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Acts 1:12-26
Sunday Morning Bible Study
May 25, 1997
Introduction
Jesus made appearances many times for forty days before He ascended back into heaven.
He told the disciples that they were to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit fell upon them, giving them power to be the witnesses He wanted them to be.
Jesus has now departed, has gone back to heaven, and we're now in that period of seven days before the Holy Spirit comes.
:12-14 Continuing in prayer
:12 from the mount called Olivet
Also known as the "Mount of Olives" because of the olive orchards on it.
:12 a sabbath day's journey.
Jewish tradition held that this distance was 2,000 cubits (or, 3,000 feet), a little more than half a mile. (based on Num.35:4-5 and Josh.3:4)
The Mount of Olives is about a quarter of a mile to the east of Jerusalem, on the other side of the Kidron Valley.
:14 These all continued
continued - proskartereo - to be devoted or constant to one; to persevere and not to faint
It's used to describe a boat Jesus kept ready once, just in case He needed to get away from the crowd:
Mr 3:9 And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him.
As long as Jesus might need the boat, the boat was there.
Lesson:
God is looking for people committed to prayer.
We see this word used several times in connection to prayer:
Ro 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
Col 4:2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
The idea is that we need to keep praying, and not give up so quickly.
Illustration
Perhaps we can learn a little from our web footed friends …
A duck walks into the 7-11 store. He looks around, then goes up to the clerk and asks, "You got any grapes?" The clerk says, "No, we're a convenience store, and we do not carry grapes." The duck says "thank you," and leaves.
About an hour later, the duck comes in again and asks, "You got any grapes?" The store clerk says, "No, I already told you, we have no grapes." "Thank you," says the duck, and he leaves again.
Well, a little while later, the duck walks in again, and again he asks grapes. The clerk then says, "No, we don't have any grapes, and if you come in here and ask me again, I'm gonna nail both your little webbed feet to the floor!" The duck then leaves the store.
About an hour later, the duck walks in again! This time, the duck asks, "You got any nails?" The clerk says, "No, we don't carry nails, we're a convenience store, not a hardware store!" came the reply.
Then the duck asks, "You got any grapes?"
If a duck can persevere with a 7-11 clerk, can't we persevere a little more with God who loves us?
:14 with one accord
one accord - homothumadon - with one mind, with one accord, with one passion (homo, same, together + thumos, mind, spirit, passion)
The image is almost musical; a number of notes are sounded which, while different, harmonize in pitch and tone. As the instruments of a great concert under the direction of a concert master, so the Holy Spirit blends together the lives of members of Christ's church.
And to think, I used to think this meant they all drove the same Honda
Lesson:
God's looking for unity in prayer.
There could have been divisions already.
Jesus' family could be stepping up, claiming that they should be more important.
John could be stepping up to take the lead, since he was entrusted to care for Jesus' mother.
The disciples could be arguing again over who is the greatest.
But instead, there was unity
I see a parallel to this in Psalm 133
Psa 133
A Song of degrees of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! {2} It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; {3} As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.When we learn to get along in unity, it's like the anointing on Aaron, the HOLY SPIRIT flowing upon us!
And that's what's going to happen to the disciples in a few days!!!
Quote:
"I do not want the walls of separation between different orders of Christians to be destroyed, but only lowered, that we may shake hands a little easier over them!" - Rowland Hill
:14 in prayer and supplication
prayer - proseuche - prayer addressed to God, prayer in general.
supplication - deesis - need, asking; prayer that's addressing needs.
:14 with the women
Lesson:
Women belong in the church.
To the Jews, it wasn't proper to talk to a woman! Their rule was -
"do not multiply discourse with a woman, with his wife they say, much less with his neighbour's wife: hence the wise men say, at whatsoever time a man multiplies discourse with a woman, he is the cause of evil to himself, and ceases from the words of the law, and at last shall go down into hell."
If a man was especially religious, he wouldn't even talk to his own family in public:
This is one of the six things which are a reproach to a scholar, "to talk with a woman in the street" … ``let him not talk with a woman in the street, though she is his wife, or his sister, or his daughter.''
But Jesus treated women differently.
He talked to a Samaritan woman, even though His disciples kind of wondered what He was doing (John 4:27)
It was Mary, the sister of Lazarus who was doing the good thing, sitting at Jesus' feet, listening to His word. (Luk 10:38-42)
When everybody thought He should have known better, Jesus allowed a prostitute to come and weep at His feet, anointing Him with costly perfume. (Luke 7:36-50)
Jesus has broken down all barriers between mankind (and womankind) and God.
(Gal 3:28 KJV) There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
:14 and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
At one point in His ministry, His own brothers didn't believe in him -
Joh 7:5 For neither did his brethren believe in him.
But something has happened, and now they believe.
Paul tells us that Jesus appeared to His half-brother James after the resurrection (1Cor.5:7)
:15-26 Picking Judas' replacement
:15 And in those days
Between the ascension and Pentecost.
:15 the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty
It's interesting to see that they counted the "names".
They weren't what we'd call a "large" church yet.
:16 this scripture must needs have been fulfilled
Peter doesn't see Judas' betrayal as some sort of a tragic accident, but that it was all in God's plan.
Peter is going to quote from the Psalms in a minute (vs.20)
:16 concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.
It's interesting to see how Peter refers to the sin of Judas.
We often call him the one who "betrayed" Jesus, but Peter merely refers to him as the one who was a guide to those who took Jesus.
:18 Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity
We get a little more explanation by Matthew -
Mat 27:3-8
Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, {4} Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. {5} And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. {6} And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. {7} And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in. {8} Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.Actually, it was the chief priests who bought the field in Judas' name, with the money from his betraying Jesus.
:18 falling headlong
Or, lit., "becoming flat on his face"
:18 he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.
Matthew said that he had "hung himself".
Is this a contradiction? It doesn't have to be.
Apparently, as Judas was hanging himself, either the branch of the tree broke off, or the rope broke, and as Judas was falling flat on his face, his belly split open and his guts poured out.
Charles Ryrie: "Probably due to Judas's ineptness in trying to hang himself"
Matthew simply dwells on the hanging.
Luke, being a good doctor, tells us about the guts.
:19 called in their proper tongue, Aceldama,
As Matthew recorded also (Mat 27:3-8), it was a field of blood because it was bought with "blood money", and because of Judas making a bloody mess there.
:20 Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein
Peter now quotes from two of David's Psalms, where David deals those that …
Ps 69:4 They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, [being] mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored [that] which I took not away.
So David writes …
Ps 69:25 Let their habitation be desolate; [and] let none dwell in their tents.
:20 and his bishopric let another take.
bishopric - the office of "bishop" or "elder"
Peter now quotes from another of David's Psalms, which also deals with how to treat those who …
Ps 109:5 … have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
David goes on to say …
Ps 109:8 Let his days be few; [and] let another take his office.
:21-22 Wherefore of these men … must one be ordained
The Greek text here starts with the word dei, which means "it is necessary", "it is right and proper". (the King James translates the dei as "must" down in verse 22)
Peter sees a distinct need for there to be a twelfth apostle, a twelfth witness to the resurrection.
Perhaps it had something to do with the things Jesus said, like:
(Mat 19:28b KJV) … ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
And since it was clear that Judas wasn’t going to be one of the guys on the thrones, there needed to be another. But there's more to it …
What's Peter doing here?
He's been reading the Scriptures, and has come to the conclusion that they need to replace Judas. And it's not that bad of a conclusion!
Is this wrong?
Some say they are making a mistake, because Paul should be the "twelfth" apostle.
They say that Matthias is never heard from again.
But for that matter, neither are any of the twelve except for Peter, James, and John.
They say that the disciples should have waited for the Holy Spirit.
But God never indicates they made a mistake.
In fact, later on in Acts 6:2, it simply refers to "the twelve" as if they're a whole unit.
Lesson:
Live by the Scriptures.
I don't think we can go wrong if we correctly live according to the Scriptures.
God said to Joshua,
(Josh 1:8 KJV) This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Illustration
As I looked out into the garden one day, I saw three things. First, I saw a butterfly. The butterfly was beautiful, and it would alight on a flower and then it would flutter to another flower and then to another, and only for a second or two it would sit and it would move on. It would touch as many lovely blossoms as it could, but derived absolutely no benefit from it. Then I watched a little longer out my window and there came a botanist. And the botanist had a big notebook under his arm and a great big magnifying glass. The botanist would lean over a certain flower and he would look for a long time and then he would write notes in his notebook. He was there for hours writing notes, closed them, stuck them under his arm, tucked his magnifying glass in his pocket and walked away. The third thing I noticed was a bee, just a little bee. But the bee would light on a flower and it would sink down deep into the flower and it would extract all the nectar and pollen that it could carry. It went in empty every time and came out full.
Are you a butterfly, a botanist, or a bee?
:22 Beginning from the baptism of John …
We see some of the criteria for being one of the "twelve".
They are those who have been with Jesus from the baptism of John, witnesses of the resurrection, right up to the time of Jesus ascending into heaven.
Lesson:
Are there apostles today?
1) No.
Not in the narrowest sense of using the word, not to be one of the "twelve apostles".
No one alive today can fill these qualifications.
2) Yes.
The word "apostle" simply means "sent one", "delegate", "messenger", and it is used to describe many other people, including:
Paul and Barnabas (Acts 14:14), Andronicus and Junia (Rom 16:7), Epaphroditus (Phil. 2:25), Paul uses the phrase "all of the apostles" separately from the twelve (1Cor.15:7)
:23 Joseph … and Matthias
There's a lot of conjecture as to who these men were, but basically we don't know a thing about them.
:24 Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts
lit, "the knower of hearts"
:24 show whether of these two thou hast chosen,
They assume that God has already made His choice, the tough part is learning what that choice is.
:25 that he might go to his own place.
Referring to Judas going to hell.
:26 And they gave forth their lots
Lesson:
Is "casting lots" okay?
To the Jews the lot did not suggest gambling, but it was the O.T. method of learning the will of God.
They had two nominations, and had to decide between the two.
There is a Scriptural foundation for casting lots:
Pr 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof [is] of the LORD.
Before you go out and start deciding everything by casting lots, keep a few things in mind:
Also note - After the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, we see no more instances of the church using "lots" to decide God's will!
:26 he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
numbered - sugkatapsephizo - (with + against + count with pebbles) be depositing a ballot in the urn (i.e. by voting for), to assign one a place among, to vote one a place among
The practice of casting "lots" was done in several different ways.
This may be kind of way out, but I can't help but think that it almost sounds as if they're voting for the twelfth apostle.
Vs. 26 - "they gave forth their lots"
Vs. 27 - "numbered", a word that means depositing a ballot in an urn.