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The Book of Acts
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BIBLE STUDY ACTS 1:1-26 CHAPTER 1:1-11 “The Ascension” “In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. “This,” he said, “is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” As he did at the beginning of Luke (1:3), the author of Luke begins the Book of Acts with an address to “Theophilus” meaning “lover of God.” In the Gospel of Luke he states from the outset that he is not an eyewitness, but an editor of the story and that “after investigating everything carefully from the very first,” his purpose is, “to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed.” Acts 1:1-11, can be viewed as an orderly re-telling of the end of Luke (24:36-53). Succinctly, it reviews the story of the events surrounding Christ’s resurrection, his appearance to the disciples in Jerusalem, his ascension into heaven and the awaited promise of the Holy Spirit. By comparing the two versions we can see what Luke chooses to elaborate upon and re-emphasize at the beginning of this second volume. Specifically, he re-emphasizes and elaborates upon 1) the question of Jesus’ followers, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” 2) the mission to be witness “to the ends of the earth,” and 3) the disciples witnessing the ascension. As for the disciples’ question about the restoration of Israel, two things should be noted as far as what is revealed by Jesus’ answer. First, he affirms the notion that Israel will be restored. However, this is an unsatisfying answer because he proceeds to deny that knowing the times is within human grasp. So, he shifts the conversation entirely, from knowing to mission. In this we find a helpful and universal hint to our spiritual livelihood. While we often want to “know” and “understand” the things of God, we are far more able to experience God by living out our calling. That is, while God certainly doesn’t reveal all things to us, God certainly shows us enough to live by—enough for the time being. Secondly, we are introduced to the mission of Christ to the whole world; the mission which we ourselves have inherited through the church universal. We are to be Christ’s witnesses to the farthest reaches of the planet (which, I might add, includes our own neck-of-the-woods). And finally, Acts 1 emphasizes the story of the disciples watching Christ’s ascension, which is curious, considering it is the second account of the ascension (see Luke 24:50-53) but is quite different from the first account. In Luke there is no mention of the two men in white robes, so what is going on here? Daniel J. Harrington sheds some light on this subject in his commentary by drawing the connection to a literary motif from the Old Testament. When Elijah, the prototype prophet of ascension, goes up into heaven (2 Kings 2:10) Elisha is promised “a double portion of the Spirit” only if he “saw him departing.” So perhaps Luke is using this beautiful motif to introduce another grand theme of Acts—the promise and power of the Holy Spirit in the early church, which is being promised to the disciples in a pattern familiar to scripture. CHAPTER 1:12-26 “The Twelve Restored” “Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers. In those days Peter stood up among the believers (together the crowd numbered about one hundred twenty persons) and said, “Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus—for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. This became known to all the residents of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their language Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) “For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘Let his homestead become desolate, and let there be no one to live in it’; And ‘Let another take his position of overseer.’ So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection.” So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed and said, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.” The significance of this section is “The Twelve.” The story of the choosing of Matthias is only discussed here in the scripture. Without this short section, Matthias would be otherwise unknown. The real significance of the story is not to introduce Matthias, but to reaffirm the connection between the early church and the hope of Israel. Judas must be replaced, and replaced before Pentecost, so that the Spirit of God can be bestowed on Twelve symbolizing the whole restoration of God’s people. Specifically, as previously stated in Luke (22:29-30), there must be twelve apostles to rule over the twelve tribes of Israel. As for Judas, his failure was deemed more than the failures of an individual, but a threat to the numerical and symbolic integrity of Israel’s new hope. Moreover, the Peter’s story about the purchase of the field, symbolically excludes Judas from the Church, whose communal living is also emphasized in Acts. -------------------- Joshua W. Magyar, Pella Lutheran Church 418 W. Main Street Sidney, MT 59270
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