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

1
In my first book, O Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach, ​
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until the day He was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles He had chosen. ​
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After His suffering, He presented Himself to them with many convincing proofs that He was alive. He appeared to them over a span of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. ​
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And while they were gathered together, He commanded them: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift the Father promised, which you have heard Me discuss. ​
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For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” ​

The Ascension and the Mission Mandate

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So when they came together, they asked Him, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” ​
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Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority. ​
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But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” ​
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After He had said this, they watched as He was taken up, and a cloud hid Him from their sight.
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They were looking intently into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.
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“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.” ​

Waiting and Praying in the Upper Room

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Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is near the city, a Sabbath day’s journey away. ​
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When they arrived, they went to the upper room where they were staying: Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.
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With one accord they all continued in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers. ​

The Selection of Matthias

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In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (a gathering of about a hundred and twenty) and said, ​
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“Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit foretold through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus. ​
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He was one of our number and shared in this ministry.”
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(Now with the reward for his wickedness Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong and burst open in the middle, and all his intestines spilled out. ​
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This became known to all who lived in Jerusalem, so they called that field in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
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“For it is written in the book of Psalms: ‘May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,’ and, ‘May another take his position.’ ​
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Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
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beginning from John’s baptism until the day Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.” ​
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So they proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias.
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And they prayed, “Lord, You know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You have chosen ​
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to take up this ministry and apostleship, which Judas abandoned to go to his rightful place.” ​
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Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to 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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