Acts 1:1–26

1:1–2 Introduction to Theophilus. From early in the church’s history, Luke has been widely accepted as the author of Acts, even though he does not mention himself by name. Despite a relative handful of scholars who argue against Lukan authorship, no convincing arguments have been advanced that either refute his authorship or plausibly suggest someone else. The same is true for the Gospel that goes by his name.

As for Theophilus, he was almost certainly well-to-do, he was probably a believer, and he perhaps even provided money for Luke to research and complete his work. A role as Luke’s patron would explain why he is singled out as the recipient of Luke’s writings. Since Luke never comments on their relationship, however, the idea is merely speculative. Even if Theophilus were Luke’s patron, this would not mean that the book is not for all Christians.

Readers for centuries have pointed out that the name Theophilus is a compound Greek word derived from theos, meaning “God”/“god,” and phileō, “to love.” However, it is unlikely that Luke seeks to convey a symbolic message by this name. Theophilus is a common enough Greek name and, regardless of etymology, should be understood as simply that—a name.

Luke recounts that in his Gospel he narrated Jesus’ acts and teaching up until the day he ascended into heaven (v. 2). The central role of the Holy Spirit in this book is already prominent, as Luke notes that it was “through” the Spirit that Jesus issued commands to his chosen followers. The word “chosen” connects to a theme that acts as an undercurrent in Acts—not usually emphasizing eternal election (as Paul does in 13:17, or as conveyed by “appointed” in 13:48) but rather God’s choosing believers for particular acts of service or ministry (1:24; 9:15; 10:41). Such “choosing” is a recurring theme throughout the book: God provides both salvation itself and the means—his people chosen for the task—by which to spread its good news.

1:3–5 Forty Days with Jesus. Jesus is with the disciples forty days between his resurrection and ascension. The number forty recalls other significant periods in the Bible. Most importantly, the number recalls times of preparation:² Moses spent forty days on Sinai receiving the law (Ex. 34:28); Elijah visited Horeb on a forty-day journey, being refreshed before returning to work (1 Kings 19:8); and Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness undergoing temptation before beginning his ministry (Luke 4:2). So now Jesus spends forty days teaching the disciples, preparing them for the new ministry about to begin.

Jesus focuses on two things during this time: (1) providing the disciples with proof that he is indeed alive and (2) teaching them about the kingdom of God. Apostolic ministry is grounded in the eyewitness testimony of the disciples. When they seek to choose a replacement for Judas, Peter insists that it be “one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 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” (Acts 1:21–22). Besides the original disciples, Luke is careful to show that Paul’s ministry is no less founded on a personal encounter with the risen Lord (9:4–5, 17; 26:15–16).

Resurrection from the dead was no less controversial, and no easier to believe, in the first century than it is today. When Paul speaks of the resurrection at the Areopagus at Athens, he is mocked for it (17:32). However, the truth of Jesus as King, the resurrected Lord who came to fulfill the OT promises and who suffered, died, and arose and now reigns in heaven, is vital for proclaiming the message of the gospel. This is no spiritual, disembodied idea of a resurrection; Jesus was raised from the dead as a physical man. Although his resurrection body is different, as it is somehow not subject to physical obstacles but transcends common, mortal existence (cf. Luke 24:31, 36, 51; Acts 1:9), it is still a real, physical body.

At the end of Luke, when the disciples are frightened by his appearance, Jesus reassures them, “See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have” (Luke 24:39). Jesus even ate in front of them (Luke 24:42–43). Although we do not know all of the details of the resurrection body, we should grasp the fact that after the resurrection, Jesus is “more than ordinarily embodied, not less.”³ In the resurrection, Jesus is the vanguard of a new, transformed, immortal humanity. It is on this foundation that the disciples undertake the ministry to which Jesus the risen King calls them.

Luke does not specify the content of Jesus’ teaching regarding the kingdom, though there is a hint in the final question the disciples ask him (cf. comment on Acts 1:6–11). We can infer from the Gospels that Jesus likely speaks to them about the nature of the kingdom, perhaps reminding them of his parables and how he has showed signs of the kingdom in his miracles. In addition, we likely should connect this teaching to Luke’s Gospel account of Jesus teaching the disciples to read the Scriptures with himself as the center (Luke 24:27). We should also note how the term kingdom bookends the book of Acts: Luke identifies the kingdom as one of the two themes of the forty days Jesus spends with the disciples, and at the very end of Acts the theme receives explicit emphasis again, this time in the ministry of Paul, who at the end of the book is described as “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance” (Acts 28:31). Thus, although the exact terms kingdom and kingdom of God appear only seven times in Acts, this kingdom is nevertheless one of the book’s main themes. The kingdom is that which Jesus speaks about before his ascension and is the way in which Luke summarizes the content of Paul’s teaching.

As in the Gospels, kingdom of God refers to the Lord’s rule and reign. This kingdom is not localized with borders or made up of particular people connected politically, culturally, or ethnically, but is established in the lives of men and women through the power of the gospel. It is a mustard-seed kingdom (Luke 13:18–19) that appeared insignificant at its beginning but will have an unimaginable ending. The key is to see that unimaginable ending even amid the insignificance of the kingdom’s beginning; such vision comes from faith alone. This kingdom features a leader who suffers and who preaches nonviolence and self-deprecation, urging his followers to give up the right to their own lives and live instead for his sake and for that of others. This kingdom is initially led by a group of his followers who for the most part do not come from high-income or particularly educated families. The one who does have personal and educational pedigree (Paul) is apparently less than impressive in person, even if he can write a letter with flair (cf. 2 Cor. 10:10). Yet, if the beginnings of this kingdom appear insignificant, this is nothing compared to its unimaginable power: the King rises from the dead, ascends to the throne, sends his power into the lives of his followers, and enables and emboldens them to speak openly of him and to offer free entry into his eternal kingdom. Those who believe the message enter the kingdom that will one day be revealed as uncontainable in time or space when the King returns. This is the kingdom Luke traces out in Acts.

In Acts 1:4–5 Jesus issues a direct command to his disciples: stay in Jerusalem and wait for the Father to fulfill his promise to send the Holy Spirit (cf. Luke 24:49), as proclaimed by John the Baptist. This is truly a climactic moment. John said that his baptism was for preparation, to ready people for what was coming, a baptism “with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16). In Luke’s Gospel, John declares that it is Jesus himself who will baptize with the Spirit. Thus the “baptism” of the Spirit refers to the gift of the Spirit from the risen and ascended Lord, not to a special second blessing or second gift of the Spirit to people who have received him previously.⁴

By mentioning the Spirit, Luke has drawn together the three main themes that will shape the book of Acts. Jesus appears offering proofs of his physical resurrection, providing a foundation for the apostles’ witness. The primary, or summary, theme of that witness is the kingdom of God. That witness of the kingdom, as the kingdom itself, is through the Spirit. Jesus rose from the grave and lives; the disciples are his witnesses; the Spirit empowers their witness. If pressed to summarize the content of Acts, one could do so in three words: resurrection, witness, Spirit.

1:6–11 Jesus Ascends into Heaven. After Jesus has been with the disciples for forty days, teaching them about the kingdom, the disciples ask him if the time of the kingdom has come. It is common for interpreters to see this question as yet another foul-up on the part of the disciples. But it is not. For starters, we do not know exactly what Jesus taught them over those forty days, so we cannot simply assume that they have misunderstood a specific teaching. In fact, despite forty days of hearing from the resurrected Jesus on the kingdom, we should not be surprised if all of his teaching has not yet sunk in. There was quite a bit to take in, and long-held perceptions take time to change. If one’s perceptions and views are deep-seated enough, with their roots in a developed cultural and sociopolitical worldview, then a supernatural event may be the only thing powerful enough to force a tectonic shift in thinking.⁵ Such events are the hallmark of Acts.

If we consider the disciples’ actual question, we will realize that it is a legitimate biblical query, one for which Jesus does not rebuke them. To the contrary, he provides them with a very biblical answer.⁶ The restoration of the kingdom to Israel is the first order of business in God’s plan for the future, according to the OT prophets. A first-century Jew would likely have been familiar with Isaiah and Ezekiel on this score. Ezekiel, after promising the eschatological cleansing of the Spirit and a return from exile (Ezekiel 36), receives a dramatic vision of dry bones coming to life through God’s Spirit (37:1–11) and learns that the bones are the “whole house of Israel” (v. 11). God then directs Ezekiel:

Son of man, take a stick and write on it, “For Judah, and the people of Israel associated with him”; then take another stick and write on it, “For Joseph (the stick of Ephraim) and all the house of Israel associated with him.” And join them one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand. And when your people say to you, “Will you not tell us what you mean by these?” say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am about to take the stick of Joseph (that is in the hand of Ephraim) and the tribes of Israel associated with him. And I will join with it the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, that they may be one in my hand. (Ezek. 37:16–19)

Joining the northern and southern kingdoms into one kingdom goes hand in hand with the eschatological promise of the Spirit. If Jesus had been teaching the disciples about the kingdom for forty days, it does not take a great deal of creativity to imagine that a biblical text such as Ezekiel 37 would have come up in conversation.

Likewise, the prophet Isaiah not only promises a restored kingdom but also weds the idea to the new, restored Israel serving as a “light for the nations.” The servant of the Lord will bring the two kingdoms together for a purpose:

Now the Lord says,

he who formed me from the womb to be his servant,

to bring Jacob back to him;

and that Israel might be gathered to him—

for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord,

and my God has become my strength—

he says:

“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant

to raise up the tribes of Jacob

and to bring back the preserved of Israel;

I will make you as a light for the nations,

that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” (Isa. 49:5–6)

Once we read the disciples’ question against this background, we realize that it is a legitimate question asked by Israelites in the presence of the resurrected Messiah—Israelites who have particular expectations about the future and who are now being confronted with that future.⁷

This background sheds great light on Jesus’ response as well. The Lord does not rebuke the disciples for asking the question. He tells them that they do not or cannot know the time in familiar terms; only the Father knows the exact time. He redirects their question to the more important issue that focuses the disciples on a different idea of time. The disciples are thinking in regard to the consummation, the final establishment of the kingdom. They are also likely thinking of a decisive event. But Jesus directs them away from a specific day and instead focuses on the situation that exists as a result of his resurrection. The kingdom is being restored and will continue to be restored through the coming of the promised Holy Spirit, who will empower the disciples. The restoration begins now.

Jesus’ answer follows the lines of Ezekiel and Isaiah and also provides one of the most memorable and oft-quoted verses in the book of Acts:

It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 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. (Acts 1:7–8; cf. Luke 24:47)

Jesus, the true servant of Yahweh, will unite Israel and be a “light for the nations” (Isa. 49:6) through the witness of his Spirit-empowered disciples. Knowing the specific timeline is outside the apostolic brief; the “times or seasons” rest with the Father. It does not seem to take long for the disciples fully to understand and embrace what Jesus is saying. Soon after, while speaking on Solomon’s Portico, Peter urges his hearers to repent so that “times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago” (Acts 3:19–21). The timing of the consummation of the age is known by God alone, and he will bring it about according to his divine counsel. The NT teaching in regard to our strictly limited knowledge of the end of this age lands us squarely in the arena of faith (Matt. 24:36; 25:13; 1 Thess. 5:2). Only by believing that the time is set by God can the disciples go out with both confidence (God is in control) and urgency (God will certainly bring everything to his appointed end).

The disciples will not receive heavenly navigation software to map the route of the end times; they will receive something better. The last recorded words from Jesus in Luke’s Gospel concerned witness and the coming of the Spirit. There Jesus said, “You are witnesses of [my saving ministry]. 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” (Luke 24:48–49). They will shortly “receive power” (Acts 1:8) from the Spirit. More precisely, the Spirit himself is the power they will receive. We will see many aspects of the Spirit’s work in Acts. At Pentecost, Peter proclaims that what is occurring is exactly what God promised would happen: he would pour out his Spirit (2:18). Later believers also receive the Spirit (8:17; 10:44; 15:8; 19:6). The Spirit also empowers signs and wonders performed by the disciples. Luke will use the word translated “power” in 1:8 (Gk. dynamis) when referring to miracles performed by the disciples (2:22; 3:12; 4:7; 8:13; 19:11).

Jesus’ promise of the Spirit includes all of these aspects, at least by extension, but the main focus here is on receiving the Spirit to empower gospel witness specifically. And this is exactly what occurs in chapter 2, when the disciples and others gathered together receive the Spirit at Pentecost. Similarly, Luke connects the early explosive growth of the church to the “great power” of the apostles’ preaching (4:33). Further, not only is Stephen filled with “grace and power,” doing signs and wonders; his opponents are no match for him because “they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking” (6:8–10).

The fulfillment of the promise made in 1:8 is not the first time in Luke’s writings that we find a special anointing of the Spirit for particular equipping and witness.⁸ The Spirit comes down upon Jesus, the servant of Yahweh who will himself bring the Spirit (cf. comment on 1:3–5 [at vv. 4–5]), at his baptism, as the Father speaks a word of loving acceptance and unqualified approval (Luke 3:22). Immediately after recounting Jesus’ Adamic lineage, Luke notes how Jesus returns from his baptism “full of the Holy Spirit,” the same Spirit who immediately ushers him into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan; Jesus stays forty days (Luke 4:1–2). The true Adam goes into the wilderness, and, where the first Israel failed, the true, Spirit-filled Israel (Jesus himself) succeeds.

Soon after, in his inaugural sermon at Nazareth, Jesus picks up the scroll of Isaiah and reads from Isaiah 61:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives

and recovering of sight to the blind,

to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (Luke 4:18–19)

Luke includes Jesus’ interpretation of the text, leaving the reader little reason to doubt the implication: “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). Jesus places himself unequivocally in the place of the anointed one who will bring the old covenant promises to fulfillment. Now, in Acts, the disciples will receive the Spirit from Jesus to equip them to be his witnesses: the Anointed sends his anointed witnesses. They will reach the world with the same message: that Jesus has come but has now died, risen, and ascended to heaven.

Jesus also tells the disciples where they will take this Spirit-empowered witness. His geographical trajectory is more than a series of concentric circles that map mission work (though not less than that). Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria represent the divided kingdom of Israel and the disciples’ target as they go to fulfill Ezekiel and Isaiah, restoring the kingdom and lighting up the world as the ambassadors of King Jesus. Israel’s split (cf. Isa. 9:21; 11:13; Ezek. 37:16–17; Zech. 11:14) serves as one of the main, and tragic, reminders that the OT storyline never finds a stopping place or point of resolution. In fact, it just gets worse over time, as Israel’s behavior raises more questions than answers. It is the prophets of Israel, largely rejected in their own time, who point forward to a new day in which the Lord will fulfill all his promises of a new heart, a new people, and a new place, all focused on a new king.

Jesus tells his disciples that they are on the cusp of nothing less than the restoration of the kingdom to Israel, with themselves as a symbolic restored Israel (cf. comment on Acts 1:12–26 [at v. 26]) that will come with a predicted but hard-to-fathom twist. The kingdom will be a new kingdom, filled with new people. He, the true Israel, sends the newly constituted Twelve (Matthias will be added soon), and this symbolic new Israel will need to be made whole again. Yes, there are more than twelve people involved in the early chapters, and many more will be added, but here Jesus is speaking specifically to the apostles—his specially called heralds and ambassadors of the kingdom, whose preaching will be the only standard of teaching in the kingdom.

Luke is the only Gospel writer who inarguably includes an ascension narrative.⁹ A lack of ascension records in the Gospels, however, should not cause concern, for several reasons. First, the Gospels were written after the fact, well after. Many, if not most, of the NT Epistles were written before or around the same time as the Gospels. In the case of John, he likely wrote well after all of the NT Epistles were written. The Gospels’ concern is to provide a theological narrative of the life, teaching, and mission of Jesus of Nazareth. Their emphasis, therefore, is on the two to three years of his active ministry, most especially on his passion and resurrection. Second, each Gospel—with the possible exception of Mark, depending on where his Gospel ends—includes postresurrection appearances at which Jesus interacts with and teaches the disciples. These postresurrection narratives, read together with the rest of the NT, assume the ascension. Third, Luke includes the ascension both in his Gospel and here in Acts. There has been no significant doubt about Luke’s authenticity, including that of his ascension accounts.¹⁰ Fourth, in the early centuries of the church, Luke was quickly and broadly received without controversy. Along with this, all orthodox, early Christian witnesses affirm the ascension. Even if one rejects the long ending of Mark (16:9–20) as original, in any case the mention of Jesus’ being “taken up into heaven” in Mark 16:19 affirms an early ascension tradition, whether related by Mark or by someone shortly after him.

The account of the ascension in Acts resembles closely the description in Luke, except for the disciples’ reaction. In Luke, after Jesus ascended, the disciples “worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy” (Luke 24:52). In Acts the account itself is similar. Jesus speaks to the disciples about their mission, and then immediately, right in front of them, “he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9). The difference is in the disciples’ reaction. In Luke they worship; in Acts they are awestruck. These two accounts are quite compatible.

In response to Jesus’ ascension, the disciples look up and keep on looking. They have witnessed a supernatural event unlike any before or since—not even the departure of Enoch or of Elijah could compare. Thus angels must come and summon their attention: “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” (v. 11). It is at this point, once the disciples gather themselves, that I can imagine them worshiping Jesus. Thus Luke 24:52 and Acts 1:10–11 fit quite well together.

We should note the appearance of a cloud at Jesus’ ascension. This biblical symbol calls to mind other times in which heaven and earth met—clouds in Scripture are often symbolic of God’s presence. For example, in the exodus narrative, a cloud leads the Israelites by day in their journey from Egypt to Sinai (Ex. 14:19). God speaks to Moses from a cloud on Sinai (19:9; 24:15). A cloud covers the tent of meeting when God’s glory fills the tabernacle (40:34). When it is time to move the tent, the cloud is taken up, and when it is time to stop, the cloud stays put (40:36–37). The very last verse of Exodus refers to the “cloud of the Lord” (40:38).

Such symbolism is not lost on the Gospel writers. The climactic meeting of heaven and earth takes place around the midpoint of Jesus’ ministry, when attention is shifting toward Jerusalem and the cross. At the transfiguration, with nothing less than the divine, heavenly dimension breaking into the earthly sphere, a cloud descends on Jesus, Moses, Elijah, and the disciples, and from it comes a voice: “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” (Luke 9:35; cf. Matt. 17:5; Mark 9:7). Further, Jesus’ second coming is described as “the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Luke 21:27; cf. Matt. 24:30; Mark 13:26). Later, Matthew includes an auspicious mention of clouds during Jesus’ trial. When asked if he is the Christ, Jesus, though he does not say “yes,” puts his answer to Caiaphas the high priest in unmistakable words: “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matt. 26:64). What Jesus means, and how he is heard, is evident in Caiaphas’s response: “Then the high priest tore his robes and said, ‘He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy’” (Matt. 26:65). Clearly these references to clouds point to the divine presence, just as in the exodus narrative.

Luke’s mention of “heaven” calls all sorts of images to mind. Given our perception and experience, it is natural to think of “heaven” first as a place. There are biblical reasons for this conclusion, as heaven is mentioned as the place of the Father, of reward, and of the afterlife (Matt. 3:17; 5:12, 16; 6:9–10, 20; 17:5; Mark 1:10–11; 12:25; Luke 3:22; 6:23; 15:7). In Acts 1, the word “heaven” appears four times in two verses. Jesus is “lifted up,” and the disciples are left staring “into heaven” (v. 10) before the angels draw their attention: “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” (v. 11). In the first instance, “heaven” is clearly used directionally: Jesus was “taken up” (Gk. analēmphtheis) and went “into heaven” (Gk. eis ton ouranon), with the direction (“taken up”) seen as descriptive, just as “a voice from heaven” describes a source from above. This does not mean, however, that Jesus rode a cloud all the way up to his throne or that Luke only means the skyward direction. Jesus went up and ascended to the presence of the Father, in heaven. We are faced with a description of a supernatural event, namely, the meeting of heaven—the place where God himself dwells—and earth. Whereas the cloud denotes God’s presence in the exodus, here we not only see a cloud depicting God’s presence; the incarnate Lord is himself present. At the ascension, a way is made from the earthly realm to the heavenly realm. How Jesus moves from one to the other is beyond our perception and experience, but it is clear that Scripture speaks of heaven as a place, God’s place, that will one day be joined with a new heaven and a new earth. Here the focus is on heaven as the destination to which Jesus ascends as the divine King. It is a place of finality and authority from which King Jesus directs his kingdom work on earth.

1:12–26 Matthias Joins the Apostles. Verse 12 notes that the ascension took place on “the mount called Olivet,” commonly referred to as the Mount of Olives. Luke mentions that this was a “Sabbath day’s journey” from Jerusalem, likely referring to the distance allowed by Jewish tradition for traveling on the Sabbath, a little over half a mile.¹¹ In his Gospel, Luke says that the ascension took place around Bethany (Luke 24:50), which adjoined the Mount of Olives. That hill is a frequent setting for Jesus and his disciples, most famously so for the “Olivet Discourse,” where Jesus taught the disciples about both the destruction of the temple and his second coming (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21). Zechariah describes the Mount of Olives as the place from which God would fight against the nations that exiled Jerusalem:

On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. (Zech. 14:4)

The place of Zechariah’s apocalyptic vision of judgment against the nations is now the sending point for bringing blessing to the nations through the gospel.

Acts 1:13–15 records who was present between the ascension and Pentecost, reminding us that in the Gospels many people besides the twelve disciples accompanied Jesus. The Eleven are named here as they are in Luke 6:14–16, minus Judas Iscariot, with the subtle difference that Andrew is now listed fourth, leaving the three most prominent in Acts—Peter, John, and James—at the head of the list. Luke mentions Mary the mother of Jesus and other women. The prominent place of women in Jesus’ ministry is a theme in Luke’s Gospel, for they are present at vital times, most particularly at the cross and at the tomb (Luke 23:49, 55–56; 24:2–11). Luke here also mentions Jesus’ brothers. According to Mark, Jesus had at least four brothers: James, Joses, Judas, and Simon (Mark 6:3). Some traditions hold that Jesus’ brothers were not Mary’s children—the idea being that Mary stayed a perpetual virgin—but the evidence in the NT argues against such claims. Speculation that these were half brothers from a previous wife of Joseph or were “cousins” or some other relations who could be called “brothers” in first-century Jewish society is based more on maintaining Mary’s virginity than on anything found in Scripture. The scriptural arguments for Mary’s perpetual virginity came after the formulation of the doctrine. There is no reason to doubt that these four were his blood brothers on his mother’s side. All or some of them could have belonged to Joseph from an earlier marriage, but to assert that they surely were so is impossible.

As in the life of Jesus, prayer is a hallmark of both the disciples and the early church. We know from Luke that the group met not only in the upper room but also in the temple (Luke 24:53). Here Luke concentrates his narrative on the events that take place in the upper room before Pentecost. After that, the disciples go public; in chapter 2 the scene switches to the temple. Here Luke notes that they “with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer” (Acts 1:14). Luke uses the term homothymadon, here translated as “with one accord,” nine other times in Acts (2:46; 4:24; 5:12; 7:57; 8:6; 12:20; 15:25; 18:12; 19:29). The term stresses their unity, their “togetherness.” The picture is of the group praying together continually (which does not have to mean around the clock). Even though Jesus promised them the Spirit (cf. Luke 24:49) and a role as his witnesses, the group nevertheless gave themselves constantly to prayer, awaiting the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise.

Luke does not reveal how Peter knew that the disciples needed to fill Judas’s spot; likely, Jesus told them to do so during his forty days or else the Spirit led Peter to stand up and speak. That they needed to fill the spot and bring their number back to twelve was likely evident to the disciples. What is clear from the text is that Judas’s actions fulfilled Scripture, specifically Psalms 69:25 and 109:8. Peter’s announcement is one of the clearest statements in Scripture regarding its inspiration by the Holy Spirit. Through David, the Spirit prophesied concerning Jesus’ betrayal.

The ESV’s parentheses around verses 18–19 indicate that here Luke is providing a narrative explanation of what happened to Judas, inserted into the middle of Peter’s speech. Such insertions are common in NT narrative and are included in order to provide the reader a fuller picture of an action or teaching event well beyond what could be gained by reading only the account.

The NT includes two accounts of Judas’s death. In Matthew 27:3–10, Judas, undoubtedly wracked with guilt, brings the thirty pieces of silver back to the council of priests and elders. He even confesses his sin: “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood” (Matt. 27:4). The Jewish leaders could not care less; they have gotten what they paid for. Judas throws the money down, and Matthew says simply that “he went and hanged himself” (Matt. 27:5). Not wanting to put the blood money in the treasury, the chief priests use it to buy a potter’s field for burying outsiders. Matthew notes that this all took place to fulfill Jeremiah 19:1–13; he combines the main prophecy with an accompanying prophecy from Zechariah 11:13.

The account in Acts is quite similar at many points. The money is used to buy a field, the field is called “Field of Blood,” Judas’s remorse and hopelessness is explicit in Matthew and implied in Acts when Luke says that Judas fell headlong (Acts 1:18), and Judas dies violently. A slight issue in the accounts arises when comparing Matthew’s account with what Luke says in Acts 1:18. According to Luke, “This man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness.” A simple explanation is that Luke is saying it was Judas’s money—not Judas himself—that bought the field. Another surface difference is that, while Matthew simply notes that Judas hanged himself, Luke states that “falling headlong [Judas] burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out.” Suggestions that Judas hanged himself near a cliff and that the tree broke and Judas fell to the bottom are only speculative attempts to harmonize the accounts. A more likely solution is that Luke is providing more details of the hanging. Perhaps Judas’s body hung until decomposed—but we cannot really know. The ESV footnote indicates that prēnēs genomenos, translated as “falling headlong,” could also mean “swelling up,” but this is merely a possibility.

While Matthew focuses on Judas’s death as suicide, Luke particularly highlights his death as punishment. The theme of divine punishment is underscored by the fact that the field is forever known as “Field of Blood.”¹² Judas received his inheritance of thirty pieces of silver by denying and betraying Jesus—he gave up everything for a few pieces of silver. And yet he lost the money, the field, and, ultimately, his life.

Describing in full the events surrounding Judas’s death is not possible based on these texts alone. Matthew and Luke provide accurate information that is sufficient for their own purposes, but neither purports to offer a full blow-by-blow account. It is likely that Matthew gives a shorter account of Judas’s suicide, omitting the time between Judas’s returning the money and his death. Precisely lining up the two accounts is not necessary, and the questions that remain are not significant. We should avoid stretching the limits of interpretation to include unfounded speculation (which we never tolerate from those who oppose us and the Bible) that causes us to go beyond God’s revelation in an effort to protect the Bible from critics—or from itself, for that matter. God did not choose to give us precise details, perhaps because the details of Judas’s death are not what drive the narrative. The important thing is that the two accounts emphasize Judas’s horrid sin, the punishment for that sin, and the fact that his betrayal of Jesus was foretold by the Spirit.

In verse 20 Luke cites clear biblical warrant for finding a replacement for Judas: “Let another take his office” (cf. Ps. 109:8). This leads to choosing Matthias as Judas’s replacement. For the replacement, having been an eyewitness to Jesus is a must. It is worth noting that James, the brother of Jesus, is not in the running. This is likely because he, like his brothers, was late in coming to faith. In Luke 8:19–21 (cf. Matt. 12:46–50; Mark 3:31–35), Jesus’ mother and brothers come to Jesus when he is teaching in an overcrowded house at the height of his popularity, and they do not seem to come simply to hear him, as a disciple might. And John 7:5 is unmistakable: “Not even his brothers believed in him.” Although James will rise to prominence in the early church, he is not in the running to join the apostles at this point. Barsabbas (Justus) and Matthias are chosen as candidates.

This text calls to mind the casting of lots in Leviticus 16:8 and Joshua 18:6; 19:51, when the portions for the twelve tribes of Israel are decided by lots. So here the new symbolic Israel is fulfilled by lots, though this is probably more a mere observation than a certain textual connection. The apostles’ action is not prescriptive of Christian decision making but a specific, symbolic act of constituting the church of God, “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone” (Eph. 2:20). Casting lots does not continue in the NT as a practice for discernment, nor do NT writers ever instruct the churches concerning how, when, or why to cast lots.

It has been suggested that the call of Saul/Paul later in Acts indicates that the selection of Matthias is misguided, or even a mistake. But this is absurd. The original Twelve are the reconstituted tribes of Israel, founded on Jesus Christ the Lord. They will be tasked primarily to take the gospel of Jesus the Messiah to the Jews (Gal. 2:6–10). The choice of Matthias is based on prayer, devotion, and waiting on God. There is no indication that it is in any way wrong or turns out to be an error. The fact that Matthias is never mentioned again in the NT means nothing in this or any other regard. Of the Twelve, only Peter, James, and John are mentioned after Acts 1:13. Matthias is no different than the majority of the Twelve. The addition of Matthias also paves the way for the fulfillment of Scripture, Jesus’ promise, and the in-breaking of the future kingdom through the Spirit at Pentecost. The eyewitnesses are in place before the witnessing begins. Finally, the addition of Paul as an apostle—“one untimely born” (1 Cor. 15:8), to use his words—is part and parcel of the new thing that is happening. He is the apostle to the Gentiles. The kingdom is not restricted to twelve apostles just because the old covenant was with the twelve tribes. There is both continuity and discontinuity between the OT and NT. With Paul, a mystery that was hidden is revealed. Namely, the Jews and the Gentiles are now one people in Christ (Eph. 3:6). Something new is happening, and while it is connected to the old, it supersedes and extends beyond it.