The Acts of the Apostles
1. Amongst other things, such as missionary journeys and appearances before leaders, Luke records in the Acts of the Apostles the sermons of Peter and Paul. Peter, a fisherman by trade, seems to know the law and the prophets, at least well enough to connect the law and prophets to Christ’s sacrificial death. If you were a first century Jew, how would you have responded to one of Peter’s sermons? Is he convincing? If not, what else would you have needed to know or hear?
2. Paul is a significant figure in the book of Acts. Since he is a learned man, at least more so than Peter the fisherman, how much more convincing are his sermons than those of Peter?
3. What do you make of the authors’ parallel between Pontius Pilate and God as judge in this chapter? Does this parallel make sense to you or not?
4. The blood of the Master purchases the slave. What does that mean to/for you? What does it say about the Master? What does it say about you? What kind of a Master dies for a slave? If you owned slaves, under what circumstances would you be willing to sacrifice yourself for one of your slaves?