《Kretzmann’s Popular Commentary of the Bible - Acts》(Paul E. Kretzmann)
Commentator
The Popular Commentary is Lutheran to the core. Dr. Paul E. Kretzmann's commentary reproduces Luther, his theology and religion, his faith and piety. Dr. Kretzmann's commentary offers to Lutheran Christians nothing but sound, scriptural doctrine on the basis of believing, Biblical scholarship. Because of this, the Popular Commentary possesses a unique distinction. It is a popular commentary in the truest sense of the term; a commentary for the people and offering to the people nothing but unalloyed exposition of the Bible.
About the Author
Paul Edward Kretzmann was born in Farmers Retreat, Indiana in 1883. His early education started in Fort Wayne, Indiana at Concordia College and he went on to earn his Ph.D. and D.D. at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis Missouri. From 1906-1907 he moved to Shady Bend, Kansas to pastor a church and in 1907-1912 he resettled in Denver, Colorado. Kretzmann then traveled to St. Paul, Minnesota where he accepted a professorship at Concordia College from 1912-1919.
Concordia's Literary Board of 1918 initiated the undertaking of The Popular Commentary and, after very mature consideration, nominated the author and drafted the general character and scope of this popular commentary. Accordingly Kretzmann, was called from the position of instructor to work on this project. The two volumes on the New Testament were published in 1921 and 1922 respectively and in April of 1923 Kretzmann wrote the concluding chapters on the Old Testament. He helped form the the Orthodox Lutheran Conference in 1948 and was president of it's seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Introduction
The Acts of the Apostles
Introduction
The author of the Acts of the Apostles, by the unanimous consent of the early Church, is Luke, the "beloved physician," the friend, companion, an coworker of St. Paul. The book, by its own testimony, is a sequel to the Gospel of St. Luke. See Act_1:1 with Luk_1:1-4. To all those that doubt the authorship of Luke, after comparing this book with the third gospel and noting the similarity in style, language, and vocabulary, it must be said, as one commentator has it: "The question of authorship lies between Luke and some other writer; and the adverse testimony, to be conclusive, should name that other writer. " Luke had the best opportunity to get his information from the most authentic sources, from the apostles, especially from Paul himself, and by his own personal observation, as the so-called "we" passages show, If one takes into consideration that the Holy Spirit, in using the holy writers as His tools for the penning of the divine truths, made use of their natural gifts and acquired abilities, the "Pauline character" of the book will stand out very prominently. The Book of Acts, like the Gospel of St. Luke, is inscribed to Theophilus, very probably a Roman convert belonging to the wealthier and more influential class. It is thus addressed principally to the Gentile Christians of Italy and elsewhere, by whom the easy style and fluent Greek of the author could readily be understood.
The aim or object of St. Luke in writing the Book of Acts appears in every Chapter and almost on every page. He wanted to relate, in the first place, in what manner the gift of the Holy Ghost was given on the day of Pentecost, and that the subsequent work of the apostles was due entirely to His agency and ministry. So prominent is this feature, the Holy Ghost and His work being mentioned about seventy times, that one teacher of the Church has called the book the Gospel of the Holy Spirit. Closely connected with this feature is the fact that all the happenings in the history of the early Church are based upon, and made to appear as following out of, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For this reason another teacher of the ancient Church called the book the Demonstration of the Resurrection. But, in the second place, Luke wanted to give an account of the spread of Christianity, not only among the Jews, but also among the Gentiles, by the missionary efforts of the apostles. "The dominant note of the book is the missionary cause. " The Book of Acts intends to supplement the history of Jesus, as found in the Gospel of Luke, with a history of the apostles, and to give a graphic account of the victorious progress of the Gospel of Jesus from Jerusalem, the capital of Jewry, to Rome, the capital of the world. But there is also a third purpose evident in the Book of Acts. "This book you should read and regard not merely as St. Luke's record of the personal doings or history of the apostles, but this is the point you should rather note, namely, that with this book St. Luke teaches all Christendom to the end of the world the true chief article of Christian doctrine, which tells us that we must all be justified alone by faith in Jesus Christ, without the Law or our own works. " Hence the frequent use of the word "grace" and the continual reference to the glad tidings of the mercy of God in Christ Jesus.
Concerning the time when the Book of Acts was written, it is probable that it was written soon after the gospel, before the destruction of Jerusalem, but not long before the year 70 A. D. Its last verses indicate that it must have been written before the death of St. Paul, which occurred in 67 or early in 68. Taking everything together, the conclusion seems well founded to assume the year 65 as the date of composition and Rome as the place.
The Book of Acts is readily divided into two chief parts. In the first division Luke speaks of the general history of the Christian Church up to the death of Herod (chap. 1:1-chapter 12). This part may again be subdivided, since the author relates first of all the early history of the congregation at Jerusalem (1:1-8:4): and then the spread of the Church through Judea, Samaria, and the surrounding country (8:5 to chapter 12). The second principal division of the book brings an account of the life and labors of the Apostle Paul. We have there, in the first place, a history of his preaching tours among the Gentiles to his visit at Jerusalem (13:1 to 21). And the end of the book gives the history of his five years' imprisonment.
"In the Book of Acts we see how the Church of Christ was formed and settled. The apostles simply proclaim the truth of God relative to the Passion, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ; and God accompanies their testimony with the demonstration of His Spirit. What was the consequence? Thousands acknowledge the truth, embrace Christianity, and openly profess it at the most imminent risk of their lives. The change is not a change of merely one religious sentiment or mode of worship for another; but a change of tempers, passions, prospects, and moral conduct. All before was earthly, or animal, or devilish, or all these together; but now all is holy, spiritual, and divine; the heavenly influence becomes extended, and nations are born unto God. And how was all this brought about? Not by might nor power; not by the sword, nor by secular authority; not through worldly motives and prospects; not by pious frauds or cunning craftiness; not by the force of persuasive eloquence: in a word, by nothing but the sole influence of Truth itself, attested to the heart by the power of the Holy Ghost."
01 Chapter 1
Verses 1-5
The Ascension of Jesus.
The last commission of Jesus:
v. 1. The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
v. 2. until the day in which He was taken up, after that He through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom He had chosen;
v. 3. to whom also He showed Himself alive after His Passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God;
v. 4. And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith He, ye have heard of Me.
v. 5. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
"The former treatise," the first discourse, Luke had made, namely, in his gospel, to which he here evidently refers. The present history is a sequel to the gospel narrative; as the first writing had given an account of the ministry of Jesus, so the present book is to give an account of the labors of His ministers. This book, like the gospel, is addressed and dedicated to Theophilus, who may well have been a citizen of Rome holding a high official position, probably of equestrian rank, and a resident of the imperial city. In the gospel Luke had spoken of all; he had given a complete account of the labors of Jesus. The phrase "began to do and teach" is an idiomatic expression, as much as "both did and taught" in English. But there is here also a hint of the fact that Jesus began the work of the Gospel and committed its continuance to His disciples. The teaching of Jesus continued, in a way, even after His resurrection, although He then no longer spoke before the general public, but only to the believers. In those days, up to the day of His ascension,—and especially on this day,—He commissioned the apostles, He laid a certain obligation upon them. This commission, according to the intimate union obtaining in the Godhead, He did not give in an independent way, but through the same divine Spirit whom they received in extraordinary measure shortly after His ascension. All the communications of Jesus to His disciples are transmitted through the agency of the Spirit, whom He breathed upon them on Easter evening, Joh_20:22. Note the distinction: Jesus had chosen the disciples out of the unbelieving world, and He had chosen the apostles from the ranks of the believers. To the latter the special apostolic commission was entrusted. Jesus Himself, at this time, was taken up, He was lifted up on high, He experienced His ascension as an act of the Father. But in the interval between His resurrection and ascension, Jesus had taken a number of opportunities to show Himself as their living Savior to His disciples. They had seen Him suffer; they had received the evidence of His death. Therefore He gave them, not only one, but many indubitable proofs of His resurrection from the dead. During a period of forty days He was seen by them on various occasions. And every new appearance was another link in the chain of convincing, certain evidence that He was living. He appeared to Mary Magdalene, Joh_20:14-18; to the women returning from the grave, Mat_28:9-10; to the Emmaus disciples, Luk_24:15; to Simon Peter, Luk_24:34; to ten of the apostles, other disciples also being present, Luk_24:3-6; Joh_20:19; to the eleven disciples a week later, Joh_20:26; to seven of the apostles in Galilee, Joh_21:4; to James and 500 brethren at one time, 1Co_15:6-7; to the assembly of the disciples on Ascension Day, Luk_24:50. Note: There is no discrepancy between Luk_24:43-51 and the present passage, for in the former account Luke has contracted the interviews of the two appearances, while in this narrative he observes the distinction. At every appearance of the risen Christ His conversation and charge to His disciples concerned matters of the kingdom of God, He committed to them the charge of the truths and commands. In word and in deed the apostles and all disciples of the Lord are to proclaim that Kingdom. The one great message of the Church for all times shall be the acceptance of Jesus the Redeemer by faith, by which act the believer becomes a member of the kingdom of God.
Having thus summarized the events of the forty days intervening between the resurrection and the ascension, Luke now proceeds to give the gist of the conversation which took place on the last day of the visible Christ on earth. On this day Christ had assembled His disciples for the last time, not only the apostles, but all the believers, a crowded gathering, according to the Greek word. It was at this time that Jesus charged the assembled congregation of believers, in an emphatic command, not to journey away from Jerusalem. They were to stay there and wait for the promise of the Father, the promise of the Holy Spirit which He had made to them on the evening before His death, Joh_14:26; Joh_15:26-27; Joh_16:12-13. This promise they had heard, and this He calls to their remembrance. And He reminds them of another fact. John's baptism had been with water only, it had pointed forward to another, greater baptism of which John spoke, of a baptism with the Holy Spirit and with fire, Luk_3:16. The extraordinary communication of the gifts of the Holy Spirit was to take place, as Jesus promises, not many days hence, after not many days. The prophecy of Joe_3:18 was about to be fulfilled Notice that Jesus both kindles in the hearts of the disciples a joyful longing and desire for the wonderful gift which is now so near, and exercises the faith of the apostles in His Word.
Verses 6-8
The final promise of the Holy Spirit:
v. 6. When they, therefore, were come together, they asked of Him, saying, Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
v. 7. And He said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in His own power.
v. 8. But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
When Jesus referred to the nearness of the great revelation of the Spirit's gifts, the disciples, whose hopes of some form of temporal kingdom under the leadership of Christ had been revealed since His resurrection, thought that He was referring to this blissful consummation of their hopes. Those that had come together therefore, most likely in Jerusalem, put the question to the Lord: At this time wilt Thou restore the kingdom unto Israel? Their minds had returned entirely to the earthly, carnal understanding. They understood the prophecies of old as well as the promises of the Lord of the restoration of the kingdom to Israel, to be accomplished by the utter annihilation of the enemies of God and the complete victory for the Jews. Their foolish thoughts were not effectually dispelled until the Spirit of Pentecost was shed forth upon them. Although the question of the disciples had been put in all sincerity and sobriety, it argued for a remarkable lack of proper understanding after all the patient teaching of Jesus. His answer, therefore, in a way is a reproof. For He refers them to the real Messianic kingdom, to the future Kingdom of Glory, which will see the full revelation of Christ's majesty before the eyes of all men, very comforting to those that are to partake of this bliss with their Redeemer. Jesus here guards the royal prerogative, the exclusive rights of the Father. It is not the business of the disciples to know the times and the seasons, critical and otherwise, which are controlled by the exclusive authority and power of the Father. That most critical time and hour above all, which will decide the fate of mankind, is not theirs to inquire for. Note: Whatever pertains to the revelation of God's majesty should not be a subject of anxious thought for the Christians: both the government of the world and the Church and the revelation of the future glory are in His hands, to be revealed at His time. Jesus rather reminds the apostles that they will receive, will be given power, strength, which they should exert and put forth in the great duties of their calling. This power would be imparted to them when the Holy Ghost would come down upon them. The power to be effective witnesses for Christ is evidently meant. Filled with this strength from above, the disciples should bear witness, should tell what they had seen and heard of Christ, whose message they were to proclaim and who was to be the content of their message. In Jerusalem their work was to begin, but not to be confined to that city. In ever-widening circles their influence should extend, by virtue of the power given them through the Holy Ghost, throughout Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the world. There is neither limit nor boundary to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Note: The believers to this day have the same call and the same promise, but must observe also the same command, to be witnesses of Christ, of His salvation, to the uttermost parts of the earth.