Christian Propaganda

Peter and John were going up to the temple area for the three o’clock hour of prayer. And a man crippled from birth was carried and placed at the gate of the temple called “the Beautiful Gate” every day to beg for alms from the people who entered the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked for alms. But Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” He paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them. Peter said, “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.” 

Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong. He leaped up, stood, and walked around, and went into the temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the one who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with amazement and astonishment at what had happened to him.  (Acts 3:1-10)

Acts was written by Luke long after Jesus’ crucifixion and his ascension, perhaps between the 80's to early 90's although likely early in the second century.  The dating is uncertain.  Acts is the story of Jesus-movement expansion from the Jewish homeland into the Gentile world and finally to Rome.  It follows from Jesus’ words to his followers: “You will be my witness…to the ends of the earth.” Acts is about evangelization – introducing more non-Jews to Jesus Christ.

What better way to acquire more followers than to claim Peter said to a crippled man: “in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.”   And, he did, witnessed by all the people.   Acts is about gaining converts.

Acts gives us the typical exploits (fictional or not) of early-Church heroic figures.  One reason for its writing was to commend Christianity to the Roman government, according to William Barclay who also said, “Luke was writing in the days when Christians were disliked and persecuted; and he told his story in such a way as to show that the Roman magistrates had always been perfectly fair to Christianity and that they had never regarded the Christians as evil...The book of Acts tells of the Church that carries on the life of Christ.”  

So, when we read Acts, we must appreciate it was written about 75 years after Jesus’ life.  We must also consider that Luke, a non-Jew (Gentile), appeared to intentionally whitewash the role of Roman officials in Jesus’ death – to color over it.  That was Luke’s apparent attempt to lessen Christian persecution in his day.  It was good and necessary propaganda.

Although I appreciate and understand Luke's motivation, very unfortunately, his approach helped shift the blame of Jesus' death onto the Jewish people, and throughout history that blame contributed to widespread persecution, scapegoating, and death of innumerable Jews. 

Deacon David Pierce