This is the second volume in the unified, two-part work that we know today as Luke-Acts. Both books were written by the same author, Luke, a traveling coworker to Paul (Col. 4:14). This is clear from the book’s introduction, in which Luke says, “I produced my first volume (that is, the Gospel) about all the things Jesus began to do and teach” (Acts 1:1). In this opening line, Luke is also giving a clue as to what the book of Acts will be about. In volume one, Jesus began “to do and teach,” and so volume two will naturally be about what Jesus continued to do and teach.
This leads to an interesting point about the book’s traditional, but not original, title, The Acts of the Apostles. While different apostles do appear throughout most of the stories, the only single character who unifies the story from beginning to end is Jesus, appearing personally or acting through the Holy Spirit. The book, therefore, could be more accurately named The Acts of Jesus and the Spirit.
8:16 • New Testament Overviews
Christian tradition holds that this book, also called the Acts of the Apostles, was written by the physician and historian named Luke.
The events described in Acts take place in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the surrounding occupied lands of the Greco-Roman empire as well as Asia minor during the 1st century between 30-60 CE. Acts was likely composed between 60 and 90 C.E.
The book of Acts is written in narrative.
Acts is divided into five parts. Acts 1 details Jesus’ commission. 2-7 focus on the arrival of the Spirit and birth of the Church. 8-12 describe life within the Jesus movement. 13-20 recount the mission of the Church. And 21-28 end with Paul’s arrest.
The book’s introduction recounts how the risen Jesus spent some 40 days with his disciples teaching them “about the Kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3), connecting back to the story of Luke’s gospel. There, Jesus claimed that he was restoring God’s Kingdom over the world, beginning with Israel. He called Israel to live under God’s reign by following him and was enthroned as the messianic King when he gave up his life, conquering death through his love. As such, the book of Acts begins with the risen King Jesus instructing the disciples about life in his Kingdom.
Jesus promises that the Spirit will soon come and immerse them with his personal presence, fulfilling one of the key hopes in the Old Testament Prophets. They promised that in the messianic Kingdom, God’s presence, or his Spirit, would take up residence among his people in a new temple, transforming their hearts (Isa. 32:15; Ezek. 36:26-27; Joel 2:28-32). Jesus says that when this happens, the Spirit will empower his disciples “to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
From here, Jesus is taken up from their sight in a cloud. This is an image from Daniel 7 showing that Jesus is now being enthroned as the Son of Man who was vindicated after his suffering. He now shares in God’s rule over the world, which he will bring fully here on Earth when he one day returns.
The main themes and design of the book flow right out of this opening chapter. The book of Acts is about Jesus leading his people through the Spirit to go out into the world and invite all nations to live under his reign. The story will begin with that message spreading in Jerusalem (chs. 2-7), into the neighboring regions of Judea and Samaria full of non-Jewish people (chs. 8-12), and from there out to the nations and the ends of the earth (chs. 13-28).
The Startup of Christianity
0 HR 40 MINWhy Does the Ascension of Jesus Matter?
11 min readGod’s Global Family
1 HR 1 MINThe focus stays on Jerusalem in chapters 2-7, as Jesus’ followers wait in the city until the feast of Pentecost when Jewish pilgrims arrive from all over the ancient world. The Holy Spirit suddenly comes upon the disciples as a great wind, and something like flames appear over each person’s head. Together, the disciples start announcing and telling stories of “God’s mighty deeds” (Acts 2:11), speaking in all these languages that they didn’t know before. And remarkably, all the people gathered nearby understand their words perfectly.
Now, in order to see what Luke is emphasizing in this story, it’s crucial to see the Old Testament roots in the key images. First of all, the wind and fire are a direct allusion to the stories about God’s glorious, fiery presence filling the tabernacle and temple (Exod. 40:38; 2 Chron. 7:1-3). These images also recall the prophetic promises that God would come live, through his Spirit, in the new temple of the messianic Kingdom (Ezek. 43; Hag. 2). Here in Acts, God’s fiery presence comes to dwell not in a building but in his people. Luke is saying that the new temple spoken of by the prophets is actually Jesus’ new covenant family.
This connects to the second thing that Luke’s trying to say. The prophets promised that when God came to dwell in his new temple, he would reunify the tribes of Israel under the messianic king. This is when the good news of God’s reign would be announced to all nations (Isa. 11; Ezek. 37). Luke describes in detail the international, multi-tribe makeup of the Israelites who first responded to Peter’s message at Pentecost. The apostles start calling Israelites to acknowledge Jesus as their Messiah, and thousands do, forming new communities of generosity, worship, and celebration.
But not everyone’s celebrating. Luke also shows how Jesus’ new family quickly faced hostility from the leaders of Jerusalem. With a beautifully symmetrical design in chapters 3-5, Luke tells a tale of two temples. God’s new temple, the community of Jesus’ followers, are gathering “every day in the temple courts and from house to house” (Acts 2:46, 5:42). Inside of these identical notices are two stories of Peter and other apostles healing people in the temple courts, only to be arrested by the temple leaders (Acts 3-4a, 5b). These arrests are followed each time by a speech from Peter, claiming that Jesus is the true King of Israel.
At the center of this symmetry are stories about Jesus’ followers who donate property and possessions to a common fund to help the poor (Acts 4:25-5:11). And this generosity is wonderful, but it seems random for Luke to mention it here. But Jewish readers would understand because, according to the laws of the Torah (Deut. 14-15), this practice was supposed to be happening through the Jerusalem temple and its leaders. Luke’s point is clear. The new temple of Jesus’ community is fulfilling the purpose God always intended for the Jerusalem temple, to act as a place where Heaven and Earth meet and where people encounter God’s generosity and healing presence.
This conflict between the temples culminates with the first wave of persecution in chapters 6-7. Jesus’ followers continue to multiply, requiring a new generation of leaders. One of them, Stephen, is a bold witness for Jesus in Jerusalem, but he ends up arrested and accused of speaking against and even threatening the temple (Acts 6:12-13). Stephen gives a long speech, showing how Israel’s leaders have always rejected the messengers God sent them, including Jesus and now his disciples. The Jerusalem leaders become enraged and murder Stephen, launching a wave of persecution against Jesus’ followers and driving most of them from the city. The crisis has a paradoxical effect, however. Luke shows how this tragedy actually becomes the means by which Jesus’ people are now sent out into Judea and Samaria, just as Jesus had planned (remember Acts 1:8).