6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” 12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Fellow Jews and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say.
Acts 2:6-14 NRSVUE
The stage is set at the beginning of the book of Acts for the rapid and even explosive spread of the church “to the ends of the earth” (1:8). It is an exciting and charged moment, one rife with potential political implications. Jesus’s programmatic statement to his followers sets the stage for all that follows in Acts, and raises critical questions about nationalism, empire, the nature of power, and what it means to be the “church” in the world.
Acts begins with a dedication to the patron Theophilus and an ever-so-brief recap of the closing chapters of the Gospel of Luke. It establishes the context with Jesus’s small band of followers in Jerusalem (including women; 1:14), waiting to be “baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (1:5) as his time with them on earth nears its end.
Our passage starts with a perplexing, perhaps even humorous, question from the disciples. After spending much time with Jesus, watching and learning from him, they now ask, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” (1:6). His followers—some of them at least—still seem to think that Jesus’s mission involves a national restoration project, to reestablish Israel’s political sovereignty. In spite of all that they have seen, through his teaching, miracles, crucifixion, and resurrection, their messianic hopes are still strongly nationalistic. Their way of understanding power is based in national might, centralized geographically in one place, and in one ruler.
Jesus responds, “It is not for you to know the times [Greek root: chronos] or periods [kairos] that the Father has set by his own authority [exousia]” (1:7). This is not an endorsement that the nation of Israel will indeed one day be restored—but rather that God’s reign will not unfold according to their expectations. Jesus’s following statement becomes a programmatic statement, even a roadmap for the rest of the book of Acts: “But you will receive power [dynamis] when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (1:8). First, however, Jesus commends patience. The disciples feel a sense of urgency for power and national control, whereas Jesus shows restraint. “The Spirit is coming soon, but not yet. Wait and trust in God’s timing.” This continues to be a good reminder today for those of us who feel impatient for a change in the prevailing politics of the moment. Patience matters. Power will shift—but not yet.
Second, Jesus offers an alternative in both the source of power and the nature of that power. Jesus’s followers seem to assume that the only true power lies in political control and dominance. This is an assumption that still holds sway today. Imperial power lies in coercion, domination, and the threat of violence and military control. It is rooted in aristocratic wealth and entitlement, is for their own benefit, and is sustained through propaganda and narratives that insist on the benevolence of elite rule for all. Jesus, instead, offers power through the gift of the Holy Spirit. Rather than being consolidated in one place (Rome or Jerusalem), or in one person (the emperor or Jesus), this power is dispersed through witnesses [martys] and establishes not a national entity but an ever-expanding community of belonging (e.g. Acts 2:43–47).
The arrival of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost will inspire Jesus’s followers to witness “in Jerusalem, in all Judaea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (1:8). We might think of these as concentric circles of expansion. The narrative of Acts bears this out: Jesus’s followers witness in Jerusalem (chs. 1–7), Judea and Samaria (chs. 8–12), western Asia Minor (chs. 13–15), Europe (chs. 16–19), and finally to Rome (chs. 21–28). In one sense, this represents a profound threat to Roman rule. In the Roman imagination, the empire was timeless, stretching across the entire face of the earth. For example, in Virgil’s Aeneid, the supreme god Jupiter declares that, “For these [Romans] I place neither physical bounds nor temporal limits; I have given empire without end” (Aen. 1.278–279). Acts imagines a Christian mission that begins at Ground Zero in Jerusalem and then expands outward, colonizing the territory of Rome with faith (Greek: pistis; “trust, loyalty, allegiance”) in the Lordship of Jesus.
Yet this geographic spread of the church also mimics imperial expansion and risks replicating the worst impulses of Roman rule if not carefully considered. In fact, this text highlights the dangers long inherent in the missionary impulse embedded in the Christian religion (note also the Great Commission in Matt 28:16–20). Unfortunately, history is littered with examples in which imperial powers and Christian faith have become intertwined, each at times co-opting the other to aid their own expansion (e.g., the Crusades, conquest of the Americas, forced assimilation of indigenous peoples). This risk demands that we think carefully about the nature of the Spirit’s power and Jesus’s own mission, vis-à-vis Rome’s.
There are clues throughout Luke and Acts that suggest how we might understand both of these. The first is Jesus’s own statement of his mission in his inaugural sermon at Nazareth, reading from Isaiah 61:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set free those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18–19; NRSVUE)
Jesus’s mission is one of liberation, especially for those who struggle, are marginalized, and are oppressed under the weight of empire.
Furthermore, the power of the Holy Spirit is offered as a gift to all types of people, not just those who are wealthy, aristocratic, and male. It is not coercive or dominating power, but is welcoming and invitational:
“In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit,
and they shall prophesy.” (Acts 2:17–18; NRSVUE)
There is a democratization of power through the gift of the Spirit, inviting all sorts of people in, not only into community, but to participate in and even help fully inaugurate God’s reign in the world.
Finally, the early church, birthed on Pentecost through the gift of the Spirit, demonstrates a new way of being in the world, in sharp contrast to empire:
Awe came upon everyone because many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. (Acts 2:43–47; NRSVUE)
The nature of the Spirit’s power is on display through community, sharing of resources, sacrificial giving, and joyful worship. It is a far cry from the violent and coercive power of imperial Rome.
For those who live under the specter of imperial power today, the temptation to despair may be strong at times. Just as it was difficult to imagine the end of the Roman Empire in Jesus’s time, it is hard to see how powerful forces of domination and control in our own world might one day give way to something new. For those of us living in a hyper-partisan context in the United States, we often assume that transformation can only happen through turnover in the upper echelons of our political structure: a new president is elected, and a new party takes over in Congress. The reality is that we may find ourselves waiting for quite some time for that to happen. Again, patience matters.
At the same time, this passage asks us to rethink the nature of power, and especially what transformational power can look like for people of faith. It is an invitation to all to participate, as it transgresses boundaries such as age, gender identity, wealth, and race, which have often limited those who can wield power. This power also takes shape in liberation and the formation of a beloved community, one where people give, share, and love so that everyone’s needs are met, not simply those at the top. For people who feel powerless today, this passage offers insights into not only reclaiming power, but also transforming how we embody and wield it in ways that are shared, liberating, and life-giving to all. Even “to the ends of the earth.” May it be so.
