The Risen Lord Upon the Earth: Acts 1:1-11

         This book, like the Gospel of Luke, was written to Theophilus. He was probably a high-ranking Roman official. Luke tells him that Jesus, in His post-resurrection body, taught the apostles he had chosen. For the first part of chapter one, it is the eleven He is teaching. This was after the death of Judas Iscariot and before the selection of Mathias. Considering this teaching we go back to the commission He gave them. The commission, which we call the Great Commission, is recorded in Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-16, and in Luke 24:46-47.

         During the forty days between His resurrection and His ascension, Jesus made many appearances to His followers. Bro. Tom Thurman, in his book, The Jesus Years, gives us this suggested chronology of the appearances of Jesus.

In and Near Jerusalem

  1. Appearance to Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9-11; John 20:11-18.
  2. Appearance to the other Women (Matthew 28:9-10)
  3. Appearance to the Two Disciples on the Emmaus Road (Mark 16:12-13; Luke 24:13-32)
  4. Appearance to Peter (Luke 24:34; I Cor. 15:5)
  5. Appearance to the Ten (Mark 16:14; Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-25)
  6. Appearance to the Eleven (John 20:26-29; I Cor. 15:5)

In Galilee

  1. Appearance to the Seven by the Sea (John 21:1-23)
  2. Appearance to the Five Hundred Brethren (Matthew 28:16-20; I Cor. 15:6)

In and Near Jerusalem After His Return from Galilee

  1. Appearance to the Apostles (Mark. 16:15-18.
  2. Appearance to James (I Cor. 5:7)
  3. Appearance at Bethany (Luke 24:44-49; Acts 1:3-8.

Later Appearances

  1. Appearance to Paul (I Cor. 15:8)
  2. Appearance to John (Rev. 1:13)

These were the appearances that Jesus made before many witnesses. In Acts 1:3we have the only reference in scripture to the length of Jesus’ post-resurrection ministry.

They were told not to leave Jerusalem. He told them that in 10 days they would receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. In verse 6, the apostles asked Jesus if it was time to establish the kingdom on the earth. Notice His reply. He did not say that there would never be an earthly reign. Rather, He emphasized the fact that the father in Heaven is the only one who knows when it will occur. He informed them that this was not the time to ask about this. They had more important things to take care of.

In verse 8, He again told them of the promise of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. He made known unto them that they would evangelize the whole world, starting from Jerusalem. Why Jerusalem? Because that’s where they were. God wants us to start spreading the Good News from wherever we are.

In the next verse we have the ascension of the Lord Jesus. The location was the Mount of Olives. It was located east of Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley near the village of Bethany (Luke 24:50). As He was speaking to them, He arose out of their sight in a cloud. I am sure they were astonished; I know I would be. It isn’t every day that you see someone rise away from you in a cloud, even the Son of God. We’re told that while they were staring up in the sky, two “men” in white clothing appeared to them. They called them men of Galilee.

The remaining eleven were from Galilee, Judas Iscariot being the only non-Galilean. It is here that the promise that Jesus would someday return to the earth is mentioned.  the promise that Jesus would someday return to the earth is mentioned. Yes, one day, He is returning for His Church (1 Thes. 4:13-18), but He is also going to fulfil this passage as well as the one in Zech. 14:4. Jesus is coming back to the earth with His Church to set up the millennial kingdom. Let’s live our lives in expectation of the return of Jesus for His Church, then we will be with Him when He comes again to this earth, not as a suffering Lamb, but as a conquering Lion.

The Choosing of Mathias (Acts 1:12-26)

We’re told that the distance between the Mount of Olives and the city of Jerusalem was 3,000 feet. According to Josephus, 3,000 feet was the length of a Sabbath Day’s journey. In verse 13 we find the apostles back in the upper room. In all probability this was the same room where they had held the Last supper (Mark 14:15; Luke 22:2), therefore it might have been the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark (Acts 12:12). Here is a list of the eleven apostles who gathered in the upper room. Peter, John, James, Andrew, Phillip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James.

We find, early in the book, that the disciples were a praying group. In verse 14, we find the last New Testament mention of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Also, Jesus’ half-brothers had now come to accept His Messiahship. We remember that not too many days before that Peter denied His Lord. We now see him taking a place of leadership. 

In the next few verses, they had to choose a successor to Judas Iscariot. How could one who had been chosen by Jesus become a traitor? By relating the act of Judas to prophecy, Peter showed that it was no embarrassment to God. He quotes Psalm 41 for his reasoning. Verse 20 tells us that they realized that there must be a replacement. There must be the Twelve again.

In verses 21-22, we have the qualifications set down for the office of an Apostle. Peter says that one must have been with them from the baptism of John until the ascension of Jesus. That way one was both a witness of His resurrection as well as His ascension. This clearly shows that the practice of apostolic succession is anti-scriptural. After the Apostle John died, the office ceased to exist on the earth.

The record tells us that there were two men who fit these qualifications. They were Joseph, called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. The apostles believed that God had already made His choice. So there had to be a way for Him to relate His choice to them. Charles Caldwell Ryrie gives us this account from the footnotes of the Ryrie Study Bible.

“Two names were written on stones and placed in an urn.  The one that fell out first was taken to be the Lord’s choice (Prov. 16:33; Jonah 1:7). The occasion was unique, for the Lord was not there in person to appoint and the Spirit had not been given in the special way on Pentecost.” 

Did the apostles act in accordance with God’s will in the selection of Matthias? Of course! There had to be twelve apostles to sit upon the twelve thrones (Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:28-38). Some have tried to say that that the apostles were acing in haste when they selected Matthias to fill their number. The critics say that God wanted Paul to be the twelfth apostles. This can be shown false by at least three reasons.

  1. Nowhere in the New Testament does it say that the choosing of Matthias was in contrast with will of God. The fact that Matthias was filled with the Spirt on Pentecost proved that he, was in fact, God’s man for the job.
  2. If the choosing of Matthias was wrong, then Peter erred when he gave Old Testament passages to back his actions. He was guilty of misusing prophecy.
  3. Paul had a special apostleship. Also, Paul could not fulfill the qualifications laid down in verse 21-22. In I Cor. 15:508, he says that he was not one of the Twelve.

So, according to the purpose and plan of Almighty God, Matthias became the twelfth apostle. The office was complete again.

In our next articles we are going to deal with the events in the 2nd chapter of Acts. The title will be “The Birthday of the Church of the Living God. We encourage all to prepare by reading Acts 2. Remember, no truth is truly yours until you find it for yourself in the Word of God. Until next time, Maranatha! (1 Cor. 16:22)