Hello, my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Goodbyes are difficult, aren’t they? Especially when it’s goodbye with someone you love and have had very significant experiences with, right? In recent days we’ve been with the disciples of Jesus as they’ve had several unexpected and very significant encounters with the resurrected Jesus in the days following His resurrection.
Each time their miraculous encounter with Jesus was nearing its end they wondered when or if they’d see Jesus again. Yesterday, Matthew gave us his report of Jesus and His disciples on a mountainside overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Many call that event Jesus’ “Great Commission” of those men… and ALL followers of Jesus ever since.
Matthew’s closing words of his 28-chapter story of Jesus are one of Jesus’ greatest promises to those disciples: “And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt. 28:20) Those words are God’s antidote to the pain of “goodbye”. But how are those words possible?
Jesus had several times told His disciples that He would soon be returning to heaven from which He had been sent to earth by God the Father. And while God is everywhere present (omnipresent), Jesus was restricted by His earthly body and now His resurrected, glorified body, to being in one place at a time.
So how could Jesus return to heaven yet be with His disciples at the same time? And as those disciples scattered to different parts of the Roman empire, in obedience to Jesus’ command to go and make disciples of ALL people in all places, then how could Jesus be with each of the disciples in different places at the same time?
While Jesus’ words were comforting, they were also confusing. But God had an answer, a solution which none of them could have imagined! Dr Luke not only wrote the Gospel of Luke telling the story of Jesus especially written to the Gentile and Greek world, Luke also wrote a subsequent book called Acts, by which Luke continues the story of what happened after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension.
So today, my friends, in our continuing, chronological story of following the Biblical record of Jesus, we move to Acts 1 and this amazing statement from Luke: “After His suffering, Jesus presented Himself to the disciples and gave many convincing proofs that He was alive. He appeared to them over a period of 40 days and spoke about the kingdom of God…then He was taken up to heaven after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles He had chosen.” (Acts 1:3,2)
Oh my, do you see several very important points that Dr Luke makes which we need to embrace as we go forward into a future without Jesus physically present here on earth?
First… Physician Dr. Luke wants us to understand that the impossible miracle of reversing death, which we call resurrection, was confirmed by Jesus’ many appearances, over a period of 40 days, to His disciples and other people.
That’s important friends. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of Christianity and thus the eyewitness testimony of many people who encountered Jesus in many different places, over about 6 weeks of time after the resurrection, is very significant!
Second… do you see Dr. Luke used the phrase: ‘…many convincing proofs that He was alive”?
So, what proof would you demand to be convinced that a person you knew for sure had died, was now in fact fully alive? Would seeing that person be enough? Would touching them or hearing them speak to you be enough?
What about seeing them eat a meal with you or maybe talk about past experiences you and that person had before they died? Jesus did all that and more. There was not the slightest doubt, by those who encountered the resurrected Jesus, that He was fully alive in His healed, restored, glorified body!
Third… do you notice Jesus used those 40 days not only to prove His aliveness, but to continue His teaching of His disciples, preparing them to take His message to other people, with confidence!?
Jesus’ teaching was empowered by the Holy Spirit who opened their minds to understand and remember so they could write and speak Jesus’ truth accurately! (John 14:26)
On one of those occasions, when resurrected Jesus was having a meal with His friends, He gave them this amazing command and explanation: “Do not leave Jerusalem but wait for the gift My Father promised, which you have heard Me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:4,5) Oh my! The disciples knew they would soon be heading to Jerusalem for the next great Jewish celebration Shavuot, the Festival of Weeks.
That was a festival of great thanksgiving to God for His provision each year, especially the bounty of food only God could produce in their fields. This festival occurred 50 days after the Passover festival and is also called Pentecost, and it brought Jews from all over the Roman empire to Jerusalem bringing their offerings of thankfulness and praise to God. (Numbers 28:26-31; Deuteronomy 16:9-12). Many Jews felt it also honored God giving to Moses the second set of stone tablets with the God inscribed 10 Commandments. (Exodus 34)
Some of Jesus’ disciples had been followers of John the Baptist before they were called by Jesus to join His traveling group, so yes, they’d seen John baptize with water many times. But what would it mean for them to be baptized by the Holy Spirit? John immersed the people into the Jordan river.
What would it mean for them to be immersed into the Holy Spirit? Often when John was baptizing large crowds of people gathered to watch and listen. Certainly, Jerusalem was going to be filled to overflowing with people for the Shavuot Festival, so was Jesus telling His disciples that this Holy Spirit baptizing event might happen about that same time? If so WHY, Where, When and How?
Can you imagine the questions these men had? How should they prepare themselves for such an encounter with the Holy Spirit of God? Should they go early to Jerusalem for Shavuot just to be sure they were present and ready? Should they fast and pray? Would something so spiritually significant happen in the Temple area?
But remember, these were men who felt their lives were in danger as they were known as the men who had most been with Jesus. Very likely those in Jerusalem who killed Jesus would be watching for them during Shavuot and maybe they might be arrested and flogged like Jesus was?
Let’s pause here and reflect on what Jesus had told these men and what we know was about to happen to them. “Lessons learned” notes at the “Grand Narrative” link below will help you dig more deeply into the significance of this, and a wonderful worship song will help you praise God, and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.
Today’s Scripture: Acts 1:1-4.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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