Atos 11
James Montgomery Boice · Citado em PreceptAustin
Atos 11
Boice says it this way - "We know that this story was not only important to him (Luke) but to God also. If God tells us something once, we should listen. If he tells us something twice, we should pay extremely strict attention. How then if he tells us something three times over, as is the case here? In that case, we must give God's words the most intent, comprehensive, sympathetic, and obedient notice possible. (An Expositional Commentary – Acts) Spurgeon speaks to the necessity of this three fold repetition of the critical truth that now the Gospel could go to the Gentiles - One of the greatest obstacles which the Christian religion ever overcame, was the inveterate prejudice which possessed the minds of its earliest followers. The Jewish believers, the twelve apostles, and those whom Jesus Christ had called from the dispersed of Israel, were so attached to the idea that salvation was of the Jews, and that none but the disciples of Abraham, or, at any rate, the circumcised ones, could be saved, that they could not bring themselves to the thought that Jesus had come to be the Saviour of all nations, and that in him should all the people of the earth be blessed. It was with difficulty they could allow the supposition; it was so opposite to all their Jewish education, that we find them summoning Peter before a council of Christians, and saying to him, “Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised and didst eat with them.” Nor could Peter exonerate himself until he had rehearsed the matter fully, and said that God had appeared unto him in a vision, declaring, “What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common,” and that the Lord had bidden him preach the gospel to Cornelius and his household, inasmuch as they were believers. After this the power of grace was so mighty, that these Jews could no longer withstand it: and in the teeth of all their previous education, they at once assumed the broad principle of Christianity, “and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.” (Acts 11:18) Let us bless God that now we are free from the trammels of Judaism, and that we are not under those of a Gentilism which has in its turn excluded the Jew; but that we live so near the blessed time that is coming, when Jew and Gentile, bond and free, shall feel themselves one in Jesus Christ our Head. (from his sermon Repentance Unto Life). To sum up the church's early vision, it was narrow and traditional, exclusive and not inclusive, Jewish oriented and not ethically open. William Larkin entitles Acts 11:1-18 Peter's Defense of His Gentile Mission. The gospel had decisively crossed its last cultural threshold. You also might take a moment to examine Jensen's excellent chart at the top of this page to help give you contest. Jensen includes Acts 11 in the subsection labeled the "Church Embraces Gentiles" and the time is about 43-44 AD. Now - (See above for the approximate timeline of Acts) How long between Peter's meeting with Cornelius and this "now" is not clear from the text. However given the attitude of most Jews to Gentiles, it is likely this news spread rapidly. To most Jews the fact that the Gentiles had received the "Good News" would not be viewed (at least at first) as "good news!" The NLT paraphrase "soon the new reached..." is probably accurate. Gentiles had come into the Church in Acts 2, but Luke explains that they "came in" through the door of Judaism, as proselytes (see Acts 2:10+). Thus Acts 10 signaled a radical change, for now Judaism was being bypassed which would cause concern among the Jewish believers who did not yet grasp God's great plan of redemption for all peoples. The apostles and the brethren who were throughout Judea - In this context the brethren would be Jewish believers who themselves had received the Gospel. For as sense of the meaning of throughout Judea see map of the Expansion of the Early Church in Palestine. Note that Peter's meeting with Cornelius in Caesarea by the Sea was about 40 miles from Judea. However even without modern means of communication the news spread "like wildfire." At this time Compare Acts 8:14+ and the Jewish response - "Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John...." As Ben Witherington says "First it was the Samaritans, now it’s the Gentiles, and the Jerusalem church is caught just as unprepared as they were with the results of the mission of Philip in Samaria." (The Acts of the Apostles) (ED: If they had really bought into Acts 1:8, they would not have been caught "off guard.") Clearly, what we are seeing in Acts 10-11 is a fulfillment of Jesus' charge in Acts 1:8+ to be His "witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth (cf ROMAN GENTILES).” From this point on in Acts, the storyline will focus primarily on the spread of the Gospel to the Gentiles with occasional Jewish conversions. Apostles (652)(apostolos from apo = from + stello = send forth) (Click discussion of apostle) means one sent forth from by another, often with a special (official) commission to represent another (in this case Jesus) and to accomplish his work. Note the work is His work not "their" work - see this same idea in Eph 2:10 "good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." Luke's use of apostolos - Lk. 6:13; Lk. 9:10; Lk. 11:49; Lk. 17:5; Lk. 22:14; Lk. 24:10; Jn. 13:16; Acts 1:2; Acts 1:26; Acts 2:37; Acts 2:42; Acts 2:43; Acts 4:33; Acts 4:35; Acts 4:36; Acts 4:37; Acts 5:2; Acts 5:12; Acts 5:18; Acts 5:29; Acts 5:40; Acts 6:6; Acts 8:1; Acts 8:14; Acts 8:18; Acts 9:27; Acts 11:1; Acts 14:4; Acts 14:14; Acts 15:2; Acts 15:4; Acts 15:6; Acts 15:22; Acts 15:23; Acts 16:4 Related Resources: What is an apostle? Is God restoring the offices of apostle and prophet in the church today? What is the difference between a disciple and apostle? Brethren (brothers and sisters)(80)(adelphos from a = denotes unity + delphus = a womb) means brother or near kinsman, thus emphasizing that to be a believer is to be part of a family, the family of God Who is our Father. Only believers can truly call God their Father (cf Jn 1:11-13+, 1 Jn 3:1+). Adelphós denotes a fellowship of life based on identity of origin, and is used figuratively here to describe members of the Christian community, brothers and sisters in Christ, fellow Christians, fellow believers (Ro 8.29). It should be noted that the Jews used adelphos to describe fellow countrymen (Acts 3:22), but in this context these brethren are Jews who had also believed in Jesus. ESV Study note - The issue was raised by “the circumcision party” (Acts 11:2), a group of strict Jewish Christians, perhaps of a Pharisaic background (see Acts 15:1, 5). They probably held the position that Gentiles who wished to become Christians must first become converts to Judaism, which included circumcision and living by the ritual laws. Heard that the Gentiles - This would have been like the "Berlin wall" coming down thus the news would spread quickly. One thinks of Paul Revere's ride "The British are coming! The British are coming!" But here it would have been "The Gentiles are coming! The Gentiles are coming!" Gentiles (1484)(ethnos our word "ethnic") in general refers to a multitude (especially persons) associated with one another, living together, united in kinship, culture or traditions and summed up by the words nation, Gentiles (especially when ethnos is plural as in this verse), people (much like "people groups" in our modern missionary vernacular). Keep in mind that this word also had somewhat of a negative connotation conveying the sense of godless (generally idol worshipping) pagans (heathens, cp Eph 4:17, Mt 6:32), foreign nations not worshipping the true God (Mt 4:15). Luke's uses of ethnos - Lk. 2:32; Lk. 7:5; Lk. 12:30; Lk. 18:32; Lk. 21:10; Lk. 21:24; Lk. 21:25; Lk. 22:25; Lk. 23:2; Lk. 24:47; Acts 2:5; Acts 4:25; Acts 4:27; Acts 7:7; Acts 7:45; Acts 8:9; Acts 9:15; Acts 10:22; Acts 10:35; Acts 10:45; Acts 11:1; Acts 11:18; Acts 13:19; Acts 13:46; Acts 13:47; Acts 13:48; Acts 14:2; Acts 14:5; Acts 14:16; Acts 14:27; Acts 15:3; Acts 15:7; Acts 15:12; Acts 15:14; Acts 15:17; Acts 15:19; Acts 15:23; Acts 17:26; Acts 18:6; Acts 21:11; Acts 21:19; Acts 21:21; Acts 21:25; Acts 22:21; Acts 24:2; Acts 24:10; Acts 24:17; Acts 26:4; Acts 26:17; Acts 26:20; Acts 26:23; Acts 28:19; Acts 28:28 GENTILES PUT OUT THE "WELCOME MAT" Also (kai) - Also means in addition; besides; as well; to the same degree or extent and speaks of the reception of the word of God not only by Jews but now by Gentiles as well (to the same degree). Utley proposes that "This verse implies that the church’s leadership was surprised at this turn of events. They were shocked and not fully supportive! They had not understood the Great Commission (cf. Matt. 28:18–20; Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8)." Had received the word of God - A historical landmark. The Gentiles had "welcomed" the Gospel of salvation. Received (1209)(dechomai) means to to receive something offered or transmitted by another (Luke 2:28). In this context the idea is that they were receptive to Peter's message, receiving it with a favorable attitude. Jesus used dechomai to describe the way that humble, childlike believers (Mt 18:5), faithful preachers of the gospel (Mt 10:14), and the gospel itself (Luke 8:13; cf. Acts 8:14; 17:11) should be received. Received is in the middle voice which is reflexive and speaks of the subject themselves participating in the act they carry out, the point being that true reception of the Gospel involves a personal interaction and is not just an intellectual belief or a profession of such belief. Dechomai means to accept with a deliberate and ready reception of what is offered, to receive kindly and so to take to oneself what is presented or brought by another. It means to welcome as a teacher, a friend, or a guest into one's house. The word describes accepting persons with open arms, minds, and hearts, even going beyond normally expected gracious hospitality. The term was often used of welcoming honored guests and meeting their needs with special attention and kindness. The picture here in Acts 11:1 is of one of the Gentile's "putting out the welcome mat" for God's messenger and His word of truth, even as one would receive a good friend or guest, and inviting them into one's house (Luke 10:8,10; Rahab welcomed the spies- Heb 11:31-note). It pictures one assenting to God's Word of Truth. Dechomai indicates that the reception was a voluntary and willing act on the part of the Thessalonians. Luke's uses of dechomai - Lk. 2:28; Lk. 8:13; Lk. 9:5; Lk. 9:48; Lk. 9:53; Lk. 10:8; Lk. 10:10; Lk. 16:4; Lk. 16:6; Lk. 16:7; Lk. 16:9; Lk. 18:17; Lk. 22:17;Acts 3:21; Acts 7:38; Acts 7:59; Acts 8:14; Acts 11:1; Acts 17:11; Acts 22:5; Acts 28:21 Acts 11:2 And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took issue with him, KJV Acts 11:2 And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him, they Acts 10:9,45; 15:1,5; 21:20-23; Galatians 2:12-14 "BAD NEWS" OF THE SPREAD OF "GOOD NEWS" PRECEDED PETER And when Peter came up to Jerusalem - How long Peter stayed with Cornelius and the new "church plant" in Caesarea Maritima is uncertain, but it clearly was long enough for the "bad news" to spread to the Jews in Jerusalem! Scripture almost always says "up" when one goes to Jerusalem because of its elevation. It is interesting that the leaders in Jerusalem do no summon Peter but he was led to go (surely a leading of the Spirit given the importance of this emotionally charged issue). We have seen a number of times in Acts that Peter is clearly a Spirit filled man and there is no reason to doubt that is the case now. David
Atos 11
Boice writes that "Citizens of the empire were required to burn a pinch of incense to the reigning Caesar and utter the words Kyrios Kaisar (“Caesar is Lord!”). It is this that the early Christians refused to do and for which they were themselves thrown to the wild lions or crucified. It was not that Christians were forbidden to worship God. They were free to worship any god they chose so long as they also acknowledged Caesar. Romans were tolerant. But when Christians denied to Caesar the allegiance that they believed belonged to the true God only, they were executed." John