Themes in Acts: Power

One of the important themes in the Book of Acts is power. Out of the gate, Jesus has risen from the dead. He offers many proofs of the recent exercise of his power over death and sin. In fact, death has been swallowed up in victory. And that triumph is made more evident when Jesus ascends in the cloud into the heavens. That’s power that no one has ever seen before.

It’s no surprise then that accompanying this display of power is Jesus’s promise of power to his apostles (1:8).

But what to make of this power? James is beheaded in Chapter 12 and the book ends with Paul under house arrest in Rome. In other words, Christians don’t fare well by today’s standards or by American notions of power.

Let’s underscore the problem of understanding this power by turning to Daniel 7:

As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated,
and the books were opened.

. . . .

In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

Jesus’s ascension in the cloud literally fulfills Daniel 7 [Note: it is not a coincidence; Jesus is intentional in referring to himself as the Son of Man (see e.g., Matt. 8:20, 9:6, 10:23, 11:19, 12:32, 12:40, 13:37, 13:41, 16:13, 16:27-8, 17:12, 17:22, 19:28, 20:18, 20:28, 24:27:, 24:30 etc.)]. Jesus is proclaiming himself as the person in Daniel 7 in the Gospel. And while his public proclamation may have been discounted by most. Jesus emphasizes privately to his disciples and followers on Mt. Olive that he is indeed whom he had previously represented himself to be.

So, wait a minute. Jesus ascends and in so doing (as implied by his announcement, “you shall receive power” and as expressly evident on Pentecost) he was “given authority, glory, and sovereign power.” And Stephen is stoned to death and James is beheaded and Paul is jailed, stoned, shipwrecked, under house arrest? And as we know, the kingdom was not restored to Israel, Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 70 and again in 135 (cp. Micah 3:12)? How are we to understand that? Luke intends us to grapple with (and I will submit getting this right has very current applications to the church and to the world).

The “power” Jesus demonstrates in the cross, burial, and resurrection must be a very different conception than the world’s, different than Rome’s, and different than our well-muscled, American projections of power—political and military, ideological and evangelical.

Luke address this “upside-down” power throughout his narrative. It’s a different view of power than we would expect after someone rose from the dead; and it is different than the disciples had hoped for.

No reference to sitting at his right hand and his left. Instead, Jesus says they will be his witnesses, a key word, and another key theme in the Book of Acts. We would do well to consider its meaning. The word is not what we currently take witness to mean. The word is martus from which comes martyr.

So, we see another death. The disciples. What will they die to? What sacrifice will they may? You have to read the book for yourself to see. But we shouldn’t be surprised because Jesus told his disciples: “And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me;” and “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 9:23; 14:27). His strength will be made perfect in their weakness (2 Cor. 12:9) for he has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the wise (1 Cor. 1:27).