January 11, 2004
Isaiah 43:1-7; Acts 8:14-17; Luke 3:15-17, 21, 22
The commentary provided last week also applies to the Isaiah passage for this week. It was originally intended as a source of encouragement and hope to a people who had "lost their way". It has been interpreted by the church as further support of a Christology which affirmed Jesus as Messiah to the Jews and as Savior of the world.
The scripture from Acts indicates a response to the prophetic message concerning Jesus as Messiah for the Jews and as Savior of the world. Jesus was no longer physically in their presence. Now they must depend on whatever inspiration and strength they could receive through his spirit. They spoke of this "spirit" as the Holy Spirit. It occurred to them that the same "spirit" which emboldened, empowered, and inspired Jesus might do the same for them. As the disciples in Jerusalem heard that Peter, John and, others had "received" the Holy Spirit they wanted the same. They therefore gladly received Peter and John who prayed with them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit as well. When Peter and John laid hands on the disciples in Jerusalem they also received the same Holy Spirit which had made Jesus so special and powerful among them. This kind of inspiration and empowerment became essential in the birth and growth of early Christianity.
The experience which was perceived by the early disciples following the death of Jesus followed the pattern of that which had been experienced through the ministry of John the Baptist as one preparing the way for Jesus as Messiah, and which was experienced by Jesus at the time of his baptism by John in the Jordan river. It should be noted that Luke is the author of both the Gospel carrying his name and the Book of Acts. In fact the two books were originally one. Both were written by Luke in an effort to tell the story of the life of Jesus as well as the story concerning the impact of his life on those who followed him as disciples. Acts also told the story of the expanding influence of the church outward from Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, into the world of that day. The introduction of the Gospel indicates that Luke wanted to compile a narrative of the things which "have been accomplished among us". The introduction to the Book of Acts makes reference to the first book indicating that it dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach. These works of Luke imply a belief that disciples of Jesus were expected by "the Almighty" to continue doing the works that Jesus had started. The perpetuation of this belief has been a major source of empowerment for the Church from that day to this. Today the Church is challenged to present a message of hope and empowerment to the modern world in the same spirit that it presented its message to a much different world over two thousand years ago. In the same sense that we "do things differently" now, it should not be surprising that we should understand how God works in a manner different from that perceived over two thousand years ago. The message of hope is the same. The application and specifics of the message ought to be different.