Acts 1:1-11
Jesus Returned to Earth for Forty Days to Teach His Disciples and Others
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 ever had on earth...These forty days would say much about Jesus for both the believer and the unbelievers...Jesus' talks to His Disciples after His Easter Death would be Great Teaching moments...He continues to be with His Disciples on earth for forty days after His death...But not only His close friends, His Disciples, others had a chance to learn that He was still alive in Jerusalem (and any other place He might have visited in Israel after His death) -believers and unbelievers...Then after the forty days, He would leave earth and His Disciples and ascend to heaven...
Jesus stayed on earth for forty days after His resurrection and visited five hundred different people according to St. Paul...Theologians have proposed several reasons based on scripture and interpretations why He chose to stay on earth for forty more days, instead of leaving after seeing as many as five hundred people and then ascending to heaven...
Jesus stayed on earth to teach and instruct His Disciples...The Gospels mention Jesus appearing to His Disciples on multiple occasions during this time, and St. Paul mentions in his first letter to the Corinthians that He met with up to five hundred different people...
This period would have been crucial for Jesus, and keeping His message and teachings alive and lasting forever...Passages like the one after He was on the Road to Emmaus with Cleopas and his friend after His death...Jesus says: "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures about Himself"...This suggests Jesus helped them understand how the Old Testament prophesied about Him...
After Jesus death, He would commissioning the Disciples...This period was when Jesus gave the Great Commission to His disciples, instructing them to "go and make disciples of all nations" in Matthew...And in Luke as similar Commission is give when Luke writes: Jesus gave His Disciples this command: “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.”...Then they gathered around Him and asked Him, “LORD, are You at this time going to restore the Kingdom to Israel?”...He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His Own authority...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.”...
The forty days give and providing us proof of His resurrection...Spending forty days with His Disciples could have solidified their belief in His actual resurrection, not just a Spiritual Experience with Him...Sharing meals and interacting with them physically might have been crucial for overcoming their initial doubts and fears that He died and was completely gone...
Jesus, with staying for forty days, was maybe preparing His Disciples for His departure and His Ascension...The forty day period could have been a time of preparation for the Disciples and Jesus Himself for his ascension into heaven...
For those who did not believe in Him had time now had time to ask those who were seeing Him and maybe Himself, after His death, questions and to believe and actually see or have first hand knowledge that He was still alive...
There is a symbolic significance to the forty day period...The number forty has symbolic meaning in the Bible, often representing a period of testing, preparation, or waiting...Examples include the forty days of rain during the flood (Genesis 7:4) and the forty days Moses spent on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:18)...And then Jesus would spend forty days and forty nights fasting in the desert after being baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist...During this time, the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the devil...Jesus lived among wild animals, and angels ministered to Him...The devil tempted Jesus three times, attempting to compromise His relationship with God...The three temptations were: Turning stones into bread, Bowing to Satan, and Putting God to the test in a forty day period...
Some believers think that this is time to reflect and focus on God's Kingdom...Some believers suggest Jesus' post-resurrection appearances weren't just about individual Disciples but about establishing the reality of the Kingdom of God breaking into the present world and on earth as His Kingdom is in Heaven...
We are not given complete information on Jesus' last forty days, but must connect some dots with our faith...The Bible offers limited details about His last forty days on earth...When we focus on the bigger picture: The emphasis in the Gospels is on the reality of the resurrection and Jesus' ongoing presence with His Disciples, not the specific details of how He spent those forty days, we can better believe that He returned to earth from His death on the cross...
The forty day period after Jesus' resurrection served multiple purposes for believers...It likely involved teaching the disciples, solidifying their faith, preparing for the beginning and the future of the first Christian churches and first Christian believers...This demonstrates the ongoing presence of the risen Christ in our world with Him being on earth an additional forty days...