Acts 1
BolesActs 1:1-5
THE FORTY DAYS
1 The former treatise I made, O Theophilus,—The “former treatise” is the first treatise that Luke wrote; this was the Gospel according to Luke. Here is a continuation of the subject matter with which Luke closed his first volume. This is volume two of his writings. “Theophilus” is addressed in the Gospel according to Luke as “most excellent Theophilus.” It is not known who he was; some think that he was a man of honorable estate, and that Luke addressed both of his books to him; others think that as “Theophilus” means “friend of God,” or “lover of God,” Luke is writing to all who love God; that he adopted this name to indicate any believer in Christ. However, this is improbable. “Theophilus” is a Greek name probably applied to some Roman citizen.
concerning all that Jesus began both to do and to teach,—This gives the scope of Luke’s first or “former treatise.” He had “traced the course of all things accurately from the first” (Luke 1:3), and wrote m detail about all that Jesus “began both to do and to teach.” God and Christ begin, but there is no ending in their working; Jesus began working and teaching in the Gospel according to Luke, and he is still working through the Holy Spirit in his church. The works of Jesus and the teachings of him go together; he lived his life and preached his doctrine; the entire earthly ministry is summed up by Luke in all “that Jesus began both to do and to teach.” It is significant that Luke here puts what Jesus did before that which he taught; Jesus preached his own life. It was lived before his disciples and then taught to them. This is the way that Jesus placed it. “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:19.)
2 until the day in which he was received up,—The ascension of Jesus was the end of his earthly ministry; soon his heavenly ministry would begin; hence, this finds a place both in the gospel and in the Acts. The first two chapters of Luke record a brief account of the birth and childhood of Jesus, and then from the third chapter to the end of his record Luke gives what Jesus did and taught from his entrance on his public work to his ascension. The ascension of Christ took place “after that he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit unto the apostles whom he had cho-sen.” Jesus is represented in the Bible as acting by the special aid of the Holy Spirit; hence, he is said (Acts 10:38) to have been anointed with the Holy Spirit, and (Luke 4:1) to have been full of the Holy Spirit. God gave the Spirit to Jesus not “by measure.” (John 3:34.) An account of his choosing the twelve apostles is found in Matthew 10:2-4; Mark 3:13-19; Luke 6:13-16.
3 to whom he also showed himself alive—After his resurrection Jesus remained on earth “by the space of forty days” before he ascended. He made many appearances to his apostles during this time; we have a record of some of these appearances in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Jesus presented himself to them under different circumstances in such a way that they could not doubt that he had been raised from the dead. “By many proofs,” he established the fact of his resurrection. The resurrection was the evidence that Jesus’ death was not mere martyrdom, but triumphant atonement. The resurrection was to be the subject of the preaching of the apostles; hence, they were left without a doubt as to his resurrection. The King James Version uses the word “infallible,” but the Revised Version omits it with the assumption that a proof implies certainty. “After his passion” means after his suffering and death. “Passion” is from the Greek “pathein,” and is used absolutely of Christ’s suffering. (Acts 17:3 Acts 26:23.) During the forty days there are more than ten definite appearances mentioned; Jesus was not with them continually as he was before his death.
The ascension was ten days before Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came; Moses was in the mount at the giving of the law forty days (Exodus 24:18), and Jesus fasted forty days (Matthew 4:2) just after his baptism. We are given the subject that Jesus discussed while with his apostles; he spoke to them “the things concerning the kingdom of God.” “The kingdom of God” appears thirty-three times in the Gospel according to Luke; fifteen times in Mark; four times in Matthew, who elsewhere has “the kingdom of heaven”; one time in John; and six times in the Acts. No distinction is to be made between “the kingdom of God” and “the kingdom of heaven.”
4 and, being assembled together with them, he charged them—Among those things that Jesus taught his disciples during this period of forty days was “repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem: . . . but tarry ye in the city, until ye be clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:47-49.) The law was to go forth from Zion, and the word of God from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:3.) The apostles were all Galileans far from home and in danger (John 20:19), but as Jesus had been denied the home comforts of Nazareth (Luke 4:16), so his disciples were all to remain in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came. It is called “the promise of my Father.” (Luke 24:49; John 16:16-27 John 15:26.) Jesus had also emphasized this promise. (Luke 12:11-12; John 14 to 16.)
5 for John indeed baptized with water;—John baptized “with water,” but Jesus promised that his apostles should “be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days hence.” This baptism in die Holy Spirit is the promise of the Father. It was a promise made in the Old Testament which Peter quoted at Pentecost. Some of the apostles, if not all, had been disciples of John, and had heard John make the promise. (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:26.) Some had heard of the new birth. (John 3:3-5.) Now they were to know what it really meant, as they already knew in part. (John 20:22.) It is called a “baptism” to indicate the abundant and overwhelming outpouring of the Spirit which overwhelmed the spirit of the apostles in the Holy Spirit. “Water” was the element in which John baptized, and “the Holy Spirit” was the element in which the apostles were to be baptized.
Acts 1:6-8
TO THE
6 They therefore, when they were come together,—At one of the appearances of Jesus, during these forty days, probably his last appearance before his ascension, while they were all together, his apostles asked him: “Lord, dost thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” This shows that even after the resurrection of Jesus his apostles did not understand the nature of his kingdom. It was clear in their minds that he came to establish a kingdom, but they were still laboring under the misconception that his kingdom would be an earthly one. The word “restore” as used here is from the Greek, “apokathistaneis,” and as a double compound, it means “to restore to its former state.” The apostles asked him if he would restore the political kingdom to the Jews as it was in the days of David and other kings. Here is proof that the apostles needed “the promise of my Father” before they began to spread the message of the risen Christ; they could not preach the gospel of the kingdom until they understood the nature of the kingdom. The apostles still looked for a political kingdom, and needed the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Holy Spirit to proclaim the gospel.
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know—Jesus passed over for the moment the nature of the kingdom and spoke more definitely as to the point which they made emphatic “at this time.” They had asked Jesus whether he would “at this time” restore the kingdom to Israel; so Jesus tells them that it was not for them now “to know times or seasons.” He had repeatedly taught them the nature of his kingdom before he was crucified, but they had failed to comprehend his meaning; now during the forty days that he remained here after his resurrection and before his ascension, they asked him about the time of restoring the kingdom. “Times and seasons” was not for them to know now; they must wait until the Holy Spirit comes to guide them into a fuller knowledge of the truth and the nature of his kingdom. “The Father hath set within his own authority” the time when the kingdom would be established. Christ named neither the day nor the hour: he wanted his apostles to watch and pray, and wait: they were to wait in the school of the pious, but not many days. God had at his own disposal the time for the kingdom to begin its work. Jesus does not teach them at this time the time or the character of the great future events which the Father has reserved under his own control. This is true of the second coming of Christ (Mark 13:32), where Jesus recognizes the Father’s reservation of the question of time to himself exclusively.
8 But ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you:—They should receive power, or strength; the power was from on high (Luke 24:49), or it was the promise of the Father, which was the baptism of the Holy Spirit; they needed this in order to do their work. They were not to have a profitless knowledge as they had asked for, but they were to have the power to bear witness for Jesus and convince people of the truth of his kingdom; they needed strength which was to come from a great promise. They needed the power and wisdom which their adversaries could neither gainsay nor resist; in this way they would be enabled to become Christ’s witnesses. Their question was ample proof of their need of this new “power.” “Power,” as used here, comes from the Greek “dunamin,” and is used frequently with reference to the Holy Spirit. All needed power to equip them for the work that they were to do would be furnished by the Holy Spirit; hence, it was by the Holy Spirit’s agency that the apostles were to preach the gospel to the entire world.
and ye shall be my witnesses—Here Jesus gives a program of their missionary work. They are to begin in Jerusalem, and then advance to Judea, or the region round about Jerusalem; then they are to advance into Samaria, or the country beyond Judea, and continue in an ever-widening circle until they have reached “the uttermost part of the earth.” The commission as here given to bear witness for Christ was to go beyond the limits of Palestine; even to the ends of the earth, they were to spread the gospel. The apostles were to go throughout the known world; wherever they could find, or make, an opportunity, they were to bear their testimony respecting Jesus. The providence of God would be with them, and the Holy Spirit would direct them, so that they could thus make the gospel known throughout the world. “Ye shall be my witnesses” throughout the world; the peculiar mission of the church is to preserve to the world the living memory of a risen Christ. Further sections of the book of Acts record how this was done.
Acts 1:9-11
OF JESUS
9 And when he had said these things,—While his words were yet in their ears (Luke 24:51), and while their eyes were still gazing on him, the ascension took place. They were to be witnesses of it, and they saw it plainly and could describe it vividly and accurately. Jesus was first raised from the earth in visible manner, and as he continued to rise higher and higher, their eyes followed him ascending; a cloud received him and surrounded and enclosed him and removed him out of their sight. Jesus had instructed them as their Prophet and Teacher; he had laid his command on them as their King; and now as their great High Priest he is to bless them as they bear witness for him throughout the world. Matthew and John (except indirectly in John 6:62) do not mention the ascension. Mark and Luke very briefly record the fact.
There is no display, no expletives or exclamations, in narrating this wonderful event; the fact is stated in a simple, direct, natural way that emphasizes its truthfulness. Jesus went up to Mount Olivet just before the ascension, though he could have ascended just as well from a plain or in a valley.
10 And while they were looking stedfastly into heaven—The astonished disciples continued looking up where Jesus had disappeared, as if hoping to see him again. Suddenly “two men stood by them in white apparel.” The past perfect active indicative of “paristemi,” an intransitive form, is used here, and means literally, “had taken a stand by them.” The apostles did not see these two angels until they were standing beside them; they had human forms and white clothing. The angels at the tomb are described in a similar way. (Mark 16 Mark 5; Luke 24:4; John 20 John 12.)
11 who also said, Ye men of Galilee,—The angels addressed the apostles as “men of Galilee”; they were all Galileans now; all the apostles except Judas Iscariot were Galileans, and five of them came from the village of Bethsaida. The angels asked: “Why stand ye looking into heaven?” There was work to be done for Jesus; they are to return to the city of Jerusalem and wait for the descent of the Holy Spirit. The angels further instruct them that “this Jesus, who was received up from you into heaven, 31 And when they had prayed,—God answered their prayers by this physical manifestation; the “place was shaken” where they had assembled with the other disciples. Also “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit,” which was a renewal of the Holy Spirit received on Pentecost. The apostles were strengthened anew by the Spirit’s influence; they rose above the fear of the rulers’ threats, and continued with boldness to bear testimony in the name of Jesus. It should be observed that these pious men went to the Lord in prayer under these trying circumstances.
It is encourag-ing to Christians to have the fellowship and companionship of others in the work of the Lord; the apostles went to this company of disciples. It may be observed also that the enemies of God cannot thwart the purposes of God. They continued to speak “the word of God with boldness” wherever occasion presented itself.
“shall so come in like manner as ye beheld him going into heaven.”—The angels connect the ascension with the second advent; the ascension of Jesus is thus made a promise of his second coming. No representative of Jesus will come the second time, for “this Jesus” that they saw disappear shall reappear. He is to come “in like manner” as he ascended. Jesus himself foretold (Matthew 26:64) that he should hereafter come “on the clouds of heaven.”
Acts 1:12-14
WAITING FOR THE PROMISE
12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem—The usual name in the Bible for this mountain is “mount of Olives,” and is used eleven times in the New Testament. (Matthew 21:1; Mark 13:3; Luke 22:39; John 8:1.) “Olivet” is the Greek word here meaning “olive orchard” or “olive yard.” This mountain was “nigh unto Jerusalem.” The Mount of Olives is on the east of Jerusa-lem, and must be passed by those who go from Jerusalem to Bethany ; hence, Luke’s expression, “He led them out until they were over against Bethany.” (Luke 24:50.) No one knows the exact spot on the Mount of Olives from which Jesus ascended; it was “a sabbath day’s journey off.” Different parts of the Mount of Olives were, of course, more or less distant from Jerusalem. “A sabbath day’s journey” was about two thousand yards, or about three- quarters of a mile from the city wall. Luke says here that the Mount of Olives was a Sabbath day’s journey from Jerusalem, not that Jesus was precisely that distance when he ascended. Bethany was on one side of the Mount of Olives, at the foot of the mountain, on the east side, “about fifteen furlongs off” (John 11:18), or nearly two miles from Jerusalem, and the ascension was “over against Bethany.” (Luke 24:50.)
13 And when they were come in,—When the apostles came into the city of Jerusalem from the ascension, “they went up into the upper chamber.” Some claim that this “upper chamber” was the same room that was occupied by Jesus when he ate the passover, which is described both by Mark and Luke as a “large upper room.” (Mark 14:15; Luke 22:12.) This was in a private house, as is indicated in Luke 22:11; and not in the temple, as is indicated in Luke 24:53. “The upper chamber” is a phrase which suggests a well-known place, and this is as definite as we can make it. In this room the eleven were abiding, not in the sense of dwelling, but of sojourning; they were waiting for the promise of the Father. Here we have a list of the apostles; this is the fourth record or list of these names found in the New Testament.
The lists of the apostles in the New Testament are as follows
Matthew 10:2-4 Peter Andrew James John Philip Bartholomew Thomas Matthew James of Alphaeus Thaddaeus Simon the Zealot Judas Iscariot
Mark 3:16-19 Peter James John Andrew Philip Bartholomew Matthew Thomas James of Alphaeus Thaddaeus Simon the Zealot Judas Iscariot
Luke 6:14-16 Peter Andrew James John Philip Bartholomew Matthew Thomas James of Alphaeus Simon the Zealot Judas of James Judas Iscariot
Acts 1:13 Peter John James Andrew Philip Thomas Bartholomew Matthew James of Alphaeus Simon the Zealot Judas of James (Matthias)
The list of apostles is grouped by fours into three groups; Peter heads all the lists as leader; Philip heads the list of the second group in all four of the lists; and James of Alphaeus heads the list of the last group in all four of the lists. Luke varies his roll in his gospel and Acts; Andrew follows Peter in the gospel, and in Acts he is the fourth; while John is the fourth in the gospel and second in Acts. Luke changes the order in the second group, but the arrangement is the same in the third group. Peter, James, and John are the only apostles whose names are mentioned again in the Acts; they are mentioned here at the beginning of the history of the church. When the roll is called by Luke in Acts the name of Judas Iscariot is omitted.
14 These all with one accord continued stedfastly in prayer,—The disciple company consists of four separately mentioned classes of persons: (1) the eleven apostles; (2) certain devout women, including Mary the mother of Jesus; (3) the brethren of Jesus, James, Joses (Joseph), Simon, and Judas (Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3); (4) the other disciples of Jesus. The Greek word for “one accord,” “homothumadon,” means more than being together in one outward society; it means concord or oneness of mind and of spirit. They were together “in one place” because they had one purpose, and were of oneness of soul. They “continued stedfastly in prayer”; that is, they let nothing interfere with their prayers. They had been told to wait for the fulfillment of the promise, and that it would not be many days, so they spent their time in prayer. This was the best preparation that they could make for the great event of the descent of the Holy Spirit. This is the last mention that we have of Mary the mother of Jesus; the New Testament leaves her on her knees in prayer waiting, with the others, for the descent of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:15-26
OF
15 And in these days Peter stood up—Peter had denied his Lord after the keys of the kingdom of heaven were committed unto him, but we now find him in his old place impetuously speaking for the apostles. He had been forgiven, and had received a special message sent to him by the risen Saviour (Mark 16:7), and a special charge given him (John 21:15-18). He is here strengthening his brethren; he does not apologize for the sin of Judas, but rather reminds them that “he was numbered among us, and received his portion in this ministry.” Some think that Peter was the oldest of the apostles; hence, he took the lead. There “was a multitude of persons gathered together, about a hundred and twenty.” The word for “gathered” is not in the Greek here, but it does occur in Matthew 22:34, and it seems to be the same idea in Luke 17:35. The entire number of disciples is not mentioned as being one hundred and twenty, but that number was gathered together in Jerusalem ; evidently there were others scattered through the country. (1 Corinthians 15:6.) There is no significance in the number “one hundred and twenty.”
16 Brethren, it was needful that the scripture should be fulfilled,—“Brethren” literally means “men, brethren, or brother men.” Women are included in this address, though “andres” refers only to men. Peter reminds them that the prophecy given by David through the Holy Spirit concerning Judas must be fulfilled. He evidently refers to Psalms 41:9, which referred first to Ahithophel, and in John 13:18 to Judas; hence, Peter here indirectly states that David wrote Psalms 41. Judas led the company of Jews and Romans to the Garden of Gethsemane to betray Jesus. Peter here found three things foretold, which had to be fulfilled: (1) that the traitor was to be one of themselves; (2) what his fate would be; (3) that his office from which he had been ejected was to be filled by another.
17 For he was numbered among us,—Peter is not ashamed to state that one of the twelve betrayed the Master; inspiration has been true to the fact and recorded this betrayal. One might think that it would be injurious to the cause of Christ to record the fact that one of his disciples betrayed him; however, Judas fulfilled the conditions of the prophecy. (Psalms 41:9 Psalms 109:2-5.) Judas had a mouth of deceitfulness, the lying tongue, the groundless enmity, the requital of evil for good; yet he was numbered among the twelve apostles.
18 (Now this man obtained a field with the reward—Judas “obtained” this field, or acquired it indirectly with the money which he received for the betrayal of Jesus. (Matthew 26:14-26 Matthew 27:3-8.) Verses 18 and 19 are not a part of Peter’s speech, but seem to have been parenthetically included in Luke’s account. The field was bought with the money that Judas received for betraying the Savior; he brought it back and threw it at the feet of the chief priest, and they took the money and purchased this property; they would not put the money in the treasury. (Matthew 27:5-8.) This field was bought by the chief priest in order to bury strangers in it. Matthew further says: “That field was called, The field of blood.” (Matthew 27:3-8.) Luke here states that Judas fell “headlong” and “burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.” Matthew states that Judas “went away and hanged himself.” (Matthew 27:5.) There is no contradiction here, as he could have hanged himself and then fallen and “burst asunder.” Evidently in his attempt to hang himself the traitor’s body fell and was mangled as described here by Luke.
19 And it became known to all the dwellers at Jerusalem;—The fate of Judas and the way in which the purchase money was obtained caused the name to be changed from “the potter’s field” to “The field of blood,” and all people recognized the appropriateness of this name. “Akeldama” is the Aramaic word which Peter explained to mean “The field of blood.” “Aramaic” was the corrupt Hebrew which was spoken in Palestine at that time.
20 For it is written in the book of Psalms,—Peter here quotes from Psalms 69:25 and Psalms 109:8. He changes the plural of the first quotation into the singular as David was speaking of many enemies of his own, and Judas was the instrument through which the many enemies of Jesus work out their will; hence, the punishment which came upon Judas as the chief offender. Peter illustrates and points to its fulfillment in prophecy. The disciples would be disturbed at the treachery of Judas, but Peter answers by pointing to predictions in the Psalms which proved that none of these things were accidental; they were known long before by Jehovah. “His office let another take” means that another must be selected to fill the place that Judas was selected to fill.
21-22 Of the men therefore that have companied—The apostles were to be witnesses of Jesus; Peter here states the conditions required in the one who is to be appointed to take the place of Judas. He mentions two things; namely, that they should have been a disciple of Jesus “from the baptism of John,” and that they should have accompanied him after his resurrection. This is another way of saying that one should have known and followed Jesus from the first of his personal ministry to his trials, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. These apostles were careful in selecting the successor to Judas’ place; the one selected must be a competent witness; no one can be selected who is not an eyewitness of the things to which he must testify, so that his knowledge may be firsthand and his evidence trustworthy. Peter had quoted from the Psalms that the place was vacant and that another should fill it; hence, he proceeded at once under the guidance of God to complete this task.
23 And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas,— With the qualifications before them, “they” began their search for one who met all qualifications. They found two who met these qualifications. It is supposed that these two were selected from the company that was assembled. It is not clear as to who is included in “they”; some think that the entire assembly selected or found the two who were qualified; others think that only the apostles were included in the “they.” Those who take the view that the assembly selected the two who had the qualifications draw the conclusion that the church may select its officers today. They should remember that the church had not been established at this time, and that this is no precedent for selecting officers in the church. “Joseph called Barsabbas” also bore the name “Justus”; he was a well-known disciple at that time, and had been a companion of Jesus for three or more years, but we know nothing further about him. There have been different interpretations as to the meaning of his name; we cannot make him the same as “Barnabas” mentioned in Acts 4:36. “Matthias” is the contracted form of “Mattathias,” and is the equivalent of the Greek, “Theodore,” which means “gift of God.”
24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord,—Luke here gives only the substance of the prayer that was prayed; it is very probable that Peter led in this prayer, and that they all prayed with him. Some claim that this prayer was addressed to Jesus, and others that it was addressed to God. “Lord” may refer to God and Christ. It is the same Greek word that Peter used four times in answering Jesus (John 21:15-17 John 21:21), and that the eleven used after the resurrection in speaking to Jesus (Acts 1:6). Jesus had not at this time become the Mediator and High Priest, as his church had not been established. “Who knowest the hearts of all men” literally means who “heart knowing all men.” There is a similar expression applied to God: “Jehovah searcheth all hearts” (1 Chronicles 28:9) and “I, Jehovah, search the mind, I try the heart” (Jeremiah 17:10). Since God knows the hearts of all men, he is asked to “show of these two the one whom thou hast chosen.” It is clear that the Lord had chosen; that he was to make known which one should take the place of Judas. The Lord knew the heart; they knew only the men with their qualifications; hence, they asked the Lord to “show” or “point out” by some visible or other means which one of the two he had chosen. They wanted only the one that the Lord had chosen.
25 to take the place in this ministry—It is clear that they desire one to take Judas’ place and to become an apostle with them; they want him to participate in the office of the apostleship “from which Judas fell away” that he might go to his own place. Judas had been chosen to the place by Jesus, but he was disqualified by his wickedness and went to his own place, and now another must be chosen by the authority of God to take his place.
26 And they gave lots for them—The Jews were familiar with the process of casting lots; this method of decision by lot was an Old Testament custom. The land of Canaan was divided and assigned to the different tribes by lot. (Numbers 26:55.) The guilt of Achan seems to have been determined by lot (Joshua 7:14); the king of Israel, Saul, was selected by lot (1 Samuel 10:20-21); the same method was used in determining the “scapegoat” (Leviticus 16:8). Proverbs 16:33 indicates how the lot was cast. There are different ways by which the lot was cast, but we need not discuss these. The only thing practical here is that the apostles placed the responsibility of the selection on the Lord, and he made the choice; so Matthias was chosen by the Lord, “and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.” The Greek word for “numbered” is not the same as in verse 17, but is a word used in one form to signify the person who was selected. Some have doubted as to whether the apostles were guided by the Holy Spirit in selecting Matthias; they claim that Matthias was never an apostle.