 |  |
strictly in accordance with the Divine order, Jerusalem, Judaea, Samaria and then the
uttermost parts of the earth (Acts 1: 8), and was a fulfillment of prophecy:
"Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer, and rise again from the dead the third
day; And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name unto all
nations, beginning from Jerusalem" (Luke 24: 46, 47 R.V.).
It is not difficult to find O.T. allusions to the death and resurrection of Christ, but what
passage did the Lord have in mind in His reference to Jerusalem? Possibly Isa. 2: 3:
"And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the
Lord . . . . . and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for out of
Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."
Jerusalem was to be the centre of authority, and it was in harmony with this, and the
Lord's command, that the Apostles concentrated their attentions there. The original
Twelve (including Matthias), who expected to sit on "twelve thrones, judging the twelve
tribes of Israel" (Matt. 19: 28), even when for some reason they traveled outside of
Jerusalem, seem always, at this period, to have returned to the city (cp. Acts 8: 14-25;
10: 19 - 11: 2). The primary concern was to prepare Israel for their role in world blessing,
and the Apostles therefore concentrated attention on this people, beginning at Jerusalem.
The editor of the third edition of Dr. Weymouth's New Testament makes the following
observation (on Acts 1: 8):
"There does not appear to be any positive historical evidence that any Apostle, except
Paul, ever preached outside Palestine. Indeed Matt. 10:23 seems to preclude the
possibility of their having done so."
Granting that the expression "any Apostle" is to be limited here to the Twelve (for
Barnabas, Silas and others were apostles who undoubtedly did preach outside the land),
this comment is in harmony with the aim before the Apostles, and is most probably true
of the whole of the Acts period at least. That John spent his last days in Asia Minor is
strongly attested by tradition, but this was after the period when the "hope of Israel" was
no longer a possibility. All the time however, that this "hope" was before the minds of
the Apostles, their concern was the people of Israel, with Jerusalem as the acknowledged
centre. When the Gentiles were, through the ministry of Paul, evangelized during the
Acts period, this was looked upon even by him as "contrary to nature" (Rom. 11: 24), and
intended to "provoke them [the Jews] to jealousy" (Rom. 11: 11).
It may therefore be realized why the destruction of Jerusalem in 70A.D. caused so
much confusion amongst those believers who had not understood, or would not accept,
the teaching of the Apostle Paul on the subject, when he pronounced judgment upon
Israel and indicated a turn to the Gentiles (Acts 28: 28).
James, the bishop of Jerusalem.
James, the Lord's brother, who was apparently an unbeliever until after the
resurrection of Christ (John 7: 5; I Cor. 15: 7), was a leading member of the church at