Study no. 2. ‘Waiting’ Chapter 1:9-26
Ac 1:4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them,(- better translation: Being assembled together 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.
In the scripture portion for this study we have:
The ascension of Jesus
The direct connection of Jesus to heaven and with the Father is mentioned in several places.
- At the baptism of Jesus a voice was heard from Heaven saying “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
- On the mount of Transfiguration Peter James and John woke from their sleep just in time to see Jesus glowing with a heavenly appearance and with him two others who they discovered were Moses and Elijah. On that occasion they heard a voice saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him.”
A message from two angels.
Now, on this occasion of their last physical contact with Jesus, as He departs visibly up into the clouds they receive a message from two heavenly visitors.
The message is not all that long and quite simple and to the point.
11 And said, O men of Galilee, why are you looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, will come again, in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.
12 ¶ Then they went back to Jerusalem from the mountain named Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.
Dwelling in the upper room
13 Eleven apostles are named as ‘staying’ in the upper room. None of them lived in the Jerusalem area. Their homes were 3 long days away, taking the short route through Samaria. (note- if a Jewish person did not wish to spend a night in Samaria, they could time it to cross over in one day.) It seems apparent that this is not only a meeting place, but it is where they were actually staying.
Verse 14 Others are now included in the group:women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. These, by agreement, spend much time in prayer. They are waiting for the promise of the Spirit. They have no idea what to expect. They have no idea how long they should wait. The have no idea if they can ‘hurry’ this event. Luke estimates the number of the group to be 120. Perhaps not all of them are ‘staying’ in this room. Even so, it seems to be a very large room.
Peter, the spokesperson
15 ¶ And in those days Peter got up …
This is not unusual for Peter. He has not been appointed as the leader. He does this on his own initiative. The only words from Jesus which he might cling to would be Jesus words … You are Peter … and upon this rock I will build my church.(Mt 16:18) However, a few words which later came from Jesus could equally disqualify him from leading … “Get behind me Satan, for you do not understand the things of God” (Mt 16:23)
16. Peter makes reference to a scripture. (Psalm 69). He recognizes that scripture is inspired. Even though he has not yet experienced the baptism of the spirit, he knows that there is a Holy Spirit, that the Holy Spirit speaks. Peter makes the statement that the scripture (the Holy Spirit) is referring to, is Judas. A careful look at Psalm 69 is important. All biblical commentaries affirm that while Judas is certainly included, the passage is predicting the desolation of Jerusalem which occurred a few years after Pentecost. (Pentecost- ad 34? Destruction of Jerusalem-ad70). From this verse in Psalms, Peter reasons that this scripture is all about Judas, his fall and a need to replace him.
A decision to act on an interpretation of scripture.
Peter – a God fearing man. An Apostle. Prone to act quickly without a lot of thought. On one occasion he said, “Let us build three tents …”(Mark 9:5)
Peter’s statement: Judas needs to be replaced (now). Why? Does there HAVE to be twelve? (Rev. 21:14 indicates that the names of twelve disciples are written on the twelve foundations at the base of the Eternal City, the New Jerusalem which will be located on the New Earth. We have no problem naming eleven of them but whose name is on that twelfth foundation?)
The Question: Who among us meets the criterion? What criterion?
1. Baptized by John
2. Taught by and traveled with Jesus for three and a half years.
3. Present on the mountain as Jesus ascended to heaven.
Is this ‘criteria’ mentioned elsewhere, by Jesus or any other writer? No. It may just have seemed a logical criteria to look for, seeing that it was something all of them had in common.
The prayer: “Which of these two do you want, Lord?”
Peter’s (and the others) Qualifications: Not yet Spirit empowered.
Peter’s (and the others) oversight: The simple instruction from Jesus was simply to wait.
Last week’s Homework:
Pretend for a few moments that you were there. What things are you praying? What are you hearing from some of the others? There must have been some breaks, for lunch for example and since they were spending their nights there also, there must have been a ‘cut-off’ point when some went home.. What discussion points would you be hearing?
Let’s talk about ‘being of one mind’.
Ro 15:6 and 1 Peter 4:8
Matthias or Paul?
So, did Peter and the others do the ‘right’ thing in selecting a replacement for Judas? Should they have waited? Should they have asked God when and if they should replace him at all? Biblical information concerning the Apostleship of Matthias: Nothing is mentioned about him after this day. On the other hand … remembering that it was Jesus who selected the twelve to begin with, what we do find in scripture: … God selected another apostle.
Paul is called an apostle. He was NOT baptized by John. He had NOT accompanied the group during Jesus’ public ministry. Many early Christians loudly protested against Paul's referring to himself as an apostle. 2 Cor 11:5, 12:11,12.
Our conclusion is that God replaced Judas with Paul.
To say that the early believers made a mistake that day is a little unsettling to some of us. We think, after all … they are disciples, apostles … and what they did is written in scripture … it must have been right.
I believe in light of the scripture we have just looked at, we have to conclude that they did, indeed make a mistake. We might excuse them since they were not yet ‘Spirit filled'. But other mistakes were also made by apostles, mistakes that were made after the infilling of the Spirit.
Consider the following:
Gal 2:11 Peter made a mistake?
Acts 15:39 – Whose mistake?
You shall receive power
Verse 8 stated: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;” … _(Ac 1:8)
Someone has said there is power in numbers. Whether that’s true or not, there is power when a church is in unity, allowing the ‘empowering of the Spirit’ to take place.
Extra Study – Questions for Study No. Three
Comment on the following verse. Is there a ‘comparison’ here? What elements belong to one but not the other? What elements, if any, belong to both?
Eph 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
Acts 2:23 What do you think of Peter’s gospel approach. How does it compare to modern evangelism methods used today? How would you do it?
In the scripture portion for this study we have:
The ascension of Jesus
The direct connection of Jesus to heaven and with the Father is mentioned in several places.
- At the baptism of Jesus a voice was heard from Heaven saying “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
- On the mount of Transfiguration Peter James and John woke from their sleep just in time to see Jesus glowing with a heavenly appearance and with him two others who they discovered were Moses and Elijah. On that occasion they heard a voice saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him.”
A message from two angels.
Now, on this occasion of their last physical contact with Jesus, as He departs visibly up into the clouds they receive a message from two heavenly visitors.
The message is not all that long and quite simple and to the point.
11 And said, O men of Galilee, why are you looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, will come again, in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.
12 ¶ Then they went back to Jerusalem from the mountain named Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.
Dwelling in the upper room
13 Eleven apostles are named as ‘staying’ in the upper room. None of them lived in the Jerusalem area. Their homes were 3 long days away, taking the short route through Samaria. (note- if a Jewish person did not wish to spend a night in Samaria, they could time it to cross over in one day.) It seems apparent that this is not only a meeting place, but it is where they were actually staying.
Verse 14 Others are now included in the group:women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. These, by agreement, spend much time in prayer. They are waiting for the promise of the Spirit. They have no idea what to expect. They have no idea how long they should wait. The have no idea if they can ‘hurry’ this event. Luke estimates the number of the group to be 120. Perhaps not all of them are ‘staying’ in this room. Even so, it seems to be a very large room.
Peter, the spokesperson
15 ¶ And in those days Peter got up …
This is not unusual for Peter. He has not been appointed as the leader. He does this on his own initiative. The only words from Jesus which he might cling to would be Jesus words … You are Peter … and upon this rock I will build my church.(Mt 16:18) However, a few words which later came from Jesus could equally disqualify him from leading … “Get behind me Satan, for you do not understand the things of God” (Mt 16:23)
16. Peter makes reference to a scripture. (Psalm 69). He recognizes that scripture is inspired. Even though he has not yet experienced the baptism of the spirit, he knows that there is a Holy Spirit, that the Holy Spirit speaks. Peter makes the statement that the scripture (the Holy Spirit) is referring to, is Judas. A careful look at Psalm 69 is important. All biblical commentaries affirm that while Judas is certainly included, the passage is predicting the desolation of Jerusalem which occurred a few years after Pentecost. (Pentecost- ad 34? Destruction of Jerusalem-ad70). From this verse in Psalms, Peter reasons that this scripture is all about Judas, his fall and a need to replace him.
A decision to act on an interpretation of scripture.
Peter – a God fearing man. An Apostle. Prone to act quickly without a lot of thought. On one occasion he said, “Let us build three tents …”(Mark 9:5)
Peter’s statement: Judas needs to be replaced (now). Why? Does there HAVE to be twelve? (Rev. 21:14 indicates that the names of twelve disciples are written on the twelve foundations at the base of the Eternal City, the New Jerusalem which will be located on the New Earth. We have no problem naming eleven of them but whose name is on that twelfth foundation?)
The Question: Who among us meets the criterion? What criterion?
1. Baptized by John
2. Taught by and traveled with Jesus for three and a half years.
3. Present on the mountain as Jesus ascended to heaven.
Is this ‘criteria’ mentioned elsewhere, by Jesus or any other writer? No. It may just have seemed a logical criteria to look for, seeing that it was something all of them had in common.
The prayer: “Which of these two do you want, Lord?”
Peter’s (and the others) Qualifications: Not yet Spirit empowered.
Peter’s (and the others) oversight: The simple instruction from Jesus was simply to wait.
Last week’s Homework:
Pretend for a few moments that you were there. What things are you praying? What are you hearing from some of the others? There must have been some breaks, for lunch for example and since they were spending their nights there also, there must have been a ‘cut-off’ point when some went home.. What discussion points would you be hearing?
Let’s talk about ‘being of one mind’.
Ro 15:6 and 1 Peter 4:8
Matthias or Paul?
So, did Peter and the others do the ‘right’ thing in selecting a replacement for Judas? Should they have waited? Should they have asked God when and if they should replace him at all? Biblical information concerning the Apostleship of Matthias: Nothing is mentioned about him after this day. On the other hand … remembering that it was Jesus who selected the twelve to begin with, what we do find in scripture: … God selected another apostle.
Paul is called an apostle. He was NOT baptized by John. He had NOT accompanied the group during Jesus’ public ministry. Many early Christians loudly protested against Paul's referring to himself as an apostle. 2 Cor 11:5, 12:11,12.
Our conclusion is that God replaced Judas with Paul.
To say that the early believers made a mistake that day is a little unsettling to some of us. We think, after all … they are disciples, apostles … and what they did is written in scripture … it must have been right.
I believe in light of the scripture we have just looked at, we have to conclude that they did, indeed make a mistake. We might excuse them since they were not yet ‘Spirit filled'. But other mistakes were also made by apostles, mistakes that were made after the infilling of the Spirit.
Consider the following:
Gal 2:11 Peter made a mistake?
Acts 15:39 – Whose mistake?
You shall receive power
Verse 8 stated: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;” … _(Ac 1:8)
Someone has said there is power in numbers. Whether that’s true or not, there is power when a church is in unity, allowing the ‘empowering of the Spirit’ to take place.
Extra Study – Questions for Study No. Three
Comment on the following verse. Is there a ‘comparison’ here? What elements belong to one but not the other? What elements, if any, belong to both?
Eph 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
Acts 2:23 What do you think of Peter’s gospel approach. How does it compare to modern evangelism methods used today? How would you do it?