DIRECTORY 339
father wanted?” They reply the first
son. Jesus confirms this, and tells
them that the prostitutes and tax
collectors who repented to John
the Baptist will enter heaven before
them. Jesus explains that these
sinners, despite their past actions,
believed in God and repented. The
crowd, however, with their hollow
professions of faith, will not enter
G od’s k ingdom.
See also: The Raising of Lazarus
226–27 ■ Feeding the 5,000 228–31
■ The Healing of the Beggar 284–87STEPHEN, THE FIRST
CHRISTIAN MARTYR
Acts 6:8–7:60Stephen, a deacon of the early
church, is Christianity’s first
martyr. He is a Greek speaker and
a powerful debater, and the speech
he delivers at his trial before the
Sanhedrin in Jerusalem is recorded
in the Acts of the Apostles. His last
words before he is stoned to death
for blasphemy are a plea to God not
to hold the sin of his executioners
against them. The cloaks of those
who step forward to stone him
are guarded by a Roman citizen
named Saul, who is yet to convert
to Christianity and change his
name to Paul. Saul’s sins in his
early life are thus framed against
the piety of early Christian martyrs.
See also: Road to Damascus
290–91 ■ Paul’s Arrest 294–95 ■
The Power of the Resurrection
304–05THE HEALING OF TABITHA
Acts 9:32–43Tabitha (known as Dorcas in
Greek), a well-loved Christian
woman in Joppa, dies and herbody is placed in an upstairs room.
The Apostle Peter, who has recently
cured a paralyzed man in the town
of Lydda, is sent for. Peter is taken
into the upstairs room where
Tabitha’s body has been washed
and placed. Grieving women show
him clothes that Tabitha had made
for them. After sending the women
out of the room, Peter kneels and
prays. He then commands Tabitha
to get up, and she rises from the
bed, returned to life. Through the
miracle of resurrection, the status
of Peter as one of God’s primary
miracle workers is reaffirmed, and
Tabitha is rewarded for living a
good and virtuous life.
See also: The Raising of Lazarus
226–27 ■ The Empty Tomb 268–71PETER IN THE HOUSE OF
A GENTILE
Acts 10:1–11:18An angel appears to the Roman
centurion Cornelius in Caesarea
and tells him to send men to find
the Apostle Peter and bring him
to him. Meanwhile, Peter has a
vision from God telling him that
he may eat “unclean” food as it
is not unclean when God says
it is not. A servant takes Peter
to Cornelius’s house even though
religious laws prevent Peter from
entering the house of a Gentile.
Peter realizes that God is telling
him that He has no favorites and
will accept all those who believe
in Him and he baptizes everyone
there. God’s treatment of Cornelius
allows for a transnational approach
to salvation, as Peter demonstrates
that the Kingdom of God is open
to all who have faith.
See also: The Word Spreads
288–89 ■ The Council of
Jerusalem 292–93calling out for mercy. Jesus tells
them to go to see the priests, and
as they do so, they are healed. One
of them, a Samaritan, returns to
give thanks, and Jesus expresses
His disappointment that only one
man has done so, showing the
importance of expressing gratitude.
See also: The Good Samaritan
216 –17 ■ The Healing of the
Beggar 284–87A BANQUET FOR THE POOR
Luke 14:1–24On the Sabbath, Jesus heals a
man in the house of a Pharisee.
Afterward He tells a parable about
a large banquet, where all invited
guests make excuses and do not
attend. In anger, the host tells his
servants to go into the streets and
invite the poor, the crippled, and
the blind to come and eat with
him, until the house is so crowded
that there will be no room for
any other guests. This parable
emphasizes that, having been
rejected by the religious people,
God would ensure the salvation
of all kinds of social outcasts.
See also: The Golden Rule
210 –11 ■ Parables of Jesus 214–15 ■
Feeding the 5,000 228–31THE TWO SONS
Matthew 21:28–32In this parable, Jesus describes
a man with two sons. The man
asks both of them to work in his
vineyard for the day. The first son
refuses, but later changes his mind
and begins working. The second
son agrees to work in the field,
but, ultimately, does not fulfill his
promise. Jesus asks the crowd,
“Which of the two did what hisUS_332-339_Directory.indd 339 28/09/17 6:06 pm