Acts 10:1-33, A Gentile, Cornelius

It is now five years or more after Jesus's resurrection and ascension.  The church has spread throughout the regions around Jerusalem and is attracting Gentile followers.

Acts 10:1-8
At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.

One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said,  "Cornelius!"

Cornelius stared at him in fear. "What is it, Lord?" he asked. The angel answered, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea."  When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants.  He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.

We learn a lot of very positive things about Cornelius (even though he was a Roman soldier.) And God responds to the deeper wishes of this centurion and introduces him to Peter.

Acts 10:9-16
About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.  He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners.  It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air.

Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat."

"Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean."

The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."

This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.

The trip to see Peter takes several days.  During this time, Peter has a vision.  In his vision, he sees all the animals that he, as a good Jew, has been prohibited from eating.

Acts 10:17-23
While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon's house was and stopped at the gate. They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there. While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Simon, three men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with  them, for I have sent them."

 Peter went down and said to the men, "I'm the one you're looking for. Why have you come?"

The men replied, "We have come from Cornelius the centurion.  He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to have you come to his house so that he could hear what you have to  say."

Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.  The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went along.

Peter is still often called Simon at this time; the nickname Jesus gave him is only a partial identifier.

Peter has now committed to the lengthy journey to Caesarea.

From the NIV Footnotes: in verse 19, one early manuscript of Acts gives "two" men, not "three" as visiting Peter; other ancient manuscripts do not have a number.

Acts 10:24-33

The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. "Stand up," he said, "I am only a man myself."

Talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. He said to them: "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?"

Cornelius answered: "Four days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me and said, `Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.'

So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us."

Note the details Cornelius received in his vision!

Peter, like all good Jews, does not want to be worshiped.  But he hears the invitation and is available for whatever plan God has set in motion.  The rest of chapter 10 will describe the world-changing result of this invitation.

Acts 9, The Conversion of Saul

Saul was nearby when Stephen was stoned for blasphemy and the Jerusalem persecution of the young church began.  Now Saul wishes to extend the persecution as the church flees Jerusalem.

Acts 9:1-8
Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul,  Saul, why do you persecute me?"

"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. 

"I am Jesus, whom you are  persecuting," he replied.  "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."

The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.

Note that the young church is called The Way.  (Why?)

Saul's conversion is dramatic, a direct and personal confrontation with God!  Luke will repeat the story several times; presumably he heard it often from Saul/Paul himself later, when he joined a traveling team.

Acts 9:9-16
For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!" 

"Yes, Lord," he answered.

The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight."

"Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name."

But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."

God has a plan for Saul and Ananias is a small but important part.  Meanwhile, God will show Saul the difficulties Saul will face....  (Not an encouraging statement to me!)

I appreciate Ananias's attempt to explain the situation to God!

Acts 9:17-22
Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord--Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here--has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit."  Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.

All those who heard him were astonished and asked, "Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?" Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.

Saul now begins a very active ministry in Damascus.  Trained as a Pharisee, Saul's understanding of Judaism and Jewish law is deep; now confronted to the road to Damascus, his conversion is just as deep.

Acts 9:23-31
After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him, but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.

When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.

So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him. When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.

The time frame here is not provided us.  Saul's time in Damascus, then in Jerusalem, could have easily been years.  Eventually he is sent off to Tarsus and the church "enjoys peace" (without Saul!?) The opening paragraphs Saul's letter to the Galatians will imply that over a decade of time has transpires before Saul re-enters the picture.

Note that actions of Barnabas, "the Encourager", in picking up this outcast and uniting him with the church.

Acts 9:32-35
As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the saints in Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, a paralytic who had been bedridden for eight years. "Aeneas," Peter said to him, "Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your mat." Immediately Aeneas got up. All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

Notice the details about Aeneas and his paralysis, as if Luke has investigated the event. Aeneas was not just "paralyzed", but "paralyzed for eight years".

Acts 9:35-43
In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas), who was always doing good and helping the poor. About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him,  "Please come at once!"

Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them. Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, "Tabitha, get up." 

She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called the believers and the widows and presented her to them alive.  This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.

According to the NIV footnotes, in verse 36, both Tabitha (Aramaic) and Dorcas (Greek) mean "gazelle".  Again, we have careful detail, both with the name of the one healed and additional information about Peter's visit and stay.

"For some time" in the last verse could also cover years.  We may now be five to eight years after the resurrection.

The church has spread out of Jerusalem and continues to grow.  Soon it will attract some Gentile converts.  That is the next chapter.

Acts 8, Philip, Peter & John

Stephen has just been stoned for blasphemy.  One of the supporting onlookers is a Pharisee named Saul.

Act 8:1-4
And Saul was there, giving approval to his death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.

Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison. Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.

In the first chapter of Acts, Jesus has told his followers to speak about him, in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria ... and they do so now, spreading out under persecution.

Act 8:5-8
Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. So there was great joy in that city.

Proclaiming "the Christ" is to announce the Messiah has come.  Philip's ministry is accompanied with unusual signs.

Act 8:9-13

Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, "This man is the divine power known  as the Great Power." They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic.

But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed  Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

So someone "great" (well-known) has become a believer.  Is this good?

Act 8:14-17

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.

Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

The people of Samaria are "not quite" Jews.   They are an ethnic group that lived in the area prior to the return of the tribe of Judah from Babylon.  They are not quite Gentiles either, so this represents a half step towards embracing Gentiles with the news of the Jewish Messiah.

Act 8:18-24
When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." 

Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you  thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin."

Then Simon answered, "Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me."

Simon, the magician, has not understood the real message.  Peter has no problem confronting this, even though Simon is someone "great".  One hopes that Simon's response indicates true repentance and humility?

Act 8:25-40
When they had testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road--the desert road--that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."

Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.

"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth."

The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.

When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

In verse 27, the word translated "Ethiopian" was used to describe someone from the upper Nile region.

The quote in verse 33 is from Isaiah 53:7-8.  The Ethiopian is probably reading from the Septuagint version of Isaiah, slightly different from the ancient Hebrew scroll of Isaiah.

There is no verse 37 in the NIV translation.  Some late manuscripts add (say the NIV footnotes) after the Ethiopian asks, "Why shouldn't I be baptized?", the sentences "Philip said, 'If  you believe with all your heart, you may.' The eunuch  answered, 'I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.' "  The most ancient texts of Acts don't have those two sentences; they were probably added at a later date as an explanation of steps to belief.  

(Someone asked about this omission on christianity.stackexchange; the question and answer is here.   "Is there is a stackexchange on Christianity?" you ask.  Yes, there is a stackexchange on everything!  Wikipedia and Stackexchange.  How did anyone learn things before?)

In the next chapter, Saul pursues the believers to Damascus.

Acts 7: 37-60, Stephen (and Moses) Scold the Assembly

Stephen, on trial for blasphemy, has just finished summarizing Jewish history.

Acts 7:37-43
"This is that Moses who told the Israelites, `God will send you a prophet like me from your own people.' He was in the assembly in the desert, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers; and he received living words to pass on to us. 

"But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected  him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. They told Aaron, `Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt--we don't know what has happened to him!' That was the time they made an idol in the form of a calf.  They brought sacrifices to it and held a celebration in  honor of what their hands had made. But God turned away and gave them over to the worship of the heavenly bodies. 

This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets: "`Did you bring me sacrifices and  offerings forty years in the desert, O house of Israel? You have lifted up the shrine of Molech and the star of your god Rephan, the idols you made to worship. Therefore I will  send you into exile'  beyond Babylon.

Stephen compares the Jewish leaders, who have rejected Jesus, with those in Moses's day who rejected Moses.  This comparison will not be well-received.

The Old Testament quotes are from Deuteronomy 18:15 (verse 37), Exodus 32:1 (verse 40) and Amos 5:25-27 (in verse 43.)

Acts 7:44-50
"Our forefathers had the tabernacle of the Testimony with them in the desert. It had been made as God directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen. Having received the tabernacle, our fathers under Joshua brought it with them when they took the land from the nations God drove out before them. It remained in the land until the time of David, who enjoyed God's favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.  But it was Solomon who built the house for him.

"However, the Most High does not live in houses made by men.  As the prophet says: `Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things?'

Stephen, on trial for supposedly saying Jesus would destroy the Jerusalem temple, summarizes the true value of that "house of God".

From the NIV Footnotes on verse 46: Some early Greek manuscripts say "the house of Jacob" instead of "the god of Jacob."  The quote in verse 50 is from Isaiah 66:1-2.

Acts 7:51-53
"You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and  ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute?  They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him--you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it."

Stephen who has just finished summarizing Jewish history, does not back down, but confronts the religious leaders.  They are following a Jewish tradition (indeed a human tradition) of persecuting those who speak with the voice of God.

Acts 7:54-60
When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him.  Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.

The reactions of the religious leaders is not too surprising.

In the early church, with its heavy emphasis on the resurrection of Jesus, the phrase "fell asleep" describes death.  After all, from the point of view of the early church, that separation from earthly existence is a temporary one, almost like an afternoon nap.

Acts 7: 1-36, Stephen's Sermon, Part 1

Stephen has been called to account before the religious leaders of Jerusalem. 

Acts 7:1
Then the high priest asked him, "Are these charges true?"

The priests will let Stephen speak.

Acts 7:2-8
To this he replied: "Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran. `Leave your country and your people,' God said, `and go to the land I will show you.' So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living. He gave him no inheritance here, not even a foot of ground. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land, even though at that time Abraham had no child. God spoke to him in this way: `Your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,' God said, `and afterward they will come out of that country and worship me in this place.'  

Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. And Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him eight days after his birth. Later Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.

Stephen has the audacity to explain the basics of Jewish history to the priests.  He attempts to show them that Jesus is the continuation of God's work in the people of Israel.

The call to Abraham, quoted in verse 3 is from Genesis 12:1. The promise to Abraham, quoted in verse 7, is from Genesis 15:13-14.

Acts 7:9-17
"Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt; so he made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace. Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great suffering, and our fathers could not find food. When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers on their first visit. On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph's family. After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, seventy-five in all. 

"Then Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our fathers died. Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a certain sum of money. As the time drew near for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt greatly increased.

All of this is history that Stephen's listeners know well.  Presumably Stephen is both reminding them of God's covenant with Abraham and also proving that he, Stephen, is a bona fide Jew, one who respects and follows that covenant.

Acts 7:18-22
"Then another king, who knew nothing about Joseph, became ruler of Egypt. He dealt treacherously with our people and oppressed our forefathers by forcing them to throw out their newborn babies so that they would die. At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child. For three months he was cared for in his father's house. When he was placed outside, Pharaoh's daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.

NIV footnotes on verse 20: "No ordinary child" is also translated "fair in the sight of God".

Acts 7:23-29
"When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his fellow Israelites. He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian.  Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not.

"The next day Moses came upon two Israelites who were fighting. He tried to reconcile them by saying, `Men, you are brothers; why do you want to hurt each other?'

 "But the man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, `Who made you ruler and judge over us? Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?'  

"When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons."

Stephen points out that Moses was a savior to the Jewish people but he was not recognized by them at that time!  Just like Jesus.

The quote in verse 28 is from  Exodus 2:14.

Acts 7:30-36
"After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to look more closely, he heard the Lord's voice: `I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.'  Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.

 "Then the Lord said to him, `Take off your sandals; the place where you are standing is holy ground.  I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.' 

"This is the same Moses whom they had rejected with the words, `Who made you ruler and judge?' He was sent to be their ruler and deliverer by God himself, through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. He led them out of Egypt and did wonders and miraculous signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea and for forty years in  the desert.

Stephen is making his Jewish credentials clear, before he moves on to telling the story of the Messiah, who (like Moses in his day) is a savior to the people of Israel.

The quote in verse 32 is from Exodus 3:6. The quote in verse 34 is from, the same passage, covering parts of Exodus 3:5-10.

The last half of chapter 7 will describe the priests' reaction to Stephen's speech.

Acts 6, Racism and Resolution (and Stephen)

The church is now several years old, most likely, and has begun to settle into a rhythm.

Acts 6:1-6
In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily  distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."

This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from  Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

The young church recognizes a practical need.  Note the priorities, "ministry of the Word" (here) and then service.  But service is not ignored, nor is the underlying bias that creates the problem.  The emphasis on service will introduce the next "preacher".

Acts 6:1-6
So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people.

The incident with the needs of the Gentile widows allows Luke to bring Stephen to our attention.

Acts 6:9-15
Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)--Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia.  These men began to argue with Stephen, but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke. Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God."  So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin.  They produced false witnesses, who testified, "This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us."

All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Apparently Stephen has repeated Jesus's statements about the short time left for the temple.  The charge of "blasphemy" in that day, like similar accusations today in Islam, was a very serious charge. It is a capital crime.

Note the nice sounding title, "Synagogue of the Freemen".  Luke cannot let it pass without a comment.

The next chapter will cover the dramatic "blasphemy" trial of Stephen.

A Timeline For Acts

Sunday is a day to relax, honor God, focus on renewal and rest.  So in this "a chapter a day" study, we pause to look at summaries and overviews of past reading or future readings.

One natural question facing a reader of the book of Acts is, "When did this all take place?" and, as a follow-up, how close are some of the events?  Although Luke's writing places one event after another, in some places there is clear evidence that years pass between events.  In some places Luke himself provides the evidence, using phrases like, "they stayed there for some time."

Historians date the crucifixion to about 31 CE, give or take a couple of years.  (Some of this is based on historical events described in Luke's gospel.)  The book of Acts then covers at least another 30 years, past 60 CE.  In  the book of Acts we have a number of historical events (such as the death of Herod Agrippa in chapter 12) which have an external date (about 44 CE.)  In addition, in other letters, notably Paul's letter to the Galatians, we have some guide to the timeline; Paul describes his travels and in two places, Galatians 1:18 and Galatians 2:1, gives a length of time between events.

With these as a guide, there have been numerous attempts to date the events in the book of Acts, as they spread across thirty years.    Here is one timeline at biblehub.com. And here is a more detailed timeline, attempting to date some external events in the Roman empire and also date some of Paul's letters.  A similar timeline is here at morethancake.org.

One more link -- in the spirit of xkcd.com, we have the story and structure of Acts.

Tomorrow we will move on to Acts 6, looking at the first serious dispute (racism/ethnicism!) in the early church.