and eat it. This is my body.’ Then he gave to them a cup of wine. He said, ‘This is my blood in the new *covenant. It is poured out for many people.’ So, to break up bread has a special meaning for *Christians.
‘And they prayed together.’ The first *Christians always prayed before they did anything. They spoke to God about everything. They asked him to help them. And they asked him to guide them.
Verse 43 *Miracles happened in the first *church. *Miracles still happen now. When people expect God to do wonderful things, he will do wonderful things.
‘Everyone felt both excitement and fear.’ In the *Old Testament, writers often used the words ‘the fear of the *Lord’. This does not mean that people were afraid of God. (The reason for such fear would be because he might hurt them.) ‘The fear of the *Lord’ meant that people respected God. They respected him because he is good, powerful and *holy.
Verses 44-45 ‘They sold the things that belonged to them.’ These things were land and possessions. The *Christians showed that they were taking care of each other. So, no *Christian was rich and no *Christian was poor. Each person had what he or she needed.
Verse 46 The first *Christians met together every day. It is very important for us now to meet often with other *believers. They met in a public place to *worship God. They also met in their homes as friends. The people who were richer provided a meal for the poorer people. They ate together. They broke up the bread and they *worshipped God.
Verse 47 The first *Christians were kind and generous. They were happy and they showed God’s love in their daily lives. People wanted to come to be with them.
v1 One day, Peter and John were going to the *Temple to pray. This was at three o’clock in the afternoon. v2 People were carrying a man. He had never been able to walk. Every day, they put him down by the gate of the *Temple. This gate was called the Beautiful Gate. He asked people for money as they went in. v3 He saw Peter and John when they were going in. Then he asked them to give money to him. v4 Peter looked straight at him. John looked at him also. Then Peter said, ‘Look at us!’ v5 So, the man looked at them. He expected to get something from them. v6 But Peter said, ‘I do not have any money. But I give to you what I have. I am speaking to you in the name of Jesus *Christ from *Nazareth. And I say to you, walk!’ v7 Then he held the man’s right hand and he pulled him up. Immediately the man’s feet and ankles became strong. v8 He jumped up and he stood on his feet. He began to walk. Then he went into the *Temple with them. He was walking and he was jumping. And he was *praising God. v9 The people there saw him when he was walking. And they saw him when he was *praising God.
v10 They recognised him as the man who sat at the Beautiful Gate. They were all surprised. And they were very excited because of what had happened to him.
Verse 1 The *apostles did many *miracles (2:43). Here, Luke describes one *miracle that they did. Many people saw this *miracle.
The *apostles had a new *faith. But they remained loyal *Jews. So, they went to pray together in the *Temple with other *Jews. There were three special times when they prayed together. They prayed in the morning and they prayed at noon. And they also prayed in the afternoon.
Verse 2 Poor and sick people often waited at the entrance to a holy place. They asked for money there. This was a custom. Perhaps people might be more generous when they were going to *worship God.
The Beautiful Gate was one gate of the *Temple. The *Temple probably had 9 gates in total. Josephus, who was a writer in the first century, describes a beautiful bronze gate in the *Temple. (Bronze is a metal that shines.) Perhaps this was the Beautiful Gate.
Verse 3 Peter was with John. This was probably the John who was Zebedee’s son (Luke 5:10).
Verses 4-6 Peter stared at the man. Peter told him to look at them. The man thought that they would give money to him. But Peter gave to him something much better. Peter cured him ‘in the name of Jesus *Christ’. This meant that he cured the man by *Christ’s power and authority.
Verse 7-8 Peter did not just watch the man. He helped the man to stand up. Peter had seen Jesus when Jesus held the hand of Jairus’s daughter (Luke 8:54). Like Jesus, Peter wanted to show that he cared. Peter wanted to encourage the man to walk by *faith.
‘Immediately the man’s feet and ankles became strong.’ The man had never been able to walk. His legs were probably very weak. But they became strong immediately. Luke was a doctor. He carefully described everything that happened. The man walked and he jumped. This was a real *miracle.
Verses 9-10 Again, Luke wrote that the man was walking. He wanted to emphasise that the man’s feet and legs were working for the first time ever. People recognised him as the man who had never been able to walk. They could not understand how he was able to walk at that time. They thought that this was impossible. But nothing is impossible for God.
v11 While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people ran to them. (A beggar is a poor person that asks people for money.) The people ran to the place called Solomon’s *Porch. This *miracle had astonished them. v12 When Peter saw them, he said this to them: ‘Men from *Israel, this should not surprise you. Do not stare at us. You should not think that we have made this man walk by our own power or goodness! v13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, our fathers’ God, has *glorified Jesus, who is his servant. But you took him to those who have authority. You *rejected him in front of Pilate. This was when Pilate had decided to let him go. v14 Yes, he was *holy and good. But you *rejected him. There was a man who had murdered someone. You asked Pilate to let that man go free. v15 And you killed the person who gives life. But God made him alive again. We are witnesses that this is true. v16 You see this man here and you know him. He became strong by *faith in Jesus’ authority. This *faith in Jesus has made the man completely well. You can all see that.’
Verse 11 Solomon’s *Porch was like a long path with a wooden roof. It was on the east side of the *Temple. Jesus had walked there and he had taught there (John 10:23).
Verse 12 The people were staring at Peter and John. They thought that Peter and John had cured the man. But Peter gave all the *glory to God. God may use us to help someone. But we must remember to give all the *glory to God.
Verses 13-15 Peter used the words ‘The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob’. These are the same words that God used in Exodus 3:6, 15. This was when God introduced himself to Moses. The *miracle here in Acts had happened because God had *glorified Jesus. Jesus was in a special place in heaven. He had given power to his *disciples to act in his name. When Jesus was on earth, he had done *miracles. Now the *disciples had his authority to do *miracles like those.
Peter wanted to convince the *Jews that Jesus was their *Messiah. So, he used language from the book called Isaiah in the *Old Testament. It was from a part where the writer describes the *Lord. He describes him as a Servant who suffers (Isaiah 52:13-53:12). Like Isaiah, Peter said first that God had *glorified his Servant (Jesus). Then Peter talked about how the Servant had suffered. He blamed the people for this. They were responsible. Pilate (a *Roman ruler) had wanted to free Jesus. But the people had asked for Barabbas instead. They had wanted Jesus to die. Jesus was their *Saviour. He was completely good. But they had not wanted him to live. They had chosen a criminal instead.
The *Jews had not expected the *Messiah to die like a criminal. But Peter was saying that Jesus was innocent. God had known already how Jesus would die. The *prophet Isaiah had described it all when he wrote about the Servant. This was the Servant who suffered. (See Isaiah chapters 42, 49, 50, 52 and 53.) The Servant who suffered was Jesus, the *Messiah. God had proved this. He had made Jesus alive again after he had died. Peter and the *apostles knew that this was true. They knew because they had seen it.
Verse 16 Everyone could see that the man’s legs were now strong. The man had not been able to walk. But Peter had told the man to walk by Jesus’ authority. And the man had done this. *Christ’s power had made the man strong because of the man’s *faith. Jesus was the Servant that God had *glorified. This was evidence that they could all see.
v17 ‘Now, brothers, you and your leaders did not realise what you were doing. I know this. v18 But many years ago, God had said that his *Christ would suffer. He had said it by the words that his *prophets spoke. These words were true and these things have happened. v19 Now you must *repent. Ask God for help, so that he will forgive your *sins. If you do it, this will happen: The *Lord will give to you times when you have *spiritual strength. v20 And he will send Jesus. Jesus is the *Messiah whom he has already chosen for you. v21 Jesus must remain in heaven until a certain time. Then God will put all things back as they should be. He promised this by his *holy *prophets many years ago. v22 Moses said, “The *Lord your God will send a *prophet to you. He will be a *prophet like me. He will be someone from among your own people. You must listen to him. Do everything that he tells you. v23 Every person who does not listen to that *prophet must leave God’s people for always.” v24 All the *prophets since Samuel have talked about what has happened now. v25 You are the sons of the *prophets. And you share in the *covenant that God made with your fathers. As he said to Abraham, “I shall *bless all the people on earth. I shall *bless them by means of your children.” v26 God chose his Servant and he sent him to you first. He sent him to *bless you. He will *bless you like this: You will not behave wickedly because he will stop you.’
Verses 17-18 The people in *Jerusalem had killed their *Messiah. But they had not known that he was their *Messiah. Even their rulers had not realised this. They had not expected that their *Messiah would suffer. Jesus’ death on a *cross was one part in God’s purpose. Peter needed to convince them about this. Isaiah spoke about God’s Servant who suffered. The *Old Testament also contains the stories about men like Joseph (Jacob’s son) and Elijah. These are examples of God’s servants who suffered. So, it should not surprise the people that the *Messiah should suffer too.
Verses 19-21 They knew that they had done a terrible thing. They did not have an excuse. God wanted to forgive them. But first, they had to *repent.
To *repent means to be sorry. It means that we apologise to God. We apologise for the bad things that we have done. And we decide not to do any more bad things. We do what God wants. We change how we think and we change how we live.
Peter said that if the *Jews *repented, three good things would happen.
1. God would forgive their *sins (verse 19). The *Greek word here for ‘forgive’ means that God will ‘wipe off’ their *sins. William Barclay explains this. (He was a writer in the 20th century.) He says that people a very long time ago wrote on papyrus (a special paper). Their ink was not the same as modern ink. With a wet cloth, they could wipe off what they had written. It is like this when God forgives our *sins. He ‘wipes them off’. They have gone completely.
2. The *Lord will give to you times when you have *spiritual strength (verse 19). God would not just take away their *sins. He would give rest to their *spirits. And he would give relief to them.
3. He would send Jesus. Jesus was the *Messiah that God had already chosen for them (verse 20). Jesus will forgive them and he will give them strength. But he ‘must remain in heaven until a certain time. Then God will put all things back as they should be’ (verse 21). *Christ would return. Then God would do wonderful things (Romans 8:19-21; Isaiah 11:6-9).
Verses 22-23 Moses was the first *prophet for the *Israelites. He was a very great *prophet. The words here are from Deuteronomy 18:15. People believed that these verses were a *prophecy about one particular *prophet. This *prophet would be like Moses. He would be like a bridge between God and the people. He would tell the people what God was saying. And he would tell God what the people wanted to say.
Verse 24 Samuel was the *prophet who *anointed David as king. To *anoint means to mark a person with oil. And this shows that God has chosen that person. God made promises to David about a new *kingdom. These promises became true when Jesus came. Many things that the other *prophets had said about God’s *kingdom happened, too.
Verses 25-26 Peter called the *Jews the ‘sons of the *prophets’. He meant that God’s promises belonged to them too. Abraham’s ‘children’ meant the *Jews. Jesus, the Servant who came to *save all the people on earth, was a *Jew. He had gone to the *Jews first but they had *rejected him. God was giving a second chance to them. They had to accept Jesus as their *Saviour. Otherwise they would not share in the *blessing that God had promised.
v1 Peter and John were speaking to the people. As they spoke, the priests, the captain of the *Temple guard and some *Sadducees arrived. v2 They were angry. Peter and John were teaching the people that Jesus had become alive again. This proved that dead people will become alive again. v3 So, they arrested Peter and John. They put them in prison until the next day. This was because it was already evening. v4 But many people who heard the message believed. The men grew in number to about 5000.
Verses 1-2 The *Temple guard were like the police. Their captain’s job was to stop people, if those people were making trouble in the *Temple. The *Temple guard came because a large crowd had gathered. The crowd had gathered to listen to Peter and John. The *Sadducees came because Peter and John were speaking to the people. And they wanted to stop Peter and John. They had two important reasons for this.
1. The *Sadducees did not believe that dead people could become alive again. This was what Peter and John were talking about.
2. The *Sadducees were chief priests. These people were rich and important. That was because they helped the *Roman rulers. The *Sadducees wanted to keep their power. So, they needed to stay friendly with the *Romans. They did not want any trouble in a public place. They wanted to keep their jobs more than they wanted to hear the truth.
Verses 3-4 Peter and John were speaking, but those other men stopped them. And they put Peter and John in prison. But they could not stop the good news about Jesus. Luke says that ‘the men grew in number to about 5000’. This number does not include the women and children!
v5 The next day, the *Jewish rulers and leaders met in *Jerusalem. And the teachers who taught people about the *Law met with them. v6 Annas, the *high priest, was there. So, were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men in the *high priest’s family. v7 They made Peter and John stand in front of them. Then they asked, ‘How did you do this? What power do you have? Or whose authority do you use?’
v8 Peter, by the *Holy Spirit, answered, ‘Rulers and leaders of the people, v9 we did a kind act to a man who could not walk. Probably you are asking us about this. Probably you are asking us how he got well. v10 If you are, then you and all the people in *Israel should know this. We did it by Jesus’ authority. That is, Jesus *Christ from *Nazareth. You killed him on a *cross. But God made him alive again. This man stands in front of you and he is completely well. This is because of Jesus’ power. v11 In the *scriptures, we read that Jesus is like a stone. He is like “the stone that you builders threw away. This stone has now become the most important stone” (Psalm 118:22). v12 You can have *salvation by him only. God has not given to us anyone else who can *save us. Nobody else in the whole world can do it.’
Verses 5-6 The most important *Jewish rulers met in *Jerusalem. Together, the *high priest and 70 other men formed the *Sanhedrin. The men in the *Sanhedrin had to decide whether a person was guilty of a crime. People from the Sanhedrin had sent Jesus to die. Both Annas and Caiaphas had been at the courts then (John 18:12-14, 24). Here, the men in the *Sanhedrin met to decide whether Peter and John should have a punishment.
Verse 7 Peter and John stood in front of the most clever and powerful men in the country. This was a very serious matter. The men in the *Sanhedrin knew that a *miracle had happened. They wanted to know how Peter and John had done it.
Verse 8 Jesus had made a promise to *believers. He had said that they must not worry when important people asked them about Jesus. They would know what to say. So, they need not worry (Luke 21:14-15). The *Holy Spirit would help them. This is true today, too. Today we talk about our *faith in Jesus. And we must not worry when we talk about it. The *Holy Spirit will help us, too.
The *Holy Spirit helped Peter when he spoke to the rulers. He was bold. And his words were wise and true.
Verses 9-10 Peter reminded them that they should be happy. A sick man was completely well. Everyone could see him. He was standing in front of them. That *miracle was ‘a kind act’. But Peter and John had not cured the man by themselves. They had done it ‘by Jesus’ authority. That is, Jesus *Christ from *Nazareth.’ Jesus had cured the man.
Peter said, ‘You killed him on a *cross’ (verse 10). Peter was speaking to the men who really were responsible for Jesus’ death. Caiaphas was there. He had sent Jesus to Pontius Pilate, the *Roman ruler. Caiaphas had wanted the *Romans to kill Jesus.
‘But God made him alive again’ (verse 10). The people had done bad things to Jesus. They had killed him. God had shown to them that they were very wrong. He had made Jesus alive again.
Verse 11 Peter used the word ‘stone’ to describe Jesus. The ‘builders’ were like *Israel’s rulers. They did not think that Jesus was important. So, they had *rejected him. But he was ‘the most important stone’. He was the *Messiah. Now he sits next to God and he has the most important position in heaven.
Verse 12 The *Romans and the *Greeks had many gods. The *Jews had their *Law. But these could not *save people. Today, there are many other religions. But there is still only one *Saviour. Only Jesus can save us from the results of our *sin. If we believe him, we have *salvation.
v13 The men in the *Sanhedrin knew that Peter and John were simple men. Peter and John had never gone to school. So, the men in the *Sanhedrin were completely surprised. They saw how bold the *apostles were. That is why they were surprised. They realised then that Peter and John had been with Jesus. v14 But there was nothing that they could say. The man that Peter and John had cured was standing with them. v15 So, they told Peter and John to leave the court. Then the members in the *Sanhedrin talked together.
v16 ‘What shall we do with these men?’ they asked. ‘All inhabitants in *Jerusalem know that they have done an extraordinary *miracle. We cannot say that it did not happen. v17 We must stop this matter so that it will not spread any further among the people. So, we must warn these men. They must never speak to anyone again with Jesus’ authority.’
v18 So, they called them to come in again. Then they ordered them never to speak with Jesus’ authority. Neither should they ever teach with his authority. v19 But Peter and John replied, ‘You must decide what God considers as right. It is right to obey God, rather than to obey you. v20 We cannot stop talking about what we have seen. And we cannot stop talking about what we have heard.’ v21 So, the men in the *Sanhedrin warned them again. Then they let them go. The men in the *Sanhedrin saw that it was impossible to punish Peter and John. Everybody was praising God because of what had happened. v22 The man who could walk because of this *miracle was more than 40 years old.
Verse 13 Before Peter and John met Jesus, they were fishermen. (Fishermen are people whose job is to catch fish.) The members in the *Sanhedrin had gone to special schools. There, ‘*rabbis’ (special teachers) had taught them everything about the *Jewish religion and Moses’ *Law. They thought that they were cleverer than Peter and John. So, they were very surprised. Peter and John were very confident when they answered the *Sanhedrin’s question. Peter and John even explained the *scriptures. Usually, only *rabbis did this.
Then the men in the *Sanhedrin remembered that Jesus had taught Peter and John. Jesus had not gone to a special school either (John 7:15). But everyone had listened to him. He had explained the *scriptures too. It does not matter to God whether we have gone to school or not. It does not matter to God whether we are clever or not. What does matter is that we obey God. He will show his power by means of us, if we let him do it.
Verse 14 People could see that Peter’s words about Jesus were true. The man who could now walk was standing in the court. He was the proof.
Verse 15 The men in the *Sanhedrin told Peter and John to leave the room. They wanted to talk privately about what to do. Some students have asked this question. How did Luke know what they said? Perhaps Paul was there. Or maybe Gamaliel, who was Paul’s teacher, was there. Perhaps Gamaliel told Paul what happened.
Verse 16 The man who was standing in court had never been able to walk. Everyone in *Jerusalem knew that. But he was walking! A *miracle had happened. The men in the *Sanhedrin could not argue about this.
Verses 17-18 Peter and John had not said anything wrong. Nor had they done anything wrong. The men in the *Sanhedrin knew this. They could not keep Peter and John in prison. But they did not want the *apostles to tell everyone that Jesus was alive. And they did not want the people to see the power that there was in Jesus’ name. So, they decided to warn Peter and John that they must not speak in Jesus’ name. Nor must they teach in his name. If they did this, bad things would happen to them.
Verses 19-20 Peter and John had to do what God wanted. Jesus had told them to go to people everywhere. And he had told them to make people into his *disciples (Matthew 28:19). Anyway, they could not stop talking about what they had seen. And they could not stop talking about what they had heard.
It is the same for *Christians now. We know that the *Lord Jesus is alive. We know him as our friend and our *Saviour. We must share the good news, so that other people can know him too. We must not be afraid of what people might say about us.
Verses 21-22 The people in the court were *praising God because he had done a wonderful thing. The man was more than 40 years old. Nobody had expected him to get well.
The men in the *Sanhedrin knew that they must let Peter and John go. The only thing that they could do was to warn them again. They could not do anything else!
v23 When the *Sanhedrin had freed them, Peter and John returned to their own people. They told the people what the chief priests and leaders had said. v24 When the *believers heard it, they all prayed to God together. They said, ‘*Lord of everything, you made heaven, the earth and the sea. And you made everything that is in them. v25 You spoke by the *Holy Spirit, by means of our father David, your servant. You said this:
“The *Gentiles were very angry. But they could not stop what happened.
People made other plans, but these could not happen.
v26 The kings on the earth prepared themselves.
The rulers met together
to oppose the *Lord and his *Messiah.”
v27 In this city, the rulers have united to oppose your *holy servant Jesus. This is true. They have united against the man whom you made *Messiah. Yes, Herod, Pontius Pilate, the *Gentiles and the people in *Israel gathered together. v28 You had already decided that this would happen. It would happen by your power and purpose. v29 Now, *Lord, notice what they are saying. They will do bad things to us. But we are your servants. Let us be brave when we tell your message to people. v30 And reach out your hand to cure. Do *miracles and wonderful things by the name of your *holy servant Jesus.’ v31 They finished praying. Then, the place where they were meeting shook.
Verses 23-24 Peter and John went back to the other *believers. They told them what had happened. Then they prayed together. We can learn from what they did. When we have a problem, we should always pray about it.
Also, we can learn from the manner in which the *believers prayed. First, they called God the ‘*Lord of everything’. They were reminding themselves that he made everything. God rules over everything. Often we need to remind ourselves about this. He is bigger than any problem and he can do anything. But we must ask him.
Verses 25-28 The *believers were *Jews. So, they called David their ‘father’ because he was a famous king in *Israel. They said words from a psalm that David wrote (Psalm 2:1-2). He wrote this psalm about 1000 years before Jesus’ birth. His *prophecy there about the *Messiah had now happened. The ‘*Gentiles’ in the psalm were the *Romans. And some people in the psalm wanted to stop Jesus. This was so that he would not *preach. And it was so that he would not teach. So, they had made plans to stop him. The *Jews were those people. Together, with their king (Herod Antipas) and their ruler (Pontius Pilate), they had killed Jesus. But they had not stopped his message. He had become alive again. The *apostles were curing people in his name. His *church was growing and many people were hearing the good news. What had happened had been in God’s plan.
Verses 29-30 The *Sanhedrin had done bad things to the *believers. But the *believers did not pray that God would stop the *Sanhedrin’s actions. Instead, the *believers asked God to give courage to them when they continued to tell people about Jesus. They asked God to show his power when they spoke with Jesus’ authority.
Verse 31 At *Pentecost, the *Holy Spirit had come and he had filled everyone. Here, the *Holy Spirit came and he filled everyone again. God answered their prayer immediately. They all spoke God’s message in a bold manner.
*Christians can ask the *Holy Spirit to fill them many times like that. It does not just happen once. When the *Holy Spirit has filled a person, we know it. We know it by how they behave. The *Holy Spirit makes us more like Jesus. The *Holy Spirit helps us to do things for God that we could not do alone.
v32 All the *believers thought the same way about how they should live. People did not keep their possessions just for themselves. They shared with each other everything that they had. v33 The *apostles spoke about the *resurrection of the *Lord Jesus. They spoke about it with great power. And they were very generous to each other. v34 Everyone in their group had what they needed. Those who owned fields or houses would sell them. They would bring the money that they had got from this. v35 They would give it to the *apostles. Then the *apostles would share it among people who needed it. Everyone had as much as they needed.
v36 Joseph was from the large group that were relatives of Levi’s family. Joseph was born in *Cyprus. The *apostles called him Barnabas. (This name means ‘a person who encourages’.) v37 He owned a field. He sold it. He brought the money and he gave it to the *apostles.
Verses 32-34 The members of the first *church cared about each other. They did not just say that they cared. They showed their love by what they did. People still owned things. But they would share these things with anyone who needed them. Some *believers owned land or houses. If anyone needed money, these people sold their land or houses. Nobody forced them to do this. They wanted to help each other.
In verse 33, Luke reminds us about Jesus’ *resurrection. This was the reason why the *church began. It is the reason why the *church is here today. Jesus is alive!
Verses 35-37 The *Greek words here mean that people would put the money down ‘at the *apostles’ feet’. This showed that people were offering it to God.
Luke mentions Barnabas’s gift. Barnabas was from the large group that were all Levi’s relatives. Each *Israelite belonged to a large group like this. There were 12 such large families. Levi’s group served God in the *Temple. Later in ‘Acts’, we can read more about Barnabas. He travelled with Paul and he worked with him.
v1 But there was a man whose name was Ananias. He and his wife, Sapphira, sold a building and some land. The building and land had belonged to them. v2 Ananias kept some of the money for himself. His wife knew everything that he had done. He gave to the *apostles the money that remained.
v3 Then Peter said to him, ‘Ananias, you should not have let *Satan control you. He has forced you to lie to the *Holy Spirit. You have kept some of the money that you received for this land! v4 Before you sold the land, it belonged to you. And, after you sold it, the money belonged to you. You should not have decided to do this thing. You have not lied to people. You have lied to God!’ v5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down. He died. Everyone who heard about this was very afraid. v6 The young men came in and they wrapped up his body. They carried him out and they buried him.
Verses 1-5 The story about Ananias and Sapphira is strange. It is not easy for us to understand what happened. But it is a very important story. Luke might have decided not to write it. Later, people might have decided not to keep it in the Bible. But what is in the Bible is always the truth. *Christians are not perfect! Some Christians can do very bad things. Even in the first *church, there were *Christians who were not honest.
Like Barnabas, Ananias and Sapphira sold their land for money. But Barnabas had given all the money to the *apostles. Ananias brought only some of the money to them. But that was not the problem. As Peter said, the money belonged to Ananias and Sapphira. The *Greek word for ‘kept’ here can also mean ‘stole’. Perhaps, before they sold the land, they had agreed to give all the money.
But they had also lied. They did not give all the money to help the poor people. Instead, they wanted to seem generous. Nobody forced them to sell their land. It belonged to them. They did not need to lie. But Ananias had let *Satan tell him what to do. He had promised to give all the money to God. Because he did not do this, he had lied to the *Holy Spirit. The *Holy Spirit is God. So, he had lied to God.
Ananias knew that he had done a very wicked thing. Sometimes, people just pretend to be good. They do this so that they look important. God hates this. Jesus talked about this many times. (For example, look at Luke 6:42; 12:1, 56; 13:15.) When Ananias died, everyone was afraid. They buried him immediately.
v7 About three hours later, his wife came in. She did not know what had happened. v8 Peter asked her, ‘Tell me. Was that all the money that you and Ananias received for the land?’
‘Yes’, she said, ‘that was all the money.’
v9 Peter said to her, ‘You both should not have decided to tempt the *Lord’s *Spirit. Look! The men who buried your husband are at the door. They will carry you out also.’
v10 Immediately, she fell down at his feet and she died. The young men came in. They saw that she was dead. So, they carried her out and they buried her next to her husband. v11 Everyone in the *church was very afraid. And all who heard about this were very afraid.
Verses 7-11 Peter gave to Sapphira a chance to tell the truth. He asked her how much money she and Ananias had received for the land. But she lied. Ananias had lied. In this way, they had tried to ‘tempt’ the *Lord’s *Spirit. We are not sure what Peter meant by this. Perhaps they were ‘tempting’ God not to punish them for their lies. Like Ananias, Sapphira fell down and she died. Again, everyone was very afraid.
Some students think that Peter was too unkind. They think that Jesus would not have spoken to Ananias and Sapphira like this. The *church had only just started. In verse 11, Luke uses the *Greek word for ‘*church’ (ekklesia). This is the first time that he uses it in Acts. *Christians needed to trust each other. If they did not do this, maybe the *church could not continue. *Satan was trying to destroy the *church. Already, the *believers had enemies who were attacking them from outside the *church. But now, *Satan was working by means of their own members.
God hates lies. He wants his *church to be pure (with nothing bad in it). Peter knew this. The *church was in danger if *believers were not honest. He gave to both Ananias and Sapphira a chance to *repent. But they did not *repent. So, by his words, Peter showed that this was a very serious thing. He showed it to everyone. It is very important to be honest always.
v12 The *apostles did many *miracles among the people. They did many wonderful things among the people. All the *believers met together in Solomon’s *Porch. v13 Nobody outside the group dared to join their group. But people said good things about them. v14 More and more people believed in the *Lord. Lots of men and women joined the group of *believers. v15 People carried those who were ill into the streets. This was because of what the *apostles were doing. They put the ill people on beds and mats. So, when Peter came by, even his shadow might come onto some ill people. v16 A large crowd also gathered from the towns near *Jerusalem. They brought people who were ill. And they brought people who had evil *spirits in them. All those people became well.
Verses 12-14 The *believers were meeting in the place where the *Sanhedrin had arrested Peter. The *apostles’ message was more than just words. It included actions too. *Miracles were happening.
People did two different things because of these *miracles. Some people did not want to mix with the *believers. They kept away from the *believers. Those people were afraid. Perhaps they had also heard what had happened to Ananias and Sapphira. But those people respected the *believers. However, many other people joined the *church.
It is often like that today. Some people do not want to go to *church. They do not want to mix with *Christians. But they are not the *church’s enemies. Sometimes, they are afraid. They do not want their lives to change. Perhaps they do not realise that their lives could be so much better! Other people are bolder. They are not afraid to give their lives to the *Lord. When they have done this, they have his joy. And they are quiet inside themselves. Then they see the wonderful things that he can do.
Verse 15 In his *Gospel, Luke told how a sick woman touched Jesus’ clothes. Immediately, she got well. Jesus said that her *faith had cured her (Luke 8:48). The *apostles were continuing Jesus’ work. People believed that God would cure them, even by means of Peter’s shadow. Like the sick woman, they had *faith in Jesus’ power.
Verse 16 People from outside *Jerusalem heard about the *miracles. They brought people who needed help. Some people were ill. Other people had evil *spirits in them. They all became well. God showed his power to cure people’s bodies and minds. He also showed his power to free them from evil *spirits. Whatever is wrong with us, God can make us well.
v17 Then the *high priest became angry. And all those men who were with him (the local group of *Sadducees) became angry. The *high priest and the *Sadducees were very jealous. v18 They arrested the *apostles and they put them in the public prison. v19 But that night, an *angel of the *Lord opened the prison doors. The *angel led the *apostles out. He said to them, v20 ‘Go. Stand in the *Temple and tell the people everything about this new life!’
v21a When the *apostles heard this, they went into the *Temple. They went there at dawn and they began to teach the people.
Verses 17-18 The *high priest and the *Sadducees were angry for several reasons. They had told the *apostles not to speak in Jesus’ name any more. But the *apostles had not obeyed them. The *Sadducees did not like the *apostles’ message about Jesus’ *resurrection. Also, they were jealous because the people liked the *apostles. Large crowds came to see the *apostles. So, this time, the *Sadducees arrested all the *apostles. They did not arrest only Peter and John.
Verses 19-21a But God helped the *apostles to escape. He sent an *angel to open the prison doors. The *Greek word for ‘*angel’ (aggelos) means someone who brings a message. This *angel told them to go back to the *Temple. They had to *preach there again. The *apostles obeyed immediately. They were very brave. They knew that this was a dangerous thing to do. It was dangerous because the *Sadducees would probably put them into prison again. But they knew that they must obey God.
‘This new life’ (verse 20) means the new life that only Jesus can give to us. We can have this new life if we believe in him.
v21b The *high priest and those who were with him came. They called together the *Sanhedrin. And they called together all the *Jewish leaders, too. Then they sent officers to the prison to fetch the *apostles. v22 But when the officers arrived, they did not find the *apostles in the prison. They returned and they reported this. v23 ‘When we arrived at the prison, there were strong locks on the doors. And the guards were standing by the doors. But when we opened them, we found nobody inside!’ v24 The captain of the guards that guarded the *Temple did not understand. He did not understand what had happened. Neither did the chief priests understand. They thought about what might happen next.
v25 Then a man arrived. He said, ‘Look! The men that you put into prison are standing in the *Temple. And they are teaching the people.’
v26 So, the officer went with his men and they fetched the *apostles. The officer and his men did not use force. They were afraid that the people might try to kill the officer and his men with stones. That is why they did not use force.
Verses 21b-24 Everyone expected that the *apostles would be in the prison. The doors were not open. The guards had not seen anyone go. The *apostles’ escape was a surprise. The men in the *Sanhedrin were worried. And they did not understand how the *apostles could have escaped.
Verses 25-26 The *apostles were not hiding. They were in the *Temple again! They were teaching the people. So, the officer and his men arrested them again. But the officer and his men were afraid of the crowd. They did not want to make the people angry. So, they were polite to the *apostles and they did not hurt them. They did not use that method to make them come.
v27 So, they brought the *apostles in. And they made them stand in front of the *Sanhedrin. The *high priest asked them questions.
v28 ‘We gave you a definite order. We said that you must not teach in this man’s name’, he said. ‘But look what you have done! You have filled *Jerusalem with what you are teaching. You want to blame us for this man’s death!’
v29 Peter and the *apostles replied, ‘We must obey God rather than people. v30 It was our fathers’ God who raised Jesus from death. After you had killed Jesus on a wooden *cross, our fathers’ God raised him.
v31 God has put this man (Jesus) up in a high position. He has put Jesus at his right side, so that Jesus is Ruler and *Saviour. So, the people in *Israel had the chance to *repent. God could forgive them, if they let him do it. v32 We are witnesses that these things are true. The *Holy Spirit is a witness, too. God gives the *Holy Spirit to those who obey him.’
Verses 27-28 The men in the *Sanhedrin did not want people to hear about Jesus. The *apostles were spreading the good news. The *Sanhedrin could not stop them. However, the *Sanhedrin did not want the *Romans to know that. The *Romans let the *Sanhedrin rule over their own people (the *Jews). But the *Romans might not allow this to continue because the *Sanhedrin could not control the people. The *Sanhedrin could not stop the good news about Jesus’ *resurrection. All the people in *Jerusalem knew about it.
The *high priest said ‘in this man’s name’. Because he did not want to say the name ‘Jesus’, he called him ‘this man’. Perhaps he knew that the *Sanhedrin really caused Jesus’ death. Perhaps he felt guilty. Some people today do not like to say the name ‘Jesus’. But *Christians should be happy to say it. And they should be proud to say it. It is the most beautiful name.
Verse 29 Peter spoke for the whole group. They were only doing what God had told them. Sometimes, when we obey God, people do not like it. We must not worry about this. We must always obey God.
Verses 30-32 Again, Peter repeated the message that the *apostles were *preaching. It had 5 parts.
1. God had sent Jesus. God was ‘our fathers’ God’. ‘Our fathers’ were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They had started the nation called *Israel.
2. The *Jewish leaders had killed Jesus, the person whom God had sent.
3. God had put Jesus up in a high position, so that Jesus was now sitting at God’s right side. Jesus was now Ruler and *Saviour.
4. Now, people would have to *repent. If they did that, God would forgive them. That was because of what Jesus had done.
5. The *apostles knew that this message was true. They had to tell it to everyone. People would have to believe the message and they would have to *repent. Then they would receive the *Holy Spirit.
v33 When the men in the *Sanhedrin heard this, they were very angry. They wanted to kill the *apostles. v34 But Gamaliel stood up. He was a member in the *Sanhedrin and he was a *Pharisee. He was a teacher who taught the *Jewish *Law. The people respected him very much. He ordered people to take the *apostles outside. v35 Then he said this to the *Sanhedrin: ‘Men in *Israel, be careful about what you do to these men. v36 You remember Theudas. Some time ago, he pretended to be someone important. About 400 men joined his group. But people killed him and all his men went away to different places. v37 After that, Judas from *Galilee came. This was at the time when people made the *census. He persuaded a crowd to join his group. But people killed him, too. And all his men went away to different places.
v38 So, now, I tell you this. Do not do anything to these men. Let them go free. If their plans and actions come from human ideas, it will all disappear. v39 But if it comes from God, it will not disappear. You might realise that you are fighting against God.’
Verse 33 The *Sadducees were very angry. They thought that they knew everything about the *Jewish religion. But Peter said that they had made a bad mistake. They had not recognised the *Messiah. And there was something worse than that. They had killed him. Now they wanted to kill the *apostles. But there were also some *Pharisees in the *Sanhedrin. *Pharisees were experts who knew the *Jewish *Law well. The people respected the *Pharisees more than they respected the *Sadducees. So, the *Sadducees had to listen to the *Pharisees. Then the men in the whole *Sanhedrin could decide what to do.
Verses 34-39 Gamaliel was a very important *Pharisee and he was a famous teacher. He taught Paul (Acts 22:3). Gamaliel was a sensible man and he was a clever man. The *apostles went outside. So, then Gamaliel could talk to the *Sanhedrin in private.
Gamaliel talked about two examples to explain his opinion. He talked about two men. These men said that they were important leaders. One man lived ‘at the time when people made the *census’. The *census was a list that contained all the people’s names. The *Romans made it. Then they could force the people to pay tax to the government. The people hated this. Many men led the *Jews in order to fight against the *Romans. Theudas and ‘Judas from *Galilee’ were *Jews like that. But both Theudas and Judas were dead. Nobody remained in their groups. The same thing would happen to the *apostles if their message was not from God. But if it was from God, the men in the *Sanhedrin could not stop them. If the *Sanhedrin did try to stop the *apostles, its members would be fighting against God!
The *Pharisees believed that God controlled everything. But they also believed that people had a choice. People could choose what they did.
v40 Gamaliel persuaded the other men in the *Sanhedrin that he was right. They brought the *apostles in. They ordered people to whip the *apostles. Then they told the *apostles not to speak in Jesus’ name again. Then they let the *apostles go.
v41 The *apostles went away from the *Sanhedrin. They were happy. God had chosen them to suffer shame because of Jesus’ name. v42 Every day, they continued to teach. They taught in the *Temple and they taught in people’s homes. They *preached the good news that Jesus is the *Messiah.
Verses 40-41 The *Sadducees agreed with Gamaliel. They let the *apostles go. But first, they punished the *apostles. As their punishment, someone probably hit the *apostles 39 times with a whip. (Look at Deuteronomy 25:3.) Afterwards, they were not sad and afraid. They were happy! Their bodies hurt, but in their *spirits they had great joy. They knew that God was *blessing them. They would have a great reward in heaven. Jesus had said this (in Matthew 5:10-12 and Luke 6:22-23).
Verse 42 The *Sanhedrin had tried to stop the *apostles. But they could not stop them. Since then, many people have tried to destroy the *church. But they could not destroy it. Today, more people than ever before are suffering because they are *Christians. But the *church continues to grow in numbers.
*Satan will always attack the *church. But Jesus has defeated *Satan already, on the *cross. *Christians must not be worried and they must not be afraid. The *church will continue. Nothing can destroy it.
v1 At this time, the *disciples grew in number. Some *Jews spoke *Greek and other *Jews spoke *Hebrew. A quarrel started. The *Greek *Jews said that the *Hebrew widows were receiving more food than the other widows. This happened when people distributed it among them every day. v2 So, the 12 *apostles called the whole group of *believers together. The *apostles said, ‘It is not right for *apostles to distribute the food. We should be *preaching God’s message. v3 So, brothers, choose 7 men from among you. You should be sure that they are full of the Spirit. And you should be sure that they are wise. We shall give this responsibility to them and they can distribute the food. v4 Then we shall be able to concentrate on prayer and the service of God’s word.’
v5 The whole group agreed to do this. They chose Stephen. He was a man who had great *faith. He was also full of the *Holy Spirit. They also chose Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolaus. Nicolaus was a *Gentile from Antioch who had followed the *Jewish religion. v6 The group brought those men to the *apostles. The *apostles said a prayer and they put their hands on the men. v7 So, God’s message spread. The *disciples in *Jerusalem continued to increase quickly in number. And very many priests obeyed the *faith.
Verse 1 There were two groups of *Jews in the first *church. We will describe the two groups here.
1. One group of *Jews spoke *Greek. They had come from different countries. Probably they had travelled to *Jerusalem for *Pentecost. And then they had joined the *church there. Many such *Jews had been born in foreign countries. Their *ancestors had also lived far away from *Israel. So, they did not know how to speak *Hebrew. They spoke *Greek because it was the most common language. Probably, they also thought like *Greeks and they behaved like *Greeks.
2. The other group of *Jews spoke *Hebrew. They spoke the *Jews’ language and they were very proud about *Jewish traditions. They lived in *Jerusalem or they lived in the areas round it.
The *church was growing quickly. Soon there was a problem between the two groups of *Jews. It was an argument about the *Jewish custom to help widows. (Look at Exodus 22:22 and Deuteronomy 10:18.) Women whose husbands had died did not have a regular income. Those women could not buy food. So, in the first *church, they continued the custom to help them. Some people wanted to help, so they gave money or possessions. Every day they gave something to the widows among them. They gave to them whatever they needed. But the *Jews who spoke *Greek complained. They complained that the *Hebrew widows were receiving more than the other widows. Perhaps the two groups did not like each other much. Or perhaps they did not trust each other much. Perhaps that was why they quarrelled.
Verse 2 The 12 *apostles realised that this small problem might become much bigger. They did not have time to organise practical matters. They needed time to *preach. Jesus had told his 12 *disciples that their work was to *preach. If they did not do this, the *church would not grow bigger. They knew that they must do something about this problem quickly.
But the 12 *apostles did not just tell everyone what to do. Instead, they ‘called the whole group of *believers together’. They told the whole *church about the problem.
The 12 *apostles said, ‘It is not right for *apostles to distribute the food.’ But they did not think that they were too important for this task. They did not mean that to *preach is better than practical help. To give practical help is also good. God calls people to do different things. God had called the 12 *apostles to tell everyone the good news about Jesus.
Verses 3-4 So, the *apostles suggested a solution. They wanted the Christians to choose 7 helpers. These must be *spiritual men who were also sensible. Then the 12 *apostles would not have to worry about this responsibility. They could continue to *preach and they could continue to pray.
Verses 5-6 The *believers chose 7 men. These men all had *Greek names. Because of this, some students think that they all spoke *Greek. Perhaps this is right. Then it would show that the Christians wanted to be fair to the Greek *Jews and their widows.
‘The *apostles said a prayer and they put their hands on the men’ (verse 6). This showed that they were giving authority to the 7 helpers. And also, God was giving authority to the helpers. This work was very important. So, the helpers needed authority to do it.
Verse 7 This verse shows that the first part in ‘Acts’ has ended. (Look at ‘Contents’. This is in the section called ‘About this book’.) The first part is about how the *church in *Jerusalem grew.
v8 Stephen was a man who was full of God’s *grace and power. He did great *miracles and he did wonderful things among the people. v9 But some men opposed him. They were members from the Freedmen’s *synagogue. (Look at the note below.) The members included *Jews from Cyrene and Alexandria. They also included other *Jews from the *provinces called Cilicia and Asia. The members began to argue with Stephen. v10 But they could not win the arguments. This was because Stephen spoke with wisdom. The Spirit gave this wisdom to him. v11 So, those *Jews paid money to some men. They told the men to say this: ‘We heard Stephen speak against Moses. And we heard him speak against God!’ v12 In this way, these *Jews made the people and the leaders angry. They also made the teachers that taught the *Law angry. Immediately the *Jews seized Stephen. They took him in front of the *Sanhedrin. v13 They brought in some men to tell lies about him. These men said, ‘This man is always saying bad things about our *holy *Temple and Moses’ *Law. v14 We heard him say that Jesus from *Nazareth will destroy the *Temple. Stephen said that Jesus will change all the customs that Moses gave to us!’ v15 Everyone in the *Sanhedrin stared at Stephen. They saw that his face looked like an *angel’s face.
Verse 8 Stephen was a *Jew who spoke *Greek. He was one of the 7 helpers. His job was to give food to the poor *believers. God was showing his truth and power by means of Stephen. God can use us in any way that he wants. He can use us even when we are doing a practical job, like Stephen.
Verse 9-10 The ‘Freedmen’ were slaves once. But their masters had freed them. The ‘Freedmen’ included also *Jews whose *ancestors had been slaves. We think that the ‘Freedmen’ were foreign *Jews that had come to *Jerusalem. The ‘Freedmen’ did not like what Stephen was saying. But they could not defeat him in an argument. This was because his message came from the *Holy Spirit. Jesus had promised that he would give words and wisdom to his *disciples. He had promised that their enemies would not win arguments against them (Luke 21:15).
Verse 11 Stephen’s enemies could not defeat him with their own arguments. So, they paid some men to lie. These men said that Stephen was speaking against Moses. And they said that Stephen was even speaking against God. This was a very serious matter.
Verses 12-14 Some men said that Stephen had insulted the *Temple and the *Law. This would make the *Jews that lived in *Jerusalem especially angry. The *Temple was the centre for their *worship. They were very proud about it. Also, many *Jews had jobs that depended on the *Temple. It was important for businesses in *Jerusalem. The *Jews were also very proud about their *Law. They believed that they should obey the *Law. They believed that this was the way to please God.
Jesus’ enemies also paid men to tell lies about him. These men lied about him in front of the *Sanhedrin. However, the lies that they told were not completely false. They took something that Jesus had said. But they changed it slightly. This is what Stephen’s enemies did. Jesus had said that men would knock the *Temple down (Mark 13:2). But then the *Jews wanted proof that Jesus had authority from God. Jesus told them to ‘destroy this *temple’ (John 2:19). He promised to build it up again in three days. Jesus was talking about his body. His body was like a *temple. That was because Jesus lived to please God the Father. Perhaps Stephen had repeated Jesus’ words. People had built the *Jewish *Temple with their hands. But now Jesus had come, and he was greater than the *Temple. So, ‘something greater than the *Temple’ had come (Matthew 12:6). Stephen knew what Jesus had really meant. Jesus has replaced the *Temple. He has completed the *Law. He is the only way to God. People may *worship God in a particular way. But the particular way in itself cannot bring them close to him. They cannot please God if they just follow rules. They must believe in his Son, the *Lord Jesus *Christ, and they must trust in him. That is the only way to God. If we obey Jesus, we are obeying God.
Verse 15 Stephen’s face shone like an *angel’s face when he stood in front of the *Sanhedrin. Moses’ face also shone when he brought the *Law down from the mountain (Exodus 34:29). Both Stephen’s and Moses’ face shone. This showed that God approved of them. Luke makes it clear that Stephen had God’s *blessing. Stephen had *grace and power (verse 8). He had special wisdom (verse 10). And his face shone like an *angel’s face (verse 15).
v1 The *high priest asked Stephen, ‘Is this true?’ v2 Stephen replied, ‘Listen, brothers and fathers. The God who has *glory appeared in front of our *ancestor Abraham. It happened in Mesopotamia. This was before he lived in Haran. v3 God said to Abraham, “Leave your family and country. Go to the country that I will show you.” v4 So, Abraham left his country, where people called Chaldeans lived. And he lived in Haran. Abraham’s father died. Then God made Abraham move to this country. You live here now. v5 God did not give any part in it to him. Abraham received no part in it as his own. He did not even receive as much as his foot could cover. But God promised to give the country to him and his *descendants. At the time when God made this promise, Abraham had no children. v6 This is what God said to him. “Your *descendants will live in a foreign country. There, they will be slaves. The people will do bad things to them for 400 years. v7 But I will punish the nation that they serve. After that, they will come out from that nation. Then they will *worship me in this place.” v8 And God gave to Abraham the *covenant about *circumcision. So, a week after Abraham’s son Isaac was born, Abraham *circumcised him. Isaac *circumcised his son Jacob. And Jacob *circumcised his 12 sons, our famous *ancestors.’
Verse 1 Stephen’s answer to the *high priest’s question is the longest speech in ‘Acts’. It is a very important speech. In it, Stephen showed that God wants people to *worship him everywhere, not just in one special place. God is everywhere. Stephen talked about people whose stories are in the *Old Testament. The men in the *Sanhedrin already knew these stories very well. But Stephen was not just repeating the stories. He was using the stories to teach new things. Stephen used examples from *Jewish history to teach about real *faith and *worship. The *Old Testament showed that Jesus, the *Messiah, would come. Stephen told the men how it showed this. Jesus used the *Old Testament like that, too (for example, Luke 24:27).
Verses 2-4 Stephen began his speech with a greeting that was polite and friendly. He called his audience ‘brothers and fathers’. This reminded them that he was a *Jew too. Then he started his lesson from history. Abraham was among the earliest people in all the *Jewish history. And he was among the most important people in it. Stephen showed how Abraham had great *faith. When Abraham lived, the *Jews did not have their own nation or *Temple. They did not get those until many hundreds (100s) of years later. But God showed himself to Abraham. God told him to leave his country. Abraham did not know where he was going. But he obeyed God. People who want to obey God must always be willing to leave. They must go wherever God leads them. Stephen showed that God can appear in front of people anywhere. They do not have to be in a special place.
Verses 5-7 Abraham arrived in the country that God had promised to him. He trusted God again. Abraham had no children. But God said that Abraham’s *descendants would own the country. Abraham believed all God’s promises. And all God’s promises became true. Abraham did have children and their *descendants were slaves in *Egypt. They did leave *Egypt and they did live in the *Promised Land.
Verse 8 *Circumcision was a *sign that showed God’s *covenant with Abraham. It was the only *sign that people could see for that *covenant. So, *circumcision was very important to the *Jews. Here, Stephen was reminding them why it was so important. God had given this *sign to them. Abraham had a special friendship with God. God had made this *covenant because Abraham had trusted him. And Abraham had obeyed him.
‘Our famous *ancestors’ means Jacob’s 12 sons. These were the *ancestors of the 12 great families in *Israel.
v9 ‘Jacob’s sons became jealous of their brother Joseph. So, they sold Joseph as a slave. He would be a slave in *Egypt. But God was with him. v10 And God rescued him from all his troubles. God gave wisdom to Joseph, so that Pharaoh, the king of *Egypt, liked Joseph. And Pharaoh made Joseph ruler over *Egypt. And he made Joseph ruler over all the people in his palace. v11 Then there was a *famine in all *Egypt and Canaan. Many people suffered and our *ancestors could not find any food. v12 But Jacob heard that there was food in *Egypt. So, he sent his sons, our *ancestors, to go for their first visit there. v13 On their second visit, Joseph let his brothers recognise him. So, Pharaoh also knew who Joseph’s family were. v14 After that, Joseph sent someone to fetch his father Jacob and his whole family. They were 75 in number. v15 Then Jacob went down to *Egypt. He and our *ancestors died there. v16 People brought their bodies back to Shechem. And they buried them in the grave that Abraham had bought. He had bought it from Shechem’s sons. He had paid a certain sum of money for it.’
Verse 9 Stephen continued his lesson about history. He told the story about Joseph. Joseph was Jacob’s favourite son (Genesis 37:3). Joseph had dreams that he was superior to his brothers. His dreams showed that later he would rule over them (Genesis 37:5-11). His brothers were jealous of him. They hated him and