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.

The Risen Christ Instructs His Apostles

1
The first book I wrote, Theophilus, concerned all that Yeshua began both to do and to teach, ​
2
until the day in which he was received up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the emissaries whom he had chosen. ​
3
To these he also showed himself alive after he suffered, by many proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking about God’s Kingdom. ​
4
Being assembled together with them, he commanded them, “Don’t depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you heard from me. ​
5
For Yochanan indeed immersed in water, but you will be immersed in the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” ​

The Ascension and the Mission Mandate

6
Therefore when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you now restoring the kingdom to Israel?” ​
7
He said to them, “It isn’t for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within his own authority. ​
8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.” ​
9
When he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10
While they were looking steadfastly into the sky as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white clothing,
11
who also said, “You men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Yeshua, who was received up from you into the sky will come back in the same way as you saw him going into the sky.” ​

Waiting and Praying in the Upper Room

12
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. ​
13
When they had come in, they went up into the upper room, where they were staying; that is Peter, Yochanan, Jacob, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, Jacob the son of Halfai, Simon the Zealot, and Judah the son of Jacob.
14
All these with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer and supplication, along with the women, and Miriam the mother of Yeshua, and with his brothers. ​

The Selection of Matthias

15
In these days, Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (and the number of names was about one hundred twenty), and said, ​
16
“Brothers, it was necessary that this Scripture should be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judah, who was guide to those who took Yeshua. ​
17
For he was numbered with us, and received his portion in this ministry.
18
Now this man obtained a field with the reward for his wickedness, and falling headlong, his body burst open, and all his intestines gushed out. ​
19
It became known to everyone who lived in Jerusalem that in their language that field was called ‘Hakel-Dema,’ that is, ‘The field of blood.’
20
For it is written in the scroll of Psalms, ‘Let his habitation be made desolate. Let no one dwell therein;’ and, ‘Let another take his office.’ ​
21
“Of the men therefore who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Yeshua went in and out among us,
22
beginning from the immersion of Yochanan, to the day that he was received up from us, of these one must become a witness with us of his resurrection.” ​
23
They put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthiah.
24
They prayed, and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two you have chosen ​
25
to take part in this ministry and office of emissary from which Judah fell away, that he might go to his own place.” ​
26
They drew lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthiah, and he was numbered with the Eleven emissaries. ​

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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