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How Structure Communicates Meaning in Acts 2

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I’ve written before about how to observe structure and how structure conveys meaning. In this post, I’d like to give a practical example, in Acts 2.

Resist Familiarity

Familiarity is the greatest enemy of observation. When we presume to already know a text, we tend to stop listening to it. In the case of Acts 2, our familiarity may perhaps blind us with the dramatic theological import of what takes place. The Day of Pentecost. The coming of the Holy Spirit. The new creation, heaven on earth, God dwelling with men. Absolutely, these matters are weighty and earth-shattering, and they deserve intense reflection.

But the student of Scripture who wishes to observe the text and hear God’s voice clearly in it will ask: What is the narrator’s chief message here? And a cursory look reveals only four verses dedicated to describing the phenomenon of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). Most of the narrative takes us elsewhere. In narrative terms, the coming of the Spirit in Acts 2:1-4 basically provides the setting for the discussion that follows. (I do not intend to minimize the theological importance of what happens in Acts 2:1-4; I’m only observing the literary shape of the text.)

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Basic Structure

After the narrative introduction of Acts 2:1-4, the rest of the chapter describes the fallout. And the narrator structures that fallout around two main questions:

  • Men from “every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5-11) ask: What does this mean (Acts 2:12-13)?
    • Peter answers this question at length (Acts 2:14-36).
  • The foreigners follow up with a second question (Acts 2:37): What shall we do?
    • Peter answers this question briefly, at least as far as the narrative is concerned (Acts 2:38-40). At the time, this answer was also lengthy (Acts 2:40).

After this two-part Q&A, there is a narrative conclusion (Acts 2:41-47).

So a broad outline of the chapter would look like this:

A The descending Spirit
B What does this mean?
B’ What shall we do?
A’ The resulting community

A Closer Look

A closer look at these sections shows the first Q&A getting the most space, by far (32 verses). The narrator has done us a service by breaking this section down into subunits for us.

Verses 5-13 list the nations in attendance and lead to the big question itself: What does this mean (Acts 2:12)?

Peter’s speech divides into three units, each marked by a direct address: “Men of Judea” (Acts 2:14), “Men of Israel” (Acts 2:22), and “Brothers” (Acts 2:29). In each of the three sections, following the direct address, Peter makes a clear point and then supports that point with an Old Testament quotation.

  • Men of Judea – Acts 2:14
    • This is what Joel predicted – Acts 2:14-16
      • Quote from Joel 2 – Acts 2:17-21
  • Men of Israel – Acts 2:22
    • The crucified Jesus has been raised – Acts 2:22-24
      • Quote from Psalm 16 – Acts 2:25-28
  • Brothers – Acts 2:29
    • The risen Jesus is on his throne – Acts 2:29-34
      • Quote from Psalm 110 – Acts 2:34-35

The only part of the speech that falls outside the pattern is the last verse, which highlights this sentence as perhaps the most prominent part of the speech. Here is the conclusion Peter’s three points are driving toward:

Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.

Acts 2:36

Because this concluding sentence stands outside the threefold pattern of the rest of the speech, it is given such prominence as to almost be a distinct unit itself. And in light of the entire chapter, we see the author’s main idea right here, at the center of the structure:

A The descending Spirit
B What does this mean?
C God has made this Jesus both Lord and Christ
B’ What shall we do?
A’ The resulting community

Peter’s Argument

Follow Peter’s argument in his first, lengthy speech. You have heard us speaking in your native tongues, right? That means God’s Spirit has been poured out on us, like Joel said. That means the Messiah has poured the Spirit out on us. That means the Messiah was given the Spirit by the Father. That means the Messiah is seated at the Father’s right hand. That means he ascended into heaven. That means he’s not dead, but was raised by God. That is the same JESUS you killed by enlisting pagans who don’t care about the law of Moses. We saw him ourselves and testify to these things. Stop doing what you’re doing (repent) and publicly pledge allegiance to him as Lord and Christ (be baptized).

Conclusion

The structure of this chapter suggests a few things about Luke’s intentions in this narrative:

  1. His intention for Theophilus is not as much to teach about the coming of the Spirit, in itself, but to communicate the meaning of his coming and the response of individuals and communities.
  2. The meaning of the Spirit’s coming is not primarily about the ability of a believing individual to commune directly with God (though that is certainly a result of the Spirit’s coming, unpacked in other passages), but more so about the testimony to Jesus as both Lord and Christ.
  3. The proper response to the Spirit’s coming is not primarily to seek particular ecstatic manifestations of his presence, but to call on Jesus to be saved (Acts 2:21), to repent and be baptized to pledge allegiance to his new kingdom community (Acts 2:38), and to submit every aspect of the Christian community to Jesus’ true lordship (Acts 2:41-47).

There is much theology we can develop from Acts 2, but let’s allow the narrator’s own structure and argument to guide our interpretation of the text, showing us where he wants us to focus our interpretive efforts.

The Bereans Had No Bibles

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In response to a common appeal for Christians to search their Bibles and “be like Bereans,” Griffin Gulledge has a provocative piece entitled “The Bereans Had No Bibles.” In it, he makes some important points worth your consideration:

  1. Bereans receive the truth.
  2. Bereans learn in the context of the gathered church.
  3. Bereans believe the Christian faith from the Old Testament.

Gulledge concludes:

Being a Berean is a lost label for Christians. These days, most of the people who appeal to the term are bloggers on the internet, mostly engaged in heated polemics at best or vicious attacks on those they disagree with at worst. What we see here instead is that Bereans are those who receive the truth in the context of the church, and thereby together prove Christ is both Savior and Lord from the Scriptures. What is the end of all of this? It’s not to win debates or to fill our heads with knowledge for its own sake. The passage tells us: many believe.

The goal of emulating the Bereans is to bring about and strengthen faith. It is Christ’s work and who he is, preached from the Scriptures, that saves and sanctifies. The Bereans had no Bibles. But they did have Christ. We have the Bible. And together, we should seek to find Christ there, and thereby be transformed into his image (2 Cor 3:17-18)

Check it out!

Literary Markers in Acts

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I’m beginning to study the book of Acts (following upon my study of Luke over the last year), and I’m struck by a great insight into the book’s structure. This insight was not my own, but was something I read in works by both William Taylor (affiliate link) and Daniel Wallace.

That insight is that the book of Acts has exactly seven narrative summary statements regarding the growth of the church: Acts 2:47, 6:7, 9:31, 12:24, 16:5, 19:20, 28:30-31. And these statements are not simply throwaway transitional statements, but they appear to be concluding statements to mark the main divisions of the book.

Check it out for yourself and consider these statements and the alleged divisions they mark. The material they conclude (for example, 1:1-2:47, 3:1-6:7, 6:8-9:31, etc.) does generally appear to hang together thematically.

I should say that Daniel Wallace is clear that this is only one way the narrator structures the book of Acts. It also could be structured geographically, in expanding circles from Jerusalem and then by Paul’s missionary journeys.

But I must say, this seven-fold structure to Acts helps me to make sense of some strange results of a purely geographical way of outlining the book. For example, the narrative moves seamlessly from the end of Paul’s second journey and into his third (Acts 18:22-23). It just doesn’t seem reasonable to proclaim a major division in the book between those verses. The demarcation is much clearer between Acts 19:20 and Acts 19:21 (that latter verse introduces, for the first time, Paul’s commitment to go to Rome, which carries him through the rest of the book).

Have you noticed this sevenfold structure to Acts? Do you think a different set of literary markers suggests a different structure for the book? Structure is one of the most important tools to help us grasp the overall message and argument of a book, so it’s worth it to observe it closely!

Saints Resurrected at Jesus’ Death

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Greg Lanier has a helpful piece on “Resurrected Saints and Matthew’s Weirdest Passage,” where he addresses some common questions on Matthew 27:52-53:

The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

Lanier asks:

  1. Did this really happen?
  2. What exactly happened?
  3. What does it mean?

He looks closely at the text in its context to provide reasonable answers.

Check it out!

Context Matters: To All Who Received Him

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But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God

John 1:12

How much of our evangelistic effort roots itself in this verse, asking people to “receive Christ,” inviting him into their hearts? Is that what John meant when he wrote these words?

Jim Elliff argues that no, John did not have such a practice in mind. And Elliff shows us from the verse’s context a better understanding. Here is one place it takes him:

Our main work is not so much to explain the sinner’s response to Christ (that is important mainly for pretending believers), but to labor on the gospel itself. When we are brutally honest with people about their sin, and lucid about the only answer being in Christ, His death and resurrection, then we have preached the gospel. We have done what is necessary to cooperate with the Spirit in their conversion. We will actually work against the Spirit when we get caught up in a formulaic approach to the gospel as opposed to a content-filled proclamation. Get the message right and depend on God to convict and convert. You will know someone is saved, not when they “pray the prayer,” but when they repent and believe in Christ, with the evidence of truly following Him. Ask, “Do you believe?”

Elliff observes the text closely, in its context, and he argues, from John’s larger message, a better way to think about evangelism. This is terrific.

Check it out!

Overcoming our Objections to the Old Testament

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I argued a few weeks ago that we can trust the Bible because Jesus trusted it. In fact, the degree of trust he put in the reliability and authority of the Old Testament ought to astonish us.

“But what about the barbaric genocide?” some might protest.

“And the Old Testament’s low view of women?”

“And its scientific inaccuracy?”

When you talk about the value of the Old Testament, it doesn’t take long for such objections to begin rolling in.

Matthew H. Patton has a wonderful piece at Tabletalk Magazine entitled “Cherishing and Defending the Old Testament,” where he briefly addresses these objections and more.

When you invite folks to dinner, there are certain rooms you hope they won’t see because there wasn’t enough time to clean everywhere. Similarly, for many Christians, the Old Testament is not a gem to show off but a closet of problems that we hope our unbelieving friends won’t see or ask us about. But what if the Old Testament is actually one of our greatest treasures? What if some of its most problematic parts are actually part of its glory? In this article, we will step through several objections to the Old Testament and show how these issues actually point us to the glory of Christ.

Patton’s brief article is well worth your time, so you don’t have to feel ashamed of this book as you might an untidy room in the house. Cherish this aged wisdom which leads us to Christ.

Check it out!

Announcing our 2021 Bible Reading Challenge

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We’re giving away a copy of the CSB Reader’s Bible, Five-Volume Collection and a one-volume reader’s Bible. The CSB Reader’s Bible, Five-Volume Collection provides the perfect opportunity to read the Bible in its original and simplified form, uninterrupted by verse and chapter references. Constructed with select cloth cover materials and printed on high-quality book paper, this unique Bible reading experience invites the reader to encounter God’s Word as a grand narrative and have a fresh experience with the Bible.

To win one of these prizes, you simply have to demonstrate you’d know what to do with it.

If you’ve been with us for the last few years, you’ve probably been expecting this post. Here I come, like the sun rising, going down, and once again hastening to its place to rise again. Like the wind blowing round and round, north, then south, and back again. Like streams running to the sea, and yet the sea is still not full. What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Viruses and turmoil are no match for our inevitability.

If you’re new to the blog, you’ll be delighted to know we do a reading challenge here annually. And we try to get the best prizes we can think of to reward your toil at which you toil under the sun.

In our former days, most excellent Theophilus, we issued a 90-day Bible-reading challenge that had to begin on January 1 and end by March 31. But many folks have told us they would like to be able to get started over the holidays. While many are eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, or chasing a spirit of stupor, we hear that you—the readers of this blog, the champions of the covenant, the heroes who shine like stars in the midst of a present evil age—would prefer to redeem the time when you already find yourself away from your usual responsibilities.

And who are we to stand in your way? You think about all his commandments; you will not be ashamed. You are continually overcome with longing for his judgments. Though your life is down in the dust, you seek life according to God’s word. Therefore this year’s Bible reading challenge may commence immediately. In fact, perhaps it already commenced for you, and you’re just now realizing it.

Here are the rules:

  1. You must have a United States mailing address to win one of the stated prizes. Residents of other countries will receive a $50 (US) Amazon gift card via email.
  2. You must read (not scan or skim) all 66 books of the Protestant Bible. You may choose the translation and reading plan (canonical, chronological, etc.). You don’t have to stop and meditate on every detail, but we’re trusting you to be honest about reading and not skimming. Listening to an unabridged audio Bible is acceptable. You may also use any combination of audio and visual reading, as long as you’ve read or listened to the entire Bible within the allotted time period.
  3. You must read the entire Bible within a 90-day period.
  4. The last day of that 90-day period must be between today and March 31, 2021. If you’d like to understand why we recommend such fast-paced reading, see our Bible reading plan for readers.
  5. To enter the drawing, you must fill out the survey below, letting us know the dates you read and what you thought of the speed-reading process. Your thoughts do not have to be glowing, but they should be honest; you’ll still be entered into the drawing if you didn’t enjoy your speed-read.
  6. Any submissions to the form below that don’t meet the requirements or have the appearance of being fabricated will be deleted. For example: multiple entries with different data, date of completion not between November 13, 2020 and March 31, 2021, “What I thought about the experience” has nothing to do with Bible reading, or date of completion is later than the date of entry submission (please don’t try to enter the drawing if you plan to read the Bible; only enter once you have completed reading it).
  7. In the first week of April 2021, we will randomly select 2 winners from those who have submitted the form. We will email the winners to get their shipping addresses. If a winner does not respond to our request for a shipping address within 1 week, a new winner will be selected in their place.
  8. The first prize winner (if US) will get their choice of the CSB Reader’s Bible, Five-Volume Collection or a one-volume reader’s Bible in the translation of their choice. (While these are not your only options, we have reviewed the following: ESV, CSB, NIV.) The second prize winner (if US) will get whichever option the first prize winner didn’t choose. Any winner outside the continental US will receive a $50 Amazon gift card via email.
  9. Unfortunately, missionaries with DiscipleMakers are not eligible to win the drawing.

We will occasionally post links to the submission form on the blog between now and March 31. But you might also want to bookmark this page for easy access when you’re ready to submit your entry.

If you’d like a checklist to help you stay on pace, here are three. I won’t bother to update the dates, as I don’t know which day you plan to start. But the checkboxes can provide signals to make sure you’re on track to finish on time.

  1. Canonical Order
  2. Chronological Order
  3. NIV Sola Scriptura Order

Or here is an iOS app that can help you track your plan.

We are grateful for the generosity of Lifeway Christian Resources in providing the grand prize for this year’s giveaway. You may now begin any time, and may this be the ride of your life.

Make the Most of Virtual Small Groups

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Becky Kiern and Jenilyn Swett have a wise and practical piece at the Gospel Coalition, arguing that “Your Virtual Small Group Can Still be Vibrant.” They have great suggestions for both leaders and participants. Here is a taste:

• Keep virtual meetings shorter than in-person meetings. An hour is usually plenty of time. When groups meet in person, they build in time for small talk, for grabbing coffee or snacks, and for participants to reconnect—all prior to diving into the meeting. But virtual platforms make these interactions nearly impossible, and extended digital meetings can lead to a loss of focus. 
• Consider limiting your group to around 10 or fewer. If your group has previously been larger than this, consider breaking into smaller groups for your virtual meetings this semester. As the number of participants in a virtual discussion increases, each one’s sense of being a vital part of the discussion decreases.

The full article has much more for your consideration. Check it out!

Daniel: The Most High Rules the Kingdoms of Men

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The book of Daniel contains many mysteries that have baffled interpreters for generations. And sadly, some readers get so distracted by the mysteries that they miss or ignore the book’s plain message, which couldn’t be any clearer.

A brief list of the book’s most repeated words is highly suggestive (this list excludes names, such as Daniel, or common grammatical words such as “then” or “not”):

  • king (189 times in ESV)
  • all (60 times)
  • kingdom (57 times)
  • great/greatness (54 times)
  • time (49 times)

Not only is “king” the most repeated word, but “kingdom” is repeated far more frequently in Daniel than any other book of the Bible.

Number of times “kingdom” appears per 1,000 words, in each book of the ESV Bible. The tall bar near the middle represents the book of Daniel.

The vocabulary leads us to expect Daniel to be a book about kings and their kingdoms. It is about times of greatness, and who will rule “all.” But how does the book go about making its argument?

Literary Markers

Daniel divides evenly according to genre. Chapters 1-6 consist of deliverance narratives, and chapters 7-12 consist of visions and their explanation. Most commentaries will point out, additionally, that in Daniel 2:7, the language of the original text shifts from Hebrew to Aramaic. It then shifts back to Hebrew in Daniel 8:1, and remains Hebrew until the book’s end.

So we could divide the book by genre:

  • Six narratives – Daniel 1-6
  • Four visions – Daniel 7-12

Or we could divide it by language

  • Hebrew introduction – Daniel 1
  • Aramaic body – Daniel 2-7
  • Hebrew conclusion – Daniel 8-12

Due to the structural clues that unite Daniel 2-7 (see below), I will follow the second paradigm in the walkthrough.

Part 1 Walkthrough

The opening verses of the book set up the main idea that will be developed throughout:

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god.

Daniel 1:1-2 (ESV)

Although the narrator tells us that Nebuchadnezzar comes to Jerusalem and besieges it, notice who is the subject of the second sentence. The narrator clearly identifies the chief actor behind all that transpires in this siege and deportation: The Lord gave.

Compare this with the parallel account of the same events in 2 Chronicles:

6 Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and bound him in chains to take him to Babylon. 7 Nebuchadnezzar also carried part of the vessels of the house of the Lord to Babylon and put them in his palace in Babylon.

2 Chronicles 36:6-7

The contrast shows us that Daniel wants us to know who is really in charge of the movements and battles of human kings. There is a king in heaven who watches and determines who will reign and who will fall.

In the rest of Daniel 1, we become acquainted with three young men who understand this fact very well. They remain unfazed by what is happening around them, because they aim to serve their King of Heaven, who can give or take away their health and muscles, wisdom and insight, power and position, whenever he pleases. Such faith causes them to stand out from the best Babylon has to offer. They are better than any in this world’s kingdom (Dan 1:20). And Daniel will last not only through the current king’s reign, but even through the current empire’s existence and into the next (Dan 1:21).

Part 2 Walkthrough

The next 6 chapters tell a masterful story about the world’s kingdoms, both present and future:

  • Interpreting a dream about four kingdoms – Dan 2
    • Rescuing the faithful from martyrdom – Dan 3
      • Interpreting the king’s dream, resulting in repentance – Dan 4
      • Interpreting the king’s vision, with no repentance – Dan 5
    • Rescuing the faithful from martyrdom – Dan 6
  • Interpreting a dream about four kingdoms – Dan 7
Image by anielbaez0 from Pixabay

God wants Daniel’s audience to know that they will have to endure great persecution under four human kingdoms (Dan 2, 7). But they must know that the King of Heaven rules over all. He will undermine the four human kingdoms when he establishes his eternal kingdom. And he will establish that kingdom by establishing his own people, as represented by one like a son of man (Dan 7:13-14, 27).

Those who believe these things and trust the King of Heaven set themselves up for all sorts of jealous outrage from those who refuse to believe (Dan 3, 6). But trusting in the King of Heaven means that fire and lions are no real threats. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego understand this whil they are young. Daniel perseveres in such faith, even when he is old—old enough to pick a fight over it with his younger opponents (Dan 6:10).

And this powerful, persevering faith in the King of Heaven makes God’s people tremendously valuable to the kings of the earth (Dan 4, 5). They can be trusted to know the truth and speak the truth. They care not for reputation or fickle standards of propriety. They can speak with clarity and boldness, seeking the human king’s repentance and trust in the divine King. Chapter 4 especially beats the drum of this theme (there is a king in heaven who rules over earthly kings) over and over and over again (Dan 4:3, 17, 25, 32, 34-35; also Dan 5:21). This is the main point at the center of this section of Aramaic chapters.

Part 3 Walkthrough

The remaining visions are quite dramatic and would make for terrific cinema. As long as we pay attention to the meaning given to them in the text.

The vision of Daniel 8 takes place by a canal, revealing the coming kingdoms of Media/Persia (Dan 8:20) and Greece (Dan 8:21). It goes on to describe the four-way split of Greece’s fallen kingdom, and the king who will arise to rule one of the pieces and persecute God’s people. History would come to know these events through Alexander the Great and Antiochus IV Epiphanes.

The vision of Daniel 9 takes place right after Daniel’s lengthy prayer of repentance. He knows the Scriptures, and that the time of Babylonian exile has come to an end. So he begs God to forgive his people and return them to their land. (Daniel 1:21 and Daniel 6 tell us that Daniel was present as a trusted advisor at Cyrus’s right hand. He would have advised the king to issue his decree to let the Jews return and rebuild—Ezra 1:1-4.) And right when Daniel wants to believe that this is the end of waiting and suffering for God’s people, the angel Gabriel shows up to tell him that there is still a long way to go. The exile was not simply about 70 years in Babylon; it is now going to last for seventy “sevens” until the Messiah comes (Dan 9:24-27). They will need to watch and wait for him patiently.

While the vision of Daniel 8 went into more detail on the kingdoms of Persia and Greece, the vision of Daniel 10-12 (by a river) now goes into tremendous detail on the fallout of Greece’s demise, and how the warring factions surrounding Israel (“the Beautiful Land”) will import political turmoil and military conflict to God’s chosen nation. This vision details how they’ll know when the prophecies of this book finally reach fulfillment. If they track each alliance, betrayal, battle, and succession, they will recognize the end of their seventy “sevens” of exile. I suspect that the fulfillment of the many political details of Daniel 11 is partially what led the “magi from the east” to begin looking for portents in the heavens to signal the birth of the divine king of kings (the “one born king of the Jews”), about whom Daniel had spoken (Matt 2:1-2).

The vision closes (Dan 12) with a breathtaking word picture of the resurrection of God’s people after generations of agony (Dan 12:1-4) and the certification of the promises spoken to them (Dan 12:5-13). Such hopes inspire God’s people to remain faithful at any cost—but only when they know their King sits far above those puny human kings who run around pretending to be in charge.

Conclusion

We haven’t solved every mystery in this magnificent book of narrative and prophecy. But of one thing we can be certain: His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation. And, of course, that he has given everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, to the Son of Man who has ascended to his right hand.

Interpretive Outline

  1. God’s faithful people in exile learn to trust the King above who rules over kings below – Daniel 1
  2. Narratives and prophecies to inspire faith in God as king here and now – Daniel 2-7
    • Four kingdoms coming before God establishes everlasting kingdom – Dan 2
      • Deliverance available; God can change king’s heart – Dan 3
        • God judges the king through conversion – Dan 4
        • God judges the king through destruction – Dan 5
      • Deliverance available; God can prepare king’s heart – Dan 6
    • Four kingdoms coming before God establishes everlasting kingdom – Dan 7
  3. Visions to inspire faith in God as king in the days to come – Daniel 8-12
    • Canal vision about coming events – Dan 8
      • Expectations for the end of exile – Dan 9
    • River vision about coming events – Dan 10-12

This post is part of a series of interpretive overviews of the books of the Bible.

Kindle Sale

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In case you’ve been holding out for a deal, you’ll want to know that the Kindle version of Knowable Word is on sale right now for $2.99 at Amazon. By the way, clicking that affiliate link might also send a few more pennies in this direction to support the blog.