Acts 1:21

Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, WHEREFORE OF THESE MEN WHICH HAVE COMPANIED WITH US ALL THE TIME THAT THE LORD JESUS WENT IN AND OUT AMONG US - in the close intimacies of a three years' public life....

21._We must therefore. _This which he bringeth in might seem, at the first sight, to be far set [fetched.] For if so be it David did speak of transposing (66) Judas’s bishopric, it did not thereupon straightway follow that the disciples should choose another to be his successor; yet, because they knew that they had this charge given them to order the Church, so soon as Peter had told them that it did please the Lord that it should be so, he gathereth thereupon that they ought to do it. For whensoever God will use as means, (67) to maintain the government of his Church, so soon as we know what his will is, we must not linger, but stoutly perform whatsoever is required in our ministry (and function.) That was, without all controversy, what was the duty of the Church; like as, at this day, when we hear that those must be put from their office which behave themselves ungodly and

15-26 The great thing the apostles were to attest to the world, was, Christ's resurrection; for that was the great proof of his being the Messiah, and the foundation of our hope in him. The apostles were ordained, not to wordly dignity and dominion, but to preach Christ, and the power of his resurrection. An appeal was made to God; "Thou, Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men," which we do not; and better than they know their own. It is fit that God should choose his own servants; and so far as he, by the disposals of his providence, or the gifts of his Spirit, shows whom he was chosen, or what he has chosen for us, we ought to fall in with his will. Let us own his hand in the determining everything which befalls us, especially in those by which any trust may be committed to us....

Verse Acts 1:21. _WHICH HAVE COMPANIED WITH US_] They judged it necessary to fill up this blank in the apostolate by a person who had been an _eye witness_ of the acts of our Lord. _WENT IN AND OUT_] A phrase which includes all the actions of life....

WHEREFORE OF THESE MEN - Of those who had witnessed the life and works of Christ, and who were therefore qualified to discharge the duties of the office from which Judas fell. Probably Peter refers to the seventy disciples, Luke 10:1. WENT IN AND OUT - A phrase signifying that he was their constant companion. It expresses in general all the actions of the life, Psalms 121:8; Deuteronomy 28:19; Deuteronomy 31:2....

EXPOSITION ACTS 1:1 _I made_ for _have I made, _A.V.; _concerning _for _of, _A.V.; _to teach _for _teach, _A.V. THE FORMER TREATISE; literally, _the first _history, narrative, or discourse. The form of the Greek, τὸν μὲν τρῶτον, shows that the writer had in his mind at the time to contrast the _second history_, which he was just beginning, and that naturally τὸν δὲ δεύτερον or τοῦτον δὲ τὸν λόγον, ought both grammatically and logically, to have followed. But the mention of "the apostles whom he had chosen" drew him, as it were, into the stem of his history before he was able to describe it. O THEOPHILUS. The omission of the title "most excellent," given to Theophilus in the Gospel (Luke 1:3

WHEREFORE OF THESE MEN WHICH HAVE COMPANIED WITH US,.... Seeing there was such an imprecation, which carried in it the nature of a prophecy, that another should take the bishopric of Judas, or be made an apostle in his room, it was absolutely necessary that one should be immediately chosen to that office; and this is the force of the illative particle, wherefore; and it was highly proper that this choice should be of one among the men, and not the women; whom it did not become to bear any office, and exercise any authority in the church; hence it is said, "of these men", to the exclusion of women: and it was exceeding right, and a very good notion, that the choice should be of one from among themselves, and who was known unto them; with whose abilities, integrity, wisdom, and holy conversation, they were acquainted: and therefore it is added, "which have companied with us"; one of our ow...

ACTS 1:21 VIhsou/j After VIhsou/j several Western witnesses (D syrh copG67 eth Augustine) add Cristo,j. On this kind of secondary accretion, see the examples listed in Groups _B_ and _C_ in footnote 12 on pp. 225 f. above....

ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATIONS Part I The Witness to Jerusalem. The Advent of the Spirit and the Formation of the Church. The Offer to Israel and its Rejection. Chapter s 1-7 CHAPTER 1 _ 1. The Introduction (Acts 1:1)._ 2. The final words of the risen Lord (Acts 1:4). 3. The ascension (Acts 1:9). 4. The waiting company (Acts 1:12). 5. Matthias chosen in the place of Judas (Acts 1:15). The introductory words prove that Luke is the writer. In the former treatise, Luke had addressed to Theophilus (the Gospel of Luke)

ELECTION OF A TWELFTH APOSTLE.In those days (_cf._ Mark 1:9; a vague expression) Peter comes forward as leader. 1 Corinthians 15:6 * speaks of 500 brethren at once. The first to whom the risen Lord appeared was naturally their leader; though Ac. does not mention this, Lk. does (Luke 24:24). We have here the first example in Ac. of the application of OT passages to Christian things. Two passages from Ps. are applied to Judas, whose place is now to be filled. It is assumed that there is a fixed number of apostles, and that the number is to be kept up. Judas (Acts 1:17) was one of the twelve;...