Acts 1:3Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He did this not without reason, but because He carefully provided for two things. They had to believe the Resurrection, and finally to think of Him as more than a mere man.

Although these two things seemed opposed to one another, both nevertheless took place at the proper time. To confirm the Resurrection, many human things had to happen. To persuade them of the other truth, the opposite was needed.

Why, then, did He not appear to all, but only to the apostles? Because to the people, who did not know the ineffable mystery, He would have seemed a phantom.

If even the disciples themselves at first did not believe, were troubled, and needed the touch of the hand and the sharing of a meal, what should naturally have been expected from the people?

For this reason the Resurrection is irrefutably proved by miracles. It had to be beyond doubt, not only for those then living, but also for all later generations.

What came to the first from seeing miracles had to come to all later generations from faith. Therefore from this we also draw proofs against unbelievers.

Indeed, if He did not rise, but remains dead, how did the apostles perform signs in His name? Or did they not perform signs?

In that case, how did our Christian race arise? Surely the unbelievers will no longer deny this, nor will they dispute what they see.

Therefore, when they say there were no signs, they dishonor themselves still more. For it would have been the greatest miracle if, without miracles, the whole world had run to Christ, captured by twelve poor and unlearned men.

The fishermen conquered not by abundance of wealth, nor by wisdom of words, nor by anything of this kind. Therefore one must necessarily acknowledge that divine power was in them.

It is incredible that human power could ever accomplish so much. For this reason Christ Himself remained on earth after the Resurrection for forty days, letting Himself be seen over a long period, lest they think what they saw was a phantom.

Nor was He satisfied even with this. He added the meal, as Luke says further: "eating with them" (Acts 1:4).

The apostles themselves always regarded this as proof of the Resurrection, saying, "we ate and drank with Him" (Acts 10:41).

What Christ did during His appearances is shown in the following words: "appearing to them and speaking of the things concerning the Kingdom of God."

I ask you, pay attention: "to whom He also presented Himself alive after His Passion." Do you see the evangelist's boldness? Even in the Acts of the Apostles he does not forget theology.

He did not say, "to whom He appeared," but, "to whom He also presented Himself alive." So also Christ said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (Jn 2:19).

"To whom He also presented Himself alive after His Passion by many infallible proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking of the Kingdom of God." Pay attention, I ask you.

"By many infallible proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking of the Kingdom of God." The Savior appeared to the disciples over forty days, but not every day.

Moreover, after the Resurrection He surrounded His flesh with many signs of complete certainty, so that the majesty of His power would not be diminished by constant sight.

For this reason it was necessary that, after rising, He should henceforth appear in divine features, and not in the form familiar to those who saw Him.

So the writer of Acts says, "by many infallible proofs, during forty days." This was no ordinary sight, but one confirmed by certain undoubted signs of His being.

Thus He appeared to the disciples in various forms, with various voices, and with various appearances. Often He appeared to them and was not recognized by them.

For example, He appeared to those who were fishing with Peter and said to them, "Children, have you any food?" (Jn 21:5). They did not recognize Him either by appearance or by voice.

But He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some" (Jn 21:6). They cast it and caught a multitude of fish.

Not having recognized Him by sight, they immediately recognized Him by this manifestation of power. Then the Evangelist John said to Peter, "It is the Lord" (Jn 21:7).

He was convinced not by sight, but by the manifestation of power. Therefore Luke also proclaims, "by many infallible proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking."

With greater caution and wisdom He gradually formed two things in them. He formed faith in His Resurrection and the conviction that they should regard Him as more than man, although the one seemed contrary to the other.

From faith in the Resurrection, many thoughts proper to His humanity had to arise. From the conviction that He was more than man, the opposite had to arise. Yet both were confirmed at the proper time.

This took place during the forty days, from the day of the Resurrection until the day of His Ascension into heaven. During these days He ate and drank with them, showing that He was the very One who had been crucified, buried, and raised from the dead.

Why, then, did He appear not to all, but only to the apostles? Because to many who did not understand this ineffable mystery, His appearance would have seemed a vision.

If even the disciples themselves at first did not believe and were troubled, and even needed the touch of the hand and a common meal with Him, how greatly would His appearance have startled the multitude?

Therefore He makes the proof of His Resurrection undoubted and universal through the miracles which the apostles performed by the power of the grace they had received.

Thus the Resurrection became an evident fact not only for those who had to be convinced by their own eyes, but also for all men of later times.

"Appearing to them, and speaking of the things concerning the Kingdom of God." The Lord Himself called the kingdom in which He promised the disciples to drink a new cup with them the Kingdom of the Father.

He called that drinking new which He shared with them after His Resurrection. At that time He also partook with them of new food.

He did not partake as He ate and drank with them before the Resurrection. Then, having become like us in all things except sin, He ate and drank as we do, voluntarily allowing the flesh to require the necessary use of food.

Therefore He voluntarily permitted the condition of hunger. But after the Resurrection He drank and ate no longer from necessity, but only so that all might believe in the truth of His bodily nature.

Likewise, they were to believe that He suffered voluntarily and rose as befits God. Therefore He called new food and new drink that extraordinary food which He ate, and that extraordinary drink which He drank with the disciples after the Resurrection.

For it is said, "during forty days, eating with them," that is, sharing common salt and common food with them. But how this was so is not for us to explain.

It was something extraordinary. It was not because nature required food, but by condescension, for the purpose of proving the Resurrection.

And, revealing to them the mysteries "concerning the Kingdom of God, He commanded them," and so on. Why did He command them to act in this way?

Earlier, when they feared and trembled, He led them into Galilee, so that they might hear without fear what He had to say to them. For they were ready to abandon the work to which they had been called.

The apostles themselves said that if Christ had not risen, then our faith would be vain. Their preaching would be empty, useless, and fruitless.

Still more pitiful and fruitless would be all their sufferings for the name of Christ (1 Cor 15:14, 19).

But Christ, the Firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep, has risen. By His death He trampled down our death.

To the faithful who are in the tombs, and to those still living here, He has granted and continues to grant eternal life.

The book of the Acts of the Apostles also portrays very clearly and powerfully the force of the apostolic word about the innocent suffering and Resurrection of Christ.

It shows how Christian communities were formed in populous cities and in small villages. It shows how the first Christians lived among themselves and what brotherhood they had.

It shows how many offerings they brought for the common need, and how much unanimity they had in prayer and in resolving communal questions.

It shows what sufferings, beatings, bonds, and persecutions the apostles themselves endured from the enemies of Christianity.

But they endured everything, everything, not only patiently, but with joy, because they had been counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of Christ (Acts 5:41).

They are forbidden to speak about the risen Jesus. Yet the apostles cannot but speak of Him whom they had seen and heard already risen.

In general, the whole book of the Acts of the Apostles is full of extremely edifying lessons for Christians of every age and every people.

For this reason, among others, the Church offers Orthodox Christians readings from it during Pentecostide, which is so joyful to the believing heart.

The book of the Acts of the Apostles was written by the Evangelist Luke for the pious man Theophilus, after Luke, the companion of the Apostle Paul, had already written his first book, the Holy Gospel.

Saint Luke begins the Acts of the Apostles with what he ended his Gospel, that is, with the history of the Resurrection and Ascension of the Lord.

See Lk 24:44-53 and Acts 1:1-14. Precisely, today we heard the following words of the holy Apostle Luke to Theophilus.

Verses 1-3: The first book, that is, the Gospel, I wrote to you, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day when He was taken up.

Before this He had given commandments through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He had chosen. To them He also presented Himself alive, risen after His Passion, by many infallible proofs.

These included His partaking of food, fish and honeycomb, Thomas's touching Him with his hands, and the journey with the disciples to Emmaus and the breaking of bread.

Ten appearances of Christ to the disciples after the Resurrection are recorded in the Holy Gospel.

But Christ appeared to them over forty days and spoke with them about the Kingdom of God, that is, about the foundation, life, and destinies of His Church on earth.

He spoke about the struggle awaiting it and about the final victory of Christian truth over the manifold falsehood and vices of the human heart.

He encouraged them, comforted them, and taught them how to live in the world. He knew that the apostles would be among corrupt men, both learned and unlearned, like sheep among wolves.

He also showed them that after sorrows comes joy, and after temporary torments come the blessedness of paradise.

Even amid torments, the grace of God would appear to the confessors as comforter and helper. So indeed it happened.

Amid grievous blows and tortures, a martyr rejoices and glorifies God for his torments. He does not utter a single reproachful word to his tormentors.

His face shines with heavenly brightness. His joy, calm, and freedom from malice struck the pagan witnesses and participants in the torture.

They drew to Christ hearts that until then had been hardened against Christians.

Toward evening of the same day He came "when the doors were shut, where His disciples were gathered, and stood in the midst" (Jn 20:19). In the same way, after eight days had passed, He again stood before His apostles.

He appeared to His eleven disciples on the mountain in Galilee (Mt 28:16-17). Afterward He appeared to them at the Sea of Tiberias (Jn 21:1).

During all that time Christ appeared to His disciples, conversed with them, interpreted the Scriptures to them, and among other things commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem (Lk 24:49).

To assure them still more of the truth of His Resurrection, "He showed them His hands and feet and His side." He also breathed on them and gave them the grace of the most Holy Spirit (Jn 20:20, 22), to loose and bind sins.

Moreover, He allowed the unbelieving Thomas to touch His side (Jn 20:27). Beyond this, He also ate with them: "They gave Him a piece of broiled fish and some honeycomb; and He took it and ate before them" (Lk 24:42).

He also ate bread and fish with them at the Sea of Tiberias (Jn 21:13). These are the infallible proofs which Jesus Christ showed His disciples while appearing over forty days, to assure them of His Resurrection from the dead.

Here one must note that after His Resurrection He appeared not only to the apostles and Mary Magdalene, but also to other brethren, more than five hundred in number, as the divine Paul testifies (1 Cor 15:6).

But when and where He appeared to these five hundred brethren, and who they were, Paul passed over in silence. He said only that in his own time many of them were still alive, while some had fallen asleep.

"Of whom the greater part remain until now, but some have fallen asleep." Perhaps this occurred on the mountain in Galilee, where, as the Evangelist Matthew affirms, the Lord commanded His disciples to gather (Mt 28:16).

He appeared to all these mentioned persons because they alone were worthy to behold His incorrupt and divine body, and were able to receive the wondrous mystery of His Resurrection from the dead.

To this one must add that the Evangelist Mark also assures us of the Ascension of the Lord Jesus into heaven: "So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and sat at the right hand of God" (Mk 16:19).

Likewise, the same God-inspired Luke writes in his Gospel: "And it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He parted from them and was carried up into heaven" (Lk 24:51).

Why the Savior ascended on the fortieth day after His Resurrection, that He gave the apostles teaching concerning the Kingdom of God, and that He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem. But to await there the fulfillment of the promise of the Father, which they had previously heard from Him, is mentioned only in this book of the apostolic Acts.

When, then, had the apostles heard of this promise? When the Lord said to them, "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever" (Jn 14:16).

Since Luke, by saying, "the promise of the Father, which you have heard from Me," presents Christ as speaking to the apostles, he also gives the following words as spoken by Christ to them at that time.

Verse 5: "For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

He was to ascend into heaven, that as man He might behold Him whom no one had ever seen or known as He, the Son of God, knew Him before this (Jn 6:46). On the other hand, this time was enough to assure those whom the Lord had to convince that He had truly risen from the dead by the power of His Godhead and had triumphed over death. It was also enough to lead them gradually out of their former relation to Him, as those who had shared flesh and blood with Him, into a new relation to Him as King of glory. It was enough to give them the nearest preparatory instructions concerning their activity.

In addition, the Lord's final testament concerned the work of the apostles in general, as witnesses of Jesus Christ and preachers of His Gospel (cf. vv. 8-9). Thus the activity of the apostles, depicted in the book of Acts, appears before us as their fulfillment of this final will of the Lord.

According to the sacred historian's remark, the Lord gave these commandments to the apostles through the Holy Spirit. The continuation of Christ's work on earth after His Ascension into heaven is preeminently the work of God the Holy Spirit. Therefore these commandments of the Lord were at the same time commandments of the Holy Spirit, who would soon descend upon the apostles and act in them and through them (Jn 14:16-17, 26; Jn 16:13-15).

The men to whom the Lord declared His final will were the apostles chosen by Him Himself. Before them He, Who had suffered and died, fully and convincingly proved Himself alive, appearing to them for forty days after His Resurrection and speaking of the Kingdom of God.

The apostles had a great calling. They were to be pillars of the Church of Christ, heralds to the world of the word and work of Christ. Therefore the Lord, the Knower of hearts, chose from the number of His many followers the worthiest. They had been with Him from the very beginning of His public ministry and knew every step of His life and every word of His (Jn 15:27; cf. Acts 1:21-22).

Nevertheless, they too were men of their people and their time. When their Lord and Teacher was unexpectedly nailed to the shameful Cross and died, such darkness covered their faith that the state of their soul was worthy to be compared with that of a woman in the pains of childbirth (Jn 16:20-21).

Only the most convincing facts could remove this darkness from their spiritual eyes. These facts had to testify to them in the most decisive way of the risen, eternally living Christ. Only when they were convinced by fact could instructions and teachings become fruitful for them.

And so the risen Christ appears to them for forty days, bearing witness to the truth of His Resurrection by many sure proofs. Now they become able to receive and assimilate the Lord's instructions: that Christ had thus to suffer and enter into His glory, as Moses and the other Old Testament prophets had foretold, and as the Lord Himself had repeatedly foretold during His life.

Therefore the Savior, appearing to them after His Resurrection, conversed with them about the Kingdom of God.

Because of the great importance of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, the Apostle again recalls this truth as undoubted and established by irrefutable proofs. He says, "To whom He also presented Himself alive after His Passion by many sure proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God."

"To whom He also presented Himself alive after His Passion." After His Passion on the Cross, Jesus Christ died and was buried. But on the third day He rose and showed Himself risen, or alive, before the Apostles.

"By many true signs, appearing to them during forty days." He bore witness to His Resurrection from the dead, or to the fact that after death He became alive again, by many sure proofs. Such were His many appearances among the disciples and His conversations with them. He showed them His hands and feet with the wounds, and His pierced side (Jn 20:20).

He allowed them to handle Him and said, "See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see Me have" (Lk 24:39). When, from joy, they still did not believe and marveled, He said to them, "Have you any food here?" "They gave Him a piece of broiled fish and some honeycomb. And He took it and ate before them" (Lk 24:41-43).

Thus the Lord appeared to His disciples many times over the course of forty days, in order to assure them more perfectly of the truth of His Resurrection and to instruct them in the mysteries of salvation.

"And speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God." The conversation of Jesus Christ with His disciples after His Resurrection from the dead was like that which He had with them before His sufferings and death. He spoke with them not of earthly matters, but of spiritual truths, concerning how one must save one's soul and attain the Kingdom of heaven.

By the Kingdom of God one must understand both the eternal Kingdom of glory in the heavens and the gracious Kingdom of Jesus Christ, which is spread and established on earth through the preaching of the Gospel and through faith in Jesus Christ.

We may reliably suppose that Jesus Christ, preparing His chosen disciples for their apostolic ministry, spoke with them chiefly about this gracious Kingdom of God. He spoke of the spread and good order of the Church of Christ, the establishment and celebration of the grace-bearing mysteries, the overcoming of difficulties ahead in the labors of apostolic ministry, and similar things.

Some of these instructions of the Lord have been preserved for us in the apostolic epistles, and others in the sacred tradition of the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

He was the very One who had been crucified and had died on the cross, and not someone else. He gave these proofs by appearing to them over forty days after the Resurrection.

As is known from the Gospels, the disciples did not understand the Lord's words when He spoke to them of His sufferings, death, and Resurrection (Mk 9:32).

They did not even understand what it meant for their Teacher, the Messiah, to rise from the dead (Mk 9:10).

They did not know from the Scripture that He had to rise from the dead (Jn 20:9). Consequently they did not believe His Resurrection, even after He had already appeared to some after the Resurrection.

See Mk 16:11; Mk 16:14; Lk 24:11; Jn 20:25 and following.

Thus the Lord's disciples needed sure and immutable proofs of His Resurrection, and He gave them such proofs. Over forty days He appeared to them and spoke of the Kingdom of God.

He appeared to them with the same body, though glorified, so that by sight they recognized that it was He (Lk 24:37 and following; Jn 20:25).

He allowed Himself to be touched, to assure them (Lk 24:39 and following; Jn 20:27). He partook of food with them, also for their assurance (Lk 24:41-43; compare Acts 10:41).

From the teaching of the One who appeared concerning the Kingdom of God, the disciples also had to be assured that this was He, their Teacher who had died and risen.

For this teaching was undoubtedly the same as what they had heard from their Teacher before the time of His Passion and death.

All these proofs of His Resurrection were sure and fully convincing for the disciples. Afterward, not even the shadow of their former doubts about their Teacher's Resurrection is seen in them.

On the contrary, with extraordinary certainty they afterward always and on every occasion bore witness to the undoubted reality of His Resurrection.

"Appearing to them." The Greek word corresponds to His manifestation in a changed and glorified body; compare Tob 12:19. He did not remain constantly with them, as before His sufferings, but only appeared from time to time.

Among such appearances, the New Testament books mention these: first, to Mary Magdalene (Jn 20:14; Mk 16:19); second, to her together with the other women (Mt 28:9).

Third, to the Apostle Peter (1 Cor 15:15); fourth, to two disciples going to Emmaus (Mk 16:12-13; Lk 24:13 and following).

Fifth, to the apostles in Thomas's absence (Mk 16:14; Lk 24:36; Jn 20:19-24; 1 Cor 15:5); sixth, to the apostles when Thomas was present (Jn 20:24-29).

Seventh, at the Sea of Tiberias (Jn 21:1-14); eighth, on the mountain in Galilee to the eleven disciples and the five hundred brethren (Mt 28:16; 1 Cor 15:6).

Ninth, to the Apostle James (1 Cor 15:7); and tenth, to all the disciples at the Ascension (Acts 1:9-10; Lk 24:50).

"During forty days." Only from this indication is it clear that forty days passed between the Resurrection and the Ascension of the Lord.

According to the accounts in the Gospels of Mark and Luke, it would seem impossible to assume such an interval of time.

Thus the account in Acts supplements the accounts in the Gospels of Mark and Luke on this point, and also on the event of the day of the Ascension.

In those Gospels the Ascension is mentioned very briefly, while in the other two it is not mentioned at all.

"Concerning the Kingdom of God." Thus, both before the Resurrection and after the Resurrection until the Ascension, the chief and most important subject of the Lord's teaching was the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, or the kingdom of the Messiah, that is, the Church of Christ.

It is probable that at this time the Lord led the disciples still more deeply into the contemplation of these mysteries.

Yet, according to Christ's word, they were to receive full knowledge of them when they received the Holy Spirit (Jn 16:12-13).

Therefore we see that even at this time their notions of this kingdom were not yet wholly pure or free from contemporary Jewish errors (Acts 1:6-7).

To confirm the accuracy of the account, many infallible proofs are mentioned in events that took place over forty days. Thus no thought of momentary delusion can have any place.

It is also worthy of note that the writer of Acts clearly distinguishes Christ's first manifestation of Himself as alive from His many later manifestations.

From this it is evident that the apostles could neither have been deceived nor have deceived themselves. Appearing to them, He spoke with them, ate and drank, and performed miracles.

These were special signs of Christ's Resurrection for the apostles. But why did He not appear to all without distinction, but chiefly to the apostles?

Obviously because not all were prepared for this. The unbelieving cannot believe even when someone rises from the dead and appears to them (see Lk 16:31).

According to blessed Theophylact, "Christ was not constantly with the apostles, as before the Resurrection, but appeared and again withdrew, raising their thoughts and not allowing them to cling to Him as before.

With greater caution He developed in them both faith in His Resurrection and the conviction that they should consider Him more than man.

He ate and drank with them, showing by this that He was the One who had been crucified and buried, and had risen from the dead."

The Kingdom of God, of which our Lord Jesus Christ spoke both during His earthly life and after His Resurrection, is the salvation of all in God through the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.

Here it is accomplished by faith in Him, through the power of the Holy Spirit. In the future life it is the Father's gift of blessedness to those who believe in God and have loved His Son.

The Gospels report much about how and what our Savior Jesus Christ proclaimed of this after His Resurrection.

But the holy Evangelist John the Theologian notes that Jesus also did many other things. If they were written in detail, he says, even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written (Jn 21:25).

Having in mind this greatness of Christ's work, the holy writer of Acts defines only its essence. He calls it teaching about the Kingdom of God.

This means the gracious state under the guidance of God, for salvation from sins here on earth, and for eternal blessedness in heaven.

According to Luke, the risen Jesus Christ told the two disciples going to Emmaus that He had to suffer and enter into His glory.

At the same time He explained all that was said about Him in all the Scriptures (Lk 24:26-27).

And when He appeared to all the apostles, He said that He had to suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.

He also said that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in His name among all nations (Lk 24:46-47; compare Jn 20:30; Jn 21:14).

The apostolic preaching of the Kingdom of God also began with this.

"We may with certainty suppose," says His Grace Eusebius, Archbishop of Mogilev, in a homily on this apostolic reading, "that Jesus Christ, preparing His chosen disciples for their apostolic ministry, conversed with them chiefly about the gracious Kingdom of God.

He spoke about the spread and good order of the Church of Christ, the institution and celebration of the grace-bearing mysteries, and the overcoming of the difficulties that lay ahead.

Some of these instructions have been preserved in the apostolic writings, and others in the Holy Tradition of the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church."