Commentary on Acts 13:26-37

By Bob Myhan

²⁶Men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you the word of this salvation has been sent.

Paul reminds them that he is one of them. He also reminds them that the salvation of which he speaks was sent to them. All of the prophets had urged the people to repent and all of the prophets had spoken of the church age, when all peoples would have the opportunity to enter into a covenant with God Himself. And now that Messiah has come, the law has gone forth out of Zion and the word has gone forth from Jerusalem, in fulfillment of Isaiah 2:2-3.

²⁷For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him.

The Jewish rulers did not acknowledge Jesus as Messiah, though He wrought many proofs that He was He. Their stubbornness and rebellion was caused by a failure to understand the prophets. In refusing to acknowledge Him they could not allow Him to live and save face. In their stubborn refusal to face facts, they had to have him crucified publicly, thus fulfilling the predictions of those very prophets.

²⁸And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death.

They could bring against Jesus no just civil charge, the punishment for which was death on the cross. They finally accused Him of treason against the Roman government but they could show no evidence that this was true. Even Pilate “knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.” (Matt. 27:18)

²⁹Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.

 “They” here does not, of course, refer to the enemies of Christ but to His friends—Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. Thus, Jesus was “with the rich in His death” (Isa. 53:9) If not for these two friends, the body of Jesus could very well have been buried next to that of Judas Iscariot. But Joseph place the body in a new tomb; there was no other human body in “the place where the Lord lay.”

³⁰But God raised Him from the dead.

Even the closest disciples of Jesus were not expecting the resurrection, though He told them it would occur. This was “over their heads,” so to speak. Jesus came to die but not to remain dead. It was necessary for Him to rise from the dead and ascend back to the One who sent Him.

³¹He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people.

Paul does not give the details of those forty days. But the “many infallible proofs” by which He “presented Himself alive” to the apostles are unnecessary. As an apostle, Paul is able to confirm the truth of the gospel.

³²And we declare to you glad tidings--that promise which was made to the fathers. ³³God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm: 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.'

We have here an inspired explanation of the phrase used in Psalm 2:7 and refers to the resurrection not the virgin birth.

³⁴And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He has spoken thus: 'I will give you the sure mercies of David.' ³⁵Therefore He also says in another Psalm: 'You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption.' ³⁶"For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption; ³⁷but He whom God raised up saw no corruption.

Paul mentions that David did “see corruption” as proof that he was not speaking about himself in Psalm 16:10. Peter made the same point in his sermon on Pentecost. But Jesus, the Messiah, “saw no corruption” because God raised Him up.

(To be continued)

A Study of the Holy Spirit (Part 10)

By Bob Myhan 

When John prophesied that One coming after him would baptize in the Holy Spirit and in fire, He was marking the beginning and the end of the messianic age (also called the church age). This age was to begin with the baptism of the Holy Spirit and end with the baptism of fire. It is not the case that everyone was to be baptized in both the Holy Spirit and fire. Some were to be baptized in the Holy Spirit at the beginning of the church age and some would be baptized in fire at the end.

On the day He ascended into heaven, Jesus repeated the promise to the apostles, telling them that it would be fulfilled “not many days from now” (Acts 1:1-9).

Sometime during the next ten days, Matthias was chosen to replace Judas (see Acts 1:15-26). The addition of Matthias to the eleven remaining apostles brought their number back to twelve. Then,

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting (Acts 2:1-2).

This was not a rushing mighty wind. It was “a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind.” That's what it sounded like! This sound filled the entire house in which they were sitting. Thus, they were baptized or immersed in [overwhelmed by] this sound. Since they were told that they would be baptized in the Holy Spirit “not many days from” the day of the ascension and they were engulfed in “a sound from heaven” “not many days from” that day, then this “sound from heaven” must have been an audible, miraculous manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

It is widely held that all 120 disciples of Acts 1:15 were baptized with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. However,

(1) Those who were baptized with the Holy Spirit spoke with other tongues (Acts 2:2-4)

(2) Those who spoke in tongues were accused of being “full of new wine,” or drunk (Acts 2:12-13)

(3) Peter defended no one but himself and the other apostles against this charge (Acts 2:14-15)

Therefore,

(1) Only the apostles were accused of being “full of new wine”

(2) Only the apostles were speaking in tongues

(3) Only the apostles were baptized in the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.

(To be continued)