Acts 1 Bible Study - Verse by Verse
THE ACTS OF THE EARLY CHURCH
*You can download these notes on the Bible Book Studies page of our website.
Introduction:
The book of Acts, sometimes called the “Acts of the Apostles”, tells us what happened after Jesus left the earth and ascended back to heaven. The accounts (gospels) written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John tell us Jesus amassed a significant number of followers during His their individual stories, this is the story of how God worked through them to accomplish His bigger worldwide plan.
So, before we give away any more spoilers, let’s discuss the first verse.
Act 1:1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach,
Act 1:2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.
The writer begins by addressing a man named Theophilus and mentioning a “first book” that contained details about the life of Jesus.
If you’ve read the Gospel of Luke, you might remember it was also addressed to a man named Theophilus and it was all about Jesus’ life.
So, from this opening statement we can determine Acts and Luke were written by the same author and Acts is meant as a “second book” or a follow-up to the events found in Luke’s gospel.
The 4 gospels record everything between Jesus’ arrival on earth, as a baby in a manger, to Him being “taken up” to heaven in His mid-thirties.
They tell us how He was filled with the Spirit of God and gifted some of the Spirit’s power to His Apostles.
The Apostles were Jesus’ students and closest associates.
He started with 12 of them but one, named Judas, had abandoned Him.
These Apostles were specifically chosen by Jesus to lead the other disciples following His return to heaven.
Act 1:3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
Jesus suffered terribly during His crucifixion, but three days after dying, He walked out of His own tomb.
He then spent the next 40 days making various appearances and proving He had in fact risen from the dead.
Some of these appearances are recorded in Luke 24.
Additional appearances are mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8.
The end of verse 3 is very important! One of Jesus’ key teaching points was His promise to bring the “Kingdom of God” to the earth.
The concept of the kingdom of God was introduced to the Jews by their prophets in the Old Testament.
God’s kingdom is set in contrast to the kingdoms of the world.
Instead of castles that can crumble and rulers that can die, God’s Kingdom is established in heaven with Jesus as its immortal King.
It will be an eternal kingdom (contrast this with the constant rise and fall of earthly nations).
The Kingdom refers to God’s reign over the world and over all His enemies.
Jesus invited people to place their citizenship in God’s Kingdom, swear allegiance to Him, and put their trust in a kingdom and a King that would never faulter.
Act 1:4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me;
Act 1:5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
In the 24th chapter of his first book, Luke wrote about Jesus’ command for the Apostles to stay in Jerusalem after His departure.
The message of “repentance for the forgiveness of sins” was to be preached first in Jerusalem (Luke 24:47).
In Jerusalem, the Apostles would receive the “promise of the Father.”
Luk 24:49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
The promise was described in a couple ways.
As “power from on high.”
As a baptism or an immersion in the Holy Spirit.
If I understand correctly, this promise was the same as the one Jesus gave to the Apostles in John 14:26, John 15:26-27, and John 16:12-14..
Joh 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
Joh 15:26-27 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.
Joh 16:12-14 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
John the Baptist, who we were introduced to in Luke 1, baptized disciples by immersing them in water.
We know Jesus also baptized disciples in water (John 4:1-2).
But the 11 Apostles were going to receive a special “immersion.”
They were going to be dipped in the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit’s power would be in them and work through them.
We will see this play out in the upcoming verses.
Jesus told the 11 the promise would be kept, “not many days from now.”
They weren’t going to have to wait a long time before this happened.
SIDE NOTE:
Verses like these help us form our concept of God.
God is united in purpose and desire and consists of three “persons,” Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Father.
Act 1:6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
We aren’t told the specifics, but there must have been something that tipped the Apostles off to the importance of this meeting with Jesus.
Their question reveals there was expectation in the air.
They asked Him if He was ready to “restore the kingdom to Israel.”
What did they mean?
The Old Testament Jewish prophets spoke of a day God would restore his people, but what kind of restoration were they talking about?
As we discussed in the gospel of Luke study, many of the Jews seemed to think the Messiah was coming to initiate a political and economic restoration.
They thought the Messiah would cast off the yoke of Roman rule and make the Jews prominent among the nations again.
This was probably what they were asking about in verse 6.
Jesus had already informed them His work on earth was almost complete, so they must have thought it was now or never.
Act 1:7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.
Act 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Jesus’ answer in verse 17 implied it was not the time for the restoration of the Jews, at least not in the sense the Apostles had in mind.
Jesus told them God’s plans for the nations, the “times and seasons”, were not going to be shared with the Apostles.
Jesus may have taken this phrase from Daniel chapter 2.
Dan 2:21 He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.
Jesus told them God the Father had a plan for the nations, but it was not immediately relevant to the work He was going to give them.
All they needed to concern themselves with was His instruction in verse 8.
They would receive power from the Holy Spirit.
They were to use that power to be Jesus’ witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
They wanted to know about the future of Israel (the Jews), but Jesus gave them a mission to every nation.
They were given the responsibility of being witnesses of Jesus’ life.
No one would have been better equipped for this role than the Apostles.
No one was better acquainted with Jesus.
But the Bible is clear their close association with Him wasn’t enough to make them into the men Jesus needed them to be.
The Holy Spirit’s power was a necessary ingredient.
When the Holy Spirit empowered them, they were to tell people about Jesus’ words, the events of His life, His resurrection, etc.
They were to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18-20).
Act 1:9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
Luke already included an account of Jesus’ ascension to heaven in Luke 24, but includes additional details in the opening of Acts.
Luk 24:50-51 And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.
Note, this occurred somewhere around Bethany.
As far as we know, Jesus had never departed from the Apostles in this fashion, and there must have been a sense of finality about it.
You have to wonder if the Apostles were confused.
One minute they had the expectation He would help them set up a Jewish kingdom on earth.
The next minute He was gone.
If they were confused, it didn’t keep them from being in awe of Jesus.
Luke 24:52 tells us they “worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.”
It’s interesting to compare the Apostle’s reaction to this event to their reaction to the crucifixion.
They were entirely confused by the events of the crucifixion.
They thought Jesus had failed.
They thought everything God had been planning had failed.
But after the ascension, even though they may not have been entirely clear as to why their expectations about a kingdom hadn’t been fulfilled, they trusted that God had everything under control.
APPLICATION:
Think back on times of doubt and anxiety from your past.
Did God bring you through those struggles?
Yes!
Don’t forget God’s past faithfulness when confronting present doubts and anxieties.
Jesus showed the Apostles He was worthy of their trust.
God is worthy of your trust when you are confused and when your expectations aren’t being fulfilled the way you think they ought to be.
1Pe 5:7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Act 1:10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes,
Act 1:11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
As any of us would, the Apostles stood staring into heaven hoping to catch the last glimpse of their Lord as He disappeared into the clouds.
As they looked upward, two men appeared beside them wearing white robes.
We aren’t explicitly told these two men were angels, but it seems almost certain Luke wanted Theophilus to assume they were.
He leads us to believe they appeared out of thin air and hadn’t been present in the scene prior to the ascension.
Their garb was described in similar simplicity to the angels of John 20.
Joh 20:12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.
Needless to say, white probably wasn’t a common color for clothing in those days.
In a society where clothing didn’t get washed every day, it would be strange for someone to opt for a white garment.
Additionally, verse 11 reveals they knew more about the Jesus’ work than any common men would have known.
The two angels told the 11 Apostles Jesus was going to return the same way He left.
Specifics aren’t given in this text, but Paul gives us a bit more insight into Jesus’ return in 1 Thessalonians.
1Th 4:16-17 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
Jesus went up through the clouds and will someday descend down through them to gather His faithful disciples.
Act 1:12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away.
Following Jesus’ departure and their conversation with the two men, the disciples went back to the big city.
We are told they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet (the Mount of Olives).
The Mount of Olives was roughly a Sabbath day’s journey from Jerusalem.
If you haven’t read the Old Testament, you’ll probably have no idea what that means.
The Sabbath Day, which occurred every Saturday, was a day God set aside as a day of rest.
The Jews were prohibited from “working” on Sabbath or going on trips of significant distance.
Exo 16:29 See! The LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day.”
Alongside God’s Sabbath instructions, the Jewish rabbis had created a set of Sabbath rules based on their interpretation of God’s Law.
Using verses like Exodus 16:29, Numbers 35:5, and Joshua 3:4 they determined an individual shouldn’t travel more than 2,000 cubits on the Sabbath.
2,000 cubits is approximately 3,000 feet.
2,000 cubits is approximately .57 miles.
2,000 cubits is approximately .91 kilometers.
According to Josephus (Ant., XX, viii, 6), the Mount of Olives was 5 furlongs from Jerusalem.
A furlong was approximately 607 feet (equal to the Roman stade/stadium).
Interesting fact: The furlong (meaning furrow length) was the distance a team of oxen could plough without resting (Zupko, British weights & measures: a history from antiquity to the seventeenth century).
607 ft * 5 = 3035 feet = .575 miles (almost exactly 2,000 cubits, a Sabbath day’s journey).
APPLICATION:
Before studying for these notes, I thought, and even taught, that the 2,000 cubit walking limitation was a God given instruction.
I thought there were verses in the Bible that specifically told the Jews how far they could walk on Sabbath.
When I googled “How far is a Sabbath day’s journey,” the search result told me 2,000 cubits and listed several verses as citations.
It wasn’t until I looked up the verses and searching through the Old Testament that I realized the 2,000 cubit restriction was a tradition of the Jewish rabbis, not a specific instruction from God.
This may seem insignificant to some, but it taught me the importance of being critical of what I think I know.
We unknowingly carry around a lot of assumptions, especially when it comes to religious topics.
We need to be constantly evaluating the truth of our beliefs and asking if they are as biblical as we think they are.
Another thing this text taught me was the difference between the Mount of Olives and the location of the Garden of Gethsemane.
I’ve heard these two locations used interchangeable my entire life.
I assumed the Garden of Gethsemane was at the top of the Mount of Olives.
It wasn’t until I compared Acts 1:12 with Luke 24:50 that I learned the difference.
Some people accuse Acts 1:12 and Luke 24:50-51 of contradicting one another on the location of Jesus’ ascension.
Luk 24:50-51 And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.
Act 1:12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away.
From where did Jesus ascend? The Mount of Olives? Or Bethany?
The Mount of Olives was .57 miles from Jerusalem.
Bethany was said to be 2 miles from Jerusalem (John 11:18).
Is this a contradiction?
No, a little geographic study clears this up nicely.
The Garden of Gethsemane sits on the foot of the Mount of Olives on the west.
The mountain peaks east of the garden before descending into the Judean desert.
Bethany, Arabic Al-ʿAyzariyyah, small village and biblical site on the eastern slopes of the Mount of Olives just outside Jerusalem, situated in the West Bank (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Bethany was located on the Mount of Olives and the Apostles would have certainly travelled back to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives if they were anywhere in the vicinity of Bethany at the time of the ascension.
It makes sense that Luke would use the Mount of Olives and the city of Bethany as approximate locations because they were the only significant landmarks in that area, especially if he was writing to a Gentile who wasn’t intimately familiar with that area.
Act 1:13 And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James.
Act 1:14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
List of the 11 Apostles:
Peter
James
John
Andrew
Philip
Thomas
Bartholomew
Matthew
James the son of Alphaeus
Simon the Zealot
Judas the son of James
As Jesus instructed them, they went back to Jerusalem and patiently waited for the promise of the Father.
While they waited, they spent their time praying.
They were joined by some of Jesus’ family and other faithful disciples.
Jesus’ brothers were there.
This is a key fact.
Jesus’ brothers had previously rejected Him as the Messiah (John 7:5).
We aren’t told what changed their mind (perhaps the resurrection).
“the women” are also mentioned in verse 14.
These women are probably those mentioned as being present at Jesus’ empty tomb on the resurrection morning (Luke 23:55).
They may have also included the women who ministered to Jesus in Galilee (Mark 15:40-41).
Between the Apostles, Jesus’ family, the women, and the other disciples the group totaled about 120 (verse 15).
Act 1:15 In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said,
Act 1:16 “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.
Act 1:17 For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.”
Act 1:18 (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out.
Act 1:19 And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
Act 1:20 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms, “‘May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it’; and “‘Let another take his office.’
Act 1:21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
Act 1:22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.”
Peter, who was often bold but often misguided in the gospel accounts, stood up and announced that action needed to be taken.
He started talking about Judas, Judas Iscariot, the Apostle who betrayed Jesus and later killed himself.
Peter told his fellows Judas’ position as an Apostle needed to be filled by another man.
Judas had been given a share of the work of their ministry (verse 17) but was no longer alive to fill the 12th spot.
Why couldn’t the Apostles continue with just 11 men?
We don’t know exactly, but evidently it was important to the Lord that there were 12 of them.
Peter must have initiated this discussion as a result of some kind of instigation from the Holy Spirit, unless Jesus instructed him to do it in a discussion not recorded in the Bible.
Peter began recounting Judas’ actions and how Judas’ betrayal had been prophesied in the Old Testament scriptures.
He told the other disciples that Judas had fulfilled the scriptures
Judas didn’t spoil God’s plan with his rebellion.
God’s foreknowledge of his rebellion had been woven into God’s plan and accounted for well before it happened.
Peter specifically mentioned a prophecy of David.
More accurately, a prophecy of the Holy Spirit made through David.
The New Testament writers affirmed that the Old Testament writers were inspired to write the things they did by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).
The specific prophecy referenced here will be quoted in verse 20.
Judas guided Jesus’ enemies to Him on Passover night.
The chief priests wanted to arrest Jesus in the “absence of a crowd” (Luke 22:6).
They needed an inside man to help them pull off the job.
They bought Judas for a small amount of money and the rest is history.
Luk 22:47 While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him,
Peter told the disciples Judas had acquired a field through his wickedness.
The field came to be known as the “Field of Blood.”
If you’ve read Matthew’s account of these events in his 27th chapter, you’ll know Judas didn’t directly buy the field.
After betraying Jesus, he felt so bad about his action, he threw the money the chief priests and elders paid him on the ground in the temple (Matthew 27:3-10).
He then went out and hanged himself
It was the chief priests who bought the field with the blood money.
Peter wasn’t contradicting Matthew’s account.
Peter was saying that the outcome of Judas’ wickedness was the purchase of the “Field of Blood.”
Those were the fruits of his conduct.
It was his actions that brought about the purchase of that cursed place.
Additionally, the money used for purchase still rightfully belonged to Judas. The chief priests just spent it on his account.
In a not so pleasant text, Peter describes Judas’ demise.
Matthew said Judas hanged himself.
Peter said he fell headfirst, and his entrails spilled out.
So, which was it?
I suspect the easiest way to reconcile these records is to assume both happened.
Judas jumped from a high place with a rope around his neck, the rope snapped (or the tree branch broke), and he fell on something that caused his innards to leave his body.
Or, Judas hung himself, stayed suspended on the rope for a time as the flesh around his internal organs was compromised by decay, his body then fell to the ground, and his guts were spilled out by the impact.
There are some other theories and hanging methods that are used to harmonize these two passages, but I’ll let you explore those on your own.
Thus perished Judas Iscariot the traitor, a miserable example of the fatal influence of covetousness, and a standing monument of the divine vengeance, proper to deter future generations from acting contrary to conscience, through the love of the world (Joseph Benson).
Judas’ end wasn’t a private one.
Peter said all the inhabitants of Jerusalem knew about it.
The public nature of the matter was part of the reason the field got the moniker, “The Field of Blood.”
It was bloody in multiple ways.
Judas’ blood was spilled in the field.
The money that purchased the field was one of the tools the chief priests used to spill Jesus’ blood.
Verse 20 appears to be the prophecy from David that Peter mentioned in verse 16.
There are actually two Psalms referenced:
1. “May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it”
This refers to Psalm 69:25 where David was praying that God would overthrow his enemies and make their homes desolate.
Psa 69:25 May their camp be a desolation; let no one dwell in their tents.
Peter changed the plural to the singular and applied the text to Judas.
The house of Judas Iscariot would be cursed for all time and all the people of the city saw the end of Jesus’ enemy.
Jesus conquered death and resurrected, while Judas lay spilled out on the ground.
2. “Let another take his office.”
This quote is from Psalm 109.
Psa 109:8 May his days be few; may another take his office!
In this Psalm, David was asking the Lord to oppose a wicked man, to remove him from his station, and to cut off his family name and his influence forever. The Lord certainly did this with Judas.
No one wants to be associated with Judas Iscariot. His name is recognized around the world as something to be avoided. Like the name “Adolf” in the 21st century.
Peter saw the need for another person to fill Judas’ empty position.
It was decided that the individual who would fill Judas’ spot, had to be a disciple who had been with Jesus from the very beginning.
They had to have been a disciple from the time John was baptizing through the ascension.
Whoever was chosen was going to become a “witness” of Jesus’ resurrection with the other 11 Apostles (Acts 1:8; Luke 24:48).
SIDE NOTE:
Notice the difference in the Apostle Peter.
The maturity and education of Peter’s words here in Acts 1 stand in contrast to most of his words in the gospels.
In the gospels, he was bold and quick to speak, but the words that came out of his mouth made it clear he didn’t understand Jesus’ mission.
But when we read verses 16-22, we find ourselves listening to a greatly matured Peter, one with a strong command of the Old Testament Scriptures and a comprehension of the sovereignty of God in Judas’ betrayal.
How did Peter grow up so fast?
No doubt, witnessing Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection allowed Peter to put a lot of the previously misplaced puzzle pieces of God’s plan in place in his mind.
Additionally, Jesus probably spent time educating the Apostles in the days leading up to His ascension.
The gospel writers also tell us Jesus “opened their minds” to comprehend God’s work.
They received understand from the Holy Spirit when Jesus first appeared to them in the locked room on the resurrection evening.
Joh 20:22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
Luk 24:45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,
Act 1:23 And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias.
Act 1:24 And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen
Act 1:25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”
Act 1:26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Two names were put forward as candidates to be the 12th Apostles, (1) Joseph called Barsabbas and (2) Matthais.
Having narrowed the field down to two candidates, the Apostles prayed and asked God to reveal His choice.
They acknowledged that God knew the hearts of men better than they did.
They didn’t rely on their own assessments to make the final decision.
Although the Apostles were probably familiar with both these men, they wanted God’s help.
APPLICATION:
Don’t make decisions without asking God for help.
No matter how familiar you think you are with the factors.
God sees things we cannot see (in the present and in the future) and we need His help.
After praying, the men “cast lots” to determine the chosen man.
In my research, I’ve been unable to find a historical description of “casting lots.”
I’m not sure anyone knows what the exact practice looked like.
It’s mentioned several times in the Bible.
Leviticus 16:8
Joshua 18:10
Psalm 22:18
Jonah 1:7
Luke 23:34
It appears to have been some kind of game of chance (like drawing straws or rolling dice).
But we also know the outcome was guided by God.
See the events surrounding Jonah 1:7
Pro 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.
*For more information, see the handout on our website, What was the practice of casting lots.
The Apostles prayed and trusted God would provide His answer through the result of the lots.
The “lot fell on Matthias” and he was installed as the 12th Apostle.
