Thursday, May 9, 2024

WeekLy BooK oF Acts 11-26

  a paraphrased study
 
1 - In the first book, O Theophilus, I (Luke) have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up, having given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles which he had chosen. [Luke is a Greek doctor who met Paul during Paul’s travels. Like the gospel account he wrote, some in this book must have been compiled by interviewing people who were involved or witnesses. Luke traveled some with Paul, evidenced by where he uses the word “we”.]
     3 Jesus, by many proofs, presented himself alive after his suffering, having appeared to them for forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God to them. 4 And while he was still there, he told them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father. “The promise you heard from me” he said, 5 “for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit (with God’s veRy Presence!) a few days from now.” 6 And they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”7 He answered them, “It’s not for you to know the times and seasons that the Father has fixed by his own counsel. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit(/Presence of God with you) has come upon you, and then you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in (neighboring) Samaria, and to the very ends of earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, they saw him lifted up. And a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 Then while they were gazing into heaven watching as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white (aka, radiant?) robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you, will come in the same way as you saw him go up.”
     12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. 13 And they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. 14 They were spending their time in prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
     15 And during those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the whole company of persons was in all about 120) and said,16 “Brothers, the Scripture was fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by (king) David concerning Judas, who is the one who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.17 For he was numbered among us and was allotted his part in this ministry.”18 (This following insert by Luke is one way it was remembered and thought of by the time of this writing, which was some time later. Paul writes it as occurring differently.) — Now this man [Judas] acquired a field with the reward (coins) of his wickedness, and then fell upon a sword and 19 all Jerusalem heard of it, and so in their language they named the field Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood — 20 “For it is written” Peter continued, “in the Book of Psalms, ‘May his place (seat, office) become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it’ and ‘Let another take his place.’ 21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time when the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up - one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” 23 And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they prayed, saying, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” [Topos - place, region, seat, part] (his part to play..) 26 And then they cast lots, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. (“Chosen” anybody chosen is by a lucky shake of the heavenly dice! It is not according to any sort of worth. He simply decided for his purposes to call/wake up some now, and the many more later - Lev.23:23-36.)

 🗝️ [  ] - word/language insights, facts, cross references, etc.
      (  ) - thots

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