Acts 4

Printable Word Documents:

• Lectio Divina 
• Acts 4:1-22   
• Acts 4:23-31    
•  Act 4:32-37

Find a quite place to sit down, relax and open your bible. When the noise in your mind has quietened down, open your bible, or simply use the text of this page. But before you start reading, let the Author of the text help you to open the hidden meanings of the text for you. The best interpreter is always the author. Let the Holy Spirit accompany you in reading his work.

Invocation (Epiklesis)

“Holy Spirit come to us,
Kindle in us the fire of your love.
Holy Spirit come to us,
Holy Spirit come to us.”

Text: Acts 4:1-22

“And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they arrested them and put them in custody until the morrow, for it was already evening. But many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to about five thousand. On the morrow their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a cripple, by what means this man has been healed, be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him this man is standing before you well. This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, but which has become the head of the corner. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they wondered; and they recognized that they had been with Jesus. But seeing the man that had been healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred with one another, saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is manifest to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to any one in this name.” So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people; for all men praised God for what had happened. For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.”

Lectio: The words of the Word

Reading, Lesson, is busily looking on Holy Scripture with all one’s will and wit.

• The reason for the arrest was that Peter and John were disturbing the people, and that they spread the controversial teaching of the resurrection.
• However, Luke turns the direction of the trial away from what the legal charges. The point is not the legality of what they did, but on whose name they did it.
• The word “Sadducees” comes from the name Zadok, a priest under Solomon who replaced Abiathar. Sadducees were the descendants of Zadok and were granted the privilege of officiating as priests in the Temple after the return from the Babylonian exile. Luke describes them as “those denying that there is resurrection” (Lk 20:27)
• “who have heard the word: “the word” by now is already a technical term to mean the Christian message.
• “Annas, the high priest“: Actually he was an ex-high priest, but it was customary to keep the title for those who had held that office.
• “let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel”: Peter takes the opportunity to make his trial a chance to preach to all, not only to the authorities.
• “…whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead” this is the core of the Christian message, the primitive kerygma
• “… this Jesus is the stone rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone”: This refers to Ps 118:22 (LXX), but Luke rephrases it and adds “you” to make the audience become the builders.
  • A cornerstone is not to be understood in the modern sense of the first stone laid at its inauguration. It expresses the function of a main, often oversized stone used at an important spot in the joining of two walls or a building, to bear their weight and stress. It would function somewhat like a keystone or capstone in an arch, but is used in a more primitive mode of construction as a sort of copingstone.
  • Jesus was rejected (killed) by the leaders, but by his resurrection has become the key figure in God’s new building, reconstituted Israel.
  • Luke quotes the same verse in his gospel (20:17)
• “There is salvation in no one else”: Here Luke uses the word soteria (salvation) for the first time, and this will become a most important term among his several ways of expressing the effects of Christ-event. This term means, the deliverance of human being from evil, whether physical, political, cataclysmic, moral, etc.
• “Seeing the bold self-assurance”: This will become one of the special characteristic of Christians. Much later, Aquinas would make of courage one of the 4 main virtues that makes of us better people.
• “realizing that they were uneducated, ordinary men, they were amazed”: The authorities discovered that they were illiterate (agrammatoi) and amateousr (idiotai).
• “the man who had been cured standing there with them”: The man was not only healed but joined the church
• “what are we going to do with these people?”: This refer to only to the people at the time of the events but also to the believers at the time of the readers of Luke
• “We cannot deny it”: The authorities must admit to the miracle; but still they chose to resist.
• “we must warn them never to speak gain about that name to anyone”: The importance of Jesus’ name comes back again.
• “judge for yourselves, where it is right in God’s sight for us to obey you rather than God”: Of course this is a rhetorical question since the authorities also believe in God, they know what the answer should be, still find themselves unable to reply.

Meditatio: The Word in the words

Meditation is a studious insearching with the mind to know what was before concealed through desiring proper skill.

• The authorities were annoyed by Peter and John’s teaching. Why do good things at times annoy?
• The worries of the Sanhedrin were different from the worries of the priests and Sadducees. They were worried about the growing popularity of those who “came to believe” and mainly worried about a new “authority or name”. The problem of the Sanhedrin was a psychological and political one. Fear of losing authority and power. They felt threatened. There was a contrast between the fear of the official authorities, and the parresia (boldness) of the “uneducated preachers”, who feared no punishment. Fear to lose power leads to actually losing power. Boldness to live without authority gives the apostles a new actual power over the people, so much so that 5,000 more were added to their numbers.
• The Sanhedrin was not concerned with belief or truth. Even in the face of evidence (the lame man standing with Peter and Paul) their interest shifted away from the facts towards the decisions to “manage” the problem so that it would become less threatening. Their worries were not whether what happened was a sign of God’s action, but that their authority (religious and political) was threatened.
  • What are we afraid to lose? Fear and pleasure are the most powerful emotions in our hearts. At times they help us, at times they paralyze us or drag us where we don’t really want to go.
• Turning our gaze towards the apostles, we discover their power.
  • Power to read “signs of the time”. What is actually happening is that the promises of God in Ps 118 have been fulfilled in Jesus’ death and resurrection. This is not a moment to worry about finding guilty parties or fear. This is a moment to open the mind to God’s work in Jesus Christ, and this was what drove them. Have we mastered the art of putting history and Scripture together to see how they match each other? Can we read in history the fulfilment of God’s plan like the first church did?
  • Power to be fearless (parresia) even in the face of persecution and serious threat, facing it with blatant honesty: they cannot possibly listen to men rather than listening to God. Parresia means boldness, courage, self-assurance, it is a term that appears constantly in the New Testament, and it should accompany the Christian testimony. Boldness is not recklessness or taking risks, but simply the lack of fear from what others can do to you. It has always been a characteristic of Christians. What is preventing me from being endowed with this attitude?
• In Jesus’ name alone, is salvation possible. This invocation should be a real invocation and not an only literal invocation. The literal invocation might only have a magical purpose, something like saying the right words, or the right spell, will cause the desired effect. Salvation in Jesus means that Jesus was the only one capable of opening definitively the way of salvation.
• The miracle of the cure becomes a reason and opportunity to preach. The deeper cure is the chance they get to convert 5,000 and confront the authorities.
• The Sanhedrin knew any Jew will try to obey God before obeying men.
• At the end the victory was on the side of the apostles, since there was no way of punishing them, precisely because of the ironic fear the authorities felt from “the people”.

Oratio: the goodness of the Word

Prayer is a devout desiring of the heart to get what is good and avoid what is evil.

From the richness of the Scripture we have discovered how many good things from God we received. Therefore we lift our minds to him with the confidence as that of a child, knowing that God will give us what we need. What follows are just an example. Each one of us needs differently and asks differently.

Prayer for courage

Almighty Father, we rightly call you almighty because you indeed can do all things and you are the only true protection since you both care for us and have the power to defeat even the evil we cannot see. With you at our side, there is nothing that can really harm us because nothing can separate us from you. As we acknowledge your power and your love, increase our confidence in you that we may face the challenges of our daily life with clear minds and peaceful hearts.

Prayer for keenness of mind to read the signs of the times

Providential Father, you move the world mysteriously yet steadily towards your New Jerusalem. You count on us to make this true development the fulfilment of the whole person and of all persons. As we cooperate with your Holy Spirit in the transfiguration of this world, we often get tired, lost and confused as to which direction we should be working. Renew our strength and enlighten our path. Show us your signs. Prompt our eyes to see your finger at work in our communities and in our societies. Help us to discern amidst the many noises of our busy activities, the quiet melody of your tune that we may add our voices to yours for a world where your rules rule and your kingdom comes.

Contemplatio: The taste of goodness

Contemplation is the lifting up of the heart to God tasting somewhat of the heavenly sweetness and savour.

• Spend a few minutes in silence looking at God as the provider of our needs, the security in the face of our threats and the guide and comfort in our daily activities.

Collatio

At this point, if we are doing the Bible Study with a group, people may want to share how they have benefited from today’s Word, prayer and contemplation. Listening to each other helps us to rejoice in the other’s benefit and to enrich ourselves with other’s contribution.

Conclusion

A concluding prayer of thanksgiving may follow.

Acts 4:23-31

Printable Word Document:  Acts 4:23-31

Find a quite place to sit down, relax and open your bible for a few moments. When the noise from your mind has settled, open your bible, or simply use the text of this page. But before you start reading, let the Author of the text help you to open the hidden meanings of the text for you. Only the Holy Spirit can help us understand what is written in the Scripture.

Invocation (Epiklesis)

“Holy Spirit, come to us,
Kindle in us the fire of your love.
Holy Spirit, come to us,
Holy Spirit, come to us.”

Text: Acts 4:23-31

“When they were released they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who mad the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who by the mouth of our father David, thy servant, said by the Holy Spirit, ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples imagine vain things? The kings of the earth set themselves in array, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed – for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats, and grant to thy servants to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.”

Lectio: The words of the Word

Reading, Lesson, is busily looking on Holy Scripture with all one’s will and wit.

• “Peter and John went back to their friends”, the word used for friends here is “idios” and it literally means “one’s own private property” as opposed to public property. When it is used as a noun, as it is in this case, it may carry the meaning of comrades, compatriots, disciples or relatives. A more literal translation would be “they went to their own”. The sense of belonging to the group is therefore stressed. This is not a loose group of people, but a community where each member belongs to.
• “they raised their voices with one accord in prayer to God”, this “with one mind”, or even more literally, with “same passion”, the root thym refers to emotions, particularly anger. This expression appears at least 9 times in the book of Acts, and Luke wants us to understand that this is one of the characteristics of the community. In this case, what they do with one “mind” is to pray. Apart from Rm 15:6, it is used only by Luke and only in Acts. This means that it is a feature of the church, not properly of the disciples of Jesus. It also means that this is a very Lucan perception. We know for a fact, that the community had divisions of opinions as to which policies they should adopt.
• “Sovereign Lord“, the word Luke uses here is not a common word in the New Testament. It is found in Greek literature; where it is often used of gods, and in the LXX.
• “from the mouth of your servant David“, Ps 2, like most psalms were attributed to King David.
• Psalm 2:1-2 is quoted verbatim from LXX. It is a royal psalm composed for the enthronement of some king whose subject peoples are plotting against him. This action is taken as a conspiracy against God and the king, who is God’s “Anointed”.
• “for truly in this city” once again the disciples related the events, not as merely historical facts but as a fulfilment of the Scripture.
• “whom you have anointed” the only passage in the gospel of Luke where one can see a reference to anointing is the Baptism of the Lord.
• “to do the very things that your designing hand planned long ago“, what the adversaries of Jesus had done is not something outside God’s providence but part of the implementation of his salvific plan.
• “and grant your servants the courage to preach your word with all boldness“, what the community asks for is not a smooth ministry, but only boldness to preach. The “parresia” needs to be contagious. From Peter and John to the whole community.
• “the place trembled“, heaven’s response to their prayer is given by this symbol of the presence of the Spirit. See also Ex 19:18b and Is 6:4.
• “filled with the Holy Spirit“, the effects of Pentecost are now felt in a special manner.
• “they continued to speak about the word of God with boldness“, Now the boldness of the apostles is implemented by the whole community.

Meditatio: The Word in the words

Meditation is a studious insearching with the mind to know what was before concealed through desiring proper skill.

• Now we see that Peter and John had not been acting on their own, but were the agents of the community spreading the Good News about Jesus Christ.
• The reaction of the community is not one of fear, but one of prayer, and an exemplary prayer for that matter.
• They do not pray to be spared of the difficulties of the mission. In other words, they don’t ask for God to change others, but to change them. Once again, “praying is not about changing God’s mind, but about changing our hearts”. And this is what the community asked for. The Holy Spirit had taught them how to pray, or in other words, He had taught them “what to ask for”. In this case, a change of heart, a heart with boldness.
• This pericope could serve as a lectio divina sample. The community proclaims the Scripture, in this case, Psalm 2, as they see it implemented in their lives (lectio). Then they interpret (meditation) it at the light of the events and conclude that God is working in their lives. They perceive the needs they have to be faithful to God in this particular circumstance and pray (oratio). Finally we see how their prayer is answered with powerful signs and they enjoy the gift of the Holy Spirit, that they need most (contemplation). Finally, we see this becoming a fact, (actio).

Oratio: the goodness of the Word

Prayer is a devout desiring of the heart to get what is good and avoid what is evil.

From the richness of the Scripture we have discovered how many good things from God we need. Therefore we lift our minds to him with the confidence of a child, knowing that God will give us what we need. What follows are just an example. Each one of us needs differently and asks differently.

• Prayer for understanding
  • “Father of all wisdom. Your designs are too great for us to understand unless you open our minds to them in humility. We beg you to allow us to see your hand working in the events of our world and our lives. Give us the patience to accept our trials and tribulations so that we can look with hope into the future that, we know, is always closer to your kingdom.”
• Prayer to receive the Holy Spirit
  • “Holy Trinity, your Holy Spirit is the flow that makes you most truly One. Send your Spirit to our communities that they may think with one mind, feel with one heart and work with one mind. Without the Spirit, we don’t know what we truly need. Send us your Spirit to help us discern the gifts we need to be more faithful to you in the concrete circumstances of our lives.”
• Prayer for boldness
  • “Father Almighty, you know the outcome of our vicissitudes, and you have planned them beyond our understanding. But you give us the strength to endure even the most difficult challenges because you will never allow us to be tempted beyond our strength. Give us today boldness to overcome our fears so that we can be true witnesses of your kingdom.”

Contemplatio: The taste of goodness

Contemplation is the lifting up of the heart to God tasting somewhat of the heavenly sweetness and savour.

Spend a few minutes in silence looking at God as the provider of our needs, the security in the face of our threats and the guide and comfort in our daily activities.

Collatio

At this point, if we are doing the Bible Study with a group, people may want to share how they have benefited from today’s Word, prayer and contemplation. Listening to each other helps us to rejoice in the other’s benefit and enrich ourselves with other’s contribution.

Conclusion: A concluding prayer of thanksgiving may follow.

Acts 4:32-37

Printable Word Document: Act 4:32-37.doc

Find a quite place to sit down, relax and open your bible for a few moments. When the noise from your mind has settled, open your bible, or simply use the text of this page. But before you start reading, let the author of the text help you to open the hidden meanings of the text for you. Only the Holy Spirit can help us understand what is written in the Scripture.

 

Invocation (Epiklesis)

“Holy Spirit, come to us,
Kindle in us the fire of your love.
Holy Spirit, come to us,
Holy Spirit, come to us.”

Text: Acts 4:32-37

“Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet; and distribution was made to each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph who was surnamed by the apostles Barnabas (which means, Son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field which belonged to him, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.”

 

Lectio: The words of the Word

Reading, Lesson, is busily looking on Holy Scripture with all one’s will and wit.

· 32- “everything in common”

· Commentators (Fitzmayer et al.) note that “nothing is said about how long common ownership of property was so practiced or even how widespread it was among Christians”. Aristotle also said that “Among friends everything is common”. So, what kind of common-ity is Luke talking about? It is a common characteristic of Luke to tend to idealize the primitive church purposely to make it match the ideal of the people of Israel in Dt 15:4 and to encourage his contemporary community to emulate the original church. But does this supposedly give grounds to dismiss this characteristic of the early church?

· 33, “with great power” gave witness to the resurrection. Although not the whole church had seen the risen Christ, all gave testimony of it with “great power”.

· 33, “great grace” grace (charis) can be rendered as grace or favor. It can be interpreted as divine aid bestowed in an unusual measure or a kind of impulse (Robert W. Wall). The natural meaning would be the favour of the Lord resting on the all the believers.

· 34, Luke’s borrows the phrasing again from the book of Deuteronomy, “and there will be no beggar among you” (Dt 15:4, 11 LXX), as the ideal of the community.

· 35, “laid it at the apostles feet”. The apostles would also be the administrators of the temporal goods with the specific purpose of seeing that no one was in need.

· 36, “surnamed by the apostles”. It was the apostles who gave him another name according to a custom in contemporary Greco-Roman society.

· “Barnabas”, the interpretation that Luke gives to this name does not follow its etymology. Barnabas means the “son of nabas”. But nabas does not mean anything like “consolation” in Hebrew nor in Aramaic. Later on in Acts 9:27, Barnabas brings consolation to the converted Saul for ministry in Antioch. This fact indicates that Luke was more concerned with facts than with etymologies.

· 37, “who owned a land”, According to Num 18:20 and Dt 10:9, Levites could not own land in Israel. Some manuscripts therefore omit the word “Levite” in the description of Barnabas. The point is that he conformed to the convention that existed among the Jerusalem Christians. He made the sacrifice to help the koinonia.

 

Meditatio: The Word in the words

Meditation is a studious insearching with the mind to know what was before concealed through desiring proper skill.

• - Several points from this text might strike us. One is the relevant role that the apostles had in the community. The other, and perhaps the most crucial, is perhaps more surprising to us who live in a dualistic culture where spiritual and material are separate realms.
• - The authority of the apostles is not only spiritual but also material (administrative). They are the ones who gave Joseph the name Barnabas, and the apostles are also the ones who administer the common property so that there is no one in need, accomplishing thus the promise of the Old Testament, “there will be no beggar among you”. Even when they saw that the ministry of the word was more pressing than the ministry of “the tables”, they appointed deacons to do this. Thus what we today call “ordained ministries” are in fact members of the church concerned with the service of the word (prophets), the worship (priest) and administration (kings). Sometimes there is the temptation on the part of priests of running away from temporal duties with the excuse that the “spiritual duties” are more pressing. However the spiritual and the material must be integrated. The former animates the latter; the latter expresses the former.
• - A wonderful example of this is this pericope. At the beginning we find the sentence, “with one mind and one heart”. That sounds very idyllic, but what does it mean exactly? Does it mean they love each other very much? Does it mean they agreed on everything? Or more particularly, does a community of people who pray together once a week fulfill the model of this primitive community? A community is a group of people with “something in common”. That is a vast definition, but what makes this community become a “Christian” community? In other words, what makes the spiritual ideal of “one mind and one heart” something real and tangible? Material sharing is the answer. Only the community that is ready to share material possession has embodied the spiritual ideal of “one heart”. The sharing of material possessions is not only an optional act of charity, but in a way, a sacramental expression of the spiritual communion. More clearly, “material sharing makes the spiritual communion true”, and is not some vague ideal.
• - This has some serious implications. A community that is sharing material property, such as families who share bank accounts and buildings, even if failing to live in harmony perfectly, are a better expression of “communion” that a group of friends who gather to pray weekly and then go off their own separate ways without any practical and concrete application.
• - In other words, what makes the Christian community a community was to have something in common, namely, “one mind and one heart”, what made it Christian, was to have “really”, “materially” one heart by having “material resources” in common.

Oratio: the goodness of the Word

Prayer is a devout desiring of the heart to get what is good and avoid what is evil. From the richness of the Scripture we have discovered how many good things from God we need. Therefore we lift our minds to him with the confidence of a child, knowing that God will give us what we need. What follows are just an example. Each one of us needs differently and asks differently.

• Prayer for the church

o Father, the church prays to You as the spouse of Your Son, our weakness divides us and creates tensions that often wounds Your children and scandalizes the world. So many times we are too selfish and too afraid of letting go of all false securities. The Holy Spirit who filled the church from the beginning is constantly calling us to form communities of one mind and one heart. Help us to conduct ourselves as brothers and sisters. Open our minds to understand that nothing wrong can really happen to us if you are with us, so that we may trust in your providence and be generous in reaching out to our brothers and sisters in need. Do not allow us to take refuge into false spiritualities that leave our hearts dried and our needy brothers abandoned. Open our hearts to love others not only with our hearts but also with our pockets, with our bank accounts, with our houses, with our resources and with our talents. Change our hearts so that our churches may live like the church of your apostles and bring Your Kingdom closer to everyone. We ask this in the Holy Spirit who keeps your church alive and through your Son, the head of our church who guides us in all times. Amen.

Contemplatio: The taste of goodness

Contemplation is the lifting up of the heart to God tasting somewhat of the heavenly sweetness and savour.

• Spend a few minutes in silence looking at God as the provider of our needs, the security in the face of our threats and the guide and comfort in our daily activities.

Collatio

At this point, if we are doing the Bible Study with a group, people may want to share how they have benefited from today’s Word, prayer and contemplation. Listening to each other helps us to rejoice in the other’s benefit and enrich ourselves with other’s contribution.

Conclusion: A concluding prayer of thanksgiving may follow.