10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”
11 So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying.
12 And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.”
13 Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.
14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.
16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
Ananias (v.10) — Nothing is known of him except what is given here and in Paul’s account of these events in Acts 22:12-16 — where we learn that he was a devout Jew who kept the law. He was obviously also a believer in Jesus Christ as the Messiah, and was probably on Saul’s hit list when he traveled to Damascus.
street called Straight (v.11) — Visitors to Damascus know the street. It is still there, and constitutes the main highway. Along that street Saul passed, led blind to the house of one Judas, which now lies below the rubbish. That street in Damascus stretched from the western to the eastern gate. In the days of Saul it was very beautiful, typical in every way of that Greek movement; a great highway through the city of Damascus, the principal highway, divided by Corinthians columns into three avenues. — Morgan, pages 232-233.
Judas (v.11) — almost certainly a non-believing Jew who received Saul as the representative of the high priest
Paul’s mission to persecute believers was widely known (vs. 13-14, 21).
chosen vessel (v.15) — the treasure the vessel was chosen to carry is the Lord’s name (see also Jeremiah 18:1-6; Romans 9:21).
kings (v.15) — Paul spoke before Roman governors, King Agrippa (Acts 26) and, perhaps, Emperor Nero (2 Timothy 4:17).
Mark well that right here, at the outset of his ministry, when the Lord first commissions him, the Gentiles are mentioned before Israel. It is true, to be sure, that until Acts 28 he went to the Jews first in city after city, but this was not to further extend Peter’s offer of the kingdom, for that offer could be accepted only in the land. It was rather that Israel as a nation might have no excuse for rejecting Christ. While God was still dealing with Israel, these Jews outside the land were given first opportunity to hear that “Jesus is the Christ,” so that they might decide for themselves whether or not they would join the nation in its rejection of Christ and accept the responsibility for the judgment which was to follow. Furthermore, it was the natural thing for Saul, a Jew, to begin his ministry to “all men” by going first to his own people, who at least believed in the true God, to witness to them that the rejected Jesus was truly God’s Anointed. but Saul’s ministry was to be mainly to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13).
It is significant that upon Saul’s first return to Jerusalem after his conversion Christ appeared to him to say: Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem; for they will not receive thy testimony concerning Me (Acts 22:18).
And when Saul argued the case, thinking that his testimony, more than that of others, might bear weight with them, the Lord replied summarily: Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles (Acts 22:21). — Stam, pages 39-40
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This [how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake] explains one of his [Paul’s] statements in the Colossians letter with which many have experienced difficulty: [I] now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind [still remains] of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His body’s sake, which is the church” (Colossians 1:24).
This passage in no way indicates that our Lord’s death on Calvary did not suffice to pay the whole debt of sin. It has rather to do with the present afflictions of Christ which we, his ambassadors, suffer, or should suffer, for Him.
The world’s attitude toward Christ has not changed. Were He here today they would crucify Him again. But He is exalted far above all, out of their reach. It is we who “fill up” that which still remains of His afflictions.
And Saul is our leader in this. He had led the rebellion and had cruelly persecuted the believers. Now God, allowing the rebellion to continue, had saved Saul, sending him forth as an ambassador of reconciliation to His enemies. Hence he now had to bear the suffering he had once inflicted upon others — suffering for Christ. Ah, but such suffering is sweet. He calls it “the fellowship of His sufferings” (Philippians 3:10). He rejoices in it (Colossians 1:24).
And we follow him in this too, for we also are ambassadors of grace, ourselves saved by grace. Therefore the apostle says to us: For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake (Philippians 1:29). — Stam, pages 43-44
Just a few verses earlier (Acts 9:4), the Lord told Saul that by persecuting believers he was persecuting Him. Then, in verse 16, He begins to explain how Paul’s sufferings were His sufferings.
3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.
4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7 And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.
8 Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.
9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
light (v.3) — brighter than the noon sun (Acts 26:13)
shone (v.3) = flashed, like lightning
The Son of God in the Glory of the Father was revealed unto Saul. Though the record here is silent about the actual vision, it is clearly seen from other Scriptures that such was the case. Ananias later addressed Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way” (Acts 9:17). From another verse in our chapter (verse 27), we learn that Barnabas said “that he had seen the Lord in the way and that He had spoken to him.” Then in Acts 26:16, the Lord Himself spoke to Saul: “I have appeared unto thee.” A more direct testimony is found from the apostle in 1 Corinthians 15, where, after mentioning the different witnesses of the resurrection, Paul says, “and last of all He was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, butcause I persecuted the church of God” (1 Corinthians 15:8-9). He saw the Lord in all His resurrection Glory and this, besides the direct call, constituted him an apostle, for he was not a fit witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. “Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord?” (1 Corinthians 9:1). — Gaebelein, page 171
voice (v.4) — The Lord spoke in Hebrew (Acts 26:14).
Saul, Saul (v.4) — In Luke’s writings, the repetition of a name implies rebuke or warning.
Why are you persecuting Me? (v.4) — persecuting a believer is persecuting the Lord
and he said, “Who are You, Lord? (v.5) — Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3).
Jesus (v.5) — That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11).
I am Jesus whom you are persecuting (v.5) — the pronouns are emphatic, pointing out the Lord’s greatness and Saul’s folly
kick against the goads (v.5) — The words which follow in the authorized version “It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord what wilt Thou have me to do?” must be omitted here. They do not belong into the historical account as given by Luke. They were inserted later from chapters 22 and 26, where they are in the right place. No Greek manuscript contains them. — Gaebelein, page 172
speechless (v.7) = struck dumb with astonishment
voice (v.7) — words to Paul, noise to the others
We remember years ago how a poor, blinded Jew attended our Gospel meetings and among his claims that the New Testament contradicted itself, he would cite the statement here about the companions of Saul and Paul’s statement that “they heard not the voice of Him that spoke with me (Acts 22:9). He called this a disagreement. The far more blinded higher critics make the same assertion. But there is no disagreement. Luke in his brief account tells us that the men heard a voice. But Paul tells us that they heard not “the voice of Him that spake with me.” They did not hear the conversation, they heard the sound of a voice but the voice itself was unintelligible to them. John 12:28-29 explains it perfectly. The Son of God heard the Father’s voice. The people who stood by heard the sound waves and some declared that it was thunder, others that an angel had spoken. Only the Son heard what the the Father had said. So here. The men heard the sound of the voice, but what was said they did not hear; Saul alone understood the words of the heavenly speaker. — Gaebelein, page 175
led him by the hand (v.8) — in contrast with Paul’s intended entry into the city bringing threats and murder
We doubt that Paul’s mind was very much occupied with his own safety at this time. There were more important things to think about during these days without sight, food or drink. These letters of death; what did he want with them now? The past; the fathers mothers and loved ones he had hunted to their deaths; those he had scourged to make them blaspheme Christ; his recent intense hatred of Christ. How could he ever begin to set all this right? And yet here he was saved, and chose to bear Christ’s name before the world! But how would they receive his testimony? Or, would his testimony, perhaps, bear great weight than the testimonies of others? Ah, but how utterly undeserving was he to speak one word in Christ’s behalf!
What mingled feelings of sorrow and joy, remorse and gratitude, shame and glory must have surged within Saul’s breast as he contemplated what he had just seen and heart! — Stam, page 35
Israel, through whom God had promised to send salvation and blessing to the Gentiles, had now joined the Gentiles in their rebellion against God and Saul of Tarsus was leading that rebellion.
But when Saul pressed the persecution into Gentile territory, divine intervention was immediate and direct. If the people of Israel would not accept salvation through Christ they were not, at least, to be permitted to keep it from the Gentiles. Thus God now proceeds to show them that He did not choose them because He needed them, but because of His sovereign grace, and that He can justly offer salvation to all, entirely apart from the covenant promises, entirely apart from Israel — wholly and solely through the merits of the Crucified. And for this purpose, yea, on these grounds, He saves Saul, His chief enemy on earth, sending him forth with “the gospel of the grace of God!” (Acts 20:24; Ephesians 3:2). — Stam, page 26
Paul constantly returned to this event in his preaching and writing.
Acts 22:5-16 — As also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished. Now it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me. And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ So I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me. So I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.’ And since I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus. Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there, came to me; and he stood and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that same hour I looked up at him. Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth. For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’
Acts 26:12-18 — While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’
1 Corinthians 15:8 — Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.
Galatians 1:15-16 — But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles …
1 Timothy 1:12-13 — And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
Paul’s Roman, as well as his Hebrew citizenship is strongly emphasized in the book of Acts. This is significant, for here at the outset, as a representative of both Jew and Gentile, he is sent to both Jews and Gentiles to turn them from darkness to light and to give them an inheritance among the sanctified.
Saul was not sent out to work under the commission given to the twelve. Indeed, the Lord had raised him up as another apostle, entirely apart from the twelve, that though him “He might reconcile both [Jews and Gentiles] unto God in one body by the cross” (Ephesians 2:16). — Stam, pages 28-29
1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest
2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
breathing (v.1) = breathing in, inhaling — passion
asked letters (v.2) — Paul volunteered to persecute, and he was obviously held in high esteem by the rulers.
Damascus (v.2) — In Old Testament times it was the capital of Syria. It is situated on one of the most fertile plains in the world, about 2,200 feet above the level of the sea, a plain watered by the river Chrysorrhoes and abundant in fruit trees and grain crops. It is about 60 miles from the sea coast, and was once the highway of traffic to the East. Under the Greek regime, it was eclipsed by the greater importance of the new capital, Antioch (Acts 11:20). It has again, however, established its former superiority and is a large city with 150,000 inhabitants [as of 1965]. A large colony of Jews who had several synagogues, resided there … Its distance from Jerusalem is about 160 miles. — Walker, pages 205-206
The persecution of believing Jews in Jerusalem was probably close to completion. Saul had persecuted believers in other cities (Acts 26:11) and was moving on to Damascus.
the Way (v.2) — From other passages in Acts it seems clear that the term, “this way” is Luke’s inspired designation for the faith and practices of Messiah’s followers, not a derisive term used by Saul (See Acts 18:25-26; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). Perhaps the term was used much as we might speak of “the message” or “these truths,” but it is not without significance that the same terminology is used in John 14:6, where we have the words of our Lord: “I AM the Way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” — Stam, page 25
Paul was fulfilling the Lord’s prediction in John 16:2: They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. He did it in ignorance (1 Timothy 1:13-16), but it was willful ignorance, and this, in no way, eliminated his guilt.
Saul was born in Tarsus, an old city, and the capital of Cilicia. In that city was situated a great university given mostly to the study of philosophy. Josephus in agreement with Jewish literature identified the city with Tarshish, to which Jonah attempted to flee. Saul has often been called a “Hellenist,” that is, a Grecian Jew. But this is easily answered by his own words, “a Hebrew of the Hebrews.” He belonged to the sect of the Pharisees, and his father was likewise a member of the same class, for Saul called himself “a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee” (Acts 23:6). His bringing up was on the strictest Jewish order. All the observances of the law and the traditions of the elders were conscientiously followed by him. This fact he calls to mind when he wrote his great defense of the Gospel to the Galatians. “For ye have heard,” he states, “of my conversation in time past in the Jew’s religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the Church of God, and wasted it. And profited in the Jew’s religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers” (Galatians 1:13-14). He also witnesses of his life before the grace and power of God converted him, when he wrote to the Philippians, “Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, and Hebrew of the Hebrews as touching the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the Church; touching the righteousness, which is in the law, blameless” (Philippians 3:5-6).
This young Pharisee had a strong belief in the God of Israel, in His promises and the destiny of Israel. This belief manifested itself outwardly in a zeal for God. While he was thus filled with pride of race, zeal for God, but without knowledge, striving to attain righteousness, to fulfill and obey the very letter of the law, he had an intense hatred of what he supposed to be disloyalty to the law. In Tarsus, his native city, he became fully acquainted with Greek customs, Greek life, literature, art and philosophy. The local industry of Tarsus was tent making. These tents were manufactured out of goat’s hair. This trade the young Saul learned. Teaching boys a certain trade is an ancient Jewish custom. His family may have been very influential and wealthy. He had a married sister living in Jerusalem, who must have been very highly connected (Acts 23:16). Saul of Tarsus was furthermore a Roman citizen. This was a high honor and privilege. It could be bought for large sums of money. When Paul was about the be scourged he mentioned his Roman citizenship. The chief captain, a Greek by the name of Claudius Lysias (Acts 23:26), said: “With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was born free” (Acts 22:28). The prisoner held a higher honor than the captain; no wonder Claudius Lysias was afraid. His family must have had the Roman citizenship conferred upon them as a mark of distinction or reward for some eminent service.
Saul received his religious education in Jerusalem. We listen again to his own words, “I am verily a man, a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city (Jerusalem) at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye are all this day” (Acts 22:3). Gamaliel was the greatest rabbi of the Pharisees, the president of the Sanhedrin. He was the son of Simon and grandson of the celebrated Hillel. We have found his name before in the fifth chapter. He was highly esteemed for his learning. The Talmud says, “When he died the honor of the Torah (law) ceased, and purity and piety became extinct.” At the feet of this great and learned man, Saul of Tarsus sat. That Saul was highly respected in Jerusalem and close to the leaders of the people is seen by the letters entrusted to him and the commission to Damascus. He may have been even a member of the council, for “he voted.” “When they were put to death, I gave my voice (lit. my vote) against them” (Acts 26:10). It may be interesting to say a word on his outward appearance. He has frequently been pictured as a tall handsome-looking man. But in 2 Corinthians 10:10 we read otherwise. The Corinthians were used to the athletic figures of the Greeks. Of Paul they said, “His letters are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak and his speech contemptible.” A very old apocryphal book, dating back to the end of the first century, “Acta Pauli et Theclae,” has an interesting description of his person, which may be genuine. “A man of moderate stature, with crisp hair, crooked legs, blue eyes, large knit brows, and a long nose, a times looking like a man, at times like an angel.” — Gaebelein, pages 11-164
26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert.
27 So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship,
28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet.
29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”
30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.
32 The place in the Scripture which he read was this: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so He opened not His mouth.
33 In His humiliation His justice was taken away, and who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.”
34 So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?”
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.
36 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”
37 Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.
39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.
40 But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.
toward the south (v.26) — the same word is translated “about noon” in Acts 22:6.
from Jerusalem to Gaza (v.26) — The angel instructed Philip to go to a sparsely-inhabited desert. The way would have been through the Negeb, a desert region.
Gaza was deserted then. Gaza was a fortress in the extreme south of Palestine. It was destroyed by Alexander the Great in the fourth century before Christ. What was not destroyed by him was in the year 96 completely overthrown by the Maccabaean prince Alexander so that it was literally a desert. — Gaebelein, page 156
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desert (v.26) — Gaza was two miles from the sea … a new city was built in the Roman period on the sea-coast and distinguished from its predecessor by the name of “Maritime Gaza.” If this remark [about it being desert] refers to Gaza, we must understand it as indicating the old city which lay in ruins. Since the highway to Egypt passed through the old city, the comment of the text is pertinent. Others, however, consider that the road from Jerusalem to Gaza is intended, and not the city. In that case, we must understand that Philip was instructed to take the less frequented route via Hebron [ across the Negeb]. — Walker, page 196.
Ethiopia (v.27) — a large country then, including Abyssinia, Nubia, Sudan and the countries bordering the Red Sea on the west.
eunuch (v.27) — the law made eunuchs outcasts who could not fully enter the congregation of Israel, but Isaiah 56:3-5 promises blessings to those who believe. He was likely traveling in a large caravan.
great authority (v.27) = potentate, high official
Candace (v.27) — not the name of the queen but a title given to the mother of the Ethiopian king (like Pharaoh)
worship (v.27) — He was probably a proselyte to Judaism, perhaps in Jerusalem for Pentecost.
reading (v.28) — reading aloud
guides (v.31) = authoritative teaching and interpretation. The eunuch traveled to Jerusalem to worship but did not find the answers to his questions in the dead ceremony of the Jews who had rejected Messiah. Even today, Jews take Isaiah’s prophecy as referring to Isaiah himself, Jeremiah or Hezekiah.
The quote in verses 32 and 33 is from Isaiah 53:7-8 in the Septuagint.
As a sheep … as a lamb (v.32) — The order of these words in the LXX differs from that in the Hebrew which is more precise. All the utterances of the New Testament regarding the Lamb of God are derived from this prophecy.
In His humiliation His justice was taken away (v.32) — This may be interpreted in a two-fold sense.
1) “In His state of humiliation, the righteous judgment which was His due was taken away:” i.e. He was unjustly treated.
2) “When He humbled Himself (Philippians 2:8), His condemnation was taken away and canceled” i.e. He was exalted because of His self-humiliation.
The Hebrew original emphasizes the severity of the suffering by, or from, which He was taken away.
Who will declare His generation? (v.33) — The most natural interpretation of this is, “Who shall declare and number the generation or seed which He has won by His death and passion?” (cf. Psalm 22:30). They have, however, been explained as meaning “Who shall declare the wickedness of the generation in which He lived and by which He was put to death?” The Hebrew original seems to lay stress on the carelessness and thoughtlessness of His contemporaries who failed to lay to heart the meaning of His passion.
His life is taken from the earth (v.33) — This means, most naturally “He was put to death,” and the Hebrew original agrees. Some, however, interpret “His life is taken from the earth to a higher and heavenly sphere (Philippians 2:9-11), referring the words to His exaltation. — Walker, pages 199-200
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The 37th verse … does not belong in the text at all, but is an interpolation. The profession of faith put by this verse in the mouth of the Ethiopian anticipates Paul. The first time that Christ is preached that He is the Son of God is in Acts 9:20. Peter preached Him as the rejected Jesus of Nazareth, raised from the dead and Philip simply preached Jesus. It was reserved for Paul to declare the fullness of the Gospel of the Son of God, that Gospel of which he writes to the Galatians “I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:12). The best Greek manuscripts have not the verse, which speaks of the eunuch’s confession that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. — Gaebelein, page 158
caught away (v.39) — the same verb is used of believers at the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
Azotus (v.40) — the old Philistine city Ashdod, 20 miles north of Gaza
all the cities till he came to Caesarea (v.40) — Philip traveled along the coastal highway.
Caesarea (v.40) — A city on the sea-coast, about 30 miles north of Joppa. It was originally an obscure town called Strato’s Tower; but Herod the Great, to whom Augustus had given it, rebuilt it on a large scale and constructed a fine harbor with immense breakwaters. He renamed it Caesarea Augusta in honor of the emperor, and built himself a magnificent palace there. The population consisted partly of Gentiles and partly of Jews, between whom frequent feuds occurred. When Judea passed directly under Roman rule, Caesarea became the residence of their procurator, and so alike the capital city and a garrison town. Since we find Philip residing there still in A.D. 57 (Acts 21:8), it seems almost certain that he made it his headquarters from this time forward. — Walker, pages 202-203
Caesarea (v.40) — Twenty years later (Acts 21:8), Paul visited Philip there.
Those who have supposed that the gospel of the grace of God is found in Isaiah 53 and that this is what Philip preached to the eunuch, have failed to notice two things; the scope and the tone of Isaiah’s prophecy.
As to the scope of the prophecy, it must be noted that Isaiah speaks strictly as a Hebrew prophet. He does not speak of Christ dying for the world, but of His dying for Israel. The 6th verse says: “All WE [ not “all men”] like sheep have gone astray … and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of US all.” The thoughtful student of Scripture will therefore immediately inquire: To whom does the “all we” and the “us all” refer? This question is plainly answered in verse 8, where the prophet goes on to say: “For the transgression of MY PEOPLE was He stricken.”
Thus Isaiah, as a Hebrew prophet, spoke of Messiah’s death for his (Isaiah’s) people and it must not be forgotten that the eunuch had joined himself as a proselyte to this people.
All this is not to deny that we Gentiles too were lost when God found us, or that Christ died for us too. It is simply that this had not yet been made known. Nor did Philip expound Romans, Galatians or Ephesians to the eunuch, but the Old Testament Scriptures, in the light that had thus far been given.
The tone of Isaiah’s prophecy, too, deserves careful notice. It is by no means the joyous proclamation that Christ should die for sinners and that they might find salvation through faith in His finished work. there is rather a tone of disappointment and wonder that He should have to suffer for their sins through, indeed, the prophet declares that God will reward Him and that He shall yet see the glorious results of His humble submission. — Stam, pages 283-284
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Some suppose that substitution — which indeed is taught in Isaiah 53 — is the very acme of Christian truth, while in fact it is but the very beginning … Many an innocent man has suffered for a guilty one, but do people generally rejoice in this? No indeed. And neither were the twelve nor Philip yet proclaiming the cross in this manner. There was as yet no boasting about the cross, as in Galatians 6:14. God was rather calling upon His people to repent of their wicked deed and to be baptized, acknowledging Jesus as their Messiah (Read carefully Acts 2:23, 32, 36, 38; 3:13-15, 19-21; 4:10-12; 5:30-31 and cf. John 1:31).
Those who have not quite taken in this important fact should reflect that the Scriptures clearly teach that the nation Israel will be saved only when she acknowledges her sin against Christ; when, condemned by her guilt and touched by His gentle submission, she breaks down in contrite confession and humbly acknowledges Him as her Messiah.
… then they will look on [or “unto”] Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem … (Zechariah 12:10-11).
And one will say to Him, ‘What are these wounds between Your arms?’ Then He will answer, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of My friends’ (Zechariah 13:6).
And the Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be — “The Lord is one,” and His name one (Zechariah 14:9).
This, then, is God’s purpose in the cross as revealed in the Old Testament prophecy and it must not be confused with “the mystery,” that deeper, more glorious purpose “hid from ages and from generations” but made known in due time through Paul (Colossians 1:26).
Not until the chief of sinners was saved and sent forth with the gospel of the grace of God did the world hear what is properly called “the preaching of the cross,” i.e., as good news. Not until Paul did God offer salvation through faith in Christ’s shed blood. — Stam, pages 285-287
14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,
15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.
16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18 And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money,
19 saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20 But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!
21 You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God.
22 Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.
23 For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”
24 Then Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.”
25 So when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.
Simon’s offer of money is the root of the word “Simony.”
John (v.14) — This is the last mention of John in Acts. He had previously wanted the Samaritans destroyed (Luke 9:54).
Simon thought the giving of the Spirit was an occult secret (v.19). He had lost his influence over the Samaritans to Philip and wanted it back.
neither part nor portion (v.21) = no share whatsoever
in this matter (v.21) = lit. “in this word” — the apostles’ gospel
not right (v.21) = not straight, perverted
wickedness (v.22) = an evil habit of mind
the thought of your heart (v.22) = matured plan, project
poisoned by bitterness (v.23) — Deuteronomy 29:18
bound by iniquity (v.23) — Isaiah 58:6 — both of these terms from verse 23 refer to Simon’s influence over other people
pray to the Lord for me (v.24) — Simon thought the apostles had occult powers and could use them to pray for him. There is no indication that he prayed.
Simon was alarmed. He trembled like the demons, who believe and tremble. There is no confession from his lips, no self-judgment. He does not exhibit confidence in the Lord nor does he ask for forgiveness. He was not moved by repentance, but only by fear. We do not read anything again of him in the Word of God.
Much is reported of Simon the sorcerer by the most ancient sources, the writings of the so-called fathers. Justin Martyr, who was a native of Samaria, who lived about a hundred years later, tells us that Simon held the doctrines of Gnosticism (the same which have appeared in a modern garb in Christian Science) and that the Samaritans worshiped him as a divine being. Epiphanius declares that he claimed deity among the Samaritans and that he was a Messianic pretender. Other sources say that he became after this a greater enemy of the truth, and having lost his prestige in Samaria he went to Rome and there established a wicked movement, which became a gall and bitterness to the true believers there. That he should have met Peter again in Rome and found his end there is only a legend. It is certain that he did not repent. — Gaebelein, pages 152-153
returned (v.25) — the tense suggests a journey with halts for preaching
Why had not those who had believed and been baptized received the Holy Spirit according to the program of the “great commission” (Mark 16:16-17) and of Pentecost (Acts 2:38)?
The answer to this question is again found in the relationship between the Jews and the Samaritans. As we have seen, the schism between Jerusalem and Samaria must be healed before Christ can reign. Israel and Judah, the ten tribes and the two must be reunited (Ezekiel 37:15-19) for Christ is to reign over all twelve tribes. The apostles recognized this, for had not our Lord promised them twelve thrones in the kingdom? (Matthew 19:28). Nor was it enough that the two factions should be brought together. It was the ten tribes which had apostatized and had made Samaria their capital city and had set up their own temple at Mt. Gerizim. They must now renounce all this and recognize Jerusalem as the seat of authority, for there Christ and the twelve must reign.
Meantime this fact is also impressed upon the Samaritan believers, for though these Samaritans had believed and been baptized, they did not receive the Holy Spirit until two apostles had come from Jerusalem and had prayed for them and laid their hands upon them.
Two apostles were enough for this, for it is written: “In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established” (Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15; 2 Corinthians 13:1) and Peter and John, with Philip, made three witnesses. Indeed our Lord had specified that any two of the apostles could act officially for Him in His absence: “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:18-20).
Thus the believers at Samaria recognized the authority of the twelve at Jerusalem and, had the kingdom been accepted, would have become one nation with the Jews. As it is, the restoration of the United Kingdom of Israel under Messiah awaits a future day. — Stam, pages 165-167
5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.
6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
7 For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.
8 And there was great joy in that city.
9 But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great,
10 to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the great power of God.”
11 And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time.
12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.
13 Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.
Philip (v.5) — one of the seven chosen with Stephen in chapter 6. He also shows up in Acts 21:8.
Samaria (v.5) — The quondam capital of the northern (Israelite) kingdom, and an important center commanding the roads northward to Esdraelon and westward to the coast. It was first built by Omri (1 Kings 16:24). After its capture by Sargon, the Assyrian monarch (722 B.C.), its Israelite inhabitants, in common with those of the whole northern kingdom, were largely replaced by foreign colonists. It passed through various vicissitudes under the Greeks and Romans, being finally rebuilt by Pompey. Herod the Great embellished and fortified it, renaming it Sebaste in honor of the Emperor, (Sebastos being the Greek equivalent of the Latin Augustus). Its inhabitants at this period represented a mixture of various races. — Walker, page 185
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The Samaritans were not a heathen people, though, from their mixed descent, they had proclivities which were Gentile rather than Jewish. There was at least some mixture of Hebrew blood in their veins, and they had adopted a modified Jewish sacrificial ritual. They gloried in their famous temple, built on Mt. Gerizim (John 4:20), probably in the time of Sanballat, Nehemiah’s chief opponent. Their sacred book was the Samaritan Pentateuch, which presents many variations from the Jewish Pentateuch. They held a strong Messianic hope (John 4:25-26), and Philip, with true wisdom, made that his avenue of approach to them in his presentation of the Gospel message, as indeed our Lord had done before him. He “proclaimed unto them Messiah,” for whom they were looking as a nation. — Walker, page 186.
It seems that Simon’s “belief” (v.13) was in Philip’s miracles and not in the Lord. He was probably hoping to discover Philip’s secret so he could do miracles too. Simon amazed the people but was, in turn, amazed by Philip.
preached (v.5) = proclaimed like a herald
paralyzed (v.7) — a technical medical term
sorcery (v.9) — skilled in “magician lore” — from Medo-Persian priests — a mix of science and superstition. It came to mean any sort of magical arts such as astrology, soothsaying, exorcisms, divination, mantras, etc.
Suetonius, a Roman historian, who lived in the first part of the second century of our era, gives the information that the whole eastern countries were at that time overrun with all kinds of wonder-workers, astrologers, healers and necromancers. One of the greatest was Apollonius of Tyanaeus, who died about 97 A.D. He was a great sorcerer and worker of miracles. His life and supposed miracles were often compared with those of our Lord. Satan had anticipated the coming of the Gospel and used this man to keep the Samaritans in bondage, to counterfeit the power of God, and to oppose the truth. — Gaebelein, page 147
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This man is the great power of God (v.10) — Simon seems to have taught, along with his practice of the arts of magic, a sort of pseudo-philosophy of which we find other traces at that period and which was afterwards elaborated in the system of Gnosticism. It represented man as united to God by a series of mediators in the shape of divine emanations called Aeons or Powers. The Samaritans saw in Simon the chief of these Powers, a sort of mighty effluence from the deity rendered human by incarnation. — Walker, page 188
astonished (v.11) = bewitched, made distraught, under his influence.
The Samaritans are not considered Gentiles in the Scriptures, though indeed the Jews of Judaea looked upon them as worse than Gentiles.
The ten tribes, it will be remembered, broke away from Judah and Benjamin in the apostasy under Rehoboam. After that the two tribes were generally called Judah and the ten Israel.
Renouncing Jerusalem and the temple, the ten tribes had made Samaria their capital city, hence Israel is also referred to as Samaria in the Old Testament (1 Kings 13:32; 2 Kings 17:24, 26, 28; Ezekiel 16:53, etc.).
After the Syrian conquest, in which Israel was carried into captivity, the King of Syria sent colonist to repopulate the land. These intermarried with those of the ten tribes still remaining in the land and brought them to a still lower moral and spiritual level. The Lord, however, sent lions into their midst to devour them until the King of Syria found it necessary to send one of the Hebrew priests to Samaria to teach them “the manner of the God of the land” (2 Kings 17:25-28).
After the Babylonian captivity the Jews did not permit the Samaritans to help them rebuild the temple at Jerusalem (Ezra 4) whereupon the Samaritans built a rival temple on Mt. Gerizim (cf. John 4:20).
Since the Samaritans had renounced Jerusalem and its authority, the Jews would have no dealings with them, but it is important to remember that whatever their heresies, Samaria represented the ten tribes, that they held to the law of Moses, worshiped the true God and looked for the coming of Messiah.
There came to be, of course, an increasing number of individuals from the ten tribes who did not go along with the great apostasy nor intermarry with the Syrians, and lived in Judaea, Galilee and other places in and outside of Palestine. Thus the term Israel later began again to be applied to all from the twelve tribes who were true to the God-appointed priesthood and to the temple at Jerusalem. In the same way, Israelites from the ten tribes came to be called Jews, along with those of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
If anything is clear in the prophetic Scriptures it is that one day the breach between the ten tribes and the two will be fully healed and that all ten tribes of Israel will be restored and exalted in the kingdom (Ezekiel 37:15-19; Jeremiah 31:31-34; etc.).
Thus in the proclamation of the kingdom as recorded in the four Gospels and in Acts, the term Israel refers to all twelve tribes (See Matthew 19:28; Acts 1:6; etc.). Paul alter used the term in the same way (Acts 26:7; 28:20).
Philip’s ministry among the Samaritans, therefore, was no departure from the prophetic kingdom program, nor did it constitute the sending of the gospel to the Gentiles through Israel’s unbelief. Philip went to the Samaritans to seek to win them to the true Messiah, who was to reign in Jerusalem over all twelve tribes of Israel.
It was not until after the raising up of another apostle — Paul — that the gospel of the grace of God was proclaimed and salvation was sent to the Gentiles through Israel’s fall. This also explains the miraculous element in this passage, for these demonstrations were associated with the kingdom and ceased only when Israel as a nation was set aside. — Stam, pages 259-261
1 Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.
3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.
4 Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.
consenting (v.1) = full consent of the will, approval
church (v.1) = assembly, congregation — still not the Body of Christ
scattered (v.1) — from a word meaning the act of sowing seeds
In the opening verses of Acts 8 we find the Jewish believers going from Jerusalem to Judaea and Samaria. This has led some to conclude that this passage records progress in the carrying out of the “great commission.”
The very opposite, however, is the case. These disciples did not leave Jerusalem in response to any command of our Lord. They were scattered and fled for their lives. And the twelve apostles, the very ones our Lord had commanded to go from Jerusalem to all the world, stayed at Jerusalem. — Stam, page 244
except the apostles (v.1) — no reason is given, but it appears that Hellenistic Jews suffered greater persecution.
The reason the twelve stayed at Jerusalem is that they had been sent to proclaim, not the gospel of the grace of God, but the kingdom rights of Christ. These twelve had been promised thrones in that kingdom (Matthew 19:28). That kingdom was to be established at Jerusalem and could not be established until Jerusalem had accepted Messiah.
Had not God promised Abraham that in his multiplied seed all nations should be blessed? (Genesis 22:17-18). How then could the nations be blessed through Israel when Israel herself would not receive the blessing? Is it not clear from all Old Testament prophecy that Christ was to reign in Jerusalem on David’s throne? Had not our Lord Himself made it clear that He would not return until Jerusalem would say: “Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord”? (Matthew 23:37-39).
How could the apostles complete their commission by going on from Jerusalem now? How could the kingdom be established on earth if Jerusalem and the nation Israel did not turn to Christ? — Stam, pages 245-246
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In this passage, then, rather than seeing the Great Commission (which would have brought in the kingdom) further carried out, we find that program stalled. True, God permitted the twelve to continue their labors at Jerusalem for some time after that, but this was because He would leave Israel without excuse. After this the kingdom rights of Christ still continued to be proclaimed for some time: the apostles — even Paul — continue to remind Israel of His qualifications and credentials, but there is no record of another offer of the kingdom. Already God is preparing to usher in a new dispensation while the establishment of Messiah’s kingdom on earth is held in abeyance. — Stam, page 248
devout men (v.2) — apparently pious Jews, perhaps not believers, who regretted Stephen’s death
lamentation (v.2) = wailing and beating the breast
he made havoc (v.3) — continuing action — a word used of ravenous wild beasts — Acts 22:4, 19-20; 26:10-11
dragging (v.3) = forcing away
preaching (v.4) = evangelizing — still about the Kingdom (Acts 11:19). Paul hadn’t even been given the mystery yet.
“I will show him how great things he must suffer for My Name’s sake (Acts 9:16). What was done unto Stephen was done unto Saul. The Jews and Saul with them, as we believe, disputed and resisted Stephen in the synagogue. The Jews disputed with Paul, resisted him, and rejected his testimony. Stephen was accused of blasphemy; so was Paul (Acts 19:37). Stephen was accused of speaking against Moses, the holy place and the customs; so was Paul (Acts 21:28; 24:6; 25:8; 28:17). They rushed upon Stephen with one accord and seized him. The same happened to Paul (Acts 19:29). Stephen was dragged out of the city. So was Paul (Acts 14:19). Stephen was tried before the Sanhedrin; so did Paul appear before the Sanhedrin. Stephen was stoned and Paul was stoned at Lystra. Stephen suffered martyrdom; so did Paul in Rome. — Gaebelein, page 141.
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We read that this Saul was “consenting” unto Stephen’s death. Does this mean that he was a member of the Sanhedrin? He was a “young man” (Acts 7:58) … and it was a great exception for a young man to be made a member of the Sanhedrin. Yet in Galatians 1:14 he later testified: “[I] profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.”
If not already a member of the Sanhedrin, he must have been promoted to that position soon after the slaying of Stephen, for both Acts 23:6 and Philippians 3:5 make it clear that he was a Pharisee, and testifying before Agrippa concerning his persecution of the saints at Jerusalem, he says that when they were put to death he cast his vote against them (Acts 26:10).
(This probably means that he was married and had children at that time, for evidently only fathers were admitted to Israel’s supreme court, on the ground that parents were apt to be more humane in their judgment of others. His wife could not have lived very long after this, however — 1 Corinthians 7:7-8.) — Stam, page 249
54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.
55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
56 and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord;
58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
cut to the heart (v.54) — as if with a saw
gnashed at him with their teeth (v.54) — an expression of rage and hatred
being full of the Holy Spirit (v.55) — the tense indicates “having been and continuing to be full”
Jesus standing at the right hand of God (v.55) — the first appearance of the Lord in glory.
Son of Man standing at the right hand of God (v.56) — Jesus Christ said this of Himself before this same Council (Luke 22:69).
Son of Man (v.56) — the name Jesus frequently used of Himself. Here, it drove the point home that the One the Council was refusing to accept was God.
out of the city (v.58) — The law required that execution be done outside the gates of Jerusalem (Leviticus 24:14; Numbers 15:35). — Although Roman law forbade the Jews to execute (John 18:31).
witnesses (v.58) — The witnesses were required to throw the first stones (Deuteronomy 17:7). They first took off their cloaks and laid them by Saul for him to watch (Acts 22:20). He was perhaps the leader of the stoning.
he fell asleep (v.60) — A word aptly expressing the peaceful passing of his soul to be with Christ. Contrast the verb used of the death of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:5, 10).
For the use of this verb to denote the “passing” of true believers, see Matthew 27:52; John 11:11; Acts 13:36; 1 Corinthians 15:18, 20, 51; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15; 2 Peter 3:4. From this Greek verb our word “cemetery” is taken. The Jews, doubtless, exceeded their legal powers in the execution of Stephen. We know from John 18:31 that the Sanhedrin had no authority, at this period, to put anyone to death. — Walker, pages 180-181.
Several of my commentaries note how Christ is said to be seated at the right hand of God (Mark 16:19; Hebrews 1:3). To explain why Stephen saw Him standing, they suggest that He stood to welcome Stephen. Stam has a different, and I think better, take:
It is in connection with the judgment of Christ’s enemies and the deliverance of the faithful remnant that we find the Father and the Son rising again in such prophetic passages as the following: “Arise, O Lord, in Thine anger; lift up Thyself because of the rage of mine enemies …” (Psalm 7:6).
And since Israel’s rebellion was but the climax of the world’s rebellion against God and His Christ (Acts 4:23-28) we read further: “Arise, O Lord; let not man prevail: let the heathen [lit. nations] be judged in Thy sight” (Psalm 9:19).
Had Israel, by her persistent rejection of Messiah, brought the wrath of God upon herself and the other nations? Had the rejected Father and His rejected Son risen to smite the world in judgment? Was Christ about to avenge His persecuted disciples? Surely conditions were ripening for the outpouring of God’s wrath, as far as prophecy was concerned.
Thank God, “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Romans 5:20). In matchless love and mercy God still postponed the judgment and ushered in the present dispensation of grace. — Stam, pages 233-234
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It was John the Baptist, the last of the Old Testament prophets, who was sent as the forerunner of Christ to call Israel to repentance. He was beheaded by Herod, the wicked and licentious “king of the Jews.” After John, Christ Himself took up the cry: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Him they crucified. Then, at Pentecost, Israel was given a third opportunity to repent, until they shed blood again, stoning Stephen to death.
It should be noticed, too, that their guilt, as well as their bitter enmity, increased with the second and third murders. As to the beheading of John the Baptist, they permitted. it. As to the crucifixion of Christ, they demanded it (Luke 23:23-24). As to the stoning of Stephen, they committed it, casting him out of the city with their own hands and stoning him there.
And so that generation in Israel committed the unpardonable sin which our Lord warned would not be forgiven, either in that age, or in the age to come. (Remember, this present age of grace was still a mystery when this was spoken, so that “the age to come” refers to the coming Kingdom age.) — Stam, page 240.
Some facts from a lesson I researched a few years ago — There was an official stoning place outside the city of Jerusalem. Tt consisted of a drop-off twice the height of a man — so, from 10-12 feet. When the accused was 15 feet from the drop-off, he would be asked to confess his sins. If he did, he would still be put to death but wouldn’t be “condemned for eternity.” When he was six feet from the drop-off, he would be stripped naked. Then he would be pushed off the drop-off face first.
If the accused survived the drop, he would be turned over onto his back. Then a large stone would be dropped on his heart. If he still lived, he would be pelted with stones until he died.
The witnesses who were responsible for having the prisoner found guilty would throw the stones. If they lied about his guilt, they couldn’t get off easy. They had to be actually responsible for killing him. The first witness pushed him off, the second witness dropped the stone on his heart. If the prisoner still lived, the others in attendance would join in by throwing stones.
51 “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.
52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers,
53 who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”
stiff necked (v.51) — obstinately disobedient, unwilling to bend — Exodus 33:5 (where Moses uses it of the Israelites)
The Jews boasted of circumcision as a sign of their favor with God and despised the uncircumcised Gentiles. But Stephen calls them uncircumcised in God’s sight (v.51) because their circumcision was just an outward ritual that did not reflect their inward state. Jeremiah 6:10; 9: 26; Ezekiel 44:7
resist (v.51) = fling yourself against in opposition
which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute (v.52) — 2 Chronicles 36:16; Matthew 5:12; 21:34-36; 23:35-37; Luke 13:34
killed (v.52) — 2 Chronicles 24:20-22
Just One (v.52) — Jesus Christ — Acts 3:14; Isaiah 11:4-5; 53:11. The Lord is just (justified, righteous) because only He perfectly fulfilled God’s law and will.
by the direction of angels (v.53) — cf. Galatians 3:19; Hebrews 2:2, in which passages the angels are regarded as intermediaries through whom the Law was given; a view based, apparently, on Deuteronomy 33:2, where the LXX reads “At His right hand were angels with Him,” in lieu of “at His right hand was a fiery law unto them.” Cf. also Psalm 68:17. As the present verse is rendered in the text, a similar meaning is suggested …
The general idea would appear to be that additional luster was attached to the law on account of the presence and ministry of angels at its first promulgation. it’s inception was attended with all the concomitants of heavenly glory. — Walker, page 176
not kept it (v.53) — Stephen was accused of blaspheming the law. In his defense, he points out that it was his accusers who were in violation of the law.
That the rulers understood perfectly what Stephen had been getting at is clear from these verses and the rest of the account.
Apparently it became evident that the rulers would reject any appeal Stephen had hoped to make, and he sensed that they would not listen much longer, for suddenly the tone of his message changes. Rather than an appeal there is a stinging indictment. He seems to disown them as he changes his repeated “our fathers” to “your father,” and charges them with resisting the Holy Spirit, betraying and murdering Christ and despising Moses and the law which they pretended to uphold. In his indictment Stephen went backward from their sin against the Spirit, to that against Christ, to that against Moses and the law, for the effect it would have upon them. Actually their sin against the Spirit was that which sealed their doom. — Stam, ages 228-229.
44 “Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He appointed, instructing Moses to make it according to the pattern that he had seen,
45 which our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought with Joshua into the land possessed by the Gentiles, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers until the days of David,
46 who found favor before God and asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob.
47 But Solomon built Him a house.
48 “However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says:
49 ‘Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the Lord, or what is the place of My rest?
50 Has My hand not made all these things?’
Jesus pointed out that the temple wasn’t the permanent dwelling place of God (Mark 14:58). To put the temple in its proper perspective, Stephen points out that God originally ordained the tabernacle, which was carried about from the wilderness to the Promise Land. The tabernacle was the original sanctuary. The temple came later and then, it appears, only because David desired it.
We can trace the presence of the tabernacle in Shiloh (1 Samuel 1:3); in Nob (1 Samuel 21:1) and in Gibeon (2 Chronicles 1:3). We lose sight of it finally when it is carried by Solomon into the newly built temple (2 Chronicles 5:5). — Walker, page 173
fathers, having received it in turn (v.45) = lit. “to take over from a predecessor.”
The quote in verse 46 is from Psalm 132:5.
house (v.49) — from the same root as “tabernacle” but suggesting a more permanent dwelling
The “tent” was thus displaced not merely by a “tent-like habitation” but by a substantial and stately “house,” For the building of Solomon’s temple, see 1 Kings chapters 6-8. This, when destroyed by the armies of Babylon, was replaced by Zerubbabel’s temple (completed 516 B.C.); which, in turn, was rebuilt and beautified by Herod the Great (20 B.C.) It was Herod’s temple in which Stephen’s hearers made their boast. — Walker, page 173.
The quote in verse 49 is from Isaiah 66:1-2. At the temple dedication, Solomon said: “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27 — 2 Chronicles 6:18). The prophets made it clear that God was not confined to a building.
In closing his address Stephen dealt with still another of their accusations. They had charged him with speaking blasphemous words against the temple. This, of course, was untrue. The fact was that they were guilty of blasphemy against the Holy One of whom the temple was but a type.
The tabernacle had been replaced by the temple, but even this glorious abode did not do God justice. The temple was but a type of a still more glorious abode: Christ, in whom dwelleth “all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” He was God, manifested in the flesh. Had not Isaiah said: “They shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us”? (Matthew 1:23). — Stam, pages 227-228
