4. Baptized with the Spirit,
The Promise
Rabbi John declared,
“I did not
know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you
see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with
the Holy Spirit.'” John 1:33.
κἀγὼ
οὐκ ἤ̨δειν
αὐτόν ἀλλ' ὁ
πέμψας με
βαπτίζειν ἐν
ὕδατι ἐκει̃νός
μοι εἰ̃πεν ἐφ'
ὃν ἂν ἴδη̨ς
τò πνευ̃μα
καταβαι̃νον
καὶ μένον ἐπ'
αὐτόν οὑ̃τός
ἐστιν ὁ
βαπτίζων ἐν
πνεύματι ἁγίω̨
R. John knew of only one water baptism for the
Messianic Age to be revealed to Israel,
the one the Father had sent him to perform. We find no hint in Scripture that
R. John believed another water baptism would supersede his. On the
other hand he knew Messiah coming after him would baptize in a mighty, living
way.
“Is it
feasible that John might have contrasted his baptism with water as one mode
of cleansing and renewal with the Messiah’s baptism with Spirit and fire as a
more powerful means of cleansing and renewal? [Absolutely!1] Here
it is necessary to observe the strict parallelism of language used by the
evangelists in contrasting the two baptisms; in Mark, ‘I baptize you with
water (hudati), but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit (pneumati
hagioi)’; in Matthew and Luke, ‘I baptize you with water (en hudati)...he
will baptize with (en) Holy Spirit and fire’...the en as well
as the simple dative signify in each case the instrument or means employed in
the baptism. The Spirit is an agency comparable with water and fire. Thus
Messiah baptizes for cleansing and renewal in a more glorious way than R.
John.”2
So although the Baptist had been filled with the
Spirit from birth and announced the Kingdom in the spirit and power of Elijah
and purified with water, he knew he was not fit to bear Messiah’s sandals, he
knew he desperately needed a radical purification of nature. If that holy
martyr knew he needed to be baptized by Messiah, then surely every other
mortal needs to be baptized by Him as well.
A remnant of Jewish believers heard R. John,
believed and repented, turning from their sins to produce good fruit, Matthew
21:31-32. But it is clear that they had not yet received the Holy Spirit,
John 7:39.3 They longed for
the monumental day when they would be baptized with the Spirit. Many in Israel
looked for this great prophetic hope,4
but until the coming of Messiah, and until He was glorified and ascended no
one could fulfill it. But now, with death conquered, with the price of sin
paid, Messiah could begin His great work of baptizing with the Holy Spirit.
The opening verses of Acts record the same
unmistakable contrast from the risen Lord, “John baptized with water, but you
will be baptized with the Holy Spirit,” Acts 1:5. Three great voices, R.
John, Messiah and later, the apostle Peter, repeat this sharp contrast
between John’s water and Messiah’s Spirit. In all of Scripture it is found
six times by four different writers, more times than the crucial term “New
Covenant.” Surely this phrase is a warning beacon!5
Three times we find the contrast in the companion
volumes of Luke-Acts. Yet at the same time, though Messiah was not silent
about water baptism, a command for a new water baptism superior to
John’s is conspicuously absent. Three simple observations face anyone
who reads of the spreading flame of faith in Acts from the author’s
viewpoint.
1.
Messiah
never commanded a new water baptism.
2.
R.
John’s baptism to Israel is the only Messianic water baptism that there ever
was.
3.
Being
baptized with the Spirit is for every disciple from any nation and is not
dependent on John’s baptism, rather it far transcends John’s baptism.
For the Christian world the above will be startling
remarks. Nevertheless, Luke’s goal was to write out in consecutive order an
account of what had happened, that readers might know the exact truth, Luke
1:1-4.
A command for a new water baptism is absent,
but as mentioned, the Lord was not silent about the subject. The
gripping fact is He clearly spoke of the greatest water baptism ever revealed
to Israel, John’s.6 Notice
carefully that He by no means annulled it, but He did transcend it with
something far more wonderful, not water, but the promised Spirit, and this
just seconds before ascending into Heaven. For Luke it was Messiah’s last
word on baptism, water or Spirit. Those verses are practically His last
direct words on any subject. It is natural to assume that the subject of
baptism in Acts would be related to Messiah’s final statement of contrast
between water and Spirit.
Beyond that, Ezekiel 36:25-27 told Israel
to look for one water ritual and then a spiritual transformation.
"I will
put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will
keep My judgments and do them." (vs. 27)
25 åÀæÈøÇ÷ÀúÌÄé òÂìÅéëÆí
îÇéÄí èÀäåÉøÄéí åÌèÀäÇøÀúÌÆí; îÄëÌì èËîÀàåÉúÅéëÆí åÌîÄëÌÈìÎâÌÄìÌåÌìÅéëÆí
àÂèÇäÅø àÆúÀëÆíÓ
26ðÈúÇúÌÄé
ìÈëÆí ìÅá çÈãÈùÑ, åÀøåÌçÇ çÂãÈùÑÈä àÆúÌÅï áÌÀ÷ÄøÀáÌÀëÆí; åÇäÂñÄøúÄé
àÆúÎìÅá äÈàÆáÆï îÄáÌÀùÒÇøÀëÆí, åÀðÈúÇúÌÄé ìÈëÆí ìÅá áÌÈùÒÈøÓ
27åÀàÆúÎøåÌçÄé àÆúÌÅï áÌÀ÷ÄøÀáÌÀëÆí; åÀòÈùÒÄéúÄé,
àÅú àÂùÑÆøÎáÌÀçË÷ÌÇé úÌÅìÅëåÌ, åÌîÄùÑÀôÌÈèÇé úÌÄùÑÀîÀøåÌ åÇòÂùÒÄéúÆíÓ
In a similar way, R. John had initiated the
purification with water, now Messiah would begin to transform with His
Spirit.
In reading through Acts we see the Jewish disciples
were well aware that Messiah had begun to pour out His Spirit in the last
days. They knew of the promised Gift but did not understand all the wonderful
benefits. They dreaded ritual impurity even though they were being filled
with the Spirit and experiencing charismatic gifts.7 They simply did not comprehend the
transcendent purification until they were shocked some ten years later, as we
read in Acts 10.
Faithful Jews held firmly to God’s command to separate
from the nations and be holy, observing all laws of purification in Torah.
The disciples had done this gladly. Had they not earlier seen their Master’s
fiery zeal as He cleansed God’s Temple
with a whip? The same Temple in which stone signs were set up to warn
visitors from the nations they were ritually unclean and would be put to
death by the Jews if they passed beyond a certain point and came too close to
the Holy of Holies; the sacred Temple in which riots would erupt if it were
thought they really had trespassed. God’s Kingdom was near and Israel
was obligated to keep the Torah, Malachi 3:22
(4:4).
In fact God had promised that He would cause Israel
to walk in His statutes and keep His judgments when He put His Spirit in
them, Ezekiel 36:27. This helps explain why Jewish disciples were stunned
when Messiah poured out His Spirit on foreigners of the house of Cornelius.
The nations were ignorant of God’s requirements. They were not dedicated to
purity as Jews were. How could Messiah pour out His Spirit, His HOLY
Spirit, on them? This staggering question eventually caused Peter to remember
Yeshua’s promise long before, that critical contrast;
“John indeed baptized with water, but you shall
be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 11:16.
του̃ ῥήματος
του̃ κυρίου ὡς
ἔλεγεν ’Ιωάννης
μὲν ἐβάπτισεν
ὕδατι ὑμει̃ς
δὲ
βαπτισθήσεσθε
ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίω̨
Here, almost half-way through Acts, the fullness of
the Good News was finally understood. Israel’s
rituals, including the latest Messianic purification, had been transcended by
Messiah, who now baptizes with His Spirit, radically transforming the nature
of all disciples. The gentiles had been purified with His Holy Spirit, not
water, and the Jewish disciples found out no work of righteousness could satisfy
God. We must seek Him to cleanse us, we cannot cleanse ourselves.
Messiah is the Great Offering “burnt to ashes”
outside the camp, whose mortal, fleshly body was “burned up,” as it were, in
the resurrection transformation into an eternal, spiritual body. The power of
His sacrifice is now “mixed” with the living water of the Holy Spirit to
sprinkle those dead in trespasses and sins. Yeshua Himself is the Great High
Priest who pours out His Spirit in overwhelming New Covenant power to
baptize--eternally purify. We now look at more of the details of this story
of faithful Jews who came to realize Messiah’s transcendent purification.
After the resurrection the disciples expected the
Lord to establish Israel
in the Messianic Kingdom soon. They continued to worship in the Temple
and testified that the nation’s leadership had rejected their own King
Messiah.8 They saw themselves
as the obedient remnant of Israel
in the midst of the greater disobedient nation. They were faithful to King Messiah
and His forerunner, John, expressing their faith in a framework of the
Torah and traditions and would not even dwell with non-Jews, Acts 10:28.
Later, even after God had received disciples from the nations in New Covenant
fellowship, the Jewish believers were zealous to observe the Torah and
Prophets. All these things tell us that in the early chapters of Acts, Peter
and all Jewish disciples were “shomray mitzvot,” Torah observant
Jewish believers in the Jewish King of Israel.
After Messiah ascended a replacement apostle was
selected to take the place of Judas the betrayer, to fulfill a special sign,
Acts 1:15-26. But exactly twelve witnesses would be virtually meaningless to
anyone who was not from Israel.
In other words, the early testimony of the twelve apostles was directed to Israel,
not to the nations. We also read that it was important to Peter for this
replacement to have been among them from the beginning of the Messianic Age,
even from the time of R. John’s baptism. Thus we find that Messianic
testimony after the resurrection (some years after John’s martyrdom) still
involved with John’s baptism. This is emphatically revealed by the fact that
of fifteen different scenes in Acts which mention baptism seven refer
directly to John’s. Not one says Messiah ordered a new water baptism to
supersede it.
Shavu’ot, the “Feast of Weeks,” is the
second of three yearly pilgrimage feasts commanded to Israel,
commemorating God’s faithfulness in the harvest. In fact, the first time it
is mentioned it is called the “Feast of the Harvest,” Exodus 23:16. Messiah had just fulfilled rich
Scriptural types of Pesach (Passover). Now the disciples would be the
“first-fruits” of the real harvest of souls on Shavu’ot. After
returning from their meeting with Messiah in Galilee
they remained in Jerusalem
according to His command. This also fulfilled the command in Torah for Jews
to present themselves to God at this festival.
Messiah poured out His Spirit on the waiting
disciples with supernatural glory and power. A loud rushing sound was heard
and tongues of flame rested on the disciples. They were filled with the
Spirit and began to utter-forth at least fifteen different languages of the
Middle Eastern world. They were not “preaching,” but crying out “Abba! Papa!”
and praising Him for everything Messiah their Redeemer had done as the newly
indwelling Spirit gave them to utter-forth. The love of God had been poured
out into their hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to them.
Now, through the power of the long promised New
Covenant they knew God in a way Israel
had never known Him. They were filled with the fullness of God, something the
covenant of Sinai could never permit. No need now for every man to tell his
neighbor “know the LORD” for they all knew Him intimately, in sacred ecstasy,
the New Covenant promise of Jeremiah 31. This day they were recreated in the
image of their Master, sharing His holy nature, receiving a new heart and a
new spirit. By the Spirit of Messiah they were co-crucified, co-entombed,
co-quickened and co-raised, born from above, made new creatures, born again,
sealed with the Spirit of Promise, seated in heavenly places in Messiah.
These human vessels had been radically cleansed—baptized--even if they did
not fully comprehend it.
Some outsiders were amazed. Others mocked. Peter
faced the skeptics with a promise from the prophet Joel. But he did not just
pull this Scripture out of thin air, the disciples had been waiting for it to
come to pass. Joel described God pouring out His Spirit on all kinds of
people in the days just before His Kingdom. The Gift was not just for kings
and prophets, but now was for all who would call on the name of the Lord.
“And it shall
come to pass in the last days says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on
all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall
see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My
maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days, and they shall
prophesy... And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the
LORD shall be saved.”
17 καὶ
ἔσται ἐν
ται̃ς ἐσχάταις
ἡμέραις
λέγει ὁ θεός ἐκχεω̃
ἀπò του̃
πνεύματός
μου ἐπὶ
πα̃σαν σάρκα
καὶ
προφητεύσουσιν
οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμω̃ν
καὶ αἱ
θυγατέρες ὑμω̃ν
καὶ οἱ
νεανίσκοι ὑμω̃ν
ὁράσεις ὄψονται
καὶ οἱ
πρεσβύτεροι ὑμω̃ν
ἐνυπνίοις ἐνυπνιασθήσονται
18 καί
γε ἐπὶ τοὺς
δούλους μου
καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς
δούλας μου ἐν
ται̃ς ἡμέραις
ἐκείναις ἐκχεω̃
ἀπò του̃ πνεύματός
μου καὶ
προφητεύσουσιν
21 καὶ
ἔσται πα̃ς ὃς
ἂν ἐπικαλέσηται
τò ὄνομα
κυρίου
σωθήσεται
åÀäÈéÈä àÇçÂøÅéÎëÅï, àÆùÑÀôÌåÉêÀ
àÆúÎøåÌçÄé òÇìÎëÌÈìÎáÌÈùÒÈø, åÀðÄáÌÀàåÌ áÌÀðÅéëÆí åÌáÀðåÉúÅéëÆí;
æÄ÷ÀðÅéëÆí çÂìîåÉú éÇçÂìîåÌï, áÌÇçåÌøÅéëÆí, çÆæÀéðåÉú éÄøÀàåÌÓ
åÀâÇí òÇìÎäÈòÂáÈãÄéí åÀòÇìÎäÇùÌÑÀôÈçåÉú;
áÌÇéÌÈîÄéí äÈäÅîÌÈä, àÆùÑÀôÌåÉêÀ àÆúÎøåÌçÄéÓ
åÀäÈéÈä, ëÌì àÂùÑÆøÎéÄ÷ÀøÈà áÌÀùÑÅí éÀäåÈä
éÄîÌÈìÅè
Here the original word “afterward” in this prophecy
has been replaced with other end-time terminology “last days” to emphasize
that this Scripture, in combination with others, was finding fulfillment.
Peter certainly knew Psalm 16 and Psalm 110 had just been fulfilled by the
Lord9 and in the very next
chapter of Acts he said “these days” in which they were living had been
foretold by all the prophets. This would include Joel, as well as Ezekiel,
Acts 3:24.
The prophets had said the Spirit would be poured
out, and Peter said in his own words that Messiah had done this very thing,
Acts 2:33. Not only so, the apostles expected the Lord to continue to
pour out His Spirit with supernatural glory in the “last days” and
“those days.” Shavu’ot was not a one-time event which was
something “like” Joel’s prophecy. Rather, it was the beginning of a
continuous pattern in the last days, exactly what Joel promised. And
if they had not yet seen every sign found in Joel, they would anticipate
their soon fulfillment. After all, this was only the first day of many in the
last days. They looked forward to God’s out-working of Scripture. Peter
proclaimed Messiah to the “men of Israel,”
v. 22, and summed up his discourse by saying,
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Yeshua, whom
you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” v. 36.
The testimony of the apostles was directed to Israel,
not the nations. Of the many Jews and proselytes to Judaism who heard the
word, three thousand were cut in their hearts. They believed everything–that
Yeshua was Messiah, crucified and risen from the dead, now ascended into
Heaven and that He had just poured out the promised Spirit. They were
stricken with guilt and called out to know what to do.
“Repent, and let everyone of you be baptized in
the name of Yeshua the Messiah for the remission of sins; and you shall
receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38.
μετανοήσατε
φησίν καὶ
βαπτισθήτω ἕκαστος
ὑμω̃ν ἐπὶ
τω̨̃ ὀνόματι
’Ιησου̃
Χριστου̃ εἰς
ἄφεσιν τω̃ν
ἁμαρτιω̃ν ὑμω̃ν
καὶ λήμψεσθε
τὴν δωρεὰν
του̃ ἁγίου
πνεύματος
A vital question presents itself and must be
directed to the Christian world.
"Is this
command to Jewish worshipers at a Jewish feast in the Jewish capital meant to
apply to all later believers in Yeshua across the board, whether
Jewish or from any nation?"
The context leads us to answer no.
Peter and the eleven are apostles to the
circumcision, Israel,
and are proclaiming the Messianic revelation to their nation. Many years
after Shavu’ot the apostle Paul wrote to non-Jewish believers in Galatia,
telling them in Galatians 2:7 that there is such a thing as the “Gospel of
the Circumcision” (for the Jewish people) which is quite distinct from the
“Gospel of the Uncircumcision” (the rest of the nations of the world). The
heart of the Good News--faith in Yeshua--is identical, but the outworking and
expression differs according to the group addressed, Israel
or all the rest of the nations.
Returning to Shavu’ot in Jerusalem:
Israel is
informed it still needs to receive all God had foretold by their prophets and
now revealed in the last days, the end-time baptism of John and the Messiah
it heralded. Then, as in Ezekiel, they would receive the Holy Spirit. Peter
gave this command to Jewish worshipers and as such it must not be divorced
from its Jewish origin and indiscriminately applied to anyone from the
nations. That is the spurious idea that has been a square peg forced into a
round hole for long centuries.
We recall that R. John proclaimed a “baptism of
repentance for the remission of sins,”
Luke 3:3, κηρύσσων βάπτισμα
μετανοίας εἰς
ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιω̃ν
Acts 13:24, προκηρύξαντος
’Ιωάννου πρò
προσώπου τη̃ς
εἰσόδου αὐτου̃
βάπτισμα
μετανοίας
παντὶ τω̨̃
λαω̨̃ ’Ισραήλ
On Shavu’ot Peter too commanded repentance
and being baptized for the remission of sins. This is a direct indication of
John’s baptism, now however, performed by the authority of the risen Messiah,
i.e. in His name.
When Peter commanded baptism “in the name” of
Messiah he intended more than merely adding a label. This phrase identifies
the authority by which he makes his command, as well as the goal, joining the
worshiper to the saved remnant which will soon enter the Messianic Kingdom.
Jews of lesser social rank used the name of a higher authority to confirm
their actions or answers, Acts 4:7-12. The Talmud is full of citations “in
the name” of some other Rabbi. Peter was not the Messiah, nor the Voice of
Isaiah nor the Messenger of Malachi as was R. John. He was not the High Priest,
nor a member of the Sanhedrin, nor even a Rabbi. He was a Galilean fisherman
who had been a disciple of Rabbi Yeshua, the son of David, who was in fact
King Messiah. The resurrected Yeshua’s name was his source of authority on Shavu’ot.
There is no contradiction in linking Israel’s
end-time baptism initiated by R. John with the name of Messiah Yeshua. In
fact we might expect it since Messiah had continually endorsed it publicly,
the last time just eight weeks before Shavu’ot, a week before His
death, Luke 20:1-8. In the eyes of the disciples the authority of the
death-conquering Yeshua was infinitely greater than R. John. It would
therefore not be improper for them to proclaim Israel’s
end-time baptism in the name of Messiah who continually approved it, in fact
it would be expected of them. Neither was it contrary to the goal of New
Covenant faith, i.e. that the Jewish believer undergoing Israel’s
end-time Messianic baptism should be numbered with Israel’s
faithful remnant.
The fusing of “John’s baptism” with the “name of
Messiah” is no surprise for it had never been performed “in the name of
John.” It was strictly for the sake of revealing Messiah to Israel.
Plus, we never read of “Yeshua’s baptism,” but of one performed “in His name”
i.e. by His authorization. There is no difficulty believing the end-time
purification of Ezekiel, now called John’s baptism, was administered to
repentant Jews on Shavu’ot by the approval and authority of Israel’s
risen King Messiah.
Three thousand believed Peter's preaching that
Yeshua is Messiah and had an emotional experience. Their hearts were cut.
However, contrary to the wide-spread modern belief, they were not ordered
baptized as an “outward sign” or “public profession” of what the Spirit had
done inwardly. According to Peter they had not yet received the Spirit. This
means a new disciple may have seen or heard a miracle of God, can believe
Yeshua is raised from the dead and be deeply moved--cut in his heart--and
even call out to know what to do next, and it does not indicate that they
have received the Spirit. The three thousand would receive the Spirit after
repenting and being baptized, precisely the sequence of Ezekiel 36. The Jerusalem
spring of Gihon which feeds the pool of Shiloah (Siloam), not far from the Temple
or the traditional location of the upper room, provided a nearby source of
living water which could be sprinkled on the worshipers, fulfilling the sign
of Ezekiel.
Peter was convinced the Spirit would continue to be
poured out on new believers since he told the crowd,
“You shall
receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit. For the Promise is to you and to
your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will
call.” vv. 38-39.
αὶ λήμψεσθε
τὴν δωρεὰν
του̃ ἁγίου
πνεύματος; ὑμι̃ν
γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ἐπαγγελία
καὶ τοι̃ς
τέκνοις ὑμω̃ν
καὶ πα̃σιν
τοι̃ς εἰς
μακρὰν ὅσους
ἂν
προσκαλέσηται
κύριος ὁ θεòς
ἡμω̃ν
Peter’s promise was not a “hope of salvation” or
“forgiveness” or “eternal life,” it was the miraculous Gift of the Holy
Spirit plain and simple. The Jewish expectation of the outpouring of the
prophetic Spirit in the last days has now been promised to everyone turning
to the Lord. In contrast to a sizeable part of modern Christianity, here
there was no fear or anxiety or revulsion of a supernatural experience of
sacred ecstasy with the Holy One of Israel.
Neither was there any ambiguity. Contrary to much
modern thought, the apostles did not assume disciples would unknowingly “get”
the Spirit by believing in Yeshua. The three thousand were given
crystal-clear instructions that soon they would share in this wonderful
experience. In these last days Messiah was pouring out His Spirit powerfully
and bestowing supernatural gifts.10
They were not informed they had been “saved” after repeating a sinner’s
prayer. Instead the promise of the Spirit was clearly offered, and this to
observant Jews who understood what it meant. Then they were exhorted to be
saved from that wicked generation, vv. 38-40. Shavu’ot actually marked
the beginning of the fulfillment of a wish by Moshe Rabbenu, Moses,
concerning Israel,
that God would supernaturally put His Spirit on all His people, that all
would be prophets, Numbers 11:29.
The Gift of the Spirit was for “all who are far
off, as many as the LORD our God shall call to Himself,” Acts 2:39. This apparently was not said with the
idea of non-Jews from the nations in mind, but rather to the scattered of Israel.
It apparently is Peter’s version of the conclusion of Joel’s prophecy which
reads, “among the remnant whom the LORD calls.” In these early days he has in
mind the remnant of Israel.
Later he will learn that anyone from the nations who repents and trusts
Messiah can also share in this glorious Gift by faith.
Though Samaritans and Jews viewed each other with
contempt in those days (John 4:9) God had promised long before that the
ancient split between Judah and the ten northern tribes would one day be
healed through an eternal Covenant of peace. One who sat in the place of
David would rule over the united Kingdom,
Ezekiel 37:15-28. Certainly foreigners had been transplanted into Samaria
by the conquering Assyrians long before. Still Yeshua did not dispute with
the Samaritan woman when she said “our father Jacob” had given his
descendants the well, John 4:12. Not all the Israelites had been taken
captive centuries before, some still lived in the region, Luke 2:36. Philip
proclaimed the Good News of Israel’s Messiah in the capital of the ten
northern tribes, the city of Samaria,
Acts 8:5-25.
King Yeshua is the author of a New Covenant of
eternal peace and is the expected Davidic scion. And Israel’s
reunification in Ezekiel 37 is promised just after the sprinkling of clean
water in Ezekiel 36. Philip preached the Good News, performed miraculous
healings, cast demons out of those afflicted, and continued to administer the
end-time purification to Israel
in the name of Messiah Yeshua, and there was great joy in the city, 8:8.
The joyous Samaritans however, did not immediately
receive the Holy Spirit and we must emphasize that they were not told, “You
believed in Yeshua, made a profession of faith and have been water baptized,
therefore you ‘have’ the Spirit.” No, the Samaritans were not taught what
many today are taught in various Christian denominations. Philip and the
Samaritans knew they had not received the Spirit even though they had
believed in Yeshua, repented, were water baptized, were witnessing miraculous
healings and were having emotional experiences of joy. The best was still to
come! If the Samaritans did not personally know of the wonderful supernatural
experience of receiving the Spirit, promised in the last days, they simply
admitted it. There is no sign that they were not bashful or ashamed. We might
suspect that with childlike faith they simply confessed the truth and
admitted what they lacked. Two Jewish apostles, Peter and John, came from Jerusalem
to pray that they might receive the Spirit, an experience so powerful a
sorcerer offered riches for the authority to bestow the Spirit. The Samaritans
humbled themselves and submitted to Israel’s
Messiah, and His Jewish salvation, by receiving the Messianic baptism and the
out-poured Spirit.
An Ethiopian official had been in Jerusalem
worshiping the God of Israel, Acts 8:26-40. It is quite reasonable to believe
this man was either a proselyte to Judaism or born Jewish, (cf. Acts 2:5-11).
The narrative tells us he was reading the prophecies of Isaiah and we have to
ask: How much sense would anything in this book make if he were not at least
somewhat familiar with the Torah and the earlier writings, the foundation of
Judaism? Also the Greek word for eunuch “frequently denotes high political or
military officers; it does not necessarily indicate castration.” The Greek
text may as well indicate the Ethiopian was “on pilgrimage” to Jerusalem.11 Beyond that, Peter explained to
Jewish leaders in the faith in the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15 that he was
the one whom God had selected long before to open the door of the Good News
to the nations, not Philip. This would imply the Ethiopian was not a gentile.
Philip would have taught the Ethiopian about the
slaughtered “Lamb,” Messiah, and the end-time water baptism from R. John, very
likely referring to the predicted “Voice in the wilderness” also found in
Isaiah. We do not read explicitly that the man received the Spirit, but
Philip had just come from a place where he knew the Samaritans did not
immediately receive the Spirit. Therefore it would seem that he would also
have ensured the Ethiopian’s reception before they were separated.
The explanation for the difference in experience
between the Samaritans and the Ethiopian would seem to be that the Samaritans
had long turned a cold shoulder to Jerusalem,
to kings from David’s offspring, to Jewish prophets and to “salvation from
the Jews.” After an estrangement of almost a thousand years they needed to
humble themselves and return to Israel’s
Messiah from David’s line. They needed the confirming witness of Messiah’s
apostles from Israel’s
capital Jerusalem. On the other
hand, the Ethiopian had just made an arduous trek to Jerusalem
and was reading one of the Jewish prophets. He was not of a background that
needed the same attention as the Samaritans. The Lord would not have to delay
his reception of the Spirit.
There is every reason to believe Israel’s
end-time water baptism continued after the resurrection, by Messiah’s
consent, to the remnant of Israel
including Jews, Samaritans, and Diaspora Jews. The Spirit was then offered
and received, in precise accord with Ezekiel. The next chapter looks at how
Messiah set a new course for the proclamation of the Good News. The Judean
apostles will be reminded that receiving the supernatural Gift of the Spirit
is the supreme baptism, beyond all the rituals of Israel,
that can even purify the nations.
|