Acts 1
Waiting Is Not Wasted
Acts 1 shows Jesus preparing His followers for the work ahead. He promises the Holy Spirit, returns to heaven, and leaves them waiting together in prayer as they prepare to tell the world about Him.
Walking Through Acts 1
The Promise Before the Work (Acts 1:1-5)
1 I wrote the former account, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after he had given orders by the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 To the same apostles also, after his suffering, he presented himself alive with many convincing proofs. He was seen by them over a forty-day period and spoke about matters concerning the kingdom of God. 4 While he was with them, he declared, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait there for what my Father promised, which you heard about from me. 5 For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”Acts 1:1-5 · NET Bible
Luke begins by connecting this book to his earlier account of Jesus. Before returning to heaven, Jesus gave His chosen apostles instructions through the Holy Spirit. He also gave them many clear proofs that He was alive. For forty days, He appeared to them and taught about God’s kingdom—God’s rule over His people and His world.
But Jesus did not tell them to rush out and begin. He told them to stay in Jerusalem until they received the Father’s promised gift. John had baptized with water; soon they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit would come upon them and give them power for their work. I want us to notice the order here. Jesus gave them a calling, but He also told them to wait for what only God could provide.
A Mission Bigger Than Their Plans (Acts 1:6-11)
6 So when they had gathered together, they began to ask him, “Lord, is this the time when you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He told them, “You are not permitted to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 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 farthest parts of the earth.” 9 After he had said this, while they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 As they were still staring into the sky while he was going, suddenly two men in white clothing stood near them 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking up into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come back in the same way you saw him go into heaven.”Acts 1:6-11 · NET Bible
The apostles ask whether Jesus will now restore the kingdom to Israel. Their hope grows out of God’s promises to His people, but they still want to know the schedule. Jesus tells them that the Father holds that knowledge. Their task is to receive the Spirit’s power and bear witness to Him, beginning in Jerusalem and reaching the ends of the earth. A witness tells what he knows to be true.
Then Jesus is lifted up, and a cloud hides Him from their sight. In Scripture, a cloud often marks God’s presence. Two men in white tell the watching apostles that Jesus will return as they saw Him go. Jesus has not been defeated or lost. He reigns in heaven, and His followers have work to do while they wait for His return.
Together in Prayer (Acts 1:12-14)
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called the Mount of Olives (which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away). 13 When they had entered Jerusalem, they went to the upstairs room where they were staying. Peter and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James were there. 14 All these continued together in prayer with one mind, together with the women, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.Acts 1:12-14 · NET Bible
The apostles return from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem, a short walk away. Luke describes the distance by the amount of travel allowed on the Sabbath, the Jewish day of rest. They gather in an upstairs room, and Luke names the eleven apostles who remain after Judas’s death.
They are not alone. Women join them, along with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and His brothers. The group keeps meeting with a shared purpose, giving themselves to prayer. Before Luke describes their public preaching, he shows us their quiet dependence on God.
I find that order worth noticing. They have seen the risen Jesus, but they still need to pray. Strong evidence and a clear calling do not remove our need for God. These believers wait together rather than trying to carry the coming work alone.
Facing the Empty Place (Acts 1:15-20)
15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a gathering of about 120 people) and said, 16 “Brothers, the scripture had to be fulfilled that the Holy Spirit foretold through David concerning Judas—who became the guide for those who arrested Jesus— 17 for he was counted as one of us and received a share in this ministry.” 18 (Now this man Judas acquired a field with the reward of his unjust deed, and falling headfirst he burst open in the middle and all his intestines gushed out. 19 This became known to all who lived in Jerusalem, so that in their own language they called that field Hakeldama, that is, “Field of Blood.”) 20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘ Let his house become deserted, and let there be no one to live in it ,’ and ‘ Let another take his position of responsibility .’Acts 1:15-20 · NET Bible
Peter stands among about 120 believers and speaks about Judas. Judas had shared in their work, yet he guided those who arrested Jesus. Peter explains that Scripture, spoken by the Holy Spirit through David, had pointed ahead to this betrayal. God was not caught off guard by it, though Judas remained responsible for his actions.
Luke also explains Judas’s terrible end. A field was bought with the payment for his wrongdoing, and Judas fell there, with his body bursting open. The people of Jerusalem knew the field by a name meaning a field of blood.
Peter then draws from Psalms 69:25 and Psalms 109:8 to explain the empty place Judas left and the need for someone to take his role. The group does not hide this painful failure. They face it under the guidance of God’s Word.
Trusting the Lord Who Knows Hearts (Acts 1:21-26)
21 Thus one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time the Lord Jesus associated with us, 22 beginning from his baptism by John until the day he was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness of his resurrection together with us.” 23 So they proposed two candidates: Joseph called Barsabbas (also called Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know the hearts of all. Show us which one of these two you have chosen 25 to assume the task of this service and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” 26 Then they cast lots for them, and the one chosen was Matthias; so he was counted with the eleven apostles.Acts 1:21-26 · NET Bible
Peter says the replacement must be someone who traveled with Jesus and the apostles from John’s baptism until Jesus was taken into heaven. This man must join the apostles as a witness to Jesus’ resurrection. The role calls for someone who knows the events firsthand, not simply someone who speaks well.
They put forward two men: Joseph, also called Barsabbas and Justus, and Matthias. Then they pray. They trust the Lord, who knows every heart, to show which man He has chosen for the place Judas left.
They cast lots, an ancient way of seeking a decision from God, and Matthias is added to the eleven. Luke reports this choice without criticism. The passage describes this particular moment; it does not command believers to make every decision by casting lots. Their deeper confidence rests in the Lord’s knowledge, not their own.
- Witness — Someone who tells what is known to be true; the apostles would testify that Jesus had risen.
- Holy Spirit — God’s Spirit, promised by Jesus to give His followers power for their work.
Where might you be confusing the need to act quickly with the call to follow Jesus faithfully?
Father, thank You that Your plans do not depend on our strength alone. Teach us to wait when You call us to wait and to speak when You call us to speak. Help us depend on Your Spirit and stay faithful to Jesus.