We Are Witnesses

This morning

This morning we begin a new series in the book of Acts. Over the last couple of months we’ve looked at the events leading up to Jesus’s crucifixion and his subsequent resurrection. Then we looked just a little bit at one of Jesus’s appearances to his disciples following his resurrection. Now we want to turn to the events after Jesus’s ascension into heaven. What happened after Jesus left? Now that they were on their own, what did the disciples do? Did they continue to hide in locked rooms like we’ve seen them do a few times already? Did they return to their old lives, their old jobs, like we saw over the last couple of weeks? Well the book of Acts, which is also known as The Acts of the Apostles, is probably the best place to start looking for those answers. Acts begins with Jesus’s ascension into heaven and then goes on to detail what the apostles did in the following years.

Before we get into the scripture itself, let’s look a little bit at the externals. Things like the author, date of writing, etc.

First of all, Acts is the third longest book in the New Testament (only Matthew and Luke are longer). Luke and Acts together make up 30% of the New Testament.

Now why should it matter that those two book make up so much of the text of the New Testament? Well...

Can anybody tell me who wrote the book of Acts?

The vast majority of scholars believe that the book of Acts was written by the same author who wrote the gospel of Luke. There are many factors that play into this decision by scholars, they look at the similarity in the styles of writing. The grammar, the word choices, etc. They look at historical documents from the time period to see who contemporaries attributed the writing to. But one of the most compelling reasons is actually in the books themselves.

Both books begin with a greeting to the author’s friend Theophilus, who was a Greek believer. And Acts begins with a reference to “the first book” which is most likely, the Gospel of Luke.

Luke 1:1 ESV

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us,

Luke 1:1–5 ESV

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

Luke 1:1–4 ESV

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

Acts 1:1 ESV

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach,

Acts 1:1–2 ESV

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.

So who was this author? Who was Luke?

There is actually not much written about him in the New Testament. He is only mentioned by name three times, all in the “greetings” sections of Paul’s letters. But from these few times he is mentioned and from studying his own writings in the gospel and in Acts we learn quite a bit about him.

Paul refers to him as a doctor, which indicates a person of some education and social standing.

From Paul’s greetings we also know that he was a travelling companion of Paul. He was with him on at least the occasions that Colossians, Philemon, and 2 Timothy were written, which were all periods of imprisonment for Paul.

Since we know that he was a travelling companion of Paul, and since Acts recounts the stories of Paul’s missionary journeys we know that Luke was an eyewitness to many of the events that he is writing about.

Holman New Testament Commentary: Acts Acts 1: We Are Witnesses

A Christian physician

• Traveling companion of the apostle Paul

• Part-time historian

• An eyewitness of many of the accounts in this book

• A gifted storyteller with an eye for detail

• A good lay-theologian/historian

Holman New Testament Commentary: Acts Acts 1: We Are Witnesses

AUTHOR PROFILE: LUKE

• A Christian physician

• Traveling companion of the apostle Paul

• Part-time historian

• An eyewitness of many of the accounts in this book

• A gifted storyteller with an eye for detail

• A good lay-theologian/historian

When was Acts written?

Most scholars place the writing of Acts somewhere between 60-65 AD. I’ve seen some dates as late as 80 AD, but all of these are within about 50 years of the events surrounding Jesus’s resurrection. So it’s well within the realm of possibility that Luke would have been an eyewitness to the events he describes in the book of Acts.

So that’s just a quick overview of the history of the book.

And let’s talk about this eyewitness thing for just a minute.

Acts

Acts 1:1–5 ESV

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Holman New Testament Commentary: Acts I. Introduction: The Power of a Witness

A Chinese farmer, after having cataracts removed from his eyes, made his way from the Christian compound to the far interior of China. Only a few days elapsed, however, before the missionary doctor looked out his bamboo window and noticed the formerly blind man holding the front end of a long rope. In a single file and holding to the rope behind him came several blind Chinese whom the farmer had told about his operation. They all knew the farmer had been blind, but now he could see. He told them of the doctor who had cured him; naturally, all these other blind people wanted to meet the doctor who cured the blind man.

The cured man could not explain the physiology of the eye or the technique of the operation. He could tell others he had been blind, the doctor had operated on him, and now he could see. That was all the others needed to hear. They came to the doctor.

Holman New Testament Commentary: Acts I. Introduction: The Power of a Witness

A Chinese farmer, after having cataracts removed from his eyes, made his way from the Christian compound to the far interior of China. Only a few days elapsed, however, before the missionary doctor looked out his bamboo window and noticed the formerly blind man holding the front end of a long rope. In a single file and holding to the rope behind him came several blind Chinese whom the farmer had told about his operation. They all knew the farmer had been blind, but now he could see. He told them of the doctor who had cured him; naturally, all these other blind people wanted to meet the doctor who cured the blind man.

The cured man could not explain the physiology of the eye or the technique of the operation. He could tell others he had been blind, the doctor had operated on him, and now he could see. That was all the others needed to hear. They came to the doctor.

That’s the way our Christian lives ought to be. We don’t need to all be trained theologians. We don’t need to understand all the intricacies of God’s mysteries. We don’t need to lead perfect Christian lives. All we need to do is to tell others what Christ has done for us.

That’s Acts. That’s what the first few verses are setting up. It’s a written witness, a faithful telling of the work of God in the first days of the church. So let’s look at those verses now.

Acts 1:1–5 ESV

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Luke here is setting up this idea of witness. He’s saying, “Theophilus, look, these are things that we have seen, that we have experienced, and they’ve changed our lives.” He’s showing that this isn’t just some story, because there are multiple witnesses (the apostles) and there is much evidence (He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days). This isn’t just something made up, it’s real, and it’s been experienced by multiple people, over the course of time.

So it’s 40 days following Jesus’s resurrection. He’s spent these last several weeks appearing to his disciples, showing them proof of his life, and teaching them about kingdom of God. What he’s been doing here is instructing them on what he wants them to do after he returns to heaven. And then we read these verses:

Acts 1:6–7 ESV

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.

Acts 1:6-11

Acts 1:6–11 ESV

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Acts 1:6-

Acts 1:6–8 ESV

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

“Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” Remember, we’ve talked a lot the last few weeks about how the apostles just didn’t quite get it. They didn’t quite understand what Jesus was here to do. Even now, after watching Jesus die on the cross and then come back to life three days later, just like he had told them he would, they are still hoping for that earthly kingdom that everyone was expecting. “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

But Jesus knows what’s coming. He knows that once he leaves, once he returns to heaven, another is coming in his place. The Holy Spirit is coming and once the disciples receive the gift of the Spirit they will understand. And once they understand, then the mission really begins. So Jesus tells them, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.” Basically, he says, “That’s none of your business. But here’s something I can tell you. The Holy Spirit is coming, and once you receive him, you will receive power.” Now Jesus doesn’t go into exactly what this “power” will entail, but he does tell the disciples what they will do once they receive the Spirit. And by extension, he tells us what we should be doing once we receive the Spirit.

“and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

When Jesus named off these places to the disciples they knew exactly what he was saying to them. They knew what their mission was. And it’s the same mission we have as Christians today, but we don’t necessarily understand since most of us aren’t that familiar with the places that Jesus named here. So I want to take a few minutes to interpret this, to translate it into modern terms that we can understand.

What did Jesus mean when he spoke of the apostles being witnesses in Jerusalem?

Well if you read through the gospel accounts you’ll see that Jesus and the apostles spent a lot of time in and around Jerusalem. So it was an area that they knew well. They were familiar with it. And if you go back to verses 4 and 5 in Acts chapter 1 you’ll see that Jesus orders the apostles “not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father,” the Holy Spirit.

So what does that mean for us? What is our Jerusalem?

It’s the same thing that it was for the apostles. It’s the familiar. It’s your home town. It’s your work place. It’s your school. It’s the places that you go day in and day out. It’s the places where people might listen to you because they know you and they know your character. Unfortunately it’s also the places where people might not listen to you for the very same reasons. They know what you were like before Christ and they don’t think people can change. But that’s one of the things we are called to be witnesses to; the fact that people can change, through the blood of Christ.

To the apostles, when Jesus mentioned Judea, they understood that he was calling them to witness to those like them. Judea was the name of region, the country, in which Jerusalem was located. After the children of Israel were rescued by God from slavery in Egypt and had conquered the land of Canaan they eventually established a kingdom, the kingdom of Israel. Later on the kingdom would be split in two and become the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Eventually the nation of Israel was conquered because of its wickedness and its inhabitants taken away into slavery, but the nation of Judah would remain. And that nation would eventually come to be known as the region of Judea when the Romans conquered the area. Judea is a Greek and Roman adaptation of the name “Judah.” So when Jesus told the apostles they would be witnesses to Judea he was saying that they would witness to those within their own nation, within their own culture. They would witness to people who they didn’t know but who were raised to believe the same things, to dream the same dreams, to hope for the same Messiah as the apostles.

So what is our Judea?

For us, it’s America. It’s western culture. It’s others who have been raised in a Judeo-Christian ethic, who have some knowledge of the bible and what it teaches but have not yet made the decision to follow Christ.

Samaria was a nation much like Judea. It was similar in culture and they even worshiped the same God. But the Jewish people and the Samaritans were bitter enemies. It was a small region that bordered on Galilee and was surrounded by the kingdom of Judah. But the Jews hated the Samaritans so much that if they were travelling they wouldn’t even walk through their territory even if it provided a shorter route of travel. The Samaritans didn’t like the Jews much either. And that makes this call to witness a shock for the apostles. Jesus is saying, “You will be my witnesses even to people that you don’t like.”

So what is our Samaria?

Well it depends. It could be our enemies. It could be people from other countries (remember Samaria was a different nation.) Or it could just be those people that you have to deal with every day that really just rub you the wrong way. It doesn’t matter. We’re still called to be witnesses to the gospel to those around us.

This one is basically the same for the apostles and for us. Jesus has named off specific areas. He’s called us to witness locally to those we know, to those we don’t know, and even to those we may not like. But then he throws in this last statement, “to the end of the earth.” He’s saying, “Oh yeah, and just in case I forgot anyone, you need to witness to everyone else too.”

He’s telling us the same thing. He’s saying, “You need to tell people about me. Family, friends, acquaintances, enemies, people that live on the other side of the world. It doesn’t matter who they are. Just tell them.”

And then, once Jesus has given them their mission we read this:

Acts 1:9–11 ESV

And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

I have to admit, I’d probably have done the same thing they did. Imagine it. You’re standing around on the Mount of Olives with the other apostles listening to Jesus teach. He’s just told you that you will be a witness to the things he has done and said and suddenly he starts to levitate. He just floats right up into the sky and you stand there watching until a cloud passes in front of him and you don’t see him anymore. I’d have probably stood there staring for a while too. I’m pretty sure they were all thinking, “What just happened?”

But then suddenly there are two men standing there in white robes looking up into the sky too. (And just in case you haven’t figured it out yet, these men were actually angels.) So these two are looking up going, “Um, guys, whatcha lookin’ for? Jesus is gone, but one of these days he’s going to come back in the same way you watched him leave.” And it’s not said here explicitly, but I think what is kind of implied in this encounter with the angels is that they are saying. “You’ve got a mission to do. Get to work.”

The angels are there to remind the apostles that Jesus gave them marching orders. And those marching orders, which apply to us as well, don’t have us simply waiting for Jesus return. Yes, we anticipate his return, we even look forward to the day when Christ returns, but until then we’ve been ordered to tell others about him.

But first, the apostles had some preliminary orders. Jesus had told them to wait in Jerusalem for the promised Holy Spirit. So they tear their eyes away from the sky and they head back to Jerusalem to wait. And that’s where we’ll pick up the story next week.

Would you join me in prayer?

We Are Witnesses

Introduction

Jerusalem

Judea

Samaria

To the end of the earth