Community Bible Study -- Acts
Text of Presentation, Lesson 1, Acts 1
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Community Bible Study -- Acts Text of Presentation, Lesson 1, Acts 1 Click Here to see Lesson 1 Photos . . . Click Here to return to Acts Home Page |
Jesus’ Ascension
Acts is essentially “Volume 2” of the gospel of Luke. Luke ends with a brief synopsis of the last 40 days on earth of the resurrected Jesus, followed by and his ascension into heaven; Acts begins by recounting these events in more detail. Jesus’ last instructions are the central message of this chapter—and, in fact, the central message of the book of Acts. These are given in Acts 1:8:
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 (Acts 1:8)
Remember this sequence: “in Jerusalem . . . in all Judea and Samaria . . . to the ends of the earth.” Jesus also instructs His disciples “not (to) leave Jerusalem, but wait (for the Holy Spirit)” (Acts 1:4); their first ministry is within the Jewish religious center of Jerusalem . . . then to the nearby provinces . . . finally to the rest of the world, as Acts unfolds.
But there are some other things of interest in Acts 1, beginning with verse 3:
(The resurrected Jesus) showed himself to (his disciples) and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive (Acts 1:3a).
It should be emphasized that the resurrected Jesus is not a ghost or a spirit. John 20 emphasizes He has a physical body; He can eat and drink. The situation is so special and unique that perhaps we need to keep reminding ourselves of it. The closest analogy I can think of is the Transporter in the original Star Trek . . . the “Beam me up, Scotty” device. Like Trekkies, Jesus could appear and disappear . . . and when he’s there, he’s really there: in the flesh. By contrast, although we believe we are resurrected to heaven when we die, none of us expect our dear, departed Aunt Mary to join us for Thanksgiving dinner. We often overlook the physical component of the resurrected Jesus. Perhaps it’s not a big deal – except that it illustrates the uniqueness of Jesus the Messiah, Son of God.
The second item of interest is in verses 3, 5, and 6 about the “kingdom”:
(The resurrected Jesus) appeared to (his disciples) over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. . . . (He told them) “in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:3b-6).
The gospel narratives reveal that while Jesus was alive, He repeatedly taught the disciples biblical prophesy that the Messiah would suffer and die . . . but they never seemed to get it! They expected the Messiah to be a conquering hero – according to Jewish tradition, which the disciples had learned at their synagogues. Part of the confusion is because the bible and Jewish tradition also held that the Messiah is a king (as well as prophet and priest). God promised David an eternal throne, and Jesus – a descendant of King David – was qualified as a king reigning on that throne. The Jews’ only concept of a king is someone like David and Solomon . . . and Herod . . . people like that: military rulers. The Jews’ only concept of a kingdom is a political and geographical entity earth. So it’s perfectly logical that the Jewish tradition of the Messiah was a military leader, who would throw off the yoke of foreign oppression, and re-establish the nation of Israel, like the Maccabees had done almost 200 years earlier.
We should cut the disciples a break: old paradigms die hard, and Jesus was telling them Jewish tradition about the Messiah was wrong. It’s hard to take: learning that your church traditions are wrong! Moreover, on Palm Sunday, the disciples watched Jesus enter Jerusalem in triumph like a traditional Jewish king. They expected the Messiah to overthrow the Romans and the Sanhedrin and become king of a new Jewish nation and high priest of a revitalized Jewish religion. Instead, they saw him crucified, dead, and buried. But then he was resurrected! . . . their despair turned to optimism!! And now Jesus is with them again . . . endowed with an even greater power – flippantly be called the “beam me up, Scotty” power. The disciples fall back on their old paradigms. They forget how many times Jesus told them he was leaving . . . sending the Holy Spirit as their counselor. Now – although they finally understand the Jewish prophesy that the Messiah must suffer and die – they interpret that as merely prelude to the final act: when the resurrected Messiah will establish a Messianic kingdom on earth. Why else will He tell them not to leave Jerusalem? Why else will He talk about the power they will receive from the Holy Spirit? But they have it wrong again!
But we mustn’t be too critical. None of us are any good predicting what God’s going to do? We’re much better explaining what God has done after it happens – sometimes long after . . . like when we recognize that something bad happened to us build character . . . and that God’s plan worked out better than the plan we prayed for!.
So, in summary, even though the resurrected Jesus has been instructing the disciples about the kingdom of God – instructing them that king Messiah will not reign over an earthly Jewish kingdom but a heavenly kingdom – this new paradigm is so contrary to their thinking that they just can’t get their arms around it. They wonder why Jesus hasn’t already overthrown the Romans and the Sanhedrin and set up His Messianic kingdom.
“Aha,” they say, “Maybe He’ll do it when we’re all baptized by the Holy Spirit; maybe we’ll become an invincible army with super powers!” So they ask Jesus to confirm this . . . and He answers – I’m paraphrasing – “No, no. Like I told you, I’m outta here. I’m sending the Holy Spirit to give you power – but not power to overthrow Rome: the power to do my work while I’m gone: the power to preach the gospel and heal and do miracles. And as far as an earthly Messianic kingdom . . . that’s not for you to know!”
And then, while they watch, Jesus is taken up to heaven before their eyes. You can imagine how they might feel. Think of unlikely Presidents like Harry Truman or Lyndon Johnson or Gerald Ford: suddenly the full weight of the most powerful office in the world is thrust upon them unexpectedly. The disciples are both awestruck and terrified. They are transfixed as they watch Jesus go up into the heavens. Two angels need to straighten them out: “Quit looking up at the sky, guys. Jesus is gone. Get your act together; get ready to do what he told you to do.”
The angels also reveal – for the first time in the bible – the 2nd coming of Jesus to establish a Messianic kingdom on earth. (More detail on that is in 1 Thes 4.) Jesus has just told them they’re not to know the time . . . but the angels have confirmed it will happen!
The bible tells us Jesus was taken up to heaven from the Mount of Olives – just across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem proper. The bible describes the place as a “Sabbath day’s walk” from Jerusalem (1:12). Throughout Acts one of the main issues is whether Gentile Christians must follow all the legalistic regulations of the Jewish oral law, and this is one of those regulations, which we’ll use as an example of the others. Work is forbidden on the Sabbath, and walking is work . . . so how does a devout Jew get to synagogue on the Sabbath? The rabbi’s defined about ¾ mile as the permissible distance a Jew could walk to synagogue on the Sabbath without committing the sin of Sabbath work.
Jesus’ ascension from the Mount of Olives ties in with Messianic prophesy, in which Zechariah says the Messiah’s feet will split the Mount in two, forming a deep valley (Zech 14:4). For this reason, the Mount of Olives is filled with tombs of Jews expecting to be first in line when the Messiah comes (and this includes the traditional tomb of Zechariah himself). Jesus’ ascension from here probably reflects the prophesy He will return here, since the angels say Jesus will return “in the same way (He went) into heaven” (1:11). The traditional location of Jesus’ ascension is pictured on the web site.
The bible tells us the disciples next went back to where they were staying . . . traditionally, this was the Upper Room in the Mount Zion area of the city, where Jesus ate the Passover meal with his disciples just prior to his arrest. Notice that none of the disciples suggests they venture out to the temple or among the crowds to preach the resurrected Jesus as Messiah. They probably feel alone and afraid; yet they’ve been told to expect the Holy Spirit in “a few days” . . . so they hunker down and wait Spirit . . . praying “constantly” (1:14).
The followers of Jesus now number 120, and Peter seems to be the acknowledged leader. He suggests they select a replacement for Judas, who committed suicide. (Traditionally, this also occurred on the Mount of Olives, at the location pictured on the web site.) Some commentaries suggest Peter is following Jesus’ instructions – but Peter doesn’t say that . . . he quotes Messianic prophesy as his reason. In any case, the criteria is that Judas’ replacement must be a long-term disciple: “one of the men . . . with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us” (1:21). So they select two candidates and leave the final selection to God through casting lots – a practice with numerous examples in the Old Testament – and Matthias is chosen over Barsabbas Justus. Neither of these men is ever mentioned in the bible again . . . but there are many legends, and one is that Matthias ended up in Trier, Germany, a town on the Mosel River that was one of the farthest outposts of the Roman Empire. The web site includes a picture of the church built over what is believed to be his grave.
As a last point . . . Jesus’ family has joined His followers (1:14). They opposed Him earlier (Mark 3:21); what changed their attitude? Probably the resurrection. Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that although Peter is clearly the leader of the church here in Acts 1, by Acts 15 Jesus’ brother James seems to have become more powerful and influential. James, a Johnny-come-lately to the faith, was not eligible for consideration to take the place of Judas, yet later he replaces Peter! Why is that . . . and what are the consequences? This is a topic for discussion in subsequent sessions.
In closing, we’ll revisit Jesus’ last instructions from Acts 1:8:
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 (Acts 1:8)
When the Holy Spirit comes, the disciples will receive the power to continue Jesus’ work. Then they will spread the good news about Jesus the Messiah . . . beginning with the Jews living near the temple in Jerusalem . . . most closely affiliated with the organized Jewish religion. Next, the disciples are to go to Judea: the province surrounding Jerusalem, where Jews are in the majority, and religion is dominated by legalistic Pharisees in local synagogues. They are also to go to the Samaritans, half-Jewish outcasts despised by Jews, yet who believe in the Jewish Messiah. Lastly, the disciples are to go to Gentiles throughout the world, most of whom have never even heard of a Jewish Messiah. Each challenge is greater than the one before. All of Jesus’ followers are Jews, and it is culturally difficult for Jews to even associate with Samaritans and Gentiles. To “witness” to them? . . . that will require the assistance of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is telling them to change their own hearts – step by step . . . then change the world. That’s what Jesus calls us to do.
Next week in Acts 2 the Holy Spirit comes upon the believers . . . witnessed by non-believing onlookers. It’s important to the story who these non-believing onlookers are: they are all Jews . . . Jews living outside Israel called “Jews of the dispersion” . . . devout Jews from far away who came to Jerusalem for Passover, and have stayed 50 more days for another Jewish festival: Pentecost, celebrating the first fruits harvest . . . and commemorating the day God gave Moses the 10 commandments on Mt. Sinai. The web site will include a map identifying the places these onlookers come from . . . and we should ponder the importance to the long-term Christian ministry to the world that the awesome power of the Holy Spirit was witnessed by people from all these places.