Question 1

Who does Paul directly address in v.26, and what does that imply about the setting and intended audience?

Accepted Answer

Paul addresses “brothers,” then specifies two groups: “children of the stock of Abraham” and “those among you who fear God.” That matches a diaspora synagogue context where ethnic Jews and non-Jews attached to synagogue life could be present together. By saying the “word/message of this salvation is sent forth to you,” Paul places both groups inside the audience being directly offered the message. The wording also signals that what follows is not only history about Jerusalem; it is an announcement aimed at the hearers in that room.

Question 2

In vv.27–29, how does Paul describe the role of Jerusalem’s residents and rulers in Jesus’ death, and how does he connect their actions to Scripture?

Accepted Answer

Paul says Jerusalem’s residents and their leaders did not recognize Jesus. Even though prophetic writings were read every Sabbath, they still condemned him, and in doing so they “fulfilled” what the prophets said. He adds a key detail: they found no death-worthy cause but still pressed Pilate to execute him. He then describes the aftermath—taken down from the “tree” and placed in a tomb—closing Unit 1 with the claim that these events completed “all things that were written about him.”

Question 3

What is the contrast between human verdict and God’s action in vv.29–31, and why does Paul emphasize witnesses?

Accepted Answer

Human authorities complete an execution and burial: Jesus is killed and placed in a tomb. Paul then pivots with “But God,” stating that God raised Jesus from the dead. The emphasis is on reversal: death and burial are not the final word. Paul reinforces the claim with public testimony: Jesus was seen “for many days” by people who traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and these people are “witnesses to the people.” In this setting, witnesses function as credibility markers for a disputed historical claim.

Question 4

How does Paul connect the resurrection to promises made to Israel’s ancestors in vv.32–33?

Accepted Answer

Paul frames his message as “good news” about a promise made “to the fathers” (the ancestors). He then claims God has fulfilled that promise “to us, their children,” specifically “in that he raised up Jesus.” He supports this by citing Psalm 2:7 (“You are my Son… Today I have become your father”), using Scripture to argue that Jesus’ role and God’s action toward him are not a break from Israel’s story but the realization of what was promised. The logic is fulfillment-through-God’s-act, not human achievement.

Question 5

What is Paul’s argument in vv.34–37 about decay, David, and Jesus, and what is it meant to prove?

Accepted Answer

Paul distinguishes Jesus’ resurrection from a mere return to ordinary life by saying God raised him “no more to return to corruption/decay.” He then links this to God’s “holy and sure blessings of David” and to the Scripture line, “You will not allow your Holy One to see decay.” To clarify, he contrasts David and Jesus: David served God in his generation, died, was buried, and did experience decay. Jesus, by contrast, is the one God raised and who did not see decay. The point is that the Scripture cannot ultimately be fulfilled by David himself; it fits the raised Jesus.

Question 6

According to vv.38–39, what is being offered ‘through this man,’ and how is it contrasted with the law of Moses?

Accepted Answer

Paul announces two closely related benefits “through this man” (Jesus): “remission/forgiveness of sins” and a form of being “justified” (put right/cleared) that comes to “everyone who believes.” He then contrasts this with the law of Moses by saying there were things from which the hearers “could not be justified” by that law. The contrast is not that Moses’ law was irrelevant to Israel’s story—Paul has just appealed to that story—but that it could not deliver the comprehensive clearing/put-right result he now claims is available through Jesus.

Question 7

What role do vv.40–41 play at the end of Paul’s presentation, and what response do they anticipate?

Accepted Answer

The final lines function as a warning and a framing device for how to hear the whole sermon. Paul tells the audience to beware that what is spoken “in the prophets” might happen to them: scoffers will see God doing a work in their days and still not believe it even when it is explained. This anticipates two possible responses—acceptance or rejection—without narrating them yet. It also places rejection in a familiar biblical pattern: disbelief is not new, and God’s work can be real even when it is dismissed as unbelievable.

Acts 13:26-41

Scripture

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