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Acts 1:1-11 1/18/15 1 Ted Kirnbauer Acts 1:1-11 1/18/15 The Book of Acts was written to describe how the new movement emerging from Judaism had come to incorporate the gentiles into the community of God (Bock, 24). The events described are the work of God through Christ and the coming of the Spirit as the sign that the new era of salvation has begun. THE BEGINNING: JERUSALEM (Acts 1-7) 1:1 The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, 1:2 until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. Luke is the author of Acts as well as the gospel of Luke. Combined, Luke wrote more of the NT than anyone else, including Paul. Both Luke and Acts were written to a man named Theophilus though they obviously had a wider circulation. The “first account” (1:1) Luke composed refers to his gospel which told of the things that Jesus “began to do and teach until the day when He was taken up to heaven.” A number of clues in Acts show the connection of this book to Luke. (1) The word “first” (1:1) means “former,” suggesting that Acts is “volume two” of a work that had been previously recorded. (2) The reference to Theophilus ties Acts 1:1 to Luke 1:3 where Theophilus is also mentioned. (3) Acts 1:4-5 brings up the ministry of John the Baptist who is the first figure mentioned in Luke’s gospel. (4) Luke 24 and Acts 1 have overlapping accounts of the ascension: Luke 24:51-53: “While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising God.” Acts 1:9: “And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.” (5) Acts 1:2 makes a direct allusion back to Luke 24:49 where Jesus said, “I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” Some even suggest that Luke 24 is a condensed version of Acts 1 (Bock, 52). Theophilus: Theophilus’ identity is unknown though many suggestions have been made. Theophilus means “dear to God” so some say that Luke is using the name allegorically and is addressing Christians, that is, those “dear to God”. This is unlikely because in the Gospel of Luke (Lk. 1:3) he is called “most excellent Theophilus,” a title suggesting that he was a person of high social ranking. Other suggestions have been made linking Theophilus to other individuals in history. The only thing that is certain is that he was a man (probably even a believer) who had heard of the spread of Christianity; Luke hoped to give him more accurate information than he already had (Marshall, 60). all that Jesus began to do and teach: If the Gospel of Luke records the things Jesus began to do and teach, the implication is that the Book of Acts is a continuation of Jesus’ teaching and work after the ascension. As we read the book we see Christ working through believers empowered by the Holy Spirit; the apostles witnessed about what they had seen and heard (Acts 2:21 ff.), they performed miracles in Jesus’ name (Acts 3:6; 4:10; 9:34), and some (Stephen; 7:35 and Paul; 9:5) experienced personal contact with the Lord. What the early church said and did was connected to the activity of the risen Lord. Luke’s Gospel records Jesus’ ministry on earth; Acts records His continued mediatorial ministry from heaven 2 Ted Kirnbauer Acts 1:1-11 1/18/15 through His people and the Holy Spirit. “Indeed, the point is that without Jesus and His work, one cannot make sense of the church’s existence and activity” (Bock, 53). until the day when He was taken up to heaven: The Gospel of Luke ended with the ascension (Lk. 24:51), so now Luke takes up where he had left off (Acts 1:2). The ascension vindicates Jesus, and is the vehicle leading to His exaltation to the right hand of God (Ps. 110:1; Acts 2:32-35). Luke is the only NT writer who elaborates on the ascension. Some see an analogy to Elijah in Luke’s terminology. The words “was taken up into heaven” provide a link to 2 Kings 2:11 where Elijah “went up by a whirlwind to heaven.” Elijah was taken up when his ministry was passed to his predecessor who then ministered in “the spirit of Elijah.” Jesus’ ascension was similar in that it was the occasion when Jesus passed on His ministry to His followers and gave them the promised Spirit. It is questionable how readily Luke’s readers would pick up such an allusion or if this parallel is intended at all, but it is interesting nonetheless. Jesus ascended “after He had . given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen.” This is most likely a reference to Jesus’ words in Luke 24:47-48 where He said to the disciples, “. repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." The term “apostle” in normal usage simply means “a commissioned, sent agent.” However, it also has a technical sense, used of a select group of gifted individuals who (1) had seen the resurrected Lord (the twelve - Acts 1:21-26; Paul - I Cor. 9:1; 15:8-9) and (2) had been commissioned specifically by Jesus for their mission (the twelve - Lk. 6:13; Acts 1:2; Paul - Ro. 1:1; Matthias, chosen by the Lord by lots – Acts 1:24-26). Apostles were foundational to the church (Eph. 2:20). Although no specific verse states that the gift of apostleship would end, once Christ ascended into heaven the prerequisite of being an eyewitness of the resurrection could no longer be met. Furthermore, since these positions and functions cannot be duplicated after their demise, there is a prima facie case for saying at least one of the gifts passed away at the end of the first generation (D.A. Carson, Showing the Spirit, 88). For more details on this topic see my notes on “apostle.” I. The Final Instructions of the Disciples (1:3-8) A. Presentation of many proofs (1:3) 1:3 To these (i.e. the apostles) He also presented Himself alive after His suffering (i.e. after His death), by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. After His resurrection, for a period of forty days, Jesus used the OT scriptures to teach the apostles in two primary areas; first, He taught them “concerning Himself” (Lk. 24:27, 44) and second, He taught them things about the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:3). He also presented himself alive to His followers with many convincing proofs; that is, the proof Jesus presented was not a single piece of evidence, but many 3 Ted Kirnbauer Acts 1:1-11 1/18/15 repeated pieces of evidence (Marshall, 62). A “proof” is “that which causes something to be known in a convincing and decisive manner” (BDAG, 994). In other words, Jesus appeared to the apostles convincing them beyond doubt that He had risen from the dead (I Cor. 15:5 ff.). Proof that He was alive took many forms; He talked to them (Lk. 24:13-32), ate with them (Lk. 24:41-43), and showed them the scars of His crucified body (Lk. 24:40). John adds the general comment that “many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples” (Jn. 20:30). God’s Kingdom is a prominent theme throughout the Bible. Though it is not as prominent in Acts (Acts 1:3, 6; 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 31) as in Luke, it occurs forty times in both books. B. Promise of the Spirit (1:4, 5) 1:4 Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, "Which," He said, "you heard of from Me; 1:5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." Just before His crucifixion, Jesus told the disciples that they would not be left alone when He returned to the Father, but that the Holy Spirit would be given to them to take His place (Jn. 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7). John also tells us that the Spirit could not be given until Jesus was glorified (Jn. 7:39). Jesus’ return to heaven (Acts 1:9) was, therefore, for our benefit (Jn. 16:7). The disciples needed to be reminded that these things would come to pass. They needed assurance that they would not be left alone. So, in Acts 1 Jesus gathered the apostles together and told them that the promise of the Father spoken through John the Baptist would shortly be fulfilled (cf.
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