Lesson 2: The King’s Witnesses (Acts 1)

Acts 1 brims with anticipation. The chapter begins with Jesus working with his closest followers, but He would not remain with them for long. Furthermore, He instructed His followers to not “depart from Jerusalem” but to wait for the promised Spirit (vss. 4-5,8). Jesus’ ascension occurs in the middle of the chapter (vss. 9-11), but then His disciples returned to Jerusalem as He commanded, to await the promise and prepare themselves to carry out the mission of the King.

Notes from the text:

Vss. 1-8, Jesus prepares His witnesses

• vs. 2, “had given commands through the Holy Spirit”: while great importance is placed upon the apostles receiving the Holy Spirit (vss. 4-5,8; 2.1-4), it’s significant here that Jesus’ instructions are also termed as the work of the Spirit. Jesus had been anointed with the Holy Spirit and power (Acts 10.38), thus His words can be termed as “through the Spirit.” Significantly, the apostles receiving the Holy Spirit would mean that their teachings were also “through the Spirit”.
• vs. 3, this verse describes what Jesus did during the 40 days between His resurrection and ascension:
  • “presented himself alive… by many proofs” see Luke 24.36-43. These proofs convinced the apostles of Jesus’ resurrection, thus proved His claims. These proofs were essential to the apostles being able to bear witness.
  • “speaking about the kingdom of God” See the introductory lesson for more on this important concept.
• vss. 4-5, the promise of the Holy Spirit
  • Jesus had spoken of this promise multiple times (see John 14.16-17; 15.26-27; 16.12-15; Luke 24.49).
  • John the baptist had pointed to Jesus who would “baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire,” (Luke 3.16-17). Jesus promises that His disciples would be baptized with the Holy Spirit “not many days from now,” (it would occur ~10 days after this promise in Acts 2.1-4).
• vs. 6, “will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” This question has produced much speculation. Many assume that this is the last vestige of their earthly Kingdom aspirations, but nothing in Jesus’ reply or their subsequent actions suggest this. It is not surprising that their question came on the heels of Jesus’ promise of the Spirit in vss. 5-6 for the Old Testament prophets foretold that the giving of God’s Spirit would be when the fortunes of God’s people were restored and fulfilled (see Ezekiel 36.22-30; Joel 2.28-3.8). It could be that the apostles now understood that the spiritual nature of Kingdom, but what they would have to grow in understanding was that “Israel” would incorporate both Jew and Gentile.
• vss. 7-8, Jesus was not dodging their question, but redirecting their attention to what they needed to do. In other words, “let God take care of His business, you go and do what I tell you.” What they needed to do was wait for the promised Spirit so that they could carry out their mission of bearing witness for Jesus to the world!

Vss. 9-11, Jesus’ ascension

• vs. 9, clouds are associated with Jesus’ glory on three occasions: His transfiguration (Luke 9.34-36), His teaching about His return (Mark 13.26; 14.62) and now with His ascension to heaven. For the significance of Jesus’ ascension see Daniel 7.13-14; Mark 16.19; Ephesians 1.20-23.
• vs. 11, note Revelation 1.7.

Vss. 12-26, another chosen to witness

• vs. 12, Jesus’ ascension took place in the region of Bethany Luke 24.50. We also note from Luke’s account that the disciples returned “with great joy” (Luke 24.52). Their Lord was gone, but He was now King!
• vs. 14, the women followers of Jesus receive notable mention in Luke’s account (see Luke 8.2-3; 23.55; 24.10). Significantly, this is the last mention of Mary in Scripture.
• vs. 15, remember that Jesus had on one occasion appeared to more than 500 of His disciples (see 1Corinthians 15.6)
• vss. 16-20, recall that Jesus had spent 40 days opening their minds to the Scriptures (see Luke 24.44-48). Thus, it’s significant that in these verses Peter makes reference to two old testament prophecies. One, Psalm 69.25 had been fulfilled by Judas. The second, Psalm 109.8, now needed to be fulfilled.
• vss. 21-22, these qualifications for an apostle were essential! Only one who had been with Jesus could truly bear witness to His resurrection. These verses argue against any notion of “apostolic succession”.
• vss. 24-26, furthermore it was the Lord, not the apostles, who chose the replacement for Judas. The matter was taken to the Lord in prayer, and then lots were cast (see Proverbs 16.33).

Kingdom takeaways:

Jesus is now King.

In our introduction to Acts we noted how the Kingdom of God (i.e. His rule) is eternal (see Daniel 4.17; Psalm 103.19; etc.). Furthermore, we noted that Jesus’ life on earth was a manifestation of God’s rule, of His Kingdom (see Luke 10.20; 17.20-21). However, it was when Jesus ascended into heaven, following His death and resurrection, that He was made King (vss. 9-11; Mark 16.19). God has always reigned, but a universal Kingdom comprised of holy people could not come about until after the sacrifice of God’s Son. Thus, a new phase of God’s rule came into being with the Christ reigning as King over all things, blessing those who submit to His reign (see Ephesians 1.20-23).

Witnesses are crucial to the growth of the Kingdom.

The apostles’ role as “witness” is prominent in the book of Acts (see Acts 1:22; 2:32; 3:15; 4:2; 5:32; 23:11; 24:15-21). Much of what transpired in Acts 1 was preparation for the apostles role as witnesses:

1. They received proof of the resurrection and instruction from Jesus.
2. They witnessed His ascension.
3. They awaited the promised Spirit, who would remind them of Jesus’ words and reveal truth to them (see John 14.26; 16.13). Only when they had received the Spirit could they bear witness of Jesus (vs. 8). They would have the threefold witness of 1)their personal testimony, 2)Scripture, 3)the Spirit.
4. They appointed one to take the place of Judas; another witness of Jesus’ resurrection.

We are not witnesses in the same way as the apostles. We did not witness the life of Jesus and while we receive the Spirit in baptism, we are not baptized in the Holy Spirit in the way the apostles were (vs. 5). The apostles fulfilling their mission as witnesses of the Lord is why we can believe in Him today. We must now bear witness to the reign of our King through transformed lives and by pointing others to the testimony of the apostles, Jesus’ chosen witnesses.