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Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Have you noticed how we treasure the farewell words of those we love, especially if it is at the end of their life? So, if Jesus is the most important person who has ever lived on earth, what were His farewell words, and do we treasure them?
In the past 6 weeks, we’ve been tracing what took place in the life of the close friends of Jesus immediately after His resurrection, on what we call Easter Sunday. Today, may I invite us into Luke 24 and Acts 1, and Jesus’ farewell?
Dr. Luke, the Greek physician who traveled with the Apostle Paul, is the author of both the Bible books of Luke, which is his account of the life of Jesus, and the book of Acts, which is the story of what took place following the ascension of Jesus back to heaven. You’ll notice Luke begins the book of Acts explaining that he is picking up where he left off, at the end of his book of Luke. “Theophilus” is evidently the person for whom Dr. Luke wrote both books, and he must have been a highly regarded person who had a deep interest in the life of Jesus. In Luke 1:3, Luke addresses him as “most excellent Theophilus”.
Notice in Acts 1:3 Luke specifies that the resurrected Jesus appeared several times during a period of 40 days, from the time of His resurrection to the day of His ascension back to heaven. If you look at your calendar today you’ll see we are very close to that 40th day. Resurrection Sunday was April 12th this year.
If you compare Luke 24:46-49 with Acts 1:4-8 it begs the question…are these two accounts of the same event, or are they different times that Jesus and His disciples were together, but their conversations were very similar? We aren’t certain, but may I point out several very important things about these words which were part of Jesus’ farewell and His commissioning to His disciples?
Notice in Luke 24:45 “Then He (resurrected Jesus) opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.” Wow, now that’s quite a miracle! Perhaps you remember Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:4, that our human minds are naturally blinded to the truth of God’s Word. So here, Jesus supernaturally peels back that blindness so His friends can understand what the Old Testament predicted about Jesus and how Jesus was the fulfillment of many years of God predicting He would send a Savior.
Then notice Jesus explains how His death and resurrection not only fulfilled Scripture, but are essential for God to extend forgiveness for sin. And then do you see Jesus said “…repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:47) You’ll recognize that as very similar to what Matthew records for us, that Jesus said to His friends on the hillside in Galilee (Matt. 28:19,20) Now, let’s put ourselves there with these men. Can you imagine them looking at one another and asking themselves…“who is Jesus talking about? Who is going to explain Jesus and what He accomplished in His death and resurrection, to the people of the world? And who are these ‘nations’?” I think it’s safe to say none of these simple men had ever been beyond the borders of Israel. So what do you think came into their minds as they thought about who ‘all nations’ could be? Could Jesus actually mean Egypt or the province of Galatia or even far away Macedonia, that perhaps they had heard about?
The word translated as ‘all nations’ is actually the word “ethne” and it means ‘people groups’. Do you see the word ‘ethnicity’ there? In our day there are actually some new .com businesses which will use a sample of your blood or skin to identify the makeup of your DNA and trace it to the ‘people groups’ of your heritage! Incredible isn’t it?
Now my friends, I have 2 websites for you to consider which show what Jesus is doing TODAY to make this promise become reality among all the ‘ethne’ of our day, 7.5 Billion people globally!
First, consider how God has used the remarkable “Jesus Film”, now translated into more than 1000 languages and viewed by more than 5 Billion people in the last nearly 40 years! Here’s a link:
https://www.jesusfilm.org/
Second, consider how God is today using the ‘world wide web’, the internet. Here’s a link report from just one global evangelism organization, showing us that nearly 2 Billion people have heard the Gospel, on the internet, in the past few years: https://
Now think about this: Jesus is God, right? So as Jesus was talking with His Galilean friends, about 2000 years ago, and telling them that His Gospel would be brought to all peoples of the world, Jesus was able to look ahead to our day and see things like the great missionary movement of the 20th century, and Billy Graham crusades and The Jesus Film Project and Global Media Outreach…and you and me!
Now please notice two critical factors in this amazing global miracle through the generations since these farewell conversations Jesus was having. He said “You are witnesses of these things.” (Luke 24:48) The men sitting with the resurrected Jesus were eye witnesses of the most remarkable events on planet earth of all time… the earthly life of Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus was challenging them to realize how privileged they were, and how important it was going to be that they accurately and frequently told and re-told the story of Jesus’ life, His miracles, His teachings but most importantly, His death and resurrection. Some of them would write it down for others to read and pass on. It was critical that as these eye-witnesses told their story those who heard it did not embellish it or distort the story. That’s why it was so critical Matthew, Mark, Luke and John wrote their Gospel accounts. Matthew and John were eyewitnesses, Mark from all he had heard from Peter and Luke wrote from all the interviews he had with those who were eyewitnesses.
Now here’s two important questions… Are you telling the story of Jesus to others, and are you telling the story of Jesus accurately, as though you were an eye-witness? This is why it’s so important you and I immerse ourselves in what is written for us by those who were eye-witnesses!
Finally, notice please that Dr. Luke concludes His Gospel account with Jesus saying to His friends: “I am going to send you what My Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24;49) I believe Dr. Luke opens his Acts account with that same scene. Look at Acts 1:4 where Luke writes: “On one occasion while He (Jesus) was eating with them, He gave them this command: Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift My father promised, which you heard Me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
We don’t know exactly where in the city they had this meal nor exactly when, but I believe it was a only a day or two before Jesus left them, ascending back to heaven. Can you see them looking at each other as they contemplated what He had just said? Especially John remembered very clearly all that Jesus had said about the Holy Spirit in that Jerusalem upper room, less than 6 weeks before, during the evening they shared the Passover meal together, just before His crucifixion. Do you remember?
I can see John perhaps sitting close to Jesus, as he usually did, and whispering to Him, ‘I remember. Passover evening You said’: “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever, the Spirit of Truth…the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send you in My Name, will teach you all things, and remind you of everything I have said to you…” (John 14:16,17,26) And I can see Jesus smile and say to John, “That’s right my friend, don’t forget those words, for they will become your reality in just a few days, and your life will be forever changed.”
“John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Jesus had said! Wow, such powerful words, especially for John and Andrew. That was how they first met Jesus, when John the Baptist was baptizing people in the Jordan and Jesus came by one day, remember? (John 1:29-39) They understood John’s water baptism. They’d watched it, they’d seen it happen. But what would it be like to be ‘baptized by the Holy Spirit’, they wondered? How would it happen, when and where would it happen?
Perhaps Jesus said other things to them on this occasion Luke describes for us, but we have no record. Where they spent the night that night, we do not know. Could it have been Mary, Martha & Lazarus’ home in Bethany where they often stayed? What I do know is that within a very short time, Jesus would say His final farewell to them and they would actually watch Jesus physically rise up from the mount of Olives, outside Jerusalem, and elevate into the sky, and then disappear into the clouds. It would be the last time they’d see Jesus…and we’ll join them in that final encounter tomorrow.
For today, just ponder the power of the words of Jesus that He spoke to them and how these words are being fulfilled in our day. May I ask, where-ever you receive “Walking with Jesus’ around the world… how long has the Gospel been known in your town? When did it first arrive there and who brought it? And what about your family heritage? Did your parents know Jesus, what about your grandparents and great-grandparents? Now let’s take a moment to thank God that you are part of the fulfillment of these farewell words of Jesus!
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Click to read today’s chapters: Luke 24:45-48; Acts 1:1-5. (At the top you can choose a different translation.)
Have a comment or question about today’s chapters? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“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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