Acts 1:9-11
ACTS STUDY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What stood out to you from our study of Acts 1:9-11 on Sunday?
Though Luke is the only one to record the moment of Jesus’ ascension in his writing, what does Jesus say to Mary in John 20:17? What does Peter say in his Pentecost sermon in Acts 2:31-32? What about Paul in 1 Timothy 3:16? How is Jesus’ ascension described in Ephesians 1:19-22, 1 Peter 3:21-22, Hebrews 1:3, and 8:1?
Why is knowing that Jesus ascended to a place rather than simply disappeared so important? What was the attitude of the disciples after Jesus ascended to heaven according to Luke 24:52-53?
Five times in Acts 1:9-11 Luke emphasizes sight and what they saw with their eyes. Why do you think Luke places such significance on sight in these verses?
During the forty days between his resurrection and his ascension, Jesus appeared to the disciples on multiple occasions, going and coming among them. Now, Luke describes Jesus’ final definitive departure, and it is marked by “two men” or angels. Elsewhere in the Gospel of Luke, angels appeared when Jesus was born, upon his crucifixion, and at his resurrection (cf. Lk. 1:26ff.; 2:9–10, 13– 15, 22:43 and 24:4-7). These supernatural appearances act as witnesses and time stamps that Jesus lived, died, raised, and reigns. What do you think Luke is trying to communicate?
Four times in verses 10 and 11, it says the disciples were staring “into heaven.” How does this serve as a reproof to the disciples? Rather than staring into the sky and speculating on his return, what was their commission according to Acts 1:8, Matthew 28:18-20, and 24:14? What does this teach us about what ought to preoccupy our minds?
Both theological reflection and practical application (word and deed, truth and love) are necessary in the Christian life. Which extreme do you find yourself drifting to most often? How does the gospel keep us balanced? How can we spur one another on toward balance?
If Jesus’ visible and physical ascension is one of the primary themes of these verses, what good news do we receive at the end of verse 11? What does Jesus promise in Luke 21:27? In Acts 1, only the apostles saw him ascend, but what promise are we offered in Revelation 1:7? How does all of this bring us hope in the right here, right now reality of our lives, and how can we encourage one another with this good news?
