Act 6-8 | TNotes | STEP | 6:1 The Greek-speaking believers were Jewish Christians who had lived elsewhere in the Greco-Roman world and probably observed some Greek customs. The Hebrew-speaking believers were more traditional Jews, native to Palestine, who spoke Hebrew or Aramaic and refrained from Greek customs. • their widows were being discriminated against: This injustice threatened the growth and development of the church with rumblings of discontent and had to be addressed.

6:1 ^a The Greek-speaking believers were Jewish Christians who had lived elsewhere in the Greco-Roman world and probably observed some Greek customs. The Hebrew-speaking believers were more traditional Jews, native to Palestine, who spoke Hebrew or Aramaic and refrained from Greek customs.

• their widows were being discriminated against: This injustice threatened the growth and development of the church with rumblings of discontent and had to be addressed.
Summary for Acts 6:2-6: 6:2-6 ^b Wisely, the apostles called a meeting of all the believers to address the dispute. They recognized the seriousness of the problem, as well as their own priority of teaching the word of God. The solution was to select wise and Spirit-filled men to oversee the food distribution. The community accepted the apostles’ solution and chose good leaders from the ranks of the Greek-speaking believers (all of their names are Greek). These seven devoted themselves to this special ministry, allowing the apostles to spend their time in prayer and teaching the word.

• These seven men are sometimes called the first deacons because of the similarity of their role to the office of deacon (see 1 Tim 3:8-13 ^c). Although the Greek term translated “deacon” (Greek diakonos, “servant”) is not used here, a related Greek word is translated running a food program (6:2 ^d; Greek diakonein, “to serve”).
6:7 ^e The result of the apostles’ wise handling of the issue was growth and increase in the number of believers, including many of the Jewish priests.

• This is the first of three places in Acts where Luke notes that God’s message continued to spread (see also 12:24 ^f; 19:20 ^g). When real difficulties arose, God’s message could overcome the challenges posed by internal strife, idolatry, and paganism, and the result was growth in the community. Acts is the story of the unhindered message of Good News (see 28:31 ^h).
Summary for Acts 6:8-15: 6:8-15 ⁱ The Jewish leaders did to Stephen as they had done to Jesus (cp. Matt 26:3-4 ^j, 59-66 ^k): They got someone to lie about him, accused him of blasphemy, incited a riot, arrested him, and posted false charges against him.
6:15 ^l His face became as bright as an angel’s, just as Moses’ face had (6:14 ^m; see Exod 34:32-35 ⁿ). Stephen, like Moses, was bringing God’s instruction to Israel (see also 2 Cor 3:7-18 ^o).

‏ Acts 7

Summary for Acts 7:1-53: 7:1-53 ^p Stephen responded to the accusations by testifying about his Lord (cp. Luke 21:12-17 ^q). Instead of defending himself against their prosecution, he became a witness in God’s prosecution of them, exposing their stubbornness and unfaithfulness to God. Stephen’s recital of Israel’s past reminded them of their repeated rejections of those whom God had sent.

• Stephen’s review of Israel’s history has three principal parts, dealing with the work of the patriarchs (Acts 7:2-16 ^r), the ministry of Moses (7:17-43 ^s), and the role of the Tabernacle and the Temple (7:44-50 ^t). Stephen followed up his historical survey with a clear attack on the hard-heartedness of his own people. With a prophetic challenge, he urged them to stop rebelling against the Holy Spirit and turn to God with repentance and faith.
7:8 ^u the covenant of circumcision: See Gen 17:9-14 ^v; see also thematic note for Circumcision in the New Testament at end of chapter.
7:14 ^w Compare this figure with the seventy mentioned in the Hebrew text of Gen 46:27 ^x. The number seventy-five is probably taken from the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) for Gen 46:27 ^y. The Septuagint includes three descendants of Ephraim and two of Manasseh at Gen 46:20 ^z, making for a total of five more persons, whereas the Hebrew text does not include descendants for Joseph’s sons. The New Testament authors often quote from the Septuagint, which sometimes differs from the Hebrew Masoretic Text.
7:16 ^aa a certain price: Four hundred pieces of silver, according to Gen 23:16 ^ab.
7:37 ^ac This verse quotes Deut 18:15 ^ad. Moses had prophesied that the Messiah would come, and it had happened as Moses said.
Summary for Acts 7:39-40: 7:39-40 ^ae Just as the ancient Jews had rejected what Moses was saying, now Stephen was speaking to descendants who were still rejecting God’s deliverers—in this case, Jesus, the ultimate deliverer.
Summary for Acts 7:42-43: 7:42-43 ^af This passage quotes Amos 5:25-27 ^ag (Greek version) to illustrate how the people of Israel rebelled against Moses (Acts 7:39-41 ^ah). Molech was a Canaanite god to whom human sacrifices were offered (Lev 18:21 ^ai; 20:2-5 ^aj; 1 Kgs 11:7 ^ak; 2 Kgs 23:10 ^al; Jer 32:35 ^am). Rephan, a star god identified with the planet Saturn, was worshiped by the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings.
Summary for Acts 7:48-50: 7:48-50 ^an One of the charges was that Stephen was speaking against the Temple (cp. 6:14 ^ao). The leading priests and scribes controlled the Temple commerce and had a vital business interest in maintaining their enterprises unhindered (see Luke 19:45-48 ^ap). That is why these leaders were so worried about the Temple despite the fact that God himself had said that the Most High doesn’t live in temples made by human hands.
7:51 ^aq Stephen raised the same charge that God had raised against his people in the wilderness: that they were heathen at heart and deaf to the truth, because they were rejecting the gospel and obstinately resisting the Holy Spirit (see Exod 32:9 ^ar; 33:3 ^as; 34:9 ^at; Deut 9:6 ^au, 13 ^av; 31:27 ^aw; see also Ps 78:8 ^ax; Zech 7:11-12 ^ay).
Summary for Acts 7:55-56: 7:55-56 ^az Jesus standing ... at God’s right hand: Usually Jesus is described as seated in heaven at God’s right hand (2:33-34 ^ba; 5:31 ^bb; Luke 20:42 ^bc; 22:69 ^bd; Rom 8:34 ^be; Eph 1:20 ^bf; Col 3:1 ^bg; Heb 1:3 ^bh, 13 ^bi; 10:12 ^bj). One possible explanation is that Jesus was welcoming Stephen, the first martyr, to heaven with honor. Stephen had confessed his Lord faithfully on earth, and now his Lord honored his promise to confess his faithful servant in heaven, standing as a witness to defend him (Matt 10:32 ^bk; Luke 12:8 ^bl).

• the Son of Man standing: Cp. Dan 7:13-14 ^bm. The Jewish leaders understood that Stephen was speaking of Jesus as the divine Son of Man (Acts 7:57 ^bn), a title that speaks of Jesus’ power and authority (cp. Rev 1:12-15 ^bo).
7:57 ^bp they put their hands over their ears: They believed that the comparison of Jesus to the divine Son of Man (7:56 ^bq) was horrible blasphemy.
7:58 ^br Saul was the Hebrew form, Paul the Greek form of his name (see 13:9 ^bs).
Summary for Acts 7:59-60: 7:59-60 ^bt Stephen’s prayer, Lord, don’t charge them with this sin, is strikingly similar to Jesus’ prayer at his crucifixion (Luke 23:34 ^bu). Jesus clearly taught his followers the importance of both forgiveness (Matt 6:14-15 ^bv; Mark 11:25 ^bw; see Luke 11:4 ^bx; 17:3-4 ^by) and prayer (Luke 11:5-10 ^bz; 18:1-8 ^ca; see also Acts 1:12-15 ^cb; 4:23-31 ^cc; 12:5 ^cd; Jas 5:16-18 ^ce). The Lord answered Stephen’s prayer affirmatively in the case of Saul (Acts 9:1-43 ^cf).

Thematic note: Circumcision in the New Testament
Circumcision (cutting off the male foreskin) was widely practiced in the ancient Near East (see Jer 9:25-26 ^cg). For Jews, it had religious significance as the sign of the covenant that God had established with the people of Israel (Gen 17:9-14 ^ch; Josh 5:2 ^ci; John 7:22 ^cj; Acts 7:8 ^ck; Sirach 44:20). It was normally performed on the eighth day of a male infant’s life (Gen 17:12 ^cl; Lev 12:3 ^cm; Luke 1:59 ^cn; Acts 7:8 ^co). The New Testament notes the circumcision of John the Baptist, Jesus, Paul, and Timothy (Luke 1:59 ^cp; 2:21 ^cq; Acts 16:2-3 ^cr; Phil 3:5 ^cs). Circumcision became a metaphor for the renewal of a person’s relationship with God (Deut 10:16 ^ct; 30:6 ^cu; Jer 4:4 ^cv; Rom 2:28-29 ^cw). In the late 40s AD, some Jewish Christians tried to require Gentile Christians to undergo circumcision (Acts 15:1 ^cx, 5 ^cy; see 21:20-21 ^cz; Gal 2:4 ^da, 11-13 ^db), to which Paul and Barnabas objected (Acts 15:2 ^dc). The ensuing church council at Jerusalem settled the matter in favor of not requiring Gentiles to be circumcised (15:19-21 ^dd, 28-29 ^de).
Paul insisted that “it makes no difference whether or not a man has been circumcised” (1 Cor 7:19 ^df). “What is important is faith expressing itself in love” (Gal 5:6 ^dg). In Galatians, Paul argued against vigorous Jewish opponents and insisted that everyone enters God’s family simply through faith in Jesus Christ (Gal 2:14-21 ^dh). Circumcision is not required for acceptance by God (Gal 5:6 ^di). The cross of Christ is the way that sinners enter into covenant with God (Gal 2:14-21 ^dj; Col 2:11-15 ^dk).

Passages for Further Study
Gen 17:9-14 ^dl; Lev 12:3 ^dm; Josh 5:2-9 ^dn; Jer 9:25-26 ^do; Luke 1:59 ^dp; 2:21 ^dq; John 7:22-24 ^dr; Acts 7:8 ^ds; 15:1-5 ^dt, 19-21 ^du, 28-31 ^dv; 16:2-3 ^dw; 21:18-24 ^dx; Rom 2:25-29 ^dy; 1 Cor 7:17-19 ^dz; Gal 2:3-5 ^ea, 11-21 ^eb; 5:6 ^ec; 6:15 ^ed; Phil 3:5-9 ^ee; Col 2:11-23 ^ef

‏ Acts 8

Summary for Acts 8:1-4: 8:1-4 ^eg Saul: Cp. 9:1-2 ^eh; 22:4 ^ei; 26:9-11 ^ej; Gal 1:13-14 ^ek. The result of this great wave of persecution was that all the believers ... were scattered. Rather than having their enthusiasm dampened, however, they simply spread the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.
8:7 ^el cast out ... healed: Miracles often accompany evangelism in Acts (see study note on 3:1-11).
Summary for Acts 8:9-24: 8:9-24 ^em Simon the sorcerer was a showman, dazzling the people of Samaria and making self-exalting claims. Simon’s attempt to obtain spiritual power through payment gave the name simony to the later corrupt practice of buying and selling ordination to church leadership (cp. 1 Tim 6:9-10 ^en). Peter strongly rebuked Simon’s wickedness.
Summary for Acts 8:14-17: 8:14-17 ^eo When the apostles sent two of their own to Samaria, it was an amazing step in overcoming prejudice (cp. Matt 10:5 ^ep; Luke 9:52-54 ^eq; John 4:9 ^er; 8:48 ^es). Then, it was even more amazing that Peter and John prayed that the new Samaritan believers would receive the Holy Spirit. This event parallels the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem (Acts 2:1-47 ^et) and marks the spread of the Holy Spirit’s power from Judea to Samaria (1:8 ^eu).
8:24 ^ev Simon recognized the need for Peter to intercede in prayer for him, but it is not clear that he repented and turned from his wickedness. His main concern was apparently to avoid the terrible consequences that Peter predicted when his wicked motives were exposed.
Summary for Acts 8:26-40: 8:26-40 ^ew Philip obeyed the Holy Spirit’s leading and then seized the opportunity to share the message of Good News with a eunuch on the desert road ... from Jerusalem to Gaza. This incident shows Philip’s remarkable effectiveness as a Christian apologist and evangelist in his outreach for Christ and in his commitment to bringing the Good News to all people regardless of social class or ethnicity.
8:27 ^ex In the ancient world, a eunuch was an official, typically castrated, who served in a royal court (see 2 Kgs 9:30-32 ^ey; Esth 1:10 ^ez; 2:3 ^fa, 14-15 ^fb, 21 ^fc; 4:4-5 ^fd). Eunuchs were often scorned by Jews because they could not perpetuate the covenant family, and the law of Moses excluded men who had damaged genitals from the assembly of Israel (Deut 23:1 ^fe; cp. Lev 21:17-23 ^ff), but Isaiah spoke of God’s acceptance of Gentiles and eunuchs (Isa 56:3-8 ^fg; see also Matt 19:12 ^fh). In the new covenant, all who have genuine faith have a place among the people of God.

• The eunuch had traveled from Africa to Jerusalem to worship in the Temple, probably for one of the great Jewish festivals.
8:29 ^fi The Holy Spirit guides the servants of God in where, when, and what to preach, teach, or do (9:15 ^fj; 10:19-20 ^fk; 11:12 ^fl; 16:6 ^fm; 1 Cor 2:13 ^fn; 1 Pet 1:12 ^fo).
Summary for Acts 8:32-33: 8:32-33 ^fp The passage of Scripture was Isa 53:7-8 ^fq, one of the Servant Songs of Isaiah, a passage that speaks of the suffering servant of the Lord.
Summary for Acts 8:39-40: 8:39-40 ^fr After the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, Philip continued northward from Azotus (=Ashdod, 1 Sam 5:1-7 ^fs; Neh 13:23-24 ^ft; Isa 20:1 ^fu) up the coast, preaching in every town along the way until he came to Caesarea, where he settled (Acts 21:8 ^fv).

• Caesarea Maritima, a major seaport on the Mediterranean, was the seat of Roman government in Judea. It was built by Herod the Great about 22–9 BC and was named to honor Caesar Augustus.