Thus Luke presents Jesus as One greater than Moses, One greater than Elijah, One greater than Solomon, and One greater than King David.
And as the lame man [recall Mephibosheth who ate at the table of Solomon's father] which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly wondering.
[This is why the Bible calls them "signs and wonders," which were used of God to draw attention to the apostles to confirm their message (the Gospel) and do good among the people to teach them of the tender mercy of the One in whom Paul and Peter would call men to place their trust; the verb "wondering" is no accident].
And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people [standing in the place where Solomon used to preach also:],Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?
[What they heard: "Don't look at me, I don't have any supernatural power of my own; it's borrowed; this is from the power -- Name -- and Holiness of the Messiah, Jesus, the Holy and Just One"]
"The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he [Pilate] was determined [tried many times] to let him go.
[What they heard: "That wicked pagan Pontius Pilate was better than you," "You chose Barabbas instead of God's Son, favoring a serial killer and insurrectionist over Messiah, how godly are you?"]
1. Interestingly, Peter says they "denied Him," as also Peter had denied Jesus three times, and was forgiven; Peter's language, based on his own experience then anticipates the mercy they are to receive upon their repentance
2. Peter calls Jesus the Son of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, meaning that Jesus is both the Son of God and the promised Seed of Abraham, in whom all the nations would be BLESSED. Again, Peter's language anticipates mercy (blessing) even while he proceeds to hammer the Gospel home in very forceful and indicting terms.
3. In case you missed it. Peter is indicting his audience, calling them not sons of Abraham, but of the devil, murderers of the Messiah, the Son of God. But God raised Him up and glorified Jesus to vindicate Him and convict you. This is not a seeker-friendly prosecution.
4. Pilate had, Josephus tells us, many times in the past brought idols near the Temple vicinity. Once he brought in a big golden eagle to thrill the Jews with a sign of Roman power and idolatry. There were heavy losses in the ensuing riots. Pilate was a pagan and proud of it by his record. Yet he sought to release Jesus, while the Jews had him killed. This means that Peter is calling the Jews worse than the worst of unbelievers. First-century Jews -- esp the zealots -- were not Rome's biggest fan club.
This is what I mean by "not a seeker-friendly prosecution." It amounts to a "scum of the Empire" indictment.
Peter Adds:
"But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you"
[What they heard: "Does the name OJ Simpson ring a bell? Charles Manson? You people are Adolf wicked."]
1. By calling Jesus the Holy and Just One, Peter has identified Him as both the Messiah, and as the source of power and holiness by which this man was miraculously healed.
2. They had pressed for the release of Barabbas when they should have acquitted Jesus; Barabbas was what they had accused Jesus of falsely many times -- an insurrectionist, or today we say "insurgent," a terrorist. This probably means that Barabbas had taken up arms against the Roman empire in some bloody uprising, and was captured. He was probably a zealot. Jesus had not done anything against the empire, and went about healing its citizens and peasants (not all of whom were Jewish persons. Some were Syrian or Phoenician). The so-called "good thief" was scheduled for execution alonside barabbas, showing that he was neither good nor particularly a thief, but an insurrectionist of the "Barabbas party." But, he turned out to be one of the good guys in the end -- by the grace of God.
Strangely, his crucifixion fell on both the worst and best day of his life. This is not the best way to enter the kingdom of heaven, but it beats the alternative. God does truly work in mysterious ways.
Peter continues:
"And [You] killed the Prince of life, whom God hath [first, ahead of the others] raised from the dead; whereof we are eye-witnesses [sufficient to convict you before God].
"Archegos" [Prince, author, pioneer, Chief, etc] is really difficult to translate and I never feel good about my translation of it no matter how hard I try or how nuanced my efforts. Arche is first, primary or beginning (or beginner depending on context). The suffix -gos amounts to "one who." "One who begins" can refer to an architect, if what he begins is a construction project, it might be an engineer who drives a train of many cars in length -- he is in the lead car and so would be in Koine the train archegos. I can list many kinds of persons in today's world who would or might fit the bill:
The head of a department at work; any military officer who leads his unit into battle; any company whose name or brand serves as a type of industry superstar -- McDonald's would likely be the archegos of the fast food industry, and Starbuck's for the whole new coffeeshop phenomenon (Peet's has better coffee, and Panama Bay Coffee Co. probably has the best beans of all).
The sense of "archegos" as used by Peter carries the Semitic flavor of the Feast of Firstfruits, as the tithe was to be the first part given (chronologically) and the best part of all you had. This teaches that we may only give God the very best. It should be perfect and from above, like the law of the Lord, and Spirit of the Lord, whenever possible.
Calling Jesus the archegos of life appears to be a play on the notion of firstfruits -- which would have been used to feed the poor.
The suffix "of life" indicates that Peter refers to the resurrection (eternal life) unto glory. Paul's use of like thought he expresses as "the firstfruits [i.e. tithe] of them that are raised from the dead." This is precisely what Peter means. But one sense is added, since it portrays the Lord implicitly (or by connotation at the least) as a kind of food, like the animals which would be sacrificed were for the priests.In what sense one might feed on the risen Christ is not here made clear, but much more shocking and overt statements of this kind appear in John's Gospel. This most likely displays one way in which the Lord's Supper subsumes within itself all the sacrifices of the first Testament, here with specific reference to the Feast of the Firstfruits, which would have been the Pentecostal "Ingathering." Peter is preaching in light of the Jewish holiday calendar.
He might have simply said, "Jesus will gather in people to be his own from every nation, and these shall enter in as He did. He went first. Others will take up their cross and follow Him in resurrection unto life. He is the first and best part [Archegos].
2. Peter's point is deliberately ironic and reads somewhat like "You killed the Author of Life," which is (for irony) like stealing a Bible, only far worse in its effects and ethical implications.
3. God has raised up His Son, the Seed of Abraham, of whom it was promised would be for a blessing to all nations. The claim "God raised up Jesus" was not a mere fact to be publicized. It was an indictment of those who killed Him, and a vindication of Jesus in the sight of all that God had reversed the ungodly verdict, overruling the sentence. The Jews and Romans authorized representatives put to death the Lord Jesus. This amounted to the entire world, both Jew and Gentile in bibical (federal) thinking. [Peter is still indicting. He does not let up the whole time, until they repent].
Paul argues this openly in Romans, that the whole world is held guilty by God under the law, so that there can be no excuse on Judgment Day for failing to believe in the Messiah.
Peter adds:
"And his Name [authority, power] through [the healed man's] faith in his [Christ's] name [holiness, goodness] hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know:
[What they heard: You can't weasel your way out of this one, you know I am right]
"yea, the faith which is by him [faith from God] hath given him [healed guy] this perfect soundness in the presence of you all."
Comments: The "yea" means "indeed," "not only is this the case, but also." Here, Peter drives home the point that not only did Christ heal this man but He gave the man the faith which functioned as the instrument through which the healing came.
This puts Christ in the place of the Almighty, making Christ the source and goal of one's faith, a point which would not have been missed by his fiercely monotheistic audience.
A man is saved by grace, and that grace comes to him by faith in Jesus -- in his power and holiness -- meaning the saved man believes that Jesus CAN do it, and is righteous and just in so doing, and that His authority is from God.
This faith is not something you can conjure up if you "just imagine" hard enough, or click your heels together 3 times. God either grants one the faith to believe unto salvation or not. This is not popular among Arminians, but faith is not a work; it is a gift; and no man works for a gift (you cannot earn charity). Faith to believe in Jesus comes from God. Left to your own devices you would be -- well, left to your own devices -- faithless.
Peter continues:
"And now, brethren, I know that ye did it [killed the author of life] in ignorance, as did also your [equally guilty] rulers. But those things, which God before[hand in the all the Holy Scriptures] had shewed [prophesied] by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, He hath so fulfilled [the propecies concerning Christ that you should kill Him, and He should rise again][in Jesus].
Repent ye therefore [because Christ is risen], and be converted [to Christ], that your sins [just named] may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the [returning] presence [i.e. parousia] of the Lord. And He [the Father] shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive [retain] until the times of restitution of all things [at the end of the millenium, when all His enemies will have been made a footstool for his feet], which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began [esp. from Psalm 110][ regarding the time when the world will end -- as we know it in the estate of sin and misery].
For Moses truly said unto the fathers,"A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, [a powerful miracle-working faithful prophet] like unto me [Moses]; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say [teach] unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people [this happened at the hands of the Romans in A.D. 70].
[One of those things Jesus commanded was, "when you see armies surrounding Jerusalem, then let those in Judea flee to the mountains." If they did not obey, they were indeed cut off completely. The Romans showed no mercy, as Romans are wont to do].
Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel [1050 B.C.] onward, as many as have spoken [in the Bible], have likewise foretold of these [last] days [of the Old Covenant era, and the beginning of the New].
Ye are the children of the prophets [so God expects you to know this stuff], and of the covenant which God made with our fathers [like Abraham] [so you, his decscendants are responsible for it by way of covenant with "you and your seed after you"], saying unto Abraham,"And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed." Unto you [Jews] first God, having raised up his Son Jesus[from the dead and seated Him in heaven at Gods' right hand], sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his [murderous] iniquities [for you killed the prophets and stoned those sent to you, like your fathers].
Comments: As Peter was saying this, it was in fact being fulfilled. Jesus had poured out His Holy Spirit from heaven, and Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, was just now delivering this message from the Spirit of Jesus. Peter was offering, in the name of the Lord Jesus, the blessing of the Abrahamic covenant to his audience. It could not have been delivered to them by Airborne Express on a more simple and elegant silver platter, right in front of them, there it was.
The blessing. This would be for Peter's audience, and Israel or Esua moment. Melchizedek was extending the bread and wine to the Men of Israel who had killed him, just as He had to Abraham many centuries before. All they had to do was repent and be baptized by the grace of God, having believed Peter's message, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Seed of Abraham and Firstfruits of them that are raised from dead.
Acts 4:7-12
And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, by what power, or by what name, have ye done this?
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost [this is mentioned because Christ promised that they were to take no thought in advance what to say, but that when they spoke before rulers and kings, the Holy Spirit would give them utterance; it hearkens back to Acts 2] said to them, Ye rulers of the people [chief priests], and elders of Israel, If we this day be examined of the good deed [miracle] done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole;
Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel [This suggests that a crowd had gathered; Peter now raises his voice to let the crowd in on the conversation. Peter is not just answering now; he is preaching] that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead [showing that you murdered an innocent man], even by him doth this man stand here before you whole [which means you are REALLY in trouble with God].
This [man you killed] is the [prophesied corner-] stone [of the True Temple] which was set at nought of you [Sadducee] builders [who are known for boasting in the Temple], which is become the head of the corner[stone of the new Temple]. Neither is there salvation in any other [Name but Jesus]: for there is none other name under heaven given [by God] among men, whereby we must be saved.
What they heard: God only gave one Savior to all men. And you killed Him. But God raised him from the dead, as the foundation [similar to Archegos again] or cornerstone -- Peter's name means "Rock of foundation" according to Jesus in Matt 16 -- which Peter here calls the Lord Jesus citing Psalm 118.
Peter has declared to those who glory in the Temple that the One they killed was raised by God to be the basis of the New and better Temple of God. This probably primarily targets the Sadducees in the audience, though the Pharisees saw themselves as dependent upon it also, for there was only one priesthood and sacrificial system appointed by God. They did not sacrifice anything in the synagogues -- only in the Temple.
The phrase "neither is there salvation in any other name," begins with "neither." This links the passage to an earlier concept - that of the Temple. Salvation and Temple form two concepts with only one primary common denominator -- if you put the two concepts together in the Jewish mind, you get "sacrifice" as the logical consequent.
Salvation needed Temple sacrifice. This both Pharisee and Saduccee believed. Indeed, without the shedding of blood, there is no remission. so the phrase, "Salvation in any other name" means Christ "became" -- he doesn't say how -- the cornerstone of the New Temple by way of His once for all sacrifice which replaces all others.
In other words, in the act of killing Him, Peter's audience replaced their own temple with a New One, of which Jesus had become the basis by his death and [consequent] resurrection. But they did it in ignorance -- not on purpose. God did it on purpose. The Psalm Peter alludes to ends with "The Lord has done it and it is marvelous in our eyes."
Who -- did it? I though Peter said THEY did it? Doesn't Peter keep on saying this? But they did it "according to the counsel of God's foreknowledge and purpose." It was God's will to crush Him. Only when you crush a ripened grape does the wine -- new wine - begin to flow to the people. They did it in ignorance, but the Lord has done it to install Jesus as the Chief Cornerstone, heir of all things, and ruler of the nations. It was attended by miracles -- the temple curtain was rent in two, the earth shook violently, and the clouds darkened the sky from about the third hour.
It was - in the sense of marvel as miracle -- a marvelous event which installed Jesus as the Chief cornerstone. The miracles of the resurrection, and which Jesus performed after it, make it all the more marvelous.
"In our eyes." This phrase expresses the perspective of the apostles and prophets, the dominical foundation of the Church. In OUR eyes means they were chosen as EYE witnesses to the resurrection and ministry of Christ, from its beginning until his forty day teaching spree in Jerusalem. It is marvelous in our eyes for John said, "Many other wonderfull things Jesus said and did, but if I were to try to record them all the world could not contain the volumes."
John was an eyewitness to many marvels. So were the other apostles. Paul lists the 12 AND Peter as those to whom Jesus appeared in the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:3-8). You simply do not forget something like this. Peter had seen Jesus transformed in an instant to the sun's radiance, standing with Moses and Elijah.
These men killed Jesus, but God has done it by resurrection to install Christ as the New Temple's foundation by apostles and prophets He sent. They performed their miracles, Peter answered the Sadducees, in the Name of the Builder of the New Temple, of which this formerly lame man had just become a part.
Back then, they did not have the phrase, "In your face." But if they had, this would have been it. Peter and John had power from on High, from heaven which the Temple signified. By killing Jesus these men had established the New Temple half-way. God did the rest.
Jesus had said to his opponents: "Destroy this Temple and in three days will I raise it up." This translates: "Do your worst." But the Temple of which He spoke was His own body. Peter had said the same thing: by killing Jesus' body -- God's perfect sacrifice -- they had eliminated the need for the levitical priesthoods imperfect and now-useless sacrifices.
They had -- in the most important ways I can think of -- utterly refuted themselves, and their entire sacrificial system. Jesus was now in charge of the Temple and its absolute standard. The cornerstone's purpose was to set the architectural standard for the rest of the Building. Those who trust in His sacrifice enter the New Temple. Those who do not, are left in the court of the Gentiles as unclean. Jesus is now the standard for entry.
He became that cornerstone by their prophesied execution of Him, and God's prophesied resurrection of Him. God operated here strictly by lex talionis. The blessing of the Abrahamic covenant now rests with Jesus -- raised from the dead as Melchizedek the High Priest - to impose upon those of whom he declares it, every spiritual blessing in Christ.
This blessing was here associated with a formerly lame man, the offspring (after a fashion of Mephibosheth). Likewise, this man had been invited forever to eat at the Lord's table, very much like the table of Showbread in the Temple, from which only the priests could eat.
Mephibosheth was no longer lame, but he still ate at the table of David's Son. It was the name of Jesus of Nazareth that had made Him whole, Who is the Chief and Standard of the New Temple. The Levitical Priesthood was put to death in Christ's death. And He was raised - and all those in Him - to the life of a new priesthood. The Lord Jesus intended to bless them by turning them from their inqiuties, as was the duty of the priest to bless the people in the Name of the Lord.
This blessing comes by the preaching of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus. The Lord has done it, to this very day, by apostles, prophets, evangelists and ministers. And it is marvelous in our eyes.
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