Acts 1:1-11
Jesus Returned to Earth for Forty Days to Teach His Disciples
1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
The forty days after Easter are some of the most important days we have had on earth...These forty days would say much about Jesus...Jesus' talks to His Disciples after His Easter Death...He continues to be with His Disciples on earth for forty days after His death...After the forty days, He would leave and ascend to heaven...
As we read the first chapter of Luke's The Acts of the Apostles, we find that we are almost always thinking about things on earth and have earthly thoughts, while we live on earth... Jesus gently redirects the Disciples' attention from an earthly perspective, and political kingdom thoughts to a Spiritual One and life beyond earth...He emphasizes that the timing of the restoration of the Kingdom is not for them to know, but that their focus should be on their mission as witnesses of His...
Jesus promises the coming of the Holy Spirit, that will would empower them to be His witnesses "in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."...This signifies that Jesus wants His Message spread and the gospel message is not just for Israel but to the whole world...Jesus' talking to His Disciples highlights the importance of His Disciples' mission as His witnesses...They are to share their stories about Him to others, spreading the message of salvation and the establishment of God's Kingdom through His actions and teachings of His Disciples...
We learn that God's Kingdom is a Spiritual One...Jesus emphasizes that God's Kingdom is not primarily an earthly, political realm, but a Spiritual Reality that exists wherever God reigns and His Will is done...God's reach in the Spiritual Realm is also on earth...Jesus teaches reinforces that God is near us us and His Realm with us no matter where we are -because our Father is in heaven, and hallowed be His Name, His Kingdom come, His will be done, on earth as it gets done in heaven...We, also, are called to be witnesses for Jesus, sharing His message of love, forgiveness, and salvation with the world...Like the Disciples, we should focus on fulfilling the mission God has given us, rather than dwelling on the timing of current and future earthly events...The Holy Spirit is our source of power and guidance in carrying out God's mission...
Jesus' words, actions, and proofs in His last forty days on earth are significant because they shift the focus from an earthly kingdom to a spiritual reality that we can participate in right now...They remind us to focus on our mission as witnesses, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to share the message of God's LOVE with the world...