The passage
      v34-35. Peter's God is a sovereign God who acts as he chooses, cf. Rom.9-11. God chose Israel in an act of grace and now again, in an act of grace, his special love is extended to all. This is a revolutionary idea for a Jew.
      v36-37. C.H. Dodd says, that "the speech before Cornelius represents the form of kerygma (gospel presentation) used by the primitive church in its earliest approaches to a wider audience." Interestingly, it follows closely the scope of Mark's gospel. Also, it is filled with Aramaisims, that is, it looks very much like a message originally preached by a person whose native language is Aramaic.
      v38. Although Peter does not make the point explicitly, Jesus' anointing with the Holy Spirit at his baptism represents his appointment by God as the long awaited Messiah, Isa.61. It is most likely that the sermon is only a summary of what Peter said and so he may well have filled it out with stories of healings, etc.
      v39-41. Although we tend to want to stress the theology of the atonement when we present the gospel, the emphasis in the New Testament is upon the resurrection of Christ. The reference to "hanged on a tree" comes from Deut.21:23. The point is simple enough, "he that is hanged (on a tree) is accursed of God." So, Jesus was condemned by his own people and made the lowest of the low, but God overturned this disgrace and through his resurrection bestowed on him the greatest of honours, investing him with authority to rule. Jesus is Lord, and as Lord he has the authority to bless or curse. Note how Peter is able to bear witness to the bodily resurrection of Jesus because he not only saw him alive, but he ate and drank with him.
      v42. Peter repeats the charge that was laid on the witnesses - preach the gospel. There seems little doubt that all believers share the responsibility of communicating the fact of, and the consequences that flow from, Christ's resurrection. Because Jesus has risen from the dead and has ascended to the Father, the kingdom is come, the hour is at hand. The "one like unto the son of man" has taken up his throne and now rules with power and authority, Dan.7:13f. The downside of this present rule of Christ is that judgment is at hand.
      v43. The upside of Christ's rule is that the "Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins", Mk.2:10.

Bad news and good news
      Our reading from the book of Acts contains some bad news, but also some good news. It's all the result of an event that occurred nearly two thousand years ago - the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
      Jesus' death was a declaration of failure. All that he had ever stood for, ever taught, ever claimed, was set aside in his death. The generation that heard his claims and saw his deeds, voted him out. He was treated as refuse by his own.
      Yet, although Jesus was rejected by his own, he wasn't rejected by God. In fact, the opposite is so. Jesus' resurrection was a declaration by God that he was the long awaited ruler of the universe - Lord. The whole of nature sensed the dawning of the new age in this mighty event. We have all experienced vindication; sweet as honey to the lips, isn't it? All those years ago Jesus was proved right in his resurrection.
      As for the consequences of Jesus' resurrection, the news is both bad and good. The bad news has to do with judgement. Peter tells us that God has appointed Jesus "as judge of the living and the dead." So, we have to warn each other that we will all stand before the judge of the universe and give account of our lives. If Jesus is Lord of this age then the ultimate question is always going to be before us - do we recognize his right over our lives? If we ignore the Lord of all, then we will stand condemned in the day of judgement, and in a sense, that day is now.
      Thankfully, bad news is often followed by good news, and the good news has to do with forgiveness. The apostle Peter tells us that everyone who believes in him (Jesus) receives forgiveness of sins." Jesus lives, and because he lives we can live also, free from condemnation.
      There is an old saying which goes this way - "a human is the only animal that can blush and the only one that needs to." Anyone from the caring professions can tell us that guilt is the most widespread negative force affecting the human psyche. It eats us up, and we're all guilty aren't we? We often do a good job hiding it, but deep down within, gurgling away, there lies a stew of guilt.
      The one who broke the bonds of death all those years ago, has the right, power and authority to forgive us of everything we have ever, or will ever, think or do. There is now no condemnation for those who put their trust in the risen Christ. There is now no ground for guilt. When we trust Jesus, it's as if we had never sinned.

v34
      anoixaV (anoigw) aor. part. "then [Peter] began to speak" - having opened [the mouth]. The participle obviously forms a temporal clause, as NIV, although strictly attendant circumstance expressing action accompanying "said", "opened [his mouth] and said". The aorist is probably inceptive, pointing to the beginning of the action, "Peter began to speak", Barclay.
      ep alhqeiaV "how true it is" - truly, certainly. Adverbial expression. "In truth I realize", TNT, = "I am now certain."
      oJti "that" - Possibly introducing an epexegetic clause explaining what Peter is certain of, possibly introducing a causal clause, Peter is certain "because", or simply introducing an object clause, even indirect discourse, ie. a declarative hoti after a verb of thinking, here a verbal clause, "I have come to understand that ...."
      proswpolhmpthV (hV ou) "favoritism" - respecter of persons, treat one person better than another. The only use of this word in the NT. God, unlike us, does not respect persons. Here of Gentile and Jew.

v35
      oJ foboumenoV (fobew) pres. part. "men [from every nation] who fear [him]" - the ones fearing. Those who respect God, reverence him.
      ergazomenoV (ergazomai) pres. part. "do [what is right]" - the one working [righteousness]. The participle, although without an article, is substantival, serving as the second substantive of an associated pair, "the one fearing and the one working", cf. Granville Sharp's Rule. Possibly referring to ethics in a general sense, although we are incapable of doing what is right and therefore God's acceptance, on the basis of faithfulness, is but a theoretical possibility. Peter is not into developing a salvation by works theology here, but is rather making the point that God is impartial. In Jewish piety the word refers to almsgiving.

v36
      ton logon o}n "[You know] the message" - the word which. The difficulty we have in translating this verse often prompts the restatement of the verb "you know" from v37, so NIV. "You know" then serves as the subject and verb for the accusative "the word" which is followed by the accusative pronoun "which" (a well attested variant) = "you know the word/message which God sent ..." If we treat the pronoun as an addition and so leave it out, we get "He (God) sent the message to the children of Israel ...", so REB. Barrett suggests that the parenthesis, "who is Lord of all", has caused Luke to loose track of his syntax, ie. an anacoluthon. Fitzmyer feels that the sentence is in apposition to v34b, 35. This works quite well. Peter is certain that God shows no favoritism, namely that the important message conveyed to Israel through Jesus Christ was a message of peace, man with man, God with man; remember, Jesus is Lord of all.
      euaggelizomenoV (euaggelizw) pres. part. "telling the good news" - preaching, communicating (an important message). Again, our love of the phrase "good news" prejudges the effect of the message. It is good news for those who believe, but bad news for those who don't. Here it is "communicating peace", presumably "the message concerning peace." The participle is probably temporal, "when he preached (communicated) the gospel", Moffatt.

v37
      We now come to the gospel proper, or better, the kerygma, the apostolic preaching-formula, a formula used by all four gospel writers, and based on the gospel message communicated by Jesus, namely, "the time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe." The fulfilment of scripture is detailed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, on which basis the nowness of the kingdom / of the reign of Christ is proclaimed, the consequences of which are either judgment, or forgiveness.
      to genomenon (ginomai) rJhma aor. part. "what has happened" - thing/word having happened. The phrase may be read "the saying which was published" or "the thing which took place." "The message spread", NRSV.
      kaq oJlhV thV IoudaiaV "throughout Judea" - throughout all Judea. Probably Palestine is intended rather than just Judea.
      arxamenoV (arcw) aor. part. nom. "beginning" - having begun. The nominative case is interesting. Barrett suggests sloppy Greek, but Fitzmyer suggests "a frozen pre-Lukan formula" for the nominative, rather than accusative case. At any rate, "beginning" should agree with "word" which is in the accusative case. What began in Galilee after the baptism of John was the preaching of the gospel.
      baptisma (a atoV) "baptism" - immersion. It's interesting to note that Codex B uses the word "proclamation", meaning "gospel", "the gospel that John preached", which gospel was the same as the one preached by Jesus, namely, "the kingdom of God is at hand." The idea of preaching water baptism is strange indeed, but preaching an "immersion of divine truth = gospel" does make better sense.

v38
      wJV "how" - [you know what has happened .....] how [(God) anointed Jesus, the one from Nazarath]. Probably here expressing "in what manner", so "how", NIV.
      ecrisen (criw) aor. "anointed" - As in confirming kinship and here of the divine confirming of messiahship. "God appointed Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah ....."
      dunamei (iV ewV) dat. "power" - with power/authority. Instrumental dative. Probably power is intended, referring to miraculous power. Probably not "with the power of the Holy Spirit", Phillips, but "with the Holy Spirit and with power", although an instrumental sense is possible, "by the Holy Spirit and power." The point being that Jesus is set apart / appointed as an "inspired prophet", Dunn.
      dihlqen (diercomai) aor. "he went around" - [who] passed through. The aorist is interesting as the action of this verb seems to be durative. The sense of the word may be of coming to a point, moving to, so "he appeared on the scene and set about doing good."
      euergetwn (euergetew) pres. part. "doing good" - The participle is possibly adverbial of manner, expressing how the action "went about" is accomplished, but better attendant circumstance, expressing action accompanying the action "went about / arrived", "he arrived and did good and healed all ...."
      "Healing all who were under the power of the devil" - healing all the ones being oppressed by the Devil. Probably not just exorcisms, but a general reference to sickness, death, possession ... all of which are seen to originate with the Devil. Usually possession, as such, is termed as "possessed by an evil spirit."
      oJti "because" - Here expressing cause/reason.

v39
      pantwn gen. adj. "of everything" - Genitive of reference, "with reference to everything he did."
      w|n gen. pro. "-" - which [he did]. Note case attraction to "everything". Should be accusative.
      o]n pro. "-" - whom [they killed].
      kremasanteV epi xulou "hanging him on a tree" - having hung on a tree. Possibly a piece of wood is intended, even a stake, to emphasize a humiliating death, a cursed death in the view of Deuteronomy 21:23. Of course, the phrase may be a colloquial way of describing crucifixion, "it became a way of referring to crucifixion in Judea", Fitzmyer.

v40
      "but" - This adversative is not in the Gk. "this one (= Jesus of Nazareth) God raised up."
      th/ trith/ hJmera "the third day" - By now, a common way of identifying the resurrection, even though the time period is not actually three days.
      edwken (didwmi) aor. "caused [him]" - gave = granted. Lit. "he granted him to become visible"
      genesqai (gimomai) aor. inf. Virtually functioning as a verb to-be. As an infinitive, forming a noun clause, object of "he granted"; "he granted that he be seen." "God ..... let him be clearly seen", Phillips.

v41
      ou panti tw/ law/ dat. "[he was] not [seen] by all the people" - "He was seen" is assumed, carried over from v40. The dative is a dative of agency, identifying the agent / "the people" by whom the action of seeing is performed. "Not by the whole people", Barclay.
      toiV prokeceirotonhmenoiV (proceirotonew) perf. pas. part. "whom God had already chosen" - the ones God had chosen beforehand. The participle is usually treated as attributive, modifying "witnesses", so NIV, although with the article it is more likely a substantive in an appositional relationship to "witnesses", further defining "witnesses"; "[seen by] witnesses, namely, those whom God had previously selected." "Beforehand" indicating a divine plan to assemble witnesses to the resurrection. Obviously a larger group than the apostles is intended, but not just anyone; "he was not seen by all."
      sunefagomen kai sunepiomen "ate and drank" - ate together and drank together. That is, Jesus was not a ghost.
      meta to + inf. "after [he rose]" - Expressing antecedent time. "After his resurrection", Moffatt.

v42
      Here we have the substance of the gospel, the message the witnesses are "ordered" to preach. The coming kingdom is realized in the person of Jesus, now risen from the dead, in that Jesus has taken up his throne beside the Ancient of Days in fulfilment of Daniel 7:13-14. This "news" is both good and bad; good for those who believe, for their's is forgiveness and life, but for those who don't, their's is judgment and death. The negative side of the message is again recorded in Acts, 17:31.
      parhggeilen (paraggellw) aor. "He commanded" - The subject is not identified, but probably God, although possibly Jesus
      . khruxai ..... diamarturasqai aor. inf. "to preach ..... [and] to testify" - The infinitives serve to convey indirect speech, ie. what was commanded, namely "to proclaim to the people and solemnly declare", TNT.
      oJti "that" - Identifying discourse content, the message to be proclaimed.
      oJ wJrismenoV (oJrizw) pas. part. "appointed" - the one/man having been appointed. Participle as a substantive, while the perfect tense indicates that at the point of speaking Jesus has already been appointed as judge and is presently performing this role, cf. Dan.7:13. "Marked out", Barrett.
      zwntwn kai nekrwn gen. "[judge] of the living and the dead" - Objective genitive where "the living and the dead" receive the action of the "judge".