Sunday, April 25, 2021
Acts 1:12-26
“Prayerful Proposition”
Service Orientation: A great and effective church will always be one that is devoted to Jesus, one another, and to prayer.
Memory Verse for the Week: “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16 (NIV)
Background Information:
- In that day an upstairs room was the larger room of a house, since the downstairs rooms needed more walls to support the weight of the second story. This may have been the same room in which they had eaten the Last Supper with Christ (Luke 22:12), as well as the location of many of the post-Resurrection appearances. (Grant Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 12)
- While the use of the lot seems odd to us, it was in keeping with the Old Testament and was the method then used in selecting officers for the Temple. Usually the names were written on stones which were put in a vessel and shaken until one fell out. It was natural to them and they coupled it with prayer. (Arnold E. Airhart, Beacon Bible Expositions: Acts, 27)
- The Mishnah tells us that travel on the Sabbath was limited to two thousand cubits (Sotah 5:3), which would be somewhere around eleven hundred meters (NIV mg.). Therefore we may estimate that the disciples’ journey from the place of the Ascension on Olivet back to Jerusalem was about a kilometer, or about two-thirds of a mile. (Richard N. Longenecker, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, John and Acts, 260)
- Peter’s account of the purchase of the land and the death of Judas appears to contradict the record in Matthew 27:3–10, but actually it complements it. Judas did not buy the field personally, but since it was his money that paid for it, in that sense, he was the buyer. And, since the thirty pieces of silver were considered “blood money,” the field was called “the field of blood” (Matt. 27:8). It was not Judas’s blood that gave the field its name, for the Jews would not use as a sacred cemetery a place that had been defiled by a suicide. Judas hanged himself, and apparently the rope broke and his body (possibly already distended) burst open when it hit the ground. (Wiersbe, Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 325)
- Many scholars recognize that an important issue in this section is the choosing of a twelfth apostle because of the emphasis on Israel’s restoration. (Craig S. Keener, Acts, Vol. 1, 752)
- That Jesus originally chose twelve as the nucleus of a reconstituted or remnant community of Israel is widely accepted. The Qumran community also had a group of twelve leaders meant to signify an eschatological nucleus of the righteous remnant of Israel. The restoration of the Twelve here thus fulfills a theological purpose for Luke’s audience and for the earliest apostolic community. (Craig S. Keener, Acts, Vol. 1, 752)
- It is interesting to note that Jesus’ brothers are here with the company of the disciples. During Jesus’ lifetime they had been among his opponents (Mark 3: 21). It may well be that for them, as for so many others, the death of Jesus opened their eyes and stabbed their hearts as even his life could not do. (William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, 15)
The question to be answered is…
What could possibly be significant about what we’re witnessing in this account?
Answer…
In this account we see four distinct markers of a healthy and biblical church that set the table for the Holy Spirit’s presence and power to be unleashed on God’s people.
The word for the day is… Pray
What markers do we see that set the table for the Spirit’s arrival at Pentecost?
- A simple and patient obedience. (12-13)
(Deuteronomy 6:18; Psalm 112:1; Jeremiah 7:23; John 14:15, 21, 23; 15:14; Acts 5:29)
The first thing that characterized the church in the early days was obedience. (R. C. Sproul, Acts: An Expositional Commentary, 12)
This ten-day period was a time to practice obedience. If we compare verse 12 with verse 4, we find that what the disciples did in verse 12 was a direct response to what the Lord Jesus Christ earlier told them they. were to do. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 32)
- A constant commitment to prayer. (14, 24)
(Psalm 34:17; Ephesians 6:18; Colossians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; 1 Timothy 2:1-4)
The main emphasis, however, is not who was present but what they were doing—praying! Prayer begins to appear as a mark of the early church. When they were fearful, they prayed. When they were confused, they prayed. When they were waiting for God to fulfill his promise to them, they prayed. When they needed an answer to a question (such as who was to be the twelfth apostle), they prayed! (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 15)
- A persistence in being present. (14)
(Psalm 50:5; 1 Peter 2:4-9; )
Prayer brings unity. We can’t seek the loving heart of the Lord for long without recognizing the needs of and our relationships with the sisters and brothers with whom we pray. (Lloyd J. Ogilvie, The Communicator’s Commentary: Acts, 48)
- A value of, and assent to, godly leadership. (21-26)
(Acts 14:23; 20:28; 2 Corinthians 8:19; 1 Timothy 3:2; Hebrews 13:7,17; James 3:1)
The appointing of leaders for the movement’s future, despite its modest numbers so far, indicates confidence in Jesus’s promise. These leaders would shepherd the massively growing church but also functioned as witnesses (Acts 1:8), repositories, and guardians of the tradition for the rest of the church (cf. 1:21–22). Like prayer (1:14), establishing the church’s future testifying leadership is a preparation for Pentecost, an act of faith. (Craig S. Keener, Acts, Vol. 1, 752)
Conclusion… How can these markers inspire us in setting the table for the Spirit to be unleashed in Hillsdale?
A. By seeking to grow in patient obedience to Jesus in our every-day lives.
(Ps. 27:14; 33:20; 37:7; Luke 6:46; 11:28; James 1:22-25; 1 Peter 1:14; 1 John 3:24; 5:3)
The situations in which we learn most about obedience are those in which we cannot see why we are called to do what we are doing. If we can give a reason for what we are doing, then we are not necessarily learning obedience, at least not simple obedience. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 32)
In our impatient culture, we want to experience biblical awe without biblical devotion. (Francis Chan, Letters to the Church, 56)
B. By making gathering and prayer a priority in our spiritual rhythms.
(Mat. 18:20; Acts 2:42; Rom. 8:26; Ecc. 4:12; 1 Thes. 5:17; Hebrews 10:25; James 5:16)
It is not enough for Christians to have faith in the Lord; they must also have faith in one another. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 324)
The Holy Spirit has given you a supernatural ability to serve the people God has placed around you. If God cares enough about His church to give you this Spirit-empowered ability, shouldn’t you care enough about the church to use that gift for the same purpose? (Francis Chan, Forgotten God, 58)
Moving forward from New Testament times, prayer has been the driving force, and often the saving force, of the church. In more than 20 centuries, without exception, every major spiritual awakening or revival that has occurred anywhere in the world began with the intercessory investment of believers on their knees. This makes sense. After all, the Church was born in a prayer meeting. (Thomas J. Ramundo, The Prayer Life You’ve Always Wanted, 6)
No one has ever been saved by somebody else’s faith. We all belong to groups. We are part of a family, or a school class, or a football team; we are all part of a community, a state, and a nation; we have memberships in a host of corporate organizations. But in the final analysis, when we stand before God, we stand or fall on the basis of our faith in Christ or our lack of it. In that sense, redemption is personal and individual. However, when Christ established His church, though He saved individuals one at a time, every person He has ever brought to Himself, He has placed in a body—His church. (R. C. Sproul, Acts, 12)
C. By valuing and praying for the leaders Jesus has given to his church.
(Proverbs 11:14; 29:2; Romans 12:9-13; Ephesians 4:1-16; Hebrews 13:7)
Our prayers unite us in God’s concern for the harvest, make us of one mind, heart, and will with Him, partners of Jesus Himself. R. C. H. Lenski (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 18)
The fact that the larger group agreed with Peter’s feeling that Judas should be replaced strongly indicates the faith of the Body in their continuing as a unit. (Phillip A. Bence, Acts: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, Kindle Edition)
Gospel Application…
In Jesus, not only are we never alone, but in him we get to serve as conduits of his presence in the lives of others.
(Matthew 18:20 ; John 13:34; Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:12, 27; Ephesians 4:16)
The key phrase is “with one accord,” a phrase that is found six times in Acts (1:14; 2:1, 46; 4:24; 5:12; 15:25; and note also 2:44). There was among these believers a wonderful unity that bound them together in Christ (Ps. 133; Gal. 3:28), the kind of unity that Christians need today. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 324)
People need people. This need is part of what it means to be a human being. One of the worst things that can happen to a person is to be utterly isolated from other people, and the converse of this is that if we are to grow intellectually, socially, and spiritually, we need others. Christians need other Christians. When you become a Christian, you do not become a Christian in isolation. Rather, you enter into the body of those who are also Christ’s disciples, and you find fellowship with them. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 33)
Spiritual Challenge Questions…
Reflect on these questions in your time with the Lord this week, or discuss with a Christian family member or Life Group.
- Why do you think prayer seemed to be the major activity that Jesus’ followers engaged in after they returned?
- What were the qualifications of the person who would replace Judas (vv.21-26)? Why were these qualifications important?
- How is prayer, and more specifically, praying with others a part of my regular spiritual rhythms?
- What areas of my life might I need to increasingly surrender in order to increasingly and simply obey Jesus?
- Who are some godly leaders in my life that I can be praying for?
Quotes to note…
What we read in the New Testament is not what Jesus wrote; it is only what was written about Him by His Apostles. If we reject the apostolic witness, we reject the One who commissioned them as Apostles. We cannot have it both ways. We cannot have Christ and not Paul, just as we cannot embrace Paul without embracing the One who granted him that authority. (R. C. Sproul, Acts, 14)
Each of us, on occasion, faces times of waiting. God gives promises. We wait to see them fulfilled. Questions and doubts enter our minds. We grow impatient. The faith which these early followers of Jesus manifested during this time of waiting serves as an example to us. (Phillip A. Bence, Acts: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, Kindle Edition)
Prayer is weakness leaning on omnipotence. W. S. Bowden (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 14)
Friedrich Nietzsche: “If you want me to believe in your ‘Redeemer’, you’ll have to look a lot more redeemed.” (Ray C. Stedman, God’s Unfinished Book: Acts, 20)
The disciples did not cast lots haphazardly: they first selected the two men whom they judged worthiest to fill the vacancy. It may well be that there was nothing to choose between Joseph and Matthias; in that case the casting of lots, which had very respectable precedent in Hebrew sacred history, was a reasonable way of deciding on one of the two, especially since they besought God to overrule the lot, in the spirit of Prov. 16:33: “The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is wholly from the L0RD.”79 (F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts, 69)
Prayer is both the thermometer and the thermostat of the local church, for the “spiritual temperature” either goes up or down, depending on how God’s people pray. John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim’s Progress, said, “Prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge to Satan.” In the book of Acts, you see prayer accomplishing all of these things. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 324)
The Lord Jesus was no longer with them to give them personal directions, but they were not without the leading of the Lord, for they had the Word of God and prayer. In fact, the Word of God and prayer formed the foundation for the ministry of the church as recorded in the book of Acts (Acts 6:4). (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 324)
What happened to Matthias? We are not told. He never is mentioned again. Did he defect or drop out? Probably not. I believe we would have been told if that happened, and Luke’s thoroughness would have included that data. What we do know is that the position was filled by Paul. There is no need to be down on Matthias. He responded to a call. He was ready with his knowledge of Christ and an open mind and heart to receive His Spirit. He was there at Pentecost—that’s all that matters. Whether his ministry afterward received the recognition of history is unimportant. The same is true for us. Once we have experienced what Christ said and did for us in His death and resurrection and then returned to continue to do, titles, or history’s recognition, or even the accolades of people today become unimportant. (Lloyd J. Ogilvie, The Communicator’s Commentary: Acts, 53)
The disciples returned to Jerusalem and waited, but they didn’t wait passively. They acted because they prayed. Though deprived of the physical presence of Jesus, they were not cut off from God. The Spirit was not yet given, so they didn’t possess His indwelling life, but they were still linked to the Father by prayer. They gave themselves to prayer, awaiting the full revelation God intended to give them. Prayer is a crucial ingredient in the Father’s strategy for touching and changing the world. (Ray C. Stedman, God’s Unfinished Book: Acts, 19)
God does what God wills to do. God accomplishes his purposes. The disobedience of man does not frustrate him. But when God accomplishes his purposes, he does it through means. If he is going to save someone, he usually does it by leading someone else to go to him or her with the gospel and speak about Jesus Christ. Similarly, when God sends revival, he almost always does it by leading his people to pray. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 35)
Why did the disciples cast lots? Because the two candidates, Joseph and Matthias, were equally qualified—but there was room for only one apostle in the apostolic band. Since it was humanly impossible to judge between the two, the casting of lots was the chosen means of making the decision. The lot fell to Matthias, and he became the twelfth apostle. (Ray C. Stedman, God’s Unfinished Book: Acts, 24)
The disciple is a student. The Apostle is an ambassador commissioned by a king or a ruler and given designated authority to speak in his name and with his power. (R. C. Sproul, Acts, 14)
This narrative is important not just for historical interest but for its profound theological content—it gives us the criteria for apostleship. There are people today who claim for themselves nothing less than apostolic authority; however, there are no Apostles in the world today because no one can meet the criteria established here in the New Testament for apostolic succession, (R. C. Sproul, Acts, 14-15)
Peter shows us what else the disciples were doing in those first ten days of waiting: they came together to focus their attention on the teaching of the Scriptures. That is how the early church was born. The disciples were trying to understand all that had transpired before them, probably remembering the discussion Jesus had with those on the way to Emmaus, when He began with Moses and went through the whole Old Testament and showed them how the things that they had witnessed in Jerusalem had to happen. (R. C. Sproul, Acts, 15)
What is Luke’s purpose in including these paragraphs? While the disciples here may not have done anything outstanding, it’s hard to fault what they did, and nearly impossible to complain about the motivation behind their action. (Phillip A. Bence, Acts: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, Kindle Edition)
They returned to Jerusalem … (1:12). No, that’s not extraordinary. So they walked a few miles back to their base. Note, however, that they were doing exactly what Jesus had commanded (see 1:4). (Phillip A. Bence, Acts: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, Kindle Edition)
During their time of waiting, they demonstrated this desire to seek God and His plan, not only by prayer, but by reflection on Scripture. When Peter stood up to initiate the process of replacing Judas (see 1:15), he began by placing Judas’s defection in the context of Old Testament Scripture. Peter continued his presentation by quoting from two psalms (Ps. 69:25; 109:8) which he felt mandated the selection of one to take Judas’s place. (Phillip A. Bence, Acts: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, Kindle Edition)
Luke took special note of the fact that the disciples were joined by Mary the mother of Jesus and several other women, likely the ones who had been present at the Crucifixion and at the empty tomb (Luke 8:2-3; 23:49; 23:55–24:10). Also present were the brothers of Jesus. During his lifetime, Jesus’ brothers (Mary and Joseph’s other sons) did not believe he was the Messiah (John 7:5) and actually thought he was out of his mind (Mark 3:21-35). But Jesus’ resurrection must have convinced them otherwise. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 14-15)
While the apostles waited, they were doing what they could—praying, seeking God’s guidance, and getting organized. Waiting for God to work does not mean sitting around doing nothing. We must do what we can, while we can, as long as we don’t run ahead of God. How are you using even mundane moments of your life for God? (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 15)
Peter gave a great lesson in healthy biblical leadership: it is a combination of insight from the Word of God and corresponding practical action. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 16)
Peter saw Psalm 69:25 as a prediction of Judas’s horrible end, the “desolate” name of the place of his demise. Peter then quoted Psalm 109:8 as the basis of the necessity of choosing someone to replace Judas. Thus Peter’s Spirit-led application of David’s Spirit-inspired prediction became the basis for the gathered believers’ first significant decision—replacing Judas. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 17)
During the discussion about Judas, Peter quoted without fanfare two verses from the book of Psalms (Psalm 69:25; 109:8). To be able to do this, he obviously had read and studied the Scriptures extensively. Because he had hidden God’s Word in his heart (Psalm 119:11), it helped guide him and the others when they faced an important decision. Likewise, if we are to think and act in a biblical fashion, we must be steeped in biblical truth. The only way to do this is to immerse ourselves in Scripture. We must read it, study it, hear it taught and preached, memorize it, and meditate on it. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 17)
This casting of the lots was not done casually or flippantly, for the apostles had carefully chosen two candidates according to certain qualifications (1:21-22) and then had spent time in prayer (1:24-25). The final process of casting the lots was likely done by writing the two names on two stones and then placing them into a container. The first stone to fall out when the container was tipped would be considered God’s choice. Proverbs 16:33 mentions this practice. It is also similar to the use of the Urim and Thummim in the Old Testament (see Leviticus 8:8; 1 Chronicles 26:13; Ezra 2:63; Nehemiah 7:65). (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 19)
One of the best indicators of our true character is when we get passed over for a prestigious place of service. In such times, our true beliefs and motives come into view. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 19)
Included in the company of approximately 120 persons were the 11 apostles; a number of women, of whom only Mary the mother of Jesus is named; and the brothers of Jesus. Others are not classified, but we may suppose that many whose names appear later in Luke’s narrative of the Jerusalem church were also present. No doubt some of the women where the wives of the apostles; others would be those women to whom Jesus first showed himself after His resurrection. The Spirit would be poured out upon both “sons and . .. daughters,” “servants and … handmaidens.” (Arnold E. Airhart, Beacon Bible Expositions: Acts, 24)
The tragic case of Judas intrudes upon the scene with chilling sadness. Peter had again become the spokesman of the apostles. He too had turned his back on the Lord. But unlike Judas, Peter’s defection had been neither wilful nor premeditated, and his repentance for his sin had been prompt, sincere, and deep. He had been fully restored. (Arnold E. Airhart, Beacon Bible Expositions: Acts, 25)
First, the entire company was consulted (cf. v. 15) . Thus they set a precedent which was observed later, Second, two men who were apparently equally qualified were appointed or proposed, that is, nominated. Third, earnest prayer was made that the will of God should be done in the selection. They were confident that the Lord had already chosen one of the candidates. The prayer was addressed to Jesus, the Lord, quite naturally, since He had chosen the original apostles. Fourth, they cast lots in order to make the final choice. (Arnold E. Airhart, Beacon Bible Expositions: Acts, 27)
Simon the Zealot, as he is called here and in Luke 6:15, is called “Simon the Cananaean” in Mark 3: 18 (followed by Matt. 1024). “Cananaean” represents the Hebrew or Aramaic word corresponding to “Zealot” (from Gk. zélo‘tés). The word might denote Simon’s zealous temperament, but Mark’s retention of the untranslated Semitic word suggests that it is used as a technical term, denoting a member of the party of the Zealots. (F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts, 62)
Both the defection of Judas and the necessity of replacing him are viewed here as subjects of Old Testament prophecy. (F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts, 66)
For those who believed that Jesus was the Messiah of David’s line, this meant that many of the experiences of the psalmist (David) were understood as prophetically applicable to Jesus (cf. 2:25-31, 34-36). Moreover, in the light of Jesus’ passion, many of the afflictions endured by a righteous sufferer in the Psalms were also interpreted of him. It followed that what was said of the enemies of the Lord’s anointed or of the righteous sufferer would be interpreted of the enemies of Jesus (cf. 4:25-28). Among his enemies Judas was unenviably prominent, and it was not difficult to find Old Testament texts which pointed to him. In John 13:18 Jesus, announcing the presence of a traitor in the company in the upper room, quotes Ps. 41:9 (“he who ate my bread has turned against me”), and in praying for his disciples in John 17:12 he says, “none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled.” Matthew brings together a text from Zechariah with one from Jeremiah to provide a composite “testimony” of the price which Judas received for his betrayal and the field which was bought with it (Matt. 2729-10).72 80 Peter here adduces further “testimonies” from the Psalter. Their real author, he affinns, is the Holy Spirit, who spoke through the prophet; David, being a prophet, was but a spokesman or mouthpiece of the Spirit (cf. 2230; 4225). (F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts, 67)
A Sabbath-day’s journey was two miles, and that account doth well agree with the place of John 11:18, where he saith, “that Jerusalem was distant from Bethany almost fifteen furlongs;” which containeth about a thousand and nine hundred paces. (John Calvin, Commentary on Acts, Vol. 1, 38)
Large groups normally would meet in upper stories because the largest rooms were upstairs (cf. Acts 20:8-9). The lower stories had smaller rooms so that their walls would bear the weight of the upper stories. (John F. Walvoord, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament, 354)
Peter’s allusion to the Old Testament shows his high view of the Scriptures. The Psalms were inspired by the Holy Spirit speaking through the mouth of David. Peter’s assessment was that the Scripture had to be fulfilled. The verb “had to” is from dei, which is used of logical or divine necessity. (John F. Walvoord, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament, 356)
18-19. Though Judas himself did not personally buy a filed, he did so indirectly. The priests used the betrayal money Judas flung into the temple to make this purchase in Judas’ name (Matt. 27:3-10). (John F. Walvoord, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament, 356)
The account of Judas’ violent end in Acts 1:18 seems to contradict Matthew 27:5, which starkly says he “hanged himself.” One explanation is that Judas’ intestines quickly became swollen and distended after he hanged himself, so he burst open. Another explanation, more probable, is that Judas hanged himself over a cliff and the rope or branch of the tree he was using broke. When he fell to the rocks below, he “burst open.” (John F. Walvoord, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament, 356)
Luke’s mention of “the women” fully accords with the attitude toward women as portrayed in his Gospel and the consciousness within the church of the implications of the gospel proclamation. (Richard N. Longenecker, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, John and Acts, 260)
The difficulty of reconciling 1:18-19 with Matthew 27:3-10 is well known and often considered the most intractable contradiction in the NT. The problem chiefly concerns how Judas died. But it also involves such questions as Who bought the field? and Why was it called “Field of Blood”? These latter matters are perhaps not too difficult. Probably the common explanation suffices: The chief priests bought the potter’s field in Judas’s name with the thirty silver coins belonging to him, and the local Jerusalemites (particularly Christians) nicknamed it “Field of Blood” because they felt it had been purchased with “blood money.” (Richard N. Longenecker, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, John and Acts, 263)
The major question as to how Judas died, however, is not so easily answered. Had he “hanged himself’ (Matt 27:5)? Or was it that “he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out” (Acts 1:18)? We shall probably never know the exact answer. Augustine may have been right in saying that both were true. (Richard N. Longenecker, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, John and Acts, 263)
18–19 Before Luke reproduces the actual texts from the Psalter which Peter cited to establish his point, he inserts a parenthesis in order that his readers may understand the background of Peter’s remarks. Peter did not need to tell his hearers in the upper room what had happened to Judas, nor can the words of verse 19, “that field came to be called in their speech Hakeldama,” be part of Peter’s direct speech. But when Luke visited Jerusalem in A.D. 57, he was probably told the story of Judas’s death, and he inserts it here. Judas, he was told, bought a field with his ill-gotten gain. But he did not live to enjoy the fruits of his shameful act, for he fell and sustained a fatal rupture. (F.F. Bruce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Acts, 62)
As they waited and worshipped together, they were being better prepared for the work that lay before them. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 324)
the only “Bible” the early church had was the Old Testament, and yet they were able to use it to discover the will of God. We need both the Old and the New; in fact, the New Testament writers often quote from the Old Testament to prove their point. St. Augustine said, “The New is in the Old concealed; the Old is by the New revealed.” (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 324)
Certainly we must interpret the Old by the New, but we must not think that God no longer speaks to His people through the Old Testament Scriptures. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable” (2 Tim. 3:16, italics mine). “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4, italics mine). We must use the whole Bible and balance Scripture with Scripture as we seek to discover the mind of God. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 324)
Luke carefully tells us that it was a Sabbath day’s journey from Mount Olivet to the upper room. Based on Exodus 16:29, amplified by Numbers 34:5, a Hebrew’s movements on the Sabbath were limited in the Mishna to what was called in the Hebrew term, the tehum braSabbath, or the limit of the Sabbath. It was required that he go no further than 2000 cubits or 6 furlongs. A cubit is about 18 inches while a furlong equals 220 yards. There are 1760 yards in a mile, so the distance was about three-quarters of a mile, or 1,320 cubits. (Lloyd J. Ogilvie, The Communicator’s Commentary: Acts, 46)
The frail thread of anticipation in each of the people in that Upper Room was woven into a strong bond of oneness. I believe differences were confessed, hurts were shared, and reconciliation was started. What was about to happen to them would be the only lasting basis of true relationship, but the immensity of Jesus’ promise before He left forced them to get ready by being open to one another. (Lloyd J. Ogilvie, The Communicator’s Commentary: Acts, 48)
If 1:1–11 introduces the promise of the Spirit and provides the transition to the church’s ministry, 1:12–26 concerns waiting for the promise. In 1:12–14, Jesus’s followers wait in prayer for the promise; in 1:15–26, they also make preparations in faith for the renewal of their people. Parallels with the Qumran community on numerous points suggest that Luke in fact preserves early Palestinian tradition, though he freely composed the narrative in his own words and for his purposes. (Craig S. Keener, Acts, Vol. 1, 733)
Luke often balances genders in his narrative where his information allows. The women, in general, hark back to the Gospel (Luke 8:2–3), especially to the passion and resurrection narratives (23:49, 55; 24:5, 10), providing a line of continuity and also an example of consistent faithfulness not found with the male apostles. The mention of Mary, in particular, connects the beginning of Luke’s second volume with the beginning of his first (Luke 1:27). (Craig S. Keener, Acts, Vol. 1, 746)
Judas’s apostasy may have been an embarrassment in natural terms but could be explained as part of God’s plan, just as Jesus’s crucifixion itself was (2:23). (Craig S. Keener, Acts, Vol. 1, 756)
The indwelling power of the Holy Spirit could only be glimpsed through shadows and symbols in the Old Testament. Now it is about to burst forth upon the scene. God’s plan for you and me has come out of the shadows and into reality. The indwelling Spirit empowers us to affect our world. That’s the secret of authentic Christianity. That’s God’s strategy for our lives: Possessed by Jesus Christ, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we go forth to manifest the life and power of God the Father. (Ray C. Stedman, God’s Unfinished Book: Acts, 19)
Some scholars have suggested that Paul should be counted as one of the Twelve, but Paul never makes that claim. Though he was a genuine apostle, he was not one of the Twelve. (Ray C. Stedman, God’s Unfinished Book: Acts, 21)