The Gospel Goes Forth - Acts 8:1-8

8:1 And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

• Saul: Luke introduces another key figure in his historical narrative.
  • Saul was a “key player” in the the battle for the hearts and minds of the people.
  • Saul was willing to break Roman law for what he saw as the greater good: protecting the Jewish nation from the rising cult of The Way.
• Great persecution
  • “His death … was the signal for an immediate campaign of repression against the Jerusalem church.” (Bruce, 162)
  • “Second aorist passive indicative of [diaspeirō], to scatter like grain, to disperse, old word, in the N.T. only in Ac 8:1, 4; 11:19.” (Robertson, 81)
  • Judaism was come and see; Christianity is go and tell. Christianity is missional.
  • Therefore God made them to be scattered.
  • Many scholars believe that the persecution may not have happened if the Church had been obedient. (cf., Utley, )
  • "Luke is very fond of the term “great” (megas). He uses it twenty-five times in his Gospel and twenty-nine times in Acts. In Acts 8 he uses it for:
    1. great persecution, Acts 8:1
    2. great lamentation, Acts 8:2
    3. someone great, Acts 8:9
    4. to the greatest, Acts 8:10
    5. great miracles, Acts 8:13" (Utley)
• Team Pharisees and Sadusees
  • “It was at first persecution from the Sadducees, but this attack on Stephen was from the Pharisees so that both parties are now united in a general persecution that deserves the adjective “great.’” (Robertson, 81)
  • Politics never changes: Take advantage of any situation to extend your cause. This persecution was made by man; however, God used this to scatter the witnesses. They were supposed to be headed to the ends of the earth but instead were all still in Jerusalem.
  • "It remains a bit of a puzzle why the Pharisees spared the apostles from their persecution.
    • Was it due to the advice of Gamaliel in Ac 5:34-40? Or was it the courage of the apostles? Or was it a combination of both with the popularity of the apostles in addition?" (Robertson, 81)
    • “How the Apostles could remain in the city, while others found it necessary to flee, I am not able to say. In a narrative so concise, the omission of several circumstances renders it impossible to explain every particular. Perhaps, they had more courage than their brethren; or, being willing to expose themselves to all the danger, they advised the other ministers of the word to retire, for a season, to those places in which they could freely employ themselves to the advantage of the common cause.” (Dick, 98)
• ILL:
  "In ancient Rome, crowds by the tens of thousands would gather in the Coliseum to watch as Christians were torn apart by wild animals. Paul Rader, commenting on his visit to this famous landmark, said, “I stood uncovered to the heavens above, where He sits for whom they gladly died, and asked myself, ‘Would I, could I, die for Him tonight to get this gospel to the ends of the earth?’” Rader continued, ‘I prayed most fervently in that Roman arena for the spirit of a martyr, and for the working of the Holy Spirit in my heart, as He worked in Paul’s heart when He brought him on his handcuffed way to Rome.’ Those early Christians ‘lived on the threshold of heaven, within a heartbeat of home, no possessions to hold them back.’” (Roman Coliseum)
• APPL:
  1. If we prize comfort, we may not be pushing ourselves as we ought in the principles of God’s kingdom.
  2. Walk through life confidently. God’s will will get done.

2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him.

• “Devout [eulabeis]. Only four times in the N.T. (Lu 2:25; Ac 2:5; 8:2; 22:12). Possibly some non-Christian Jews helped. The burial took place before the Christians were chiefly scattered.” (Robertson, 81)
• The Mishnah is the first “major work of rabbinic literature, compiled around 200 CE, documenting a multiplicity of legal opinions in the oral tradition.” (Mishnah)
  • “Once the flesh of the deceased had decomposed, they would gather his bones and bury them in their proper place in his ancestral burial plot. And soon after the execution, the relatives of the executed transgressor would come and inquire about the welfare of the judges and about the welfare of the witnesses, as if to say: We hold no grudges against you, as you judged a true judgment. And the relatives of the executed man would not mourn him with the observance of the usual mourning rites, so that his unmourned death would atone for his transgression; but they would grieve over his passing, since grief is felt only in the heart.” (Mishnah, “Sanhedrin 6.6”; emphasis omitted)
• ILL:
  The Mishnah "permits the burial of blasphemers, but not with the loud lamentations made by those who bury them. These devout men grieved openly [perhaps]
  1. in defiance of what happened
  2. in reference to the fact that what happened was not officially sanctioned. (Utley; cf. Bruce 162)
• APPL:
  • Men remembered Stephen; God shall remember His martyrs who’s heart was focused on God.
  • Pray for persecuted counties.
    • PRAYER GUIDES THIS WEEK
    • LETTERS AT LUNCH

3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.

• Saul “was exceptionally farsighted, and realized as clearly as Stephen did the fundamental incompatibility between the old order and the new.” (Bruce, 161)
  • Ravaging
    • only time used in NT
    • "Laid waste … to dishonour, defile, devastate, ruin. (Robertson, 61; cf., Strong’s, Abbott-Smith Lexicon)
    • “the tearing of a body by an animal” (Utley; cf. Bruce 163).
  • “Picturesque description of the havoc carried on by Saul now the leader in the persecution. He is victor over Stephen now who had probably worsted him in debate in the Cilician synagogue in Jerusalem.” (Robertson, 61)
• “Paul apparently was struggling with the truth of Stephen’s statements, and may have tried to cover up his internal tension by aggressively persecuting the church (cf. Acts 9:1,13,21; 22:4,19: 26:10-11; 1 Cor. 15:9; Gal. 1:13; Phil. 3:6; 1 Tim. 1:13).” (Utley)
  • (Later Paul would describe his persecution of the church by using a military campaign word which meant “the storming of a city.”) (Bruce, 163)
• “A zealot for the ancestral traditions of the nation, he saw that the new faith menaced those traditions.” (Bruce, 163)
  • Paul must have thought that these followers of Jesus “were deliberate impostors, proclaiming that God had raised from the tomb to be Lord and Messiah a man whose manner of death was sufficient to show that the divine curse rested on him.” (Bruce, 163)
    • House to house: “This phrase could be understood in two ways:
      - 1. Paul found out where the Apostles had visited (cf. Acts 5:42)
      - 2. there were several house churches even at this early date in Jerusalem where believers met
      regularly.” (Utley)
    • Dragging off men and women to prison
      • “This is a verb that is used for Satan sweeping a third of the stars from heaven in Rev. 12:4. It is used several times in Acts (cf. Acts 8:3; 14:19; 17:6). Saul was vicious in his persecution (cf. Acts 26:10). This is evidenced by the phrase “men and women.” He tore apart families of sincere believers and had them imprisoned and some even killed (cf. Acts 9:1,13,21; 22:4,19; 26:10,11; Gal. 1:13;23; 1 Tim. 1:13). This is why he later calls himself “the least of the saints” (cf. 1 Cor. 15:9; Eph. 3:8).” (Utley)
  • Paul remembered this experience with great shame (cf. Acts 22:20; 1 Cor.
    15:9; Gal. 1:13,23; Phil. 3:6; 1 Tim. 1:13). Some relate this passage to 26:10, where it is assumed Paul
    voted in the Sanhedrin to put Christians to death.
• Many believed that Paul never got over some of the pain and suffering he caused. (cf. Utley,)

ILL:

1. “But Saul” compared to “But God.” Contrast: Saul, a devout Jew, was assisting in the murder of the saints; devout men were burying the saints; God was expanding His kingdom.
2. “This is in fulfillment of Luke’s Great Commission mentioned in Acts 1:8. It has been some time now since Jesus spoke these words and apparently persecution was the only means of getting the church to go into all the world. The church is still reluctant!” (Utley)

APPL:
God is watching over us. Often times we need to remember that in our county, God is moving. Jerusalem - Babylon. Get your eyes on what matters.

Philip Proclaims Christ in Samaria

4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.

• “These remarks will at least show, that the argument for lay-preaching, which has been deduced from this passage, is not so clear as to justify the confidence with which it has been advanced. It is an instance, in which, by a mistake of the sound of Scripture for the sense, an opinion has been adopted, which is contrary to its explicit declarations in other passages. He who shall consider, that it was not to the Church at large, but to the Apostles, that Jesus gave the keys of the kingdom of heaven; that they, and not all the disciples, of whom there were more than five hundred, received a commission to go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature; that, when they planted Churches, they ordained elders in every city to instruct and govern them; that there is not, in the New Testament, a single case fairly made out, of a person who preached without authority, nor in the history of the Church, during the first century, as one, profoundly learned in Christian. antiquity, and unbiassed by any particular interest, has assured us; [Mosheim. de rebus Christian. ante Constantin. p. 151. 152.] that Timothy was directed to commit the preaching of the gospel to faithful men, who should be able to teach others, and, consequently, that those, to whom it was not committed, had no right to teach; and, not to multiply particulars, that an Apostle expressly affirms that men cannot preach, that is, have no authority to preach, except they be sent: he who shall seriously and dispassionately consider these things, will reject as unscriptural the notion, however confidently and plausibly maintained, that every man who is qualified, or, in other words, judges himself qualified, may commence a preacher of the gospel; a notion manifestly calculated to foster vanity, ambition, and enthusiasm, and, when acted upon, to diffuse among the people ignorance, error, contempt for a regular ministry, and all the wild and pernicious effects of unenlightened zeal.” (Dick, 99)

5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. 6 And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was much joy in that city.

• Philip’s Missionary Journey Map
• 
  Source: (Taylor)
• As “soon as Stephen is taken away, Philip rises up to take his place. The noble army of witnesses never wants recruits. Its Captain sends men to the front in unbroken succession, and they are willing to occupy posts of danger because He bids them.” (MacLaren, 149)
• Philip “went down” to the city of Samaria.
  • “Between the populations of Judaea and Samaria there was a long standing cleavage, going back to the isolation of Judah from the other tribes of Israel in the settlement period (cf. Deut. 33:7). This cleavage found notable expression in the disruption of the Hebrew monarchy after Solomon’s death (c. 930 B.C.). In spite of attempts to effect a reconciliation in postexilic times, the cleavage was widened when the Samaritans were refused a share in the rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple and created a rival temple on their sacred hill Gerizim. The temple on Gerizim was destroyed by the Hasmonaean ruler John Hyrcanus I (134-104 B.C.) when he conquered Samaria and added it to his own realm. With the Roman conquest of Palestine in 63 B.C., the Samaritans were liberated from Judaean domination, but the New Testament and the writings of Josephus bear ample witness to the unfriendly relations which persisted between the two groups.” (Bruce, 166)
  • The Samaritians “built a temple on mount Gerizzim, in which they offered sacrifices; and they observed the Jewish festivals, practised circumcision, and expected the Messiah. Of their system of religion, as it existed in the days of our Saviour, it is difficult to obtain a distinct and satisfactory account, because the implacable enmity of the Jews led them to represent it in the most unfavourable light. From the words of Jesus to the Samaritan woman, it appears to have been extremely corrupt. ‘Ye worship ye know not what.’’ Yet, as they professed the same religion with the Jews, how much soever they differed in some material points, they are classed with them in the style of the New Testament, and are not reckoned among the Gentiles. … From this imperfect view of the religious state of the Samaritans, it is evident, that they were not better disposed than their rivals the Jews, to embrace the doctrine of Christ. Their system was more erroneous, their prejudices were equally great, and their knowledge was less.” (Dick, 100)
  • “When Philip visited them, there was less hope than ever that they would lend a favourable ear to the gospel, because their attention and affections were pre-engaged by one of those impostors, who, in all ages, have sported with the credulity of mankind.” (Dick, 100)
  • Jerusalem was always up!
  • “The Samaritans were hated by the Jews because they considered them to be half-breeds (cf. Ezra 4:1-3). This was related to the Assyrian exile of 722 b.c. that repopulated the area of the northern Ten Tribes with pagans who intermarried with the small remaining Jewish population (cf. 2 Kings 17:24-41).” (Utley)
  • Samaria was attentive:
    • Partially due to the “signs” he did.
    • Miracles validated the ministry.
      • Many were healed from demon possession.
      • Many paralyzed and lame were healed.
      • Miracles cause joy!
      • " It is amazing that the worldwide mission of the church was instigated, not by the Apostles, but by Stephen and Philip." (Utley)

ILL:
Colossians 3:9-11, “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.”

APPL:
Share your faith.

Bibliography

“3075: λυμαίνομαι.” Greek Lexicon.

Allen, Ronald J. Acts of the Apostles, Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2013.

Bible, ESV (in bold type)
Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Brown, David. “The Acts of the Apostles.” Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown, 1871.

Bruce, F. F. The Book of Acts: The New International Commentary on the New Testament, ed. Gordon D. Fee, Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmanns Publishing Company, 1988.

Calvin, John. Commentary of Acts, trans., Christopher Fetherstone (1585), ed., Henry Beveridge, Vol. First, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, Christian Classics Ethereal Library, https://ccel.org/ccel/calvin/calcom36/calcom36/Page_Index.html.

Dick, John. Lectures on the Acts of the Apostles, Second ed., New York: Robert Carter and Brothers, 1857.

Constable, Thomas. "Notes on Acts.” 2021 ed., From Planobiblechapel.org.

Hart, David Bentley. The New Testament: A Translation, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2017.

MacLaren, Alexander. “Expositions of Holy Scripture: The Acts.” 1826-1910, Bestbiblecommentaries.com, Alexander-MacLaren.

Taylor, Chris & Jenifer. “Philip’s Journeys.” The Bible Journey, 2021, https://thebiblejourney.org/biblejourney1/7-journeys-of-jesuss-followers/philips-journeys/.

Mishnah, “Sanhedrin 6.6,” Sefaria, https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Sanhedrin.6.6?lang=bi.

McGarvey, J.W. A Commentary on Acts of the Apostles, 7th ed., Lexington, KY: Transylvania Printing and Publishing Co. 1872).

Packer, J. W. Acts of the Apostles, Cambridge: University Press, 1966.

“Roman Coliseum.” Daily Bread. Bible.org, Illustrations, https://bible.org/illustration/roman-coliseum.

Schultz, John, “Commentary to the Book of Acts,” 2002, https://www.bible-commentaries.com/source/johnschultz/BC_Acts.pdf.

Utley, Bob. “Luke the Historian: Acts.” Bible Lessons International, 2012, http://www.freebiblecommentary.org/new_testament_studies/VOL03B/VOL03B_03.html.

Utley, Bob Utley, “Luke the Historian: Acts.” Bible Lessons International, 2012, https://bible.org/seriespage/acts-4.

Wiersbe, Warren. The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: NT, Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2007.

Mark Yarbrough and Darrell Bock, “Unit 2. Acts: The Ongoing Witness of Jesus Christ (Ch. 1-16);” “Video 5. Acts 5-7: The Witness Prospers and Persists,” transcript (Dallas Theological Seminary, 2021), https://media.dts.edu/player/?course=BE106v2&unit=2&video=5&language=en-US (log in required).

NOTE: All resources may not have been used in this particular document.