Acts1

The book of Acts begins with Luke addressing Theophilus, recounting Jesus' post-resurrection appearances for forty days and His command to the apostles to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Holy Ghost. After instructing them to be His witnesses globally, Jesus ascended into heaven, with angels promising His return. Subsequently, the disciples, numbering about 120, gathered in Jerusalem, where Peter led them to choose Matthias by lot to replace Judas Iscariot, thus restoring the number of the twelve apostles.

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The Risen Christ Instructs His Apostles

¶ The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,

Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:

To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

The Ascension and the Mission Mandate

¶ When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;

Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Waiting and Praying in the Upper Room

¶ Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey.

And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.

These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

The Selection of Matthias

¶ And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)

Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.

For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.

Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.

And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.

For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.

Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.

And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.

And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,

That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.

And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Study Notes for Acts 1

Verse 1

The 'former treatise' is the Gospel of Luke, written by the same author (Luke) to the same patron (Theophilus). Luke emphasizes that the book of Acts describes what Jesus *continued* to do through the Spirit and the church.

Verse 2

This verse establishes the transition point: the Ascension. The phrase, 'through the Holy Ghost had given commandments,' highlights that Jesus’ final instructions were divinely inspired and authoritative.

Verse 3

The 'forty days' period confirms the reality of the resurrection through 'infallible proofs' (Gk. *tekmeriois*). This time allowed Jesus to give crucial post-resurrection teaching about the 'kingdom of God.'

Verse 4

Jesus commands the disciples to wait in Jerusalem, linking the upcoming event to 'the promise of the Father,' a clear reference to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit prophesied in the Old Testament (e.g., Joel 2).

Verse 5

This contrasts John’s preparatory water baptism with the imminent, powerful baptism of the Holy Ghost. This event inaugurates the new covenant age and empowers the church for its mission.

Verse 6

The disciples still hold a nationalistic, political view of the Messiah, expecting an immediate restoration of Israel's earthly kingdom (cf. Rom. 11:26).

Verse 7

Jesus firmly redirects their focus away from eschatological timing ('times or seasons') and toward their immediate mission. The timing of the Kingdom's full arrival remains solely within God's sovereign power.

Verse 8

This is the central programmatic verse for the entire book of Acts (the 'Great Commission' of Acts). It defines the source of power (Holy Spirit) and the geographical scope of the mission: beginning locally and spreading globally ('unto the uttermost part of the earth').

Verse 11

The angelic message confirms the doctrine of the Second Coming (Parousia). Jesus will return visibly, bodily, and geographically 'in like manner' to his departure.

Verse 12

A 'sabbath day's journey' was approximately 2,000 cubits (around 3/5 of a mile), the distance Jews were permitted to walk outside their dwelling on the Sabbath.

Verse 14

This verse emphasizes unity ('with one accord') and continuity, noting the presence of women, Mary, and Jesus’ previously skeptical brothers, all dedicated to persistent prayer before Pentecost.

Verse 15

The 120 disciples represent the core nucleus of the early church, gathered before the massive growth described in chapter 2. Peter naturally assumes leadership in initiating action.

Verse 16

Peter interprets Judas's betrayal and death through the lens of Scripture, specifically the Psalms, establishing a pattern for the early church to understand events through prophetic fulfillment.

Verse 18

Luke includes a brief explanatory note describing Judas’s gruesome death, emphasizing the physical consequence of his sin. This account complements Matthew 27:5, which focuses on the hanging itself.

Verse 20

Peter quotes Psalm 69:25 and Psalm 109:8, demonstrating that Judas’s replacement was mandated by prophetic necessity. Restoring the apostolic number of twelve was vital, as it symbolized the twelve tribes of Israel.

Verse 22

The essential qualification for the replacement apostle was being a reliable, attested 'witness of his resurrection.' This criterion ensured the integrity and continuity of the ministry’s central message.

Verse 24

The prayer addresses God as the 'knowest the hearts of all men' (Gk. *kardiognosta*), recognizing divine sovereignty in the selection process. This method precedes the coming of the Holy Spirit, after which guidance would be more direct.

Verse 25

'To his own place' is a solemn euphemism referring to Judas’s eternal destiny, reflecting the consequence of his betrayal and failure to repent.

Verse 26

Casting lots (*klerous*) was a traditional method of discerning God's will in the Old Testament (cf. Prov. 16:33). This is the last recorded instance of casting lots in the New Testament church, as the Holy Spirit soon provided direct guidance.

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Acts1

The Risen Christ Instructs His Apostles

The Ascension and the Mission Mandate

Waiting and Praying in the Upper Room

The Selection of Matthias

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