Acts 1 Commentary

Luke begins his second account. His first was about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This account is about the acts of the disciples and the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit to come to them.

The disciples ask Jesus if He will establish His kingdom in Israel now. Jesus answers that God has set that time in the future, and it is not for them to know it. Their job is to first wait for the Spirit to come to them, then to tell the world about Jesus’s death and resurrection.

The disciples watch as Jesus is lifted up into the sky and disappears behind a cloud. Angels tell the disciples that they shouldn’t stand watching, they need to get about the business of obeying what Jesus told them to do, and that Jesus will return one day.

The disciples return to Jerusalem and wait. The eleven apostles are there, as are the women who had closely followed Jesus, and His mother Mary, and His half-brothers.

As they wait for the Holy Spirit, Peter speaks to the other followers of Jesus. He quotes two Psalms to point to the fact that Judas, the twelfth disciple, is dead, and someone needs to fill his position.

Peter states the qualifications for Judas’ replacement: he must be someone who followed Jesus from His baptism until His return to Heaven. Two men are nominated. They pray for God’s guidance, draw straws, and choose a man named Matthias.