CHAPTER XXII

THE APOSTLES

WHEN the apostles returned to Jerusalem after the ascension of their Master, they remained there with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and his brethren, who had at last been convinced of the truth of their brother’s claims to be the Messiah. Before his resurrection they had not believed in him. Altogether the believers in the city numbered a hundred and twenty. The first task that faced them was to appoint an apostle in the place of Judas, who had hanged himself. The choice was made by means of the lot, and Matthias was appointed.

Pentecost

They waited in the city until the day of Pentecost. On that day, as they were gathered together, a sudden rushing sound was heard, and tongues as of flame were seen resting on each of them. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak “with other tongues.” News of what had occurred reached the people outside, and crowds came to­gether to see the strange phenomenon. Some said the apostles were drunk, but Peter, acting as their spokesman, pointed out that this was a most improbable suggestion, and showed that it was only on the lines of what their prophets had fore­told. Then he boldly preached Christ to them; and charged them with having crucified one who had been approved of God as evidenced by the wonders and signs that God did by him. God had raised him from the dead, he declared, an event which David had foretold because he had known that God would raise up the Christ to sit upon his (David’s) throne. So effectually did Peter speak that his hearers cried out, “Brethren, what shall we do?” Peter’s reply was noteworthy. “Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of sins.” Three thousand obeyed. The Christian Church had commenced its public career.

For a time nothing could stay its progress. Miracles added to the impression made by the apostles’ words. A lame man was healed at the gate of the temple, and again Peter spoke to the crowds that gathered. He charged them with denying the Holy and Righteous One, with killing the Prince of Life, whom God had raised and glorified. He told them that God would send Jesus Christ, who was in heaven waiting for the times of restoration of which God had spoken through all the prophets. As a result two thousand more were added to the Church.

To stop this progress the rulers put the apostles in prison. When they brought them before the Council Peter referred to Jesus as the “Stone which the builders rejected,” and the “only Name under heaven wherein we must be saved.” The rulers could do nothing. The healed man stood before them, and near by was the empty tomb in which Jesus had been placed! So they let them go “for all men glorified God for that which was done.”

The progress that had been made caused the high priest and the Sadducees to put the apostles in prison again, but in the night an angel opened the prison doors, and in the morning the apostles were in the Temple proclaiming “the words of this life.” They were re-arrested and brought before the council, only to tell them once more that God had raised Jesus from the dead. The council could do nothing but charge them not to speak in the name of Jesus. It was a useless charge, for, as they replied, “they could not but speak the things they had seen and heard.”

Stephen and Philip

The growth of the Church made it necessary for arrangements to be made for the organisation of the business side of its affairs. Seven men were appointed for this purpose, one of whom was Stephen. He was a man of great ability, and en­gaged in dispute with various parties of the Jews. As they could not silence him by argument they brought false charges against him. He made his defence before the council, showing how they had only repeated the actions of their fathers who had rejected Joseph and Moses, both of whom had become the saviours of their people. So effective was his argument that they “gnashed upon him with their teeth,” cast him out of the city, and stoned him. It was a travesty of justice, just as the trial of Jesus had been. The first Christian martyr was a victim of hate. Stephen died with a prayer on his lips for the forgiveness of his mur­derers. Standing by, and minding the clothes of those who stoned Stephen, was a young man named Saul.

Gradually the area covered by the labours of the Christians extended. Persecution drove them throughout the country, and wherever they went they preached of Jesus. Samaria was the scene of activities, and there the two-fold aspect of the God-Spell is indicated by the expression “the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ,” on belief of which many of the Samaritans were baptised.

Philip, who had preached to the Samaritans also taught the truth to a eunuch, a man in the service of Candace, the Queen of Ethiopia. He was returning from Jerusalem and was reading from a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. The scroll was open at the fifty-third chapter. Philip joined him, and, taking the words of the scroll as his text, “preached unto him Jesus.” No more suitable chapter could be imagined for such a purpose. It speaks of One who was not desired, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, despised and rejected of men, but one on whom God had laid the iniquity of us all. It told of One who was smitten for the transgressions of his people, and who, though they made his grave with the wicked, was with the rich in his death. By his knowledge this one was to justify many, and bear their iniquities, though ultimately he should divide the spoil with the strong and be an intercessor for the transgressors.

Light to the Gentiles

A much greater extension of the area of gospel proclamation was opened up by a vision which Peter had in Joppa. He was hungry, and dreamed he saw a great sheet let down from heaven con­taining all kinds of unclean animals and creeping things. A voice told him to kill and eat, but he demurred, for he had “never eaten anything that was common and unclean.” Then the voice spoke again, “What God hath cleansed that make not thou common.” This occurred three times, and then some men who had come from Caesarea asked for him. They had been sent by Cornelius, a cen­turion of the Roman army, with a request that Peter would go to Caesarea because Cornelius also had had a vision. Realising that God must have a work for him to do, Peter went, and in the most Roman city of Palestine, he preached to a Roman soldier the things concerning Jesus Christ. It is worth while calling attention to one saying of Cornelius. He told Peter he had seen a vision and had been told to send for him “who shall speak unto thee words whereby thou shalt be saved.” It is clear from this that a belief of certain things is essential for salvation, the things which concern the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. Peter declared these to Cornelius and his friends and then, to the astonishment of the Jews who were with Peter, the Holy Spirit fell upon these Gentiles and they were baptized. Thus the door of faith was opened to all peoples, and the way was prepared for the greatest development of all.

The conversion of Saul

That development was connected with Saul, who had looked after the clothes of the men who stoned Stephen. He was an enthusiastic advocate of the traditions of the Jews, and a persecutor of the Christians. He obtained letters from the chief priests authorising him to go to Damascus to arrest Christians and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished. On the way he was suddenly struck to the earth by a light brighter than that of the mid-day sun, and heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?”

“Who art thou, Lord?” he said.

“I am Jesus whom thou persecutest,” was the reply.

The brilliancy of the light had deprived Saul of sight, and he had to be led into the city of Damascus. Three days later he was visited by a Christian of the city who called him “Brother Saul,” laid his hands upon him so that he recovered his sight, and then said, “Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins.”

The main interest of the Story now centres in Saul, or Paul as he was afterwards called. At a meeting of the Church at Antioch the Holy Spirit said, “Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.” Soon after­wards the two men set out accompanied by John Mark, to inaugurate the greatest movement in the Christian Church. These three Jews were going into new lands to make known the Story. Try to realise their task. They were going to proclaim that Jesus of Nazareth, who had been rejected by his own nation, and crucified as a common malefactor by the Roman governor of Judea, had been raised from the dead, and was alive for ever­more, not as a mere shade, but as a living, substantial person; that this Jesus was the one and only Saviour of Jews and Gentiles, and that in due time he would come back to earth, raise the dead, collect all the living who are amenable to his judgment, and sit as the judge of the quick and the dead. Equally surprising was the other aspect of their teaching. This Jesus would overthrow all the existing dominions of the earth, whether ruled by Caesar or by others, and occupy the throne of universal dominion, sharing that exalted position with those who identified themselves with him in the way he had appointed, i.e. belief of the Story, repentance, baptism in water, and a faithful obedience to his commands; com­mands which involve the crucifixion of the flesh and the rejection of the world. Could any proclam­ation seem more fantastic or more hopeless? Yet it succeeded, and wherever they went they found those who listened, believed and obeyed. Only two things can account for their success, the message was true, and they spoke “in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.”

Paul’s missionary journeys

On that first journey Barnabas and Paul went to Cyprus and Asia Minor proclaiming the truth to peoples of various cities. John Mark left them and returned home. An excellent illustration of Paul’s manner of teaching is found in an address he gave to the Jews in Antioch in Pisidia. It abounds with such expressions as “God chose our fathers and exalted the people,” “He led them forth,” He “destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan” and “gave Israel their land.” “He gave them judges,” “God gave them Saul” and “removed him.” He “raised up David to be their king.” It is typical of Bible history which is not a mere record of events, but the account of a Divine purpose working in the affairs of men, leading to a definite end which centres in Christ, for God, “brought unto Israel a Saviour Jesus” and “God raised him from the dead.” It was in this way that Paul proclaimed the gospel, or God’s Story.

Paul’s second journey, accompanied by Silas, took him through Syria and Cilicia to Asia Minor, where, at Lystra, he chose Timothy to be a younger member of the party, as John Mark had been on the first journey. Guided by the Holy Spirit they reached Troas, where Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia, saying, “Come over into Macedonia and help us.” So the gospel reached Europe, for Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth, received the word of God. Churches were established in various parts and another chapter in the Story was opened.

The third journey took him through Asia Minor “establishing all the disciples.” He went to Ephesos, where he stayed a long time, then to Corinth and the country of Greece, after which he returned to Jeru­salem by way of Troas and Miletus, where he met the elders of the Ephesian church to whom he gave a remarkable address, ending with a significant com­mendation, “I commend you to God and the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and give you the inheritance among all them that are sanctified.”

When he reached Jerusalem and was in the Temple he was attacked by the Jews, and was only rescued by a company of Roman soldiers who were quartered in the Castle of Antonia, adjoining the Temple. He was brought before the High Priest, but a conspiracy being formed against him, he was sent to Caesarea to the Roman governor Felix. Before him Paul reasoned of righteousness, temper­ance and judgment to come, and so powerful were his arguments that the Roman trembled. Paul remained in Caesarea until Felix was removed and Festus was appointed governor. Then he placed himself beyond the power of the Jews by appealing to Caesar’s judgment seat. Before he could be sent to Rome, Agrippa, the king of Judaea, visited Festus and Paul was brought before him. Finally he was sent to Rome. The record of his journey there is one of the most graphic pieces of descriptive writing in the whole of the Story; it must be read in full to be appreciated; no summary can do it justice. Finally he reached Rome, and there the Story ends. “And Paul abode two whole years in his own hired dwelling, and received all that went in unto him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness, none forbidding him.”