The limitations of Matthew 10:5,6 and 15:24 do not apply here. The world, not Israel, is John's parish in this

latest Gospel record. The dispensation of the Mystery, consequent upon the blindness of Israel (Acts 28:25-28) had

intervened, and John, while not writing a word about the Church which is the Body of Christ, or intruding into the

stewardship of Paul, can speak of things that Matthew could not. The main issue of John's Gospel is LIFE (John

20:30,31). What is the peculiar character of the calling of those who thus receive `life through His name', is not

revealed, but there is much to warrant believing that during this present period, two dispensations are running

together, the inner one, the Mystery, the outer one dealing with the salvation of `whosoever believeth'.

Whereas Matthew employs the word dunamis mighty work, or miracle, John uses the word semeion sign. It is

wonderful to note that the Gospel that is most explicit in setting forth the Deity of Christ, begins and ends with

exceedingly lowly `miracles', i.e., the provision of wine at a village wedding (John 2:1-11) and the call to `come and

dine' (John 21:12-14); while the central act of this Gospel is that record of humility, where, in full view of the fact

that `His hour was come that He should depart out of this world unto the Father' (John 13:1) :

`He riseth from supper, and laid aside His garments; and took a towel, and girded Himself. After that He poureth

water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith He was

girded' (John 13:4,5).

The Psalmist saw that the greatness of God was not merely that of overwhelming splendour, but of unspeakable

`Thy gentleness (condescension, humility) hath made me great' (Psa. 18:35).

However great the attraction that this Gospel has upon the believer, we must move on in our outline studies, and so

come to the Acts of the Apostles.

THE ACTS

By comparing the opening verses of Luke's Gospel with the opening of the Acts we learn that:

(1) Luke is the writer of both.

(2) The words `Of all that Jesus began both to do and teach' suggest that in the Acts we have a continuance of

what the same Lord did and taught, only, this time, no longer the lowly Saviour on earth, but the exalted Son

of God at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

The `Acts' proper, begins with Acts 1:15, the first fourteen verses being a résumé of the closing scenes of Christ's

earthly ministry as recorded in Luke 24. There in Acts 1:3, we learn that during the forty days that intervened

between the Resurrection and the Ascension, the Lord had spoken to the disciples `of the things pertaining to the

kingdom of God'. Referring back to Luke 24:44,45, we learn two things:

(1) The Lord traversed the whole of the Old Testament Scriptures;

(2) He `opened ... their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures'.

In the light of this statement of the Word of God, we must repudiate the suggestion sometimes made, that the

question of Acts 1:6 was an `apostolic mistake'. In like manner, the appointment of Matthias has been labelled

another `apostolic mistake' (Acts 1:15-26), but this involves the Spirit of Truth, for Matthias was baptized with the

Holy Ghost immediately after his appointment (Acts 2:1-4). If Matthias, being `numbered with the eleven' proves

that he was not one of the `twelve', then Peter `standing up with the eleven' puts him outside the twelve too, which

is absurd (Acts 1:26; 2:14). The restoration of Israel and the earthly kingdom is the burden of Acts 3:19-26 and

hinges upon Israel's repentance. The Acts of the Apostles registers a movement, which can be set out as follows:

Geographical (1) Jerusalem

(2) Antioch

(3) Rome

Ethnological (1) Jew

(2) Jew and

(3) Gentile