Acts 1 Commentary
Please choose a passage:
Acts 1:1-5
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.
Acts 1:6-8
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.
Acts 1:9-11
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.
Acts 1:12-14
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.
Acts 1:15-20
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.
Acts 1:21-26
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.
Additional Resources
Luke begins the sequel to his Gospel. These are the Acts of the Apostles and of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ has resurrected and is about to return to Heaven. He tells His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit to arrive. The Holy Spirit will empower them and lead them through the trials they will face. The disciples wonder when the Kingdom of God will be established, but Jesus tells them that it is not their business to know. Their business is to tell the whole world about Jesus’s death and resurrection.
Jesus ascends to Heaven. The disciples return to Jerusalem and wait for the Spirit. In the meantime, Peter suggests they pray and draw lots to determine who should replace Judas Iscariot as the twelfth apostle. A man named Matthias is chosen by God to fill this station.
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