Introduction (1:1–5)

Luke begins the second volume of his account of the person of Jesus Christ by recalling a series of incredible events immediately following the resurrection. Jesus appeared to his followers over a period of forty days. These appearances served to guarantee the reality of his coming to life again after his painful and torturous death. The Lord also used this time to instruct his disciples about the plan of God and their crucial role in it. He instructs them to wait for a short period of time until they would receive the abiding manifestation of God’s empowering presence—the Holy Spirit.

FIRST-CENTURY JERUSALEM

A reconstruction drawing of Jerusalem in A.D. 30.

My former book (1:1). The book of Acts complements the Gospel of Luke as the second part of his two-volume work. It was common in Greek, Latin, and even Jewish literature for an author to divide his work into volumes and begin the first with a preface for the whole. The succeeding volumes would each begin with a shorter preface summarizing with a few words the contents of the previous volume.15 The Jewish historian Josephus, for instance, begins the second volume of his polemic against Apion with a comment similar to Luke’s: “In the former book, most honored Epaphroditus, I have demonstrated.”16

Theophilus (1:1). Luke wrote for the benefit of a person named Theophilus (see “Introduction” and comments on Luke 1:1).

All that Jesus began to do and to teach (1:1). The word “began” conspicuously implies that what Jesus did in his public ministry on earth until the time he was crucified was only a start. Jesus would now continue his proclamation of the kingdom of God and his redemptive ministry by working through his people. This continuation of Jesus’ work is the story of Acts.

Gave many convincing proofs that he was alive (1:3). In the final chapter of his Gospel (Luke 24), Luke records some of these appearances (see comments on Luke 24:1–53). The apostle Paul records that Jesus appeared not only to the twelve apostles and to James, but even to five hundred brothers at the same time (1 Cor. 15:5–7). Paul adds that among these five hundred, many were still alive, meaning that anyone who needed eyewitness verification of this incredible claim of bodily resurrection from the dead could easily obtain it.

Spoke about the kingdom of God (1:3). The kingdom of God was the central message of Jesus’ teaching during his three-year ministry. It continues to be the central theme of his teaching after his resurrection. The kingdom, however, took a substantially different form than what his Jewish followers were expecting.

The gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about (1:4). The Old Testament prophets announced the pouring out of the Holy Spirit in connection with the new covenant. Isaiah 32:15 looks forward to a time when “the Spirit is poured upon us from on high.” God says through Ezekiel that, “I will put my Spirit in you” (Ezek. 37:14; cf. 36:27). On the day of Pentecost, Peter specifically connected the outpouring of the Spirit with the prophecy of Joel 2:28–32. Jesus gave his most extensive teaching about the coming Holy Spirit to his disciples in the night before he was crucified (John 14–16).

MODERN JERUSALEM

The Muslim Dome of the Rock is prominent on the temple mount.

The Ascension (1:6–11)

Responding to a question that reveals the disciples’ ongoing confusion about the nature of the kingdom of God, Jesus declares what is truly central to God’s plan for the immediate future. First, this is not the time that God is coming in judgment on the nations and establishing a political earthly reign. Jesus warns his followers even to avoid speculating about the timing of this event; only the Father knows when this will happen. Second, they will soon receive the fulfillment of the new covenant promise of the Holy Spirit. Third, the Spirit will empower them to serve as witnesses of Christ throughout the world. As witnesses, they will testify to Jesus as the Messiah and to his sacrificial death on the cross, his resurrection, and his offer of salvation to all who believe. This task will not be limited to the borders of Israel. Rather, Christ calls them to take their testimony to the entire world.

Forty days after his resurrection, Jesus ascends to the Father. Two angels appear and assure the disciples that Jesus will return.

Are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel? (1:6). Israel at this time was under the political domination of Rome. Most Jews were unhappy with this situation and longed for the time that God would sovereignly intervene in fulfillment of the prophetic texts and remove these impure and arrogant Gentiles from power. The nation took matters into their own hands in A.D. 66 and inaugurated a war with the Roman forces that eventually led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. It appears that the disciples still did not completely understand the nature of this phase of the kingdom plan that Jesus was inaugurating. In fairness to them, however, we need to realize that they had not yet received the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. After Pentecost, there was no more misunderstanding about this issue.

In Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (1:8). The itinerary Jesus establishes becomes the outline for the book of Acts: “in Jerusalem” (Acts 1–7), “in all Judea and Samaria” (8:1–11:18), and the rest of the book tracks the spread of the gospel through Asia Minor, Greece, and on to Rome.

The ends of the earth (1:8). In a first-century Jewish manner of speaking, this could be a reference to Rome.17 It is significant in this regard that Luke draws the book of Acts to a conclusion with Paul reaching Rome. Yet it is likely that Luke intends for his readers to see this commission from the Lord as extending far beyond the city of Rome or even the boundaries of the Roman empire. From the perspective of a Roman, the capital city was not on the extremities of the earth, but was rather the center. The empire itself extended far to the north (as far as the province of Britannia, modern Great Britain) and a great distance to the west (Spain and Gaul). We know that the apostle Paul planned to preach the gospel as far as Spain (see Rom. 15:24). Jesus here echoes the language of Isaiah 49:6, which anticipates the light of the gospel extending throughout the inhabited earth: “I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”

JERUSALEM, JUDEA, AND SAMARIA

A cloud hid him from their sight (1:9). This is not a normal cloud. Rather, it is a special cloud that shrouds the divine glory of God (the shekinah). It was like the cloud that covered the tent of meeting when the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle (Ex. 40:34) and the cloud that enveloped Jesus and the other two figures with him when he was transfigured in the presence of three of his disciples (Luke 9:34–36).

CLOUD

Two men dressed in white (1:10). These two men are actually angels. These messengers could manifest their appearance in dazzling white as the two did at the tomb: “Suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them” (Luke 24:4). The fact that there are two is significant for establishing their credibility as witnesses in a Jewish context. The Jewish law stipulates that “a matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses” (Deut. 19:15).

Will come back in the same way (1:11). The angels assure the amazed disciples not only that Jesus will return, but that it will be in a similar fashion. This accords with what Jesus himself taught: “At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory” (Mark 13:26).

The Disciples Wait and Pray (1:12–14)

In roughly the ten days between Jesus’ ascension and the coming of the Spirit, the disciples devote themselves to prayer. They meet together in a private room where they spend long hours together calling on the Lord. Their sense of anticipation must have been high in light of Jesus’ promise of an outpouring of the Spirit.

The Mount of Olives (1:12). Luke indicates that Jesus ascended not from within the city walls of Jerusalem, but from the Mount of Olives (see “Mount of Olives” at Luke 19:29). Following Jesus’ ascension, the disciples return to the city.

A Sabbath day’s walk (1:12). This Jewish expression referred to a distance between a half and three-quarters of a mile. The Rabbinic sources stipulate that a Sabbath day’s journey was not to exceed two thousand cubits. Given that a cubit was about twenty-two inches, this would be a limit of 3,666 feet (a mile is 5,280 feet). The distance between the temple and the Mount of Olives was within this range.

They went upstairs to the room (1:13). The group met together in an upstairs room of a private home in Jerusalem. Most likely this was a home owned by someone sympathetic with the movement. To accommodate a crowd of this size (later 120 people meet in the room), the home was probably owned by a fairly wealthy person. Archaeologists have recovered the remains of a few homes in the Herodian quarter from this period owned by wealthy citizens.18 One of these homes, the so-called “Palatial Mansion,” had a room that measured thirty-six by twenty-one feet (nearly seven hundred square feet). Early Christian tradition, however, identifies this home with the “Cenacle” (see “The ‘Cenacle’ ”).

CENACLE

An historical tradition locates the “upper room” in the Cenacle on Mount Zion.

The women (1:14). This refers to the same women who visited the tomb of Jesus and discovered it was empty: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary (the mother of James) (see Luke 24:10).

Mary the mother of Jesus (1:14). This is the final time that Mary is mentioned in the New Testament. It is meaningful that the last image we have of her is in prayer.

His brothers (1:14). These brothers are named in only one place in the New Testament (Mark 6:4). They were James, Joseph (or Joses), Judas, and Simon. Before the cross, they were skeptical of his claims (see John 7:5), but now they are devoted to him. James will become the leader of the Jerusalem church and Judas (or Jude) will become the author of a New Testament letter.

Peter Addresses a Group of 120 (1:15–26)

In the ten days between Jesus’ ascension and the coming of the Spirit, many of Jesus’ followers meet in the upper room of a Jerusalem home and wait on God in prayer. During this time, Peter addresses the group regarding Judas Iscariot and announces the necessity of choosing a man to replace Judas in the special ministry that the Lord had entrusted to the Twelve. After calling on the Lord in prayer, the group is sovereignly guided to select a man named Matthias to serve as one of the twelve apostles. These twelve men would serve an important role as witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus, vindicating his claim of being the Messiah of Israel, who died on the cross for the sins of the world.

MODEL OF A FIRST-CENTURY JERUSALEM HOME

A hundred and twenty (1:15). It may be significant that according to Jewish tradition, it was necessary to have a hundred and twenty men in a city to have a legitimate Jewish community. The Mishnah says, “And how many should there be in a city that it may be fit to have a Sanhedrin? A hundred and twenty men.”19

Judas (1:18). On the surface it appears that Luke’s account of Judas’s death differs from Matthew’s in a few places. Matthew says that Judas is remorseful after his betrayal of Jesus, returns the thirty silver coins to the chief priests, and then hangs himself. The chief priests then use the money to buy a potter’s field for the burial of foreigners (Matt. 27:1–10). Luke simply states that Judas buys a field with the money and there suffers a terrible fall. Rather than seeing two contradictory stories here, it is better to consider how the various elements combine to give us a more complete picture of what actually happened, especially regarding who buys the field (the priests or Judas?) and how Judas dies (by hanging himself or by taking a nasty fall?). Many interpreters throughout church history as early as Augustine have suggested that the Jewish leaders themselves buy the field in Judas’s name (thus explaining Luke’s, “Judas bought a field”). It is possible that the leaders purchase the land before Judas’s death, since no clear relative time coordinates are given for the purchase of the property and Judas’s death. At some point after the priests take possession of the property, Judas decides to commit suicide on this piece of land. It is not surprising that he chooses to take his life there, given his frustration with the priests, initially expressed by his throwing the money into the temple (Matt. 27:5). He manages to devise a way to hang himself, but the rope (or tree branch) breaks under his weight, which results in his body tumbling to the ground (presumably on a rocky surface) and suffering fatal trauma.20

They called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood (1:19). Akeldama is a compound Aramaic expression. Over the centuries, many have identified Akeldama with a Jewish cemetery located about a half mile south of the Old City of Jerusalem, where the Hinnom Valley joins the Kidron Valley. In this area, archaeologists have uncovered roughly eighty burial caves, most of which date to the Herodian period (37 B.C.–A.D. 70). Most archaeologists today would discount the identification of this area with the potter’s field. The principal reason is that this was not a likely site for a potter’s field or as a cemetery for strangers; rather, this was a burial place for the wealthy and priestly families of Jerusalem. One of the tombs probably belonged to the high priest Annas, who held office from A.D. 6–15.21

AKELDAMA, THE FIELD OF BLOOD

The traditional site of Akeldama, the “field of blood,” in the Hinnom Valley near the monastery of St. Onuphrius.

It is written in the book of Psalms (1:20). Peter quotes from two Psalms that he regards as predicting Judas’s demise (Ps. 69:25) and the need to find someone to replace him (Ps. 109:8). Because these Psalms were authored by David, Peter understands them messianically and sees in them information that speaks directly to their situation.

It is necessary to choose this apostolic ministry (1:21, 25). Because Jesus had chosen twelve men to function as his witnesses, Peter and the others consider it essential that an additional witness be chosen by Jesus himself. The term “apostle” comes directly from the Greek word apostolos (“one who is sent; a messenger”) and is used throughout the New Testament to designate someone sent by Christ to convey a message. The replacement for Judas needs to be one who had a close association with Jesus and the eleven from the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. Above all, this person would function as a witness to the fact of the bodily resurrection of Jesus and the saving significance of this event. These Twelve would pass on as well as safeguard the true tradition about Jesus. This “apostolic ministry” would be significant in laying the foundations for the church.

Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) (1:23). The name “Bar-Sabbas” is Aramaic for “Son of the Sabbath.” We do not know if this was a nickname expressing his former zeal for Sabbath observance or a given name. His proper name was Joseph, but he also took a Roman (Latin) name, Justus.

Matthias (1:23). The lot fell to a man named Matthias. His name is an abbreviated form of “Mattathias,” meaning, “the gift of God.” The church historian Eusebius reports a tradition that Matthias had been one of the Seventy sent out by the Lord.22 We know nothing else about either of these men.

They cast lots (1:26). By the casting of lots, Jesus himself would supernaturally make the choice, just as he had chosen the Twelve in his earthly ministry. When they prayed, they specifically asked the Lord Jesus to choose: “Show us which of these two you have chosen” (1:24). The typical method for casting lots involved writing the two names on stones, placing them into a jar, and shaking it until one fell out.23 This decision-making procedure was not unusual in a Jewish context. The book of Proverbs says, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD” (Prov. 16:33). Examples of this practice can be found in the Old Testament, for instance, in the distribution of responsibilities for working in the temple of the Lord (1 Chron. 26:14–16). After the coming of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, we do not find this method used again elsewhere in the New Testament.

LOTS

Dice made of bone found in Jerusalem and dating to the early Roman period.