The book of Acts begins in an interesting way – almost as if someone was transcribing a telephone discussion. ‘In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach’ Acts 1:1. The writer is Luke the physician also author of Luke’s gospel. He is writing especially for Theophilus who probably was a Roman official. Luke is obviously writing to help him understand more about the Christian faith. Some scholars think both Luke’s gospel and the Acts (which were formally co-joined), might have been written to help Paul in his defence.
Chapter one is a recap of the last activities of Jesus on earth, after his resurrection. Luke confirms Jesus’ appearance to the disciples several times and for many days (40 days) after his resurrection, up until he was taken up to heaven at Galilee.
In those days after his resurrection, Jesus helped the disciples understand his whole ministry, purpose and person. we see this in the many times he went out to meet them and explain the scriptures to them. Even more so in his special consideration on Thomas who doubted. Jesus knew it was crucial for this crop of eyewitness disciples to have no doubt what so ever about his person and his ministry on earth.
At the very last hours, Jesus having completed his ministry, commanded the disciples to wait for the next minister. The Holy Spirit would come and then, they would receive power (Acts 1:8). Even though they now fully understood and believed who Jesus was and what his ministry was all about, there was still something missing that would complete the jigsaw. The Holy Spirit would give them power, he would also help them to remember all the things Jesus had told them (so that they could make a continual defence of the faith and probably so they could write it down and pass it on for generations).
Jesus was taken up into heaven as He blessed them and they looked on until he disappeared out of their sight. Then two angels gave the promise of his return ‘in the same way you saw him go’. What a glorious promise.
Once the recap is done, Luke moves on to narrate the ‘Acts of the Apostles’. How they obeyed Jesus’ last instructions and commandments, and how through the power of the Holy Spirit, they propagated the gospel all over the world.
When the disciples returned to Jerusalem, they assembled in the upper room and they felt it was necessary to find a replacement for Judas – one of the disciples who had betrayed Jesus and killed himself. It’s interesting to note their understanding and interpretation of scripture at this point, which shows how ‘learned’ they were of the scriptures. In deed they were able to piece up the scriptures themselves and understand its relevance to them in the present without Jesus helping them out. I believe this was the Holy Spirit already at work because Jesus had already breathed on they saying ‘receive the Holy Spirit’. After praying about the replacement, Mathias is chosen to become one of the twelve. The 11 Apostles were careful to choose men ‘who were with us the entire time we were traveling with the Lord Jesus’ Acts 1:21. They knew they had to choose someone of the same stock. Who had heard and seen by himself and had stayed under the teaching and anointing of Jesus and especially, who was a witness to the resurrection. The apostles understood the serious significance of the resurrection because as Paul would later remark in 1 Corinthians 15:12-14, ‘ But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? 13 For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.’ NLT. Christ’s resurrection is central in the Christian faith.
It is also interesting to note that Jesus’ earthly family were in attendance – his mother and his brothers. I wonder what sense of awe filled them as they reminiscence on the extraordinary life of their ‘relative’ who had changed their life so radically.
Now Mathias is chosen, the disciples (120 of them) continued waiting for the Holy Ghost.
Bible in One Year Challenge 