Acts 1:15 Meaning and Explanation

Peter stands—not hesitantly but with authority and presence. He speaks to the midst of the disciples, and Luke notes that their total number was about one hundred and twenty. One hundred and twenty believers, praying in unity, waiting for the promise. It is a significant number: not yet the thousands that will come at Pentecost, but a substantial core. The company includes the eleven, the women, Mary, Jesus' brothers, and many others who have encountered the risen Christ or have believed through the testimony of the apostles. They are gathered in secret, in an upper room, in a city controlled by Rome and hostile to this new sect, yet they wait together without fear.

Peter's standing to speak is the first act of church leadership we see. Jesus has gone, but his Spirit will soon fall. In the meantime, the human leadership of the community begins to take form. Peter, the impulsive, wavering fisherman who denied his Lord three times, now stands in the midst and speaks with authority. This is the man who Jesus promised would be the rock on which he would build his church. Here we see that promise beginning to take shape.