Acts of the Apostles 2:42-47
1 Peter 1:3-9
John 20:19-31
 
Acts is the only book in the New Testament which continues the story of Jesus into the early church. Without Acts we would not have a record of the early church and its development. Trying to put together a picture of the early church from just Paul’s letters, we would miss how to link them together.
 
We must remember that all scripture is inspired by God and is meant for us today as much as it was written for the people of the time. By keeping this in mind it then seems logical as to the way Luke has put together both his Gospel and Acts. He is not writing history, but writing from a theological, pastoral leader point of view to show what Christian living was like.
 
There are a great many debates about the authorship of both the gospel and Acts while tradition attributes the authorship to Luke. The scholars point out there is a great difference between Paul and Luke’s versions of the same events. What needs to be taken into account is that the gospel and Acts are written in the eighties or nineties, some twenty to thirty years after Paul’s death. So, in Paul’s letters, he is writing about the controversies of his time, but for Luke, that is ancient history so his perspective is entirely different.
 
When we come to this section of Acts, those who are identified as Christians, no more than 5,000 to 7,000 at this point in time, have already received the Holy Spirit as Jesus had promised them. What is so unique is that by the time the year 300 arrives, there are 31 million people identified as Christians. That is a large growth period happens while they are being persecuted by Rome, frowned upon by the Jews and are struggling to understand just who they were as a religious group.
 
They would meet and continued to teach what the apostles had handed down to them. Their focus was on living in community; selling their property and possessions and dividing them up and giving to those who were in need. They also were meeting in their homes and breaking bread.
 
Peter’s letter uses the standard formulas for ancient letter writing. He introduces himself, names the people/places where he is writing to and then begins with a proclamation of praise. The line he writes, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” is one that calls to mind the words of Zechariah Canticle in Luke 1:68 where he says “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel.” While these, plus other references from Corinthians and Ephesians, all point to the divine nature and universal meaning of grace given to us, Peter is really writing from a personal point of view.
 
He then begins to tell the people all of the reasons they should be praising God. He uses the standard Jewish traditions of referencing the past, the meaning of the present time and what the future will hold, our salvation through Jesus Christ.
 
The gospel of John continues with the disciples still hiding from the Jews, still afraid they would be taken next and crucified as Jesus was. Mary Magdala has already seen Jesus and she tells the disciples what He had told her.
 
Jesus then shows Himself to the disciples even though the doors were locked where they were hiding. It is here in John’s gospel that after showing them His hands and His side that Jesus breathed on them saying “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
 
That night Thomas was not with them and he refused to believe that Jesus had risen and had shown Himself to the other disciples. He refuses to believe until he can put his finger in the nail marks and his hand in His side.
 
When Jesus returns the following week, Thomas was with them and Jesus tells him to touch His nail marks and His side and become a believer. Here Jesus gives His bold proclamation that those who believe without seeing are blessed.
 
We have that opportunity today to believe without seeing for ourselves, we have that opportunity to proclaim Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
 
Technically, this is the original ending of John’s gospel. However, there was an additional piece added that lends itself to the reinforcement of Jesus and His powers and His teachings when He meets them on the shore of the lake and asks them to bring Him some fish to eat. They understand it is Jesus and here is where Peter is asked by Jesus three times if he loves Him.
 
This threefold questioning is reminiscent of Peter denying Jesus three times the night He was arrested. We all need to be reminded of the times we may have denied Jesus, the times when we may have turned our back and know that He still loves us and forgives us.
 
May we all continue to be believers while we have not seen Him firsthand, and profess Him as our Lord and savior.