Preparing for An Important Event (Acts 1:13-26)
Recently we have seen the complex requirements that politicians faced as they attempted to prepare for future activities. While the media and others wanted immediate results, those preparing for power knew they had to be very diligent and precise in their arrangements. In Acts 1:13-26, we have a record of how the church prepared for the possession of spiritual power, and Luke informs us of several activities in which they engaged.
They say that a week is a long time in politics and here Luke summarises the behaviour of the Christians during the seven days in which they had to wait for the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost. Pentecost occurred fifty days after the Passover. Jesus had risen from the dead three days after the Passover, and then he had spent forty days with his disciples. This means that another seven days had to pass before Pentecost. Luke mentions their general activity (prayer) and a particular activity (choosing a replacement apostle to fill the gap left by the apostasy of Judas Iscariot).
This passage contains several interesting details. For example, it contains the last reference in the New Testament to Mary, the mother of Jesus. After this, she seems to be regarded only as a member of the church, and this silence is a refutation of the devilish notions that the Roman Catholic church has ascribed to her. While she should be honoured for her role as the mother of Jesus, there is not a hint in the Bible that she was given, or even desired, a position of authority in the church, never mind a place in the application of salvation. If someone had informed Mary of the great abuse that was to be connected to her name, she would have wept with sorrow.
A second interesting detail from the story is that it contains the first record of an ecclesiastical appointment by the Christian church. Prior to this occasion, all the appointments had been made by Jesus personally, such as when he selected the twelve apostles or when he chose the seventy disciples that were sent by him on a preaching mission. In Luke’s account, we can see that Peter, as a representative of the apostles, informed the congregation (which numbered 120) that they had to replace Judas. Peter informed them of the qualifications for office, and then required the congregation to indicate their choice. The incident reminds us of a very important feature of the life of a congregation – the members choose its leaders.
A third detail that is worth noting also concerns Peter. At the time of his denial of his Master, Jesus had said to Peter that when he was restored he would strengthen his brethren (Luke 22:32). Here we have an example of him so doing: he guides the church on an important issue. Note his rapid restoration; it took only a few weeks for Jesus to create within Peter the qualifications for ministering to his brethren.
Fourthly, it is also worth noting the character of Matthias. Although this was an important day for him, we cannot but observe that this is the only occasion that he is mentioned in the Bible. Tradition says that he later preached the gospel in Africa. Yet two important lessons can be seen in the account of his selection.
One is the importance of developing in grace. It seems as if Matthias had also been a follower of John the Baptist, and had become a disciple of Jesus then although he was not a member of the twelve. Through these three years he had quietly followed his Master, giving clear evidence that he was dedicated to his kingdom. Then when the time came for more public service, others knew that he was reliable. The Lord will not use in higher service those who do not engage in lower service.
The other lesson to note from this incident is that sometimes the Lord says no to a person who is willing to serve. Joses also had the confidence of the church, and there does not seem to be any difference between him and Matthias as far as preparation for a higher role is concerned. By the means of lots, which was a common method in the Old Testament period for discerning God’s will, the Lord revealed that Joses was not to join the group of apostles. No doubt, the Lord had another role for Joses. Yet we should note that this denial of a place did not disturb the unity of the congregation.
Of course, it is important as we read Luke’s summary of this incident to recall what he has hinted at in the early verses of this chapter. Just as his Gospel was an account of what Jesus had begun to do and teach, so his Acts is an account of what Jesus continued to do and teach. This means that Peter’s understanding of Psalm 69:25 was given to him by Jesus, that the apostle’s ability to convey his message to the congregation was put across to them by Jesus, that their choice of Matthias and Joses was guided by Jesus, and that the decision of the lots was given by Jesus.
Responsibility to prepare
The Saviour had told his disciples that they would receive the Holy Spirit in a few days’ time. We can imagine that they would choose to spend these days in a passive type of waiting, assuming that the Lord would keep his promises without their preparation. The passage in Acts 1 makes clear that they spent the few days actively preparing for the event. This does not mean that their preparation affected the sovereign action of their Master as if he would have withheld the coming of the Spirit because they had behaved differently. The Spirit was coming because of Christ’s obedience, not because of their obedience. Rather their behaviour reveals that they realised their responsibility to prepare spiritually for the important event of the arrival of the Spirit.
Who were involved?
In verses 13 and 14, Luke mentions several people who were involved in the preparation. They were the eleven apostles, the women who had been with them during the years of Jesus’ public ministry, Mary the mother of Jesus, and the brothers of Jesus (whether two, three of four of them we cannot say).
We know that great preparations have to be made for great State occasions such as the arrival of a foreign monarch or president. Usually the people chosen for the preparations have ideal qualifications for the task. The same is true for those who prepared for the arrival of the Holy Spirit. What were their qualifications?
One essential qualification for real preparation was that they had received the forgiveness of their sins. At some stage in their lives, they had received pardon from Jesus. Some of them had received it several years before, others such as the brothers of Jesus had been forgiven for a few days, at some occasion after his resurrection from the dead. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15, refers to the meeting that Jesus had with his brother James. We are not told how the other brothers were converted.
It is impossible for unforgiven sinners to prepare for the coming of the Spirit. In Jerusalem at that time, many religious sinners were there to celebrate the annual feast. No doubt, they engaged in preparation. Their actions would have the authority of the religious leaders, and perhaps these pilgrims imagined that their preparation was adequate. It could not have been because, although some of them were to receive blessing on the Day of Pentecost after listening to the sermon of Peter, forgiveness is an essential feature of true preparation.
A second essential qualification for some of them was that they had received restoration from Jesus because of their failures. The apostles had failed as forgiven followers of Jesus when they denied him at the time of his arrest. Their failure at the moment was only the climax of a long list of other failings of which they had been guilty – for example, failure to listen even to the teachings of Jesus, never mind his strong warnings, had been a recent, prominent feature of their outlook. Nevertheless, each of them had been restored personally by Jesus. Some had enjoyed a profound personal meeting with Jesus in order to be restored (such as Peter), others had received restoration in a corporate way when Jesus bestowed his peace upon them.
Some of those who were involved in the preparation process had also spent time listening to Jesus as he instructed them in the things of the kingdom of God, and no doubt they had passed on his teachings to the others. They came to the task of preparation informed as to the intentions of Jesus. Ignorance does not help a person prepare for a visitation from God. An uninformed person may get blessing after the divine arrival, but that person cannot prepare for the coming in a spiritual manner.
In addition, as we consider the people in this group, we can note that they were a surprisingly mixed set of individuals. The only organisation in which they could be together was an organisation based on divine grace. Each one of them was a miracle of grace, but the group together was also a miracle of grace. This original group was a picture of all subsequent gatherings of Christians. The true church is always a diverse set of people who are brought together only by the grace of God. It is only such a church that can anticipate blessing from God.
We can say that qualifications for involvement in this kind of preparation can be summarised in three short prayers: Lord, forgive my sins; Lord, restore me to my place; Lord, instruct me in your ways. We need this threefold qualification in any preparation for meeting with God.
What did they feel at this time?
It is safe to say that they felt encouraged. I mention this detail because a few weeks previously they had been very discouraged. Their hopes had been taken away by the arrest and execution of their Master. Now things were totally different. He had risen from the dead and had ascended to heaven. In leaving, he had given them a great task to perform (the evangelisation of the world) and a great promise of divine power when the Spirit came. Inevitably they would be encouraged.
In addition, they would be eager to get on with the task. They were not being driven to this task unwillingly. Rather they anticipated it with delight. They had been given the great privilege of taking the message of Jesus to the nations, and the prospect of doing so burnt strong in their hearts.
What did they do?
One specific action is mentioned by Luke. Under the leadership of Peter, the apostles rectified the situation caused by the apostasy of Judas Iscariot. There are some lessons that we can take from what happened here.
First, they did not let past disappointments hinder them in the work to which they were called. They all knew what had happened to Judas Iscariot. It would have been very easy for them to have become despondent through the loss of an important member of their team. Yet they did not. The way in which they were able to deal with past disappointments was to seek guidance from the Bible. Of course, in the case of Judas there was a divine prediction of his betrayal. We will not have a specific prediction about a person who lets us down. Instead we have biblical principles that cover every situation that we will face.
Second, they filled the gap with a capable person. We have already made some comments about Matthias. Now let us ask why Peter wanted a replacement for Judas. Peter knew that in a few days the Spirit was coming. The imminent arrival of the Spirit caused him to ensure there would be sufficient manpower when that moment came. As things were, there was no need for Matthias. A congregation of 120 did not need another apostle. Yet Peter realised that it was not sufficient to look only at present needs; he also concluded, no doubt with a sense of divine approval, that they had to be ready and prepared for what was coming. I think this is one of the biggest challenges facing the church at present, to ensure that persons and plans are in place should the Lord send a time of great blessing.
Third, they ‘all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.’ It is worth noting that the before the risen Christ sent his apostles to preach a sermon, they engaged in fervent prayer. No doubt they felt burdened to pray. It is commonly acknowledged that whenever God intends to do something unusual, he sets his people to pray. A burden of prayer is a sign of blessing about to come; a lack of desire to pray is a sign that nothing is about to come from God.
The reason for this prayer meeting is obvious. Jesus had promised them that a special blessing was about to come. His promise caused them to talk to him about it. The same should be true for ourselves. There are many promises in the Bible and we should talk to God about each of them. In fact, the reason why we may not have yet received the promised blessing is because we have not talked with God about it.
There are several important words in this description of the prayer meeting in Jerusalem. One word is ‘continued’, which reminds us that they kept at it. No longer did they have to ask where Thomas was. A second word is ‘one accord’, which stresses togetherness (one powerful usage of the Greek term is that it described harmonious music and singing). In this congregation, there were no discordant or jarring noises. The third word is ‘supplication’ which carries the emphasis of urgent entreaty; although they had the promise, they were willing to beg and implore for its fulfilment. This is the kind of prayer meeting which receives great things from God.
We have seen what kind of people they were. Only a few weeks before they had been dispirited and without hope. Yet they had been restored by the One who had first forgiven them and he had instructed them in the things of his kingdom. They were living in a world of grace, a world in which there is the potential of experiencing the fulfilment of the King’s promises.
The same is true of us. We are always on the verge of receiving out of the fullness of the King’s resources. A lot depends what we do as we stand on the verge. If we pray persistently, unitedly and imploringly, he will answer our prayers far above what we can ask or think. Our Christian lives will know the bounty of his provision.