Holy Spirit descends on Jesus (Lk 3:21–22)
Holy Spirit descends on the Church (Acts 2:1–4)
Jesus preaches to the Jews (Lk 4:14–21)
Peter and Paul preach to the Jews (Acts 2:14–40;
13:16–41)
Jesus’ ministry begins with his sermon (Lk 4:16–30)
Church’s ministry begins with Peter’s sermon (Acts
2:14–40)
Jesus heals a paralytic (Lk 5:17–26)
Peter and Paul each heal a paralytic (Acts 3:1–10;
14:8–10)
Sick are brought to Jesus to be healed (Lk 4:40)
Sick are brought to be healed (Acts 5:15–16; 28:9)
Jesus stands trial before the Sanhedrin (Lk 22:66–
71)
Paul’s trial before the Sanhedrin (Acts 22:30–23:10)
Jesus prays for forgiveness of persecutors (Lk 23:24)
Stephen prays for forgiveness of persecutors (Acts
7:60)
As Acts opens, Jesus tells the disciples to wait in Jerusalem
until they receive the
“promise of the Father,” which is the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4). Forty days after
his resurrection, the apostles “see Jesus lifted up” as he ascends into heaven, a seemingly
small point but one pregnant with meaning. Just before Elijah
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was taken up to
heaven, his disciple Elisha asked if he could receive a double portion of Elijah’s spirit (2
Kgs 2:9). Elijah responded that if Elisha saw him as he ascended to heaven that would be
a sign that Elisha would receive his request. Elisha saw Elijah ascend and went forth
outdoing Elijah in mighty deeds and miracles. Now the disciples see
Jesus ascend to
heaven, and, like Elisha, they will soon receive the gift of God’s Spirit at Pentecost and go
forth performing mighty deeds.
Peter takes the role of apostolic leader. He quotes two psalms that speak of a righteous
sufferer betrayed by a friend and applies these to Judas’ betrayal of Jesus. Quoting from
Psalm 69:25, Peter says, “His office let another take” (Acts 1:20). The twelve apostles
function not only as witnesses of Jesus but also as office holders in his Kingdom. When
one dies, another must take the apostolic office, indicating the importance of
organization and leadership in the Church at its very outset. This organization takes the
shape
of a new Israel, with twelve overseers who recall the twelve sons of Jacob and the
twelve tribes of Israel.
The fact that the apostles cast lots to choose Matthias, a faithful disciple and witness
to Jesus, to fill the vacant apostolic office has importance in light of Israel’s story. In the
Davidic kingdom, the priestly duties of the sons of Aaron, who were “officers of the
sanctuary and officers of God,” were assigned according to lot (1 Chr 24:5). By casting
lots to choose Judas’ replacement, who will take up the duties of the apostolic office in
Jesus’ kingdom, Peter and the disciples indicate their understanding that
the apostolic
office is a priestly office. The casting of lots for priestly service also recalls the opening
story of Luke’s gospel, in which the priest Zachariah was chosen by lot to serve at the altar
of incense. Thus, the story of Jesus (in the gospel of Luke) opened with a priest chosen by
lot in the Temple at Jerusalem, and now the story of the Church (in the Acts of the
Apostles) begins in Jerusalem with the casting of lots and a new priestly order. The
Temple sets the stage for God’s actions in both stories.
Pentecost and the Gift of the Holy Spirit
Ten days after Jesus’ ascension, the disciples, about 120 according to Luke’s earlier
count (Acts 1:15), are all gathered in one place. This “one place” is often assumed to be
the “upper room” where Jesus celebrated his Last Supper with his
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apostles, but this
is unlikely for several reasons. First, it is doubtful that the upper room could have held
120 people. Even if it could, the events that soon transpired brought a crowd of immense
size, from which 3,000 people were baptized (Acts 2:41). What place would be a fitting
location for the disciples to be
gathered in worship and prayer, accommodate a massive
crowd, and have enough water at hand to baptize 3,000 people? It seems most likely that
the “house” where they were gathered was God’s house, the Temple. The large courts of
the Temple, as Luke describes in the following chapters, were a favorite gathering place
for the early Christians (Acts 2:46, 5:42). In addition, just outside the gates of the Temple
was a network of cisterns for ritual washing (the remains of which can still be
seen today
at the southern steps of the Temple), which would have provided an excellent place for
baptizing the new converts.
Under the Old Covenant, the feast of Pentecost celebrated God’s revelation of the
Torah fifty days after the Passover, where God manifested himself in fire and thunder
before Israel, who were gathered at the base of Mount Sinai. Now, during the first
Pentecost after Christ’s resurrection and ascension, the house of God is filled with a great
wind, and all the disciples are filled with the Holy Spirit manifested as tongues of fire
(Acts 2:1–4). Pentecost celebrated the gift of the law, which was the center of Judaism.
Now, the Holy Spirit is poured out and will become the center and source of life for the
new Israel. This event transforms the feast of Pentecost.
Just before the destruction of Solomon’s Temple in 587 B.C., Ezekiel had a vision of
God’s Spirit leaving the Temple because of Israel’s sins (Ez 10). Later in his oracles, the
prophet predicted that God’s Spirit would one day return to be with God’s people, and
that return would begin at the Temple (Ez 43–47). Since the people’s return with Ezra
and Nehemiah and the
rebuilding of the Temple, there had been no visible manifestation
of God’s return to the Temple, a manifestation that occurred with the completion of
both the tabernacle (Ex 40) and the first Temple (1 Kgs 8). Now, at long last, God has
returned to his Temple and is pouring out his Holy Spirit upon all those who believe in
his Son, Jesus, fulfilling Ezekiel’s prophetic oracles.
Peter stands, addresses the crowds, and explains that this outpouring of the
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Spirit fulfills the
oracle of the prophet Joel, who foretold that one day God would pour
his Holy Spirit upon all of his people. Joel’s words echoed the Exodus, when God poured
his Spirit upon Moses and the seventy elders, and Moses prayed that one day God might
pour his Spirit out upon all of Israel (Nm 11:29). Now a new and greater Exodus has
occurred, and Moses’ desire is realized; all Israel is able to receive the power of the Holy
Spirit, the promise of the Father.
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