Administration of a land conquered by the Caesars to whom you have sworn allegiance is not such an easy job (although it pays well).
Governor Antonius Felix, Roman procurator of Judaea, Samaria, Galilee, and Perea had essentially dodged a political bullet when he left Paul in prison for two years.
Luke tells us the Felix had been hoping for a bribe.
But when two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus; and desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.
Acts of the Apostles 24:27 RSV
Did the Jewish leaders perhaps bribe their Roman procurator to keep Paul in prison?
Hard to tell, but we do know that after two years a change in administration brings a new Roman governor to act as judge in Paul’s long-continued case.
~A.D. 60 – Quick Justice at last
Let's clear the old administrative docket.
Acts 25:
Jerusalem, first stop in administration of Judea.
Now when Festus had come into his province, after three days he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. And the chief priests and the principal men of the Jews informed him against Paul; and they urged him, asking as a favor to have the man sent to Jerusalem…
Sound familiar from their previous deceitful acts before Felix tried to sort it all out?
Luke continues his narrative:
… planning an ambush to kill him on the way.
Giving a strong administrative response showing the Jews that he, the Roman governor is in charge:
Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea, and that he himself intended to go there shortly.
Acts 25:4 RSV
Now the Roman administrator of Judea asserts his office as judge of all cases before the same corrupt officials of the Sanhedrin secretly seeking to assassinate Paul (the Roman citizen, by the way).
“So,” said he, “let the men of authority among you go down with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them accuse him.”
Acts 25:5 RSV – orders of the Roman Proconsul Festus to the Jews
When he had stayed among them not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea; and the next day he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought.
And when he [Paul] had come, the Jews who had gone down from Jerusalem stood about him, bringing against him many serious charges which they could not prove.
Paul pleads INNOCENT
“Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I offended at all.”
Now obviously after just a week in Jerusalem; like Felix, Festus has learned the ropes of governing the Jews.
Festus offers a political compromise:
“Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem, and there be tried on these charges before me?”
Paul’s political savvy:
“I am standing before Caesar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried;
The Apostle has already pled his innocence in his opening statement.
.. to the Jews I have done no wrong, as you know very well.
Acts 25:10 – response of Paul the Roman citizen to Festus the Roman Governor
The Apostle continues his brief defense in this administrative arraignment hearing before Festus:
If then I am a wrongdoer, and have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek to escape death;
but if there is nothing in their charges against me, no one can give me up to them.
I appeal to Caesar.”
Does Paul trust local Roman administrators such as Felix and Festus anymore than he trusts the leaders of the Jews who have been trying to assinate the Apostle out of the sight of Jerusalem’s Temple?
Besides, the Lord has revealed to Paul that He will send him to Rome!
The following night the Lord stood by him and said,
“Take courage, for as you have testified about me at Jerusalem, so you must bear witness also at Rome.”
Acts of the Apostles 23:11 RSV
Ex proprio motu
Commonly spoken as “by one’s own accord.”
Then Festus, when he had conferred with his council, answered,
“You have appealed to Caesar;
to Caesar you shall go.”
Acts 25:12 RSV
So be it.
As far as Roman justice is concerned (here in Judea under the administration of Portus Festus) that’s it. The Governor must send Paul’s case to Caesar.
NEXT – Paul encounters the politics of King Agrippa and Festus
Now that we have defined some key terms of the church (including ‘church’ – ἐκκλησία), we can proceed to examine the administration of disciples following the Lord Jesus Christ (‘Christians).
If you missed this defining first post about ACTS 6, you may want to visit some of the secure links included in Ministering to a Growing Church (BELOW).
Who would lead change after hearing their murmurings?
Last time we only got to one verse, Acts 6:1, then encountered a roadblock before I could address how the Twelve ran their administration of the multitudes.
..when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews,
Acts 6:1 excerpt KJV
Does that sound like YOUR Church?
Let’s address my next question from our previous post about ministering to the personalities in this initial Church of the Apostles.
How can WE help relieve so many PERSONAL problems for hundreds of families belonging to our growing church?
Filling in a four-hundred year gap between the OLD and NEW TESTAMENTS:
(The Apostles, of course, understood their church family history better than we do.)
Mapping out traditions of our pasts
I suppose you have wondered about my FIRST CENTURY CHURCH MOSAIC attached to this post. So let’s take a look at the diverse ethnic gathering of the lost sheep of Israel (along with some NON-JEWS as well).
First Jerusalem Church of the Apostles
Here’s an unspoken issue of ethnosunderpinning their recent ‘murmurings.’
Israel did not exist!
In the time of the Apostles, a divided Greek-speaking Roman empire changed administrations frequently.
Before the Herod’s
JEWS exiled to the EAST to Babylon, some returning to Jerusalem AFTER Persia defeats Babylon.
Many JEWS remained in cities WEST of Jewish influence in cities of the Greek and Roman world.
BEFORE HEROD – Kingdom of Alexander the Great 336-323 B.C.
323 BC, Alexander died in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II, in Babylon
Alexander had conquered cities, kingdoms & empires from Greece to Asia and to Egypt, Babylon, Persia and beyond.
These ‘Hellenized‘ cultures then embraced or tolerated Greek customs and language as a universalist ethnos applied to trading and communication between cultures.
(Compare to a contemporary founding culture three centuries ago in North America.)
200’s BC, The Ptolemy’s of Egypt (who had also been Hellenized by Alexander’s conquests) ruled Jerusalem and the eastern Mediterranean coast to Syria beyond Tyre and Sidon.
100’s BC, Seleucia (modern-day Bagdad) was the Hellenized capital of the Seleucid Empire which survived until 63 BC
As you can see on the top-left of my map mosaic, much of this massive empire lies east of Rome’s later reach.
167-134 BC, Maccabean revolt and resistance against Seleucid rule in Judah
63 BC, Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus or Pompey the Great, captured Jerusalem for Rome
37 BC, Herod the Great (of Edomite ancestry, born in Idumea) aligned himself with Rome.
Rome divides its client kingdom into:
Bashan
Lower Galilee
Samaria
Mishor
Judea &
Idumea
In the time of Jesus and the Apostles into:
Samaria, Judea & Idumea
Perea & Galilee
Batania (Caesarea Philippi) & Auranitis
Syria, including Phoenicia & Ituraea
(with Antioch, Roman city of 500,000+ residents, residence of its Governor)
6:2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said,
“It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.
NIV
WHEN will we ever have time to minister to our church family?
NOT OUR PROBLEM?NO! That’s not what the Apostles leading the growing church are saying.
In fact, the Apostles lead other servants of God to solve the church’s own ministry ‘challenge.’
Waiting tables is just one of our many ministries
“Instead, brothers and sisters, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task.
(NOTas we might think, but i.e. ‘to affirm that one has seen or heard or experienced something, or that he knows it because taught by divine revelation or inspiration.’
Seven men from the
.. full of the [Holy] Spirit
.. and of wisdom σοφία[sophia] who we should put in charge [administrators] of this task.
These laymen disciples will choose those who will administer the daily tasks of the church.
An Administration by More Servant Leaders
And they chose:
Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and
Philip,
Prochorus, [Greek, probably a Hellenist]
Nicanor, [a Greek name]
Timon,
Parmenas, [may have been from Asia minor] and
Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch [a pagan converted to Judaism from the city in Syria where he will soon to minister to the gentiles]
What must we do for each and every saint of our Lord Christ Jesus?
Administration of our designated authority
And they brought these men before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them.
ACTS of BLESSING the seven men in Jerusalem given authority by the Apostles 6:6
Prayer (inquiring of the LORD) followed by Blessing
We see such acts as this throughout Scripture.
Moses chooses seventy to help. Israel blesses each of his grown sons before his death. (Isaac had blessed Jacob and not Esau.) Moses blesses Joshua. David blesses Solomon.
Conversation with the LORD followed by the Lord’s blessing of continued authority of administration of His work through another.
They laid their hands … - Among the Jews it was customary to lay hands on the head of a person who was set apart to any particular office, Numbers 27:18; Compare Acts 8:19. This was done, not to impart any power or ability, but to "designate" that they received their authority or commission from those who thus laid their hands on them, as the act of laying hands on the sick by the Saviour was an act signifying that the power of healing came from him, Matthew 9:18; compare Mark 16:18. In such cases the laying on of the hands conveyed of itself no healing power, but was a sign or token that the power came from the Lord Jesus. Ordination has been uniformly performed in this way. See 1 Timothy 5:22.
Though the seven deacons had been chosen by the church to this work, yet they derived their immediate commission and authority from the apostles.
Later he [Jesus] appeared to the Eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table. He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who saw him after he had risen. Then he said to them,
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
Gospel of Mark 16:15 CSB
.. but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.”
Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.
ACTS of the Apostles 6:1 ESV
Leading through diverse difficulties of a growing Church
‘.. but we have always done it THIS way?’
(This isn't going to be so easy, is it?)Luke reveals the cultural challenge of the church familiar to him, however most of us (in this 21st century) will not understand the root of the problem:
Mixing gentiles with Jews. Even bringing the traditional challenge of some Jews joining in fellowship with other Jews divides political alliances in the Sanhedrin of Jerusalem.
Therefore I will begin by including a background for our scene in first century Jerusalem, as well as outcomes of church ministry which have occurred over two millennia. - RH
First let’s clarify some ‘church‘ terms we derive from the Greek language of the New Testament.
Who are Apostles? (and who are Disciples?)
HOW MANY APOSTLES?
TWELVE (our standard answer)
WHO ARE THE APOSTLES?
No need here to recite them by name, but remembering:
ALL Apostles at this point in ACTS are leaders of the Church in Jerusalem.
Matthias has now replaced Judas.
Saul of Tarsus will soon encounter the risen Christ Jesus and join in ministry as Paul,the Apostle to the Gentiles.
And all thy children shall be taughtH3928 of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
prophesy of the Messiah by Yeshaiya (Isaiah) 54:13
μαθητήςmathētḗs, math-ay-tes’; from G3129; a learner, i.e. pupil:—disciple.
The Twelve were disciples of Jesus who followed their Teacher full-time for three years.
You’ve probably noticed that most translations of the Bible capitalize ‘disciple’ to avoid confusion when referring to the Twelve Disciples [Apostles].
Many others of the multitudes also became disciples and followed Jesus Christ in the early days before his crucifixion and resurrection.
Now, in our scene in Jerusalem after the Lord’s resurrection, the Church in Jerusalem has many disciples –disciples of theHoly Spirit (who of course first receive the Holy Spirit, as we have just read from Luke’s account).
Yet from Jesus’ instruction from the Gospel of the Apostle Matthew, note another distinction of this relationship between rabbi and pupil: that of master (or lord) and servant.
These also apply in Luke’s account describing the model by which the Apostles lead the early Church.
FIRST: Jesus was the Rabbi. And Jesus was the Master.
THEN: The APOSTLES became the Rabbis. And the Apostles were then masters of their sheep (students; flocks, servants, community, school, fold, gathering, or whatever you may choose to call this multitude of the Church).
Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.
Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones.
Jeremiah 23:1, 50,17 KJV
But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;G1249
Gospel of Matthew 20:26 KJV – Teaching of Jesus to His disciples
The Twelve, led by two of Jesus’ inner circle of Apostles, Simon Peter and John, now lead the New Testament Church as rabbis to a multitude of disciples.
Lambs of the Apostles’ fold
The Apostle John, who Luke records as standing at Peter’s side on the day of Pentecost, opens our eyes to the resurrected Jesus, where the Lord calls on Peter to restore the foundation of his calling:
“Tend My lambs.” .. “Shepherd My sheep.” .. “Tend My sheep.
These new disciples of the Twelve include NOT ONLY men from traditional Judaism, but also men, women and children accepted into fellowship, tender young lambs of Jesus who could NEVER before have been full members of their community of faith in the Lord God.
“And I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice; and they will become one flock, with one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it back.
Jesus teaching the Jews that He will Shepherd the gentiles, as scripture has said. – Gospel of John 10:16-17 NASB20
And what happens when ANY two groups of differing cultural traditions choose to follow one leader?
Dissension and murmuring by some unwilling to abide by rules and traditions imposed by others.
Who is the master ministering to these NEW lambs?
“They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
“Go; behold, I am sending you out like lambsin the midst of wolves.
Instruction of the Master Jesus to seventy-two [72] disciples + Gospel of Luke 10:3 NASB20
Master – διδάσκαλος – didaskalos
The KJV translates Strong’s G1320 in the following manner: Master (Jesus) (40x), teacher (10x), master (7x), doctor (1x).
a teacher (from didasko, “to teach”), cp. didaskalia, “teaching, doctrine, instruction,” is translated “doctors,” with reference to the teachers of the Jewish religion, Luk 2:46. Cp. paideutes, “a teacher.” See MASTER, TEACHER.
Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words 1 Strong’s Number: g1320 Greek: didaskalos – via BlueLetterBible.org
The rabbis of Jerusalem quarreled with each other as they had also challenged the legitimacy that Jesus’ MANY disciples should call the Lord, ‘Master.’ Now that Peter, John and the Apostles have remained in Jerusalem as Jesus commanded, MANY disciples remained faithful to the church gathered under the leadership of the Apostles.
Note from earlier, after Peter preached in the Temple,
“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus.
These Apostolic Masters of the Church community now face division and opposition just as Jesus had encountered in Jerusalem prior to His execution and resurrection from the dead.
Lord
We will never understand our role as a servant of the Church until we know the sacrificial love of its servant-Master.
"lord" occurs 7,790 times in 6,587 verses in the NASB20. Page 1 / 132
Here too I urge caution and prayerful understanding of terms frequently used and misused by the church. i.e. Lord, Master, servant, slave (even God and ‘love,’ translated from several different Greek and Hebrew words in Scripture).
May peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you; Be master of your brothers, And may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be those who curse you, And blessed be those who bless you.”
And God said to Moses, “I AMH1961 WHO I AMH1961”; and He said, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘I AMH1961 has sent me to you.’”
I said to the LORD [Yᵊhōvâ}, “You are my Lord [;ăḏōnāy]; I have nothing good besides You.” – Tehillim (Psalms) 16:2
For this is what the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said:
“In repentance and rest you will be saved,
In quietness and trust is your strength.”
But you were not willing,
Isaiah 30:15
Luke has only used the term ‘church’ once at this point in Acts of the Apostles to describe these ‘large numbers of men and women.’ He opens his second account describing the miraculous growth of the church:
Acts 5:11 KJV And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.
The Church (that is, the early church) lives as a community of love in fear of God, yet joyful of Christ’s anointing Spirit given to His disciples of the Church who will ‘follow Jesus, as their Master.’
The saints of the Apostolic community serve the Living God and obey the Apostles as their lords and masters.
The discipleG3101 is not above his master [didaskalos],
Now that we have defined some of these ‘Christian‘ terms so foundational to understanding Luke’s account of the Acts of the Apostles; NEXT, God-willing, we will examine the role the these servants of the Church.
ACTS of the Church 6:
To be continued...
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