[Mon, 20 May] Acts 1:12-26 (703 words; 1/1)

The first verses of Acts saw Jesus commissioning his disciples before ascending to heaven. The Holy Spirit is referred to in verses 2, 4 (as the "promise of the Father"), 5 and 8. He is then mentioned once more in our reading today, in v. 16. The Holy Spirit is what the disciples are waiting for, according to Jesus' instructions. Luke even describes this giving of instructions by Jesus as "through the Holy Spirit" in v. 2, even though Jesus is speaking them directly before his ascension. According to v. 8, the Holy Spirit will provide the disciples with power to witness to Jesus where they are in Jerusalem, and outwards to the ends of the earth. In our reading today, Peter quotes from two psalms (Pss 69:25 and 109:8), but says in v. 16 that these verses were spoken by the Holy Spirit through David. Thus already we have seen that the Holy Spirit is given to the disciples for power to witness to Jesus, and also that he is the one who has spoken in OT prophecy, including the psalms. The primary role, therefore, of the Holy Spirit, is to bring the truth about Jesus, whether that is straightforward proclamation, or about understanding him in a deeper and clearer way.

This chapter also shows that the disciples are at a critical moment of fulfilment. Things are happening and are about to happen which have been expected and promised for a long time. The giving of the Holy Spirit is the "promise of the Father", which Jesus and John the Baptist spoke about before, characterising it as a baptism superior to that of water. Peter also recognises that their own brotherhood of witness is at a moment of fulfilment: it was according to scripture that Judas betrayed Jesus, but another psalm also stipulates that he be replaced. So the disciples propose two candidates, and, using both prayer and lots, discern God's will. Matthias is chosen. This moment illustrates another important theme of Acts, which is that the apostles and the early churches seek to be guided by God. They pray about the next steps, who to send, where to go, what to do. They always appeal to God. This global mission is not their mission: it is God's. They have been graciously included in it. Therefore they need to know God's will in every matter, and they need his power.

Another vital thing that we cannot overlook when the apostles are thinking about candidates for replacing Judas is the criterion. Whoever the replacement is to be, they are to be a witness to Jesus' resurrection. This is going to be the key preaching point in Acts, which will cause confusion and contempt, but will be the foundation of the entire Christian message and faith. But in order to join the apostles as one of the twelve (apostle can just mean 'missionary', but here it has a special meaning as it refers to Jesus' apostles, not, say, an apostle sent by a church in Antioch), they have to have been with them the entire time that Jesus was active among them. This spans from Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist, to his ascension, and so even after his resurrection (with presumably many of the post-resurrection appearances). Why is this? The twelves apostles need to have seen everything and heard everything, because they must tell Jesus' story and proclaim his message. It is not just that he was raised to life--as if that was not enough!--it is that they need to understand what that means. They need to understand what the kingdom of God is, how it is to come, who it is that can enter it, and, drawing all these strands together, who is the king of this kingdom. For these twelve apostles, this is what it means to be witnesses of Jesus' resurrection. They must say they saw that it happened and what it means and how to respond and what it means to live after that response. They must become the guardians of the whole truth of what Jesus had entrusted to them, on which the faith of all Christians will forever depend. No wonder they must first wait for the Holy Spirit!