Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Acts 2:42

"And they continued stedfastly in the apostles` teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers." — Acts 2:42 (ASV)

Luke begins describing the early church by telling us that the believers in it were distinguished by their devotion to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship with one another, to “breaking of bread,” and “to prayer.” The verb translated “devoted” (GK 4674) connotes a steadfast and single-minded fidelity to a certain course of action (cf. its use in 1:14 regarding devotion to prayer by the 120 in the upper room and in 6:4 regarding the apostles’ resolve, in the context of the Hellenistic widows, to center their attention on prayer and the ministry of the word). “The apostles’ teaching [GK 1439]” refers to a body of material considered authoritative because it was the message about Jesus of Nazareth proclaimed by accredited apostles. It undoubtedly included a compilation of the words of Jesus (cf. 20:35), some account of his earthly ministry, passion, and resurrection (cf. 2:22–24), and a declaration of what all this meant for humanity’s redemption (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:3–5)—all of which was thought of in terms of a Christian “tradition” that could be passed on to others (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:2; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:15; 2 Thessalonians 3:6). The number of references to teachers, teaching, and tradition within Acts and the letters to the churches (cf. Romans 6:17; 12:7; 16:17; 1 Corinthians 11:2; 1 Corinthians 14:26; 2 Thessalonians 2:15; 2 Thessalonians 3:6; James 3:1), and the frequent linking of prophets and teachers in the NT (cf. Acts 13:1; 1 Corinthians 12:28; 1 Corinthians 14:6; Ephesians 4:11), suggest that the creative role of prophecy in the early church was balanced by the conserving role of teaching. Undoubtedly the early congregation at Jerusalem, amid differences of perspective and along with a lively eschatological expectation, had a general “sense of center” provided by the teaching of the apostles. Luke’s reference to “the fellowship” (GK 3126) implies that there was something distinctive in the gatherings of the early believers. With the influx of three thousand on the Day of Pentecost and with daily increases to their number after that (cf. 2:47), they must have had some externally recognizable identity. Perhaps in those early days others thought of them as a “Synagogue of Nazarenes” and gave them a place among other such groups within the mosaic of Judaism. But the Christian community was not just a sect of Judaism, even though they continued to observe Jewish rites and customs and had no intention of breaking with the nation or its institutions. They held to the centrality of Jesus of Nazareth in the redemptive program of God and in their worship. Their proclamation of Jesus as Israel’s promised Messiah and the Lord of the human race set them apart in Jerusalem as a distinguishable entity. Just what is meant by “the breaking [GK 3082] of bread” in v.42 has been vigorously debated. Suggestions are a type of Jewish fellowship meal, a paschal commemoration of Christ’s death, or an agape feast that emphasized the joy of communion with the risen Lord and of fellowship with one another. Here and in 20:7 Luke may well have had in mind the full Pauline understanding (1 Corinthians 10:16; 1 Corinthians 11:24), but elsewhere he uses this term for an ordinary meal (cf. Lk 24:30, 35; Acts 20:11; Acts 27:35). Yet it is difficult to believe that Luke had in mind here only an ordinary meal, since he places the expression between two such religiously loaded terms as “the fellowship” and “prayer.” Undoubtedly “the breaking of bread” was an occasion for joy, love, and praise because it was connected with Jesus. Probably it should also be understood as subtly connoting the passion of Christ, even though the full theology as described by Paul had not yet come into focus. References to “prayer” (GK 4666) are frequent both in the summary statements and in the narrative of Acts (see 1:14, 24; 4:24–31; 6:4, 6; et al.). Just as Luke has set up in Luke-Acts the parallelism between the Spirit’s work in relation to Jesus and the Spirit’s work in the church, so he also sets up the parallelism between prayer in the life of Jesus and prayer in the life of the church. His use here of both the definite article and the plural in “the prayers” suggest formal prayers, probably both Jewish and Christian. The earliest believers not only viewed the old forms as filled with new content, but also in their enthusiasm they fashioned new vehicles for their praise. 43 Furthermore, Luke tells us that a lingering sense of awe rested on many who did not take their stand with the Christians and that miraculous things were done by the apostles. “Everyone,” in contradistinction to “all the believers” of v.44, refers hyperbolically to nonbelievers in Jerusalem who knew of the events of Pentecost and were observing the life of the early congregation. In the expression “wonders and miraculous signs,” Luke picks up the phraseology of Joel’s prophecy (cf. 2:19) and of Peter’s characterization of Jesus’ ministry (cf. 2:22). Luke probably used it to suggest that the miracles that the apostles did give evidence of the presence of God with his people, just as throughout his ministry, Jesus performed miracles to show that God was with him. These miracles continued to happen during those early days. 44–45 Within the Christian congregation at Jerusalem, the believers’ sense of spiritual unity expressed itself in communal living and sharing with the needy members of their group. While Acts implies that overt persecution of Christians came somewhat later, in certain instances economic and social sanctions were undoubtedly imposed on the early believers. Thus the communal life described in vv.44–45 should be understood, at least in part, as a response to these pressures. Such treatment of minority groups is not uncommon, as both ancient and contemporary history shows. The practice of holding possessions in community was a common feature of some Jewish sects of NT times (e.g., the group at Qumran). The sharing of the early Christians involved both what we would call their real estate (“possessions”) and their personal possessions (“goods”). 46–47a The favorite meeting place of the early believers was in the temple (cf. Lk 24:53), at the eastern edge of the outer court called Solomon’s Colonnade (cf. 3:11; 5:12). There, in typically Semitic fashion, they carried on their discussions and offered praise to God. As Jews who were Christians and also Christians who were Jews, they not only considered Jerusalem to be their city but continued to regard the temple as their sanctuary and the Law as their law. Evidently they thought of themselves as the faithful remnant within Israel for whose sake all the institutions and customs of the nation existed. As such, their refocused eschatological hopes (cf. Malachi 3:1) and all their desires to influence their own people were associated with the city of Jerusalem, the Jerusalem temple, and the Mosaic law. But while they met formally for discussion and worship in the temple precincts, they ate their meals together in their own homes, doing so with gladness and sincerity of heart. They also found a large measure of favor among the people. In Luke’s writings, “the people” (GK 3295) usually refers to Israel as the elect nation to whom the message of redemption is initially directed and for whom (together with the Gentiles) it is ultimately intended (e.g., 3:9; 4:10; 5:13). Later in the narrative of Acts, the attitude of “the people” becomes more and more antagonistic to the Christian Gospel and its missioners. But in this first panel the response of the people (excluding their leaders) is largely favorable toward the early Christians and their manner of life. Luke shows that early Christianity was the fulfillment of all that is truly Jewish and that it directed its mission first to the Jewish world—themes stressed throughout this book. 47b Luke’s thesis paragraph on the state of the early church at Jerusalem concludes with the triumphant note that as people were being saved, they were added to the growing number or Christians—a note that runs throughout this first panel but is not confined to it. Note that it is the Lord himself who adds to his church.