Jesus Taken Up Into Heaven
1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with [Or in] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with [Or in] the Holy Spirit.”
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 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.”
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas
12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk [That is, about 5/8 mile or about 1 kilometer] from the city. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 16 and said, “Brothers and sisters,[The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men, and women, as part of God’s family; also in 6:3; 11:29; 12:17; 16:40; 18:18, 27; 21:7, 17; 28:14, 15.] the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17 He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.”
18 (With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. 19 Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
20 “For,” said Peter, “it is written in the Book of Psalms:
“‘May his place be deserted;
let there be no one to dwell in it,’[Psalm 69:25]
and,
“‘May another take his place of leadership.’[Psalm 109:8 ]
21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22 beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”
23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.
NOTES:
1:1–26 This introductory material (Acts 1:1–2) connects Acts
with the Gospel of Luke, shows that the apostles were instructed by the risen
Jesus (Acts 1:3–5), points out that the parousia or second coming in glory of
Jesus will occur as certainly as his ascension occurred (Acts 1:6–11), and
lists the members of the Twelve, stressing their role as a body of divinely
mandated witnesses to his life, teaching, and resurrection (Acts 1:12–26).
1:3 Appearing to them during forty days: Luke considered
especially sacred the interval in which the appearances and instructions of the
risen Jesus occurred and expressed it therefore in terms of the sacred number
forty (cf. Dt 8:2). In his gospel, however, Luke connects the ascension of
Jesus with the resurrection by describing the ascension on Easter Sunday
evening (Lk 24:50–53). What should probably be understood as one event
(resurrection, glorification, ascension, sending of the Spirit—the paschal
mystery) has been historicized by Luke when he writes of a visible ascension of
Jesus after forty days and the descent of the Spirit at Pentecost. For Luke, the
ascension marks the end of the appearances of Jesus except for the
extraordinary appearance to Paul. With regard to Luke’s understanding of
salvation history, the ascension also marks the end of the time of Jesus (Lk
24:50–53) and signals the beginning of the time of the church.
1:4 The promise of the Father: the holy Spirit, as is clear
from the next verse. This gift of the Spirit was first promised in Jesus’ final
instructions to his chosen witnesses in Luke’s gospel (Lk 24:49) and formed
part of the continuing instructions of the risen Jesus on the kingdom of God,
of which Luke speaks in Acts 1:3.
1:6 The question of the disciples implies that in believing
Jesus to be the Christ (see note on Lk 2:11) they had expected him to be a
political leader who would restore self-rule to Israel during his historical
ministry. When this had not taken place, they ask if it is to take place at
this time, the period of the church.
1:7 This verse echoes the tradition that the precise time of
the parousia is not revealed to human beings; cf. Mk 13:32; 1 Thes 5:1–3.
1:8 Just as Jerusalem was the city of destiny in the Gospel
of Luke (the place where salvation was accomplished), so here at the beginning
of Acts, Jerusalem occupies a central position. It is the starting point for
the mission of the Christian disciples to “the ends of the earth,” the place
where the apostles were situated and the doctrinal focal point in the early
days of the community (Acts 15:2, 6). The ends of the earth: for Luke, this
means Rome.
1:18 Luke records a popular tradition about the death of
Judas that differs from the one in Mt 27:5, according to which Judas hanged
himself. Here, although the text is not certain, Judas is depicted as
purchasing a piece of property with the betrayal money and being killed on it
in a fall.
1:26 The need to replace Judas was probably dictated by the
symbolism of the number twelve, recalling the twelve tribes of Israel. This
symbolism also indicates that for Luke (see Lk 22:30) the Christian church is a
reconstituted Israel.
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