Acts 1:14

My Notes

What Does Acts 1:14 Mean?

Between the ascension and Pentecost, the disciples do one thing: they continue in prayer. Together. With one accord. With the women. With Mary the mother of Jesus. With His brothers. The waiting room for the Holy Spirit is a prayer room. And the prayer room is united, diverse, and persistent.

The phrase "with one accord" (homothymadon — with the same passion, with unanimous agreement) describes the quality of the unity: not just together physically. Together in purpose. In passion. In direction. The prayer isn't fragmented or individualistic. It's corporate and harmonious.

"With the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren" names three groups often overlooked: women (active participants in the prayer community, not spectators), Mary (the mother, included among the pray-ers, not elevated above them), and the brothers (James, Jude, etc. — who earlier didn't believe, John 7:5, but are now in the prayer room). The prayer community includes the unexpected.

Reflection Questions

• 1.Is your waiting (for God's next move) filled with united prayer — or with planning and strategizing?
• 2.Does 'one accord' (same passion, same direction) describe your prayer community?
• 3.Does the inclusion of women, Mary, and Jesus' former-skeptic brothers challenge who you expect to find in the prayer room?
• 4.What would happen if your community prayed — persistently, unitedly, doing nothing else — until the Spirit arrived?

Devotional

They prayed. Together. One accord. Men and women. Mary. Jesus' brothers. All of them. Waiting for what's coming.

The ten days between the ascension and Pentecost are filled with one activity: prayer. Not planning. Not strategizing. Not organizing. Prayer. Continuous, corporate, united prayer. The disciples — plus the women, plus Mary, plus Jesus' brothers — gathered and prayed. And nothing else happened until the Spirit arrived.

"With one accord" — homothymadon — the most beautiful word for unity in Acts. Same passion. Same direction. Same purpose. The prayer isn't twelve people praying twelve different things. It's 120 people (verse 15) praying the same thing: come, Spirit. The unity is the atmosphere. The prayer is the activity. And the Spirit will honor both.

"With the women" — named specifically. The women aren't in a separate room. They're in the prayer meeting. Praying with the same accord. Part of the waiting community. The Spirit that's about to fall (Acts 2:17: "your sons and your daughters shall prophesy") is being prayed down by daughters AND sons together.

"Mary the mother of Jesus" — present. Praying. Not on a pedestal. In the circle. The woman who bore the Messiah is in the same prayer meeting as the fishermen who followed Him. Her unique motherhood doesn't elevate her above the community. It places her within it. She prays like everyone else. She waits like everyone else. She needs the Spirit like everyone else.

"His brethren" — the most surprising participants. Jesus' brothers didn't believe during His ministry (John 7:5). And now they're in the prayer room. Something happened between John 7 and Acts 1 — probably the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:7: Jesus appeared to James). The brothers who doubted during the life are praying after the death. The resurrection turned skeptical siblings into praying disciples.

The prayer room that receives the Spirit is united, inclusive, diverse, and persistent. The Spirit doesn't fall on a program or a plan. He falls on prayer. And the prayer He falls on is the prayer everyone is in — together.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture