Eike Mueller
The book of Acts is Luke’s second volume to Theophilus. In it the author continues his reflective study of the life of Christ with an account of the Holy Spirit’s working in the early church (Luke 1:1–4; Acts 1:1–3). As in the preceding volume, Luke here combines a considered construction of the narrative with an eloquent writing style.
The modern reader is accustomed to significant signposting: chapter divisions, paragraph headings and tables of contents all make a book’s development relatively explicit. This was not the case with ancient works, which were often read aloud to a group of listeners, who would deduce the progression of ideas or events as the narrative unfolded. Notwithstanding, it is helpful for us, as a modern audience, to take a deliberate step back and consider how Luke structures his account.
It has been pointed out that Acts can be roughly divided into two parts. The first describes the apostles’ ministry in and around Jerusalem (chapters 1–15), while the second follows Paul’s missionary journeys throughout the Roman Empire (13–26). Or, rather than focusing on geographical locations, this division can also be considered in terms of central characters, with part 1 dealing primarily with Peter and the apostles, and part 2 being more concerned with Paul and his companions.
This book partitioning is direct and easy; however, the distinctions in Luke’s development of the early church’s story are not quite this straightforward. For one thing, Peter’s and Paul’s stories overlap: the conversion of Paul takes place in Acts 9:1–31, his ministry is noted in Acts 11:24–30, and his first missionary journey is recorded in Acts 13–14. These initial accounts of Paul are then interrupted by continuations in the narrative of Peter’s ministry (9:34–43 healing ministry in Lydda and Joppa; 10–12 encounter with Cornelius and the miraculous release from Herod Agrippa’s prison). Furthermore, aside from the fact that the break between sections is far from clean, a closer consideration reveals that Peter was not, in actual fact, the main focus of the initial chapters in the first place. In chapter 6, for example, we see all of the apostles working together to resolve conflict in the church over the distribution of food amongst gentile widows. Subsequent chapters go on to spotlight the work of Stephen, and then Philip (7–8). While Peter unarguably features prominently in chapters 1–5 and 10–11, he is not the protagonist. Rather, the apostles work as—and clearly consider themselves—a joint body; Peter is not the head of the twelve.
We can perhaps better understand the subtleties of what Luke is trying to do by looking at his introduction, and how he uses it to set the scene for the progression of the book’s narratives. He first summarizes the events immediately following the resurrection, in Acts 1:3, honing in on the fact that Jesus taught his disciples about the “kingdom of God.” From there, Luke immediately progresses to an account of Jesus speaking directly to his disciples, commanding them to remain in Jerusalem to receive the Holy Spirit (1:4–5). The disciples take the opportunity to ask Jesus if he will now “restore the kingdom to Israel” (1:6). Jesus’s teaching about the “kingdom of God,” contrasted starkly with the disciples’ desire to restore the “kingdom to Israel,” and shows that they have not understood the nature of God’s kingdom; it is not a political or national kingdom, but a heavenly reality which they have already experienced in the person of Jesus (Luke 4:43; 8:1). Luke had already stated in his gospel that the kingdom was available to the disciples, and that it would never fade (6:20; 1:33). One essential function of the Holy Spirit will be to convince the disciples of their need for a heavenly perspective, in place of their existing religious and cultural preconceptions. Until the Holy Spirit has completed this work, they are instructed to remain in Jerusalem. But Jesus’s parting words look to a time beyond this, when the disciples—or apostles, as they will have by then become—will be his witnesses “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). These final instructions from Jesus anticipate not just a shift in mindset, but also the active ministry of the early church. This, then, is the focus of the book of Acts: the gospel mission radiating out from Jerusalem to the entire world. The book’s structure follows this trajectory, as delineated by Jesus himself:
This structure reinforces the theological message Luke seeks to convey. His primary focus is not individuals, or geographical locations. Rather, Luke is highlighting the fact that the Holy Spirit used all kinds of faithful believers (apostles, elders, women, gentiles, a eunuch, a centurion, etc.) to extend the “kingdom of God” to the whole world. This expansion of the gospel fulfills Jesus’s final commission to his followers, and demonstrates the faithfulness of the early church.
This structure also goes some way to explaining the peculiarities of Luke’s account. Unlike in the case of biographies, which concentrate on the experience of a single protagonist, both candidates to the position of “lead character” in Acts—Peter and Paul—disappear from view during Luke’s narrative. Our curiosity is piqued with many unanswered questions: Did Paul make it to Spain? What was his life like in Rome? How did Peter and Paul die? While potential answers to such questions are offered by the church fathers (with varying degrees of reliability), in passing over them Luke reminds his reader that the proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ must be our central focus. The apostles are simply ambassadors of God’s kingdom.
The second unusual feature in Acts is that the gospel ministry is often accompanied by internal conflict. Each venture into unchartered territory (from Jerusalem to Samaria, from Samaria to “the world”, etc.) is carried out by faithful servants of God, yet involves contention. In the conversion of Cornelius (Acts 10–11) we see a reluctant, but ultimately faithful preacher, Peter, under attack from a perturbed section of the Christian community for his association with gentiles. The same pattern is repeated in Antioch, and on Paul’s first missionary journey, leading to the establishment of the apostolic council (Acts 15). The story of Acts showcases instances of great faith, but also immense struggle amongst the fellowship of believers. Ultimately, the Holy Spirit works through and with them, despite their setbacks.
Finally, in the structure of Acts we see Luke speed swiftly over nearly four decades of early church history. He presents merely the highlights, omitting significant developments. Paul, in his letters to the church, gives us a much deeper insight into his approach to ministry, theology, and the everyday struggles of life. Luke, on the other hand, intentionally sweeps across the big arc of history to hone in on his key message: Jesus commissioned the early church to take the good news from Jerusalem to the world…and, by his Spirit, they did! The first believers carried the gospel message from a small corner of the Roman Empire to its heart—to Rome itself. And yet, the corners of this world are still to be reached. It is down to the succeeding generations of believers to take the gospel commission from beyond the borders of the Roman Empire, to the “end of the earth.” If the generations of followers to come are as faithful to the Holy Spirit’s leading as were the early church—in tribulation as well as in triumph—then the parting words of Jesus can be realized in full (Matt 24:14).