Acts Chapters 1 to 5

Jesus Ascends into Heaven - Read Acts 1:1-11

Luke begins Acts with another short introduction to "Theophilus" explaining that the first volume – our Gospel of Luke – was to describe the ministry of Jesus until he "was taken up to heaven." In fact, Luke 24:50-53 also describes the Ascension briefly but in Acts there are additional details. In Acts Luke mentions that the resurrected Jesus appeared on earth for 40 days, instructing the disciples. As in the Gospel, Luke reports in Acts that Jesus commands the disciples not to leave Jerusalem but to stay and wait for the Holy Spirit.

It is at this point Luke records the disciples asking Jesus "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" Jesus replies that "It is not for you to know the times or dates that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." After saying this, the Great Commission, Jesus ascends to heaven. In Acts Luke reports two angels appearing after the ascension who ask the disciples why they are standing around, looking at the sky. Thus the disciples, now apostles, are on their own.

Other Gospel accounts of the Ascension vary in a number of details. In Mark 16:15-20 (absent in the earliest manuscripts of Mark) we have a more concise version of what appears in Luke, but no specific mention of the Holy Spirit to come or of the two angels. In Matthew 28:16-20, Jesus and the disciples travel to a mountain in Galilee where Jesus says "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." There is no specific mention of Jesus ascending into heaven. John likewise does not mention the Ascension, but Jesus is quoted as promising the Holy Spirit to the disciples before his arrest in John 14:15-21 and in an appearance to the disciples after the resurrection Jesus "breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit' " (John 20:22).

In Acts, Luke emphasizes the coming of the Holy Spirit as completing the work that Jesus began. Jesus ascends to heaven leaving only the promise of the Holy Spirit and the Great Commission to his disciples. Only with the Holy Spirit will the disciples be capable of a meaningful ministry. In fact, just before Jesus ascends, the disciples are still asking when the kingdom will come. They still don’t get it!


Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas – Read Acts 1:12-26

After witnessing the Ascension the apostles return to Jerusalem and decide to replace Judas. They do this because the twelve disciples represent the twelve tribes of Israel and they must restore their number accordingly, as indicated by Peter’s quote from Psalms 69 and 109. The requirements for the replacement are given as "one of the men who has been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning with John’s baptism to the time Jesus was taken up from us." This indicates that the followers of Jesus consisted of more than just the original twelve disciples. Two candidates are proposed and Matthias is chosen by lot.


The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost – Read Acts 2

Pentecost is the Jewish festival that commemorates the giving of the Ten Commandments by Moses and it was also celebrated as the giving of first fruits – tithes – at the temple. Pentecost, as the name implies, occurs 50 days after Passover. Luke reports that Jesus spent 40 days on earth after his resurrection, so the apostles have been on their own only a short time in Jerusalem. Once again pilgrims from all over came to Jerusalem to observe this important festival. The apostles were all together in one room when "a sound like the blowing of a violent wind" occurred, filling the house. "They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire.. that came to rest on each of them.. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them."

Because so many pilgrim Jews were in town – speaking their many different languages – this gift of tongues to the disciples was especially obvious and useful to the task that Jesus had given them in the great commission. But it also caused much confusion, and some bystanders taunted that it was the result of too much drinking. At this point, Peter addresses the crowd to clear up any confusion about this new phenomenon.

As is typical in Acts, Luke quotes Peter’s lengthy speech including the references to Hebrew scripture. Peter reminds the crowd that they put Jesus to death on the cross and the resurrection and Holy Spirit are proof of Jesus was the Son of God. This argument convinces the crowd and they ask what they should do. "Repent and be baptized.. in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" is Peter’s reply. Luke reports that 3000 people were baptized into the faith as a result.

Luke also describes the fellowship of the early church in Acts 2:42-47 and notes that they were teaching in the temple courts every day.


Peter Heals the Beggar – Read Acts 3 and 4.

Now Peter and John dare to return to the temple for prayer. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, Peter heals a cripple begging in the temple Court of Gentiles. The crowd is astonished and Luke again quotes a lengthy speech by Peter who reminds the people of their complicity in the death of Jesus, and "to repent and turn to God." Many in the crowd are convinced and Luke reports that the number of believers grew to "about 5000." This catches the attention of the priests, who once again are troubled by an outsider preaching in the temple courts.

As a result, Peter and John are jailed overnight and hauled up before the Sanhedrin the next day – just as Jesus was. Luke reports that Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, addresses the priests and elders and provocatively quotes Jesus from Psalm 118:22 "the stone you builders rejected which has become the capstone…" The Sanhedrin was now in a bit of a predicament – they did not want the Jesus movement to grow, but they decided that they could not take any overt action against Peter at this time because the cripple was, after all, healed. So Peter and John get off with a stern warning.


The Believers Life in Jerusalem – Read Acts 4:23 to Acts 5:11

The life of the believers in their new environment of Jerusalem is described in Acts 4:23 forward. After their release from the Sanhedrin, Peter and John return to the others and a second coming of the Holy Spirit is described in Acts 4:23-31. The believers share their possessions, including a man named Joseph of Cyprus who sold a field he owned and gave the proceeds to the apostles.

Luke reports a cautionary tale in Acts 5, however, of one believer and his wife – a man named Ananias who also sold some property for the benefit of the believers. Ananias kept a portion of the money from the sale for himself and Luke reports that when Peter called him on this, the man "fell down and died." The man’s wife, Sapphira, appears a few hours later and Peter confronts her on the selling price of the land, and the woman also "fell down at his feet and died." This story illustrates a characteristic literary trait of Luke, who often reports on the bad things that can happen to those who put God to the test.


The Apostles Persecuted - Read Acts 5:12-41

The apostles return every day to the temple courts to preach about Jesus, in spite of being warned not to do so. The apostles are arrested and jailed, but are released by an angel of the Lord during the night. The apostles are instructed by the angel to return to the temple the next day to preach again.

When the prisoners are sent for the next morning the priests are chagrined to find that instead of being securely locked up the apostles are back in the temple courts preaching. They are quickly re-apprehended and the priests question Peter, who makes a bold reply. At that point the Sanhedrin begin to threaten the apostles with death – just as they had done to Jesus – but they are convinced to change their tactics by Gamaliel, a distinguished Pharisee. As a result the apostles are merely flogged and then released.

Luke ends chapter 5 of Acts with the apostles continually "teaching and proclaiming the good news that is Jesus Christ."


Links of Interest

A detailed commentary on the first chapters of Acts appears here:

Chapter 1: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/mcgarvey/acts.ch1.html

Chapter 2: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/mcgarvey/acts.ch2.html

Chapter 3: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/mcgarvey/acts.ch3.html

Chapter 4: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/mcgarvey/acts.ch4.html

Chapter 5: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/mcgarvey/acts.ch5.html



Study/Discussion Questions

1. Why do you think Luke chooses the ascension of Jesus as the place to divide his work into two volumes?

2. Why does Luke feel that it is important to report the disciples question to Jesus "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" just before the Ascension?

3. How many believers do you suppose there were at the time of the Ascension?

4. How many believers do you suppose there were after Peter’s speech at Pentecost?

5. Compare the action of the Sanhedrin against the apostles in Acts 4:8-21 and Acts 5:17-41. What is the new strategy of the Sanhedrin against the apostles? How is this different from the way Jesus was treated?

6. Compare Peter’s words to the Sanhedrin in Acts 5:27-32 with his actions in Luke 22:54-62. How do you explain the difference?