Month: January 2020

Saul’s “Conversion”

In many Bibles, the ninth chapter of Acts is headed with the words, “Saul’s Conversion”. Is this an accurate representation of the contents of this chapter? I believe that it’s not, that it presumes too much. Let’s look at the scripture text and see.

We first see Saul at the stoning of Stephen. Saul was guarding the clothes of those who were doing the stoning. Saul was also giving approval to his death (8:1). After this, he joined in the persecution of believers in Jesus. “Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison” (8:3).

We need to picture accurately what is happening. Here is a Torah-observant practitioner of Judaism fighting against other Torah-observant practitioners of Judaism. The point of contention is that they believe that Jesus is the Savior and the Messiah, while Saul doesn’t. In his eyes, that makes their message dangerous.

As chapter nine opens, Saul is on his way to Damascus. He has requested of the high priest “letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem” (9:2).

A couple of things are noteworthy about this passage. Saul expects to find these people in the synagagues of Damascus. This is strong evidence that the believers worshiped in synagogues along with other Jews. In later days Saul (Paul) reiterates this in his testimony to other audiences. “Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished” (26:11 cf. 22:19). Clearly those he was seeking were practicing Jews who believed in Jesus.

Also prominent is his mention of the identity of those he sought as belonging to “the Way”. This term is mentioned several other times in Acts as the self-identification of those who believed in Jesus. In one of those passages (24:14) he claims to “worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect.” A “sect” here is a group within a religion, in this case, Judaism. The usage here is parallel to Paul’s statement in 26:5 that “according to the strictest sect of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee”. Both Pharisaism and the Way were sects of Judaism. Saul embraces one without abandoning the other, as he states later, “I am a Pharisee” (23:6).

What is it that happens to Saul on his way to Damascus? He sees a light which blinds him for three days, and hears a voice which identifies itself as that of Jesus. He is instructed to go into the city for further instructions. Subsequent retellings add further details, such as that Jesus was Speaking to him in Hebrew (26:14).

After Saul is led into Damascus by his companions, he is met, by divine appointment, with a man named Ananias. A later retelling describes Ananias as “a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there” (22:12). Ananias, a disciple of Jesus, spoke words, and Saul’s sight was restored.

The purpose for this encounter is described in the vision to Ananias. “This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel” (9:15). Comparing this with the retellings of Paul later (22:21; 26:20), it seems clear that this was a commission to Saul to preach the gospel to the Gentiles.

It’s interesting to notice how Saul’s subsequent message is described. In Acts 9:20 it says that “he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God”. In Acts 26:20 he describes his message differently. “I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds”. He goes on to emphasize the continuity of his message with Judaism. “I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen” (26:22).

The word “conversion” implies a change from one religion to another. That is clearly not what happened here. Saul, an observant Jew, became an observant Jew who embraced the Way and faith in Jesus. This passage would perhaps be better titled as “Saul’s Commission”.

Stephen

Stephen is well-known as one of the first deacons, and the first person to be killed for his faith in Jesus. We often don’t pay much attention to the specific things that he said and the circumstances of his case.

Stephen is described in Acts 6 as “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.” This was consistent with the requirements the apostles had outlined, that the seven men selected be “full of the Spirit and wisdom” (6:3). He is also described in verse 8 as “a man full of God’s grace and power” who did great wonders and signs among the people.

These characteristics caused Stephen to be opposed by members of a particular synagogue of Jews from the diaspora. These Jews stirred up the elders and teachers to seize Stephen and bring him before the Sanhedrin. Then they produced false witnesses, who claimed that Stephen spoke against the temple and the law.

The text of Acts clearly states that these charges are false, and his testimony is dedicated to proving that. When the high priest asked him, “Are these charges true?”, he could have simply said, “No!” Instead, he goes into a long speech which illustrates his understanding of the faith of Israel.

In his speech, he recounts the call of Abraham, the slavery and deliverance from Egypt, and especially the statement of Moses in Deut. 18:13 that God would raise up a prophet like him in the future. After this he relates the various ways that Israel and its people abandoned the worship of God and turned to worshiping other things.

He does address the charge of speaking against the temple when he states that David wanted to build a “dwelling place for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built the house for him” (Acts 7:49). Stephen then quotes Isaiah to say that God is too big to be contained in a building.

Stephen then addresses the rebellion of the current group of leaders to whom he is speaking. He says that they are just like their fathers who persecuted and killed the prophets and those who predicted the coming of the Messiah. And he accuses them of being part of the group that betrayed and murdered that promised one, Jesus.

At this point, he turns their accusation of speaking against the law back on them. First, he calls them “stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears.” This is reminiscent of the command God gives to Israel in Deut. 10:16. “Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer.” What did he mean?

Circumcision was a ritual that God had commanded for every baby boy in Israel as a sign of his covenant with Abraham. It’s not something that can be literally done to the physical heart. The prophet Jeremiah reiterated the need for circumcised hearts in Jer. 4:4 and 9:26. It seems to refer to an internalized love for God, obedience to his commands, and identification with his people.

Stephen hits his accusers even harder with his final words, “You who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it.” He accuses his accusers of not obeying the law. This is what got them really angry and led to them stoning him.

His statement, however, sounds very much like that of Jesus in John 7:19 when he said, “Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law.” It’s clearly the view of both Jesus and Stephen that the law should be kept. But it should be kept from the heart, out of love for God and with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Pentecost

It seems that several of the events in salvation history corresponded to holy days and festivals that God gave his people to observe. The crucifixion of Jesus is pointedly associated with Passover. From the beginning of his ministry, Jesus had been identified with the Passover lamb (John 1:29) whose blood was spread on the doorposts to deliver families from the death of the firstborn.

The gospels describe Jesus celebrating a Passover seder with his disciples the night before he died. On that occasion he associates the unleavened bread of Passover with his body that is to be pierced. Also he connects the third Passover cup of wine, the cup of salvation, to his shed blood. He urges his disciples, whenever they celebrate Passover, to associate the symbols, not only with the deliverance from Egypt, but also with the deliverance from sin that he was to provide through his death.

It’s also very possible that the resurrection of Jesus is intentionally connected with the first day of counting the omer and the offering of the firstfruits offering. It was to be done the day after the Sabbath of unleavened bread (Lev. 23:9-17). The resurrection of Jesus is called the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (I Cor. 15:20)

Often overlooked is the role that “Pentecost” plays in this sequence. “Pentecost” is the Greek-based term for the Jewish festival of Shavuot (Weeks) described in Leviticus 23:15ff and Deuteronomy 16:9ff. It was one of three festivals that all Jewish men were to go to the temple in Jerusalem to celebrate (Deu. 16:16).

After the firstfruits offering, the Jews were to count off seven weeks (Shavuot). The next day, the fiftieth day, was to be the festival (hence Pentecost). In scripture this festival is described in terms of the harvest. But Jews have traditionally used it also to commemorate the giving of the Law from Mt. Sinai. The time frame matches. The Passover occurred in the middle of the (lunar) month. Exodus 19:1 says, “In the third month after the Israelites left Egypt — on the very day — they came to the Desert of Sinai.”

The exact timing seems to be important to the chronology. The arrival at Sinai would have occurred just over six weeks after Passover. Once the people got settled and Moses went up the mountain to talk to God, there were three days for the people to prepare themselves before the Law was given in the voice of God, accompanied by fire (Exod. 19:18).

In the rabbinic writings about the book of Exodus it is written that, “God’s voice, as it was uttered, split up into seventy voices, in 70 languages, so that all the nations should understand.”

The event described in Acts 2, that Christians refer to as “Pentecost”, exhibits many clear parallels to the Sinai event. It occurred on the same day of the year, and there were tongues of fire and speaking in other languages. The significance of the event, as described by Peter, seems to be the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

We could consider this Pentecost event as the Sinai of the New Covenant. We recall that one of the things that was new about the New Covenant was that the law was to be internalized (Jer. 31:33). Since men couldn’t keep God’s law in their own strength, God’s Spirit was going to be given to enable them to keep the law (Ezek. 36:27).

Jesus alludes to this in John 14:15 when he says, “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever — the Spirit of truth.” Paul alludes to this ministry of the Holy Spirit in Romans when he says that sin was condemned “in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature, but according to the Spirit” (8:14).

It’s easy for those without a knowledge of the Jewish background of the festival of Weeks (Pentecost) to overlook the fact that one of the primary reasons for the giving of the Holy Spirit was to enable the believer to obey God’s law. The Acts 2 Pentecost event was truly the Sinai of the New Covenant.

James and the Law

The apostle James wrote one of the earliest epistles that became part of the New Testament. We’ve already mentioned that he alluded to the fact that believers to whom he was writing met in synagogues (2:2), even though most Christian translators won’t translate it literally.

Admittedly James (or Jacob) seems to be writing to a Jewish audience, as he addresses them as “the twelve tribes”. But he does mention the Law at several points during his epistle, and always in a positive context. Let’s look at these instances.

In James 1:22 he is speaking about not merely listening to scripture, but doing what it says. As a remedy, he prescribes looking “into the perfect law that gives freedom.” This often takes us aback because we’re not used to thinking of God’s Law as giving freedom. We sing hymns with lyrics like, “Free from the law, oh happy condition.”

James does seem to be alluding to passages like Psalm 19:7, “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul”, and Psalm 119:96, “To all perfection I see a limit; but your commands are boundless”. He may also be alluding to passages like Psalm 119:32, “I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.”

Many of us think, inaccurately, that it is the law that Jesus has set us free from. Paul discusses this in Romans 7 and 8. He goes to great lengths to show that it was not the law that enslaved, but sin. The law, of course, defines sin, so in a sense it can be said to be a contributor. But Paul emphasizes that, “The law is holy” (7:12), “the law is spiritual” (7:14), and “the law is good” (7:16).

Paul says that “I delight in God’s law” (7:22) and I “am a slave to God’s law” (7:25). But he contrasts that with what he calls a “law of sin” making him a slave and a prisoner. It is this sin principle that Jesus sets us free from, through the work of the Holy Spirit.

“The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God” (8:6-8). But those that are controlled by the Spirit can. Paul says that God condemned sin, “in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit” (8:4). This is consistent with the words of the prophets in speaking about the new covenant, that the law will be internalized (Jer. 31:33), and that it will be the Spirit of God that moves people to keep his laws (Ezek. 36:27).

James echoes his words later in the epistle when he says, “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom” (2:12). This idea of the law giving freedom seems to be central to James’ thought in this epistle. And it is to be the standard by which we are to live.

This is contrasted in chapter 4 with the idea of judging the law. James equates judging a brother with judging the law, and “When you judge the law you are not keeping it” (4:11). Clearly James is opposed to judging the law and in favor of keeping it.

The other place that the law is mentioned is in James 2:8. “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’, you are doing right.” Lest we think that James is only endorsing this one command, he goes on to say that the law is a whole; if you break one part, you are guilty of breaking all of it.

This particular command, given in Leviticus 19:18, is used by Jesus, along with the command in Deuteronomy 6:5 to love God, as a summary of all the commands in the law (Matthew 22:37-40). It’s not a substitute for the others, but an encapsulation. All of the commandments involve either our relationship with God or with other people.

It’s clear from James’ mentions of the law as perfect, royal, giving freedom, and to be kept rather than judged, that James is on the same page as the writer of Psalm 119 who said, “All your righteous laws are eternal” (119:160). He didn’t expect them to be time-bound or obsolete.

Apostles – Temple

During his lifetime, Jesus worshiped regularly in the temple when he was in Jerusalem and in the synagogue when he was elsewhere (Luke 4:16). After he ascended, his followers continued to practice Judaism in the same way.

The apostles and other disciples, a group of about 150, were in Jerusalem for the Passover festival. After Jesus’ resurrection, he told them to remain in Jerusalem, rather than going home and then returning for Shavuot (Pentecost), another pilgrim festival (Deu. 16:16).

Acts 3:1 records Peter and John going up to the temple at the time of prayer, at 3 pm. This is the minchah prayer time that Jews traditionally observe. Many Christians read this passage and fail to note that the apostles were practicing Judaism on this occasion and others.

This was not just a one-time visit either. In the preceding verses (2:46) we’re told that they continued to meet together in the temple courts every day. No doubt when the occasion arose, they would preach. But only one or two sermons are recorded. On the dozens of other days, they apparently went to the temple to worship and pray.Paul himself, years later when he was in Jerusalem, would go to the temple, purify himself, and pay the expenses for four men who were concluding a Nazirite vow (Acts 21:24).

As far as synagogue worship is concerned, we see Paul visiting the synagogues in almost every town that he visited (Acts 17:2). Where there was no synagogue, he tried to find a place where the Jews met for prayer, so he could worship with them.

It’s easy to forget that when Paul was seeking believers in Jesus to persecute them, he was going to synagogues to find them (Acts 9:2). He repeats this account in his testimony to Agrippa (Acts 26:11). It’s clear that believers in Jesus were worshiping in the synagogues with other Jews throughout the empire.

The apostle James, in summarizing the discussion in Acts 15 of how to get the Gentile believers started following God’s Law when they had never done it before, enumerates four laws that they should start with, apparently to avoid offending the Jewish community that they were worshiping with. Then he concludes his message by pointing out that the Law of Moses is taught in every synagogue, so that presumably these Gentile believers could learn it over time during their weekly synagogue meetings.

James also mentions synagogue attendance in his epistle, one of the earliest. In chapter two he says that if a rich man comes into your synagogue, don’t show him favoritism over a poor man. Many translators try to hide that fact by translating it as “assembly”, but it’s clearly the word “synagogue”.

The believers often met in homes of other believers, as we see in the greetings at the end of Paul’s letters. But there can be no doubt that they worshiped in synagogues with other Jews during the years immediately following Jesus’ ascension.

I always have to laugh when I walk by a building near where I live. The building is labelled, “First Church of the Apostolic Faith.” The reason I laugh is because if it were really the apostolic faith, it would be a synagogue. The religion of Jesus and his followers in the first century was Judaism. Acknowledging this can go a long way toward helping us understand the New Testament.