Chronological Bible Study – Nov 20
What I Noticed Today (Acts 11-12)
Acts 11
In verses 1-3, the apostles and brothers heard about the Gentiles who had become believers. But there were Jewish Christians (circumcised believers) who opposed Peter in Jerusalem accusing him of visiting and eating with uncircumcised men.
Note: Preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles was not so much of a problem to the Jewish Christians, but eating with them signified acceptance and fellowship, and that was a violation of the Mosaic Law.
In verses 4-18, Peter began to explain to the Jewish Christians about his vision with the sheet of animals being lowered from heaven and how God had told him not to call unclean that which God had made clean. He also told them about his journey to Caesarea to visit Cornelius and how the Gentiles accepted Christ and received the Holy Spirit and were baptized.
Upon hearing this, the Jewish Christians realized God had granted repentance and salvation even to the Gentiles.
Note: Peter’s defense focused on what God did, not what he did. He was not about to hinder God.
Note: While this brought the Christian church of Jewish and Gentile believers together, it also set the stage for the separation between traditional Jewish belief and the beliefs of the Jewish Christians.
In verses 19-30, the persecution of Stephen caused the believers to be scattered as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, but they delivered the Gospel only to the Jews. Some men from Cyprus (an island close to Antioch) and Cyrene (a town in North Africa) proclaimed the Gospel to the Hellenists (Greeks) in Antioch. The Lord was with them, and large numbers believed and turned to the Lord
Note: There are several cities bearing the name Antioch. This is the Antioch in Syria. It was the third-largest city in the Roman Empire behind Rome and Alexandria.
The report of the believers in Antioch reached Jerusalem, so Barnabas was sent to Antioch. When he arrived, he saw the grace of God upon the new believers. He encouraged them to remain strong in their faith.
Note: Antioch was 300 miles north of Jerusalem. Barnabas was probably chosen because he was from Cyprus and was known to be a thoughtful and generous man.
Barnabas went to Tarsus to find Paul, and when he found him, they went back to Antioch, where they stayed for a year meeting and teaching. Believers were first called Christians in Antioch.
Note: The ending “-ians” means “belonging to the party of,” so Christians were members of Jesus’ party. The name Christian is used only two other times in Scripture (Acts 26:28, and 1 Peter 4:16).
In verses 27-30, in those days, prophets from Jerusalem came to Antioch. One of the prophets named Agabus, predicted by the power of the Holy Spirit, there would be a severe famine throughout the Roman world (during the time of Claudius, A.D. 41-54). Each of the disciples, based on their ability, sent aid via Barnabas and Paul to the elders in Judea.
Note: Jewish Christians in Jerusalem would likely have been excommunicated and no longer able to receive help through the synagogue. The aid sent from brothers in Antioch was meant to lessen their suffering during the time of famine.
Acts 12
In Acts 12, Luke recounts the increased persecution of the young Christian church.
In verses 1-5, about that time (during the time of the famine), King Herod (Herod Agrippa I ruled A.D. 37-44) persecuted Christians and put James, John’s brother, to death. When Herod saw that pleased the Jews, he had Peter arrested during the Feast of Unleavened Bread (the seven-day feast immediately following Passover) and put in prison. He assigned four groups of four soldiers each to watch Peter. He intended to bring Peter out to be executed after the Passover.
Note: The four guards were likely positioned so that two were chained to Peter on either side of him, and two stood guard to prevent another miraculous escape (See Acts 5:19-24). The four groups of guards rotated through the day in six-hour shifts.
While he was in prison, the church was praying for him.
In verses 6-19, the night before he was to be executed, Peter was sound asleep, and an angel of the Lord appeared in the cell and told him to get up. The chains fell off of him, he got dressed, and the angel led him out of prison to the city gate. Then the angel left him.
Peter realized it was the Lord who had rescued him from Herod’s grasp. He went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many believers gathered together praying. He knocked on the door, and once inside, he told them how the Lord had rescued him. He told them to tell James and the other brothers and left.
Note: This is the first mention of John Mark, the Mark that wrote the Gospel of Mark. His father is not mentioned, so his mother may have been a widow.
Note: This is the first mention of James, the brother of Jesus. He had not believed Jesus until the resurrection, but now he was with other believers praying for Peter’s release.
At daybreak, there was a great commotion in the jail because Peter was missing. Herod interrogated the soldiers and then had them all executed. Herod left Jerusalem and went to Caesarea.
Note: Caesarea was the Roman capital of the province of Judea.
In verses 20-25, he (Herod) was angry with the Tyrians and Sidonians. They bribed Blastus, one of Herod’s servants, to get an audience with Herod because they depended on grain from his country (Galilee). On the appointed day, Herod delivered a speech in his royal robes. The people shouted; his was the voice of a god, not of man. At once, an angel of the Lord struck Herod and killed him because he did not give glory to God.
Note: Herod died in A.D. 44.
The Word of God continued to flourish and multiply. After they had completed their relief mission in Jerusalem, Barnabas and Saul took Mark and returned to Antioch.
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.