Day 30–Matthew 28: 18-20, Acts 1:1-9
Passages for the Day
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Acts 1:1-9
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 So when they met together, they 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.
Points of interest:
· ‘Then Jesus came to them‘—these are the last words of Jesus in Matthew’s story. The following passage is the beginning of the book of Acts, which tells the story of Jesus’ disciples after his ascension to heaven. In both passages, Jesus is passing the baton to his followers. He has done his work: he has died and risen from the dead. Now, he has a mission for his friends and followers.
· make disciples of all nations’—‘disciples’ are followers or students. Once again, like with Abraham before (Genesis 12, March 4th) we have an instance when things are starting small, but are meant to get very big. During his earthly career, Jesus spent almost all of his time with twelve people. But that’s not because he only cares about those twelve people, or because they are somehow more worthy of his attention. Jesus wants absolutely everyone to get exactly what the disciples have gotten, by the disciples passing it on freely and widely.
· ‘baptizing them’—circumcision was the sign of participation in Abraham’s covenant. Baptism is the sign of participation in this new covenant Jesus is establishing.
· ‘in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit’—Jesus’ predecessor John the Baptist immersed people in water as a symbol of spiritual purification. Jesus carries on the tradition, but he has a much more powerful baptism in mind. He wants to immerse people, not in water, but in the very presence and power of God.
· ‘going to restore the kingdom to Israel’—God had told Isaiah, ‘It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob’ (Isaiah 49, March 19th). Small part of God’s purposes or not, it’s the part that continued to capture the attention and the imagination of the Jews. The disciples aren’t an exception.
· ‘It is not for you to know’—the disciples would have expected the restoration of Israel to happen in ‘the last days.’ So, along with yearning for Israel’s restoration they’re wondering, ‘Is this the end of the world?’ Jesus essentially answers, ‘None of your business.’
· ‘in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth’—this is an expanding circle. It starts in Jerusalem, the center of everything Jewish. It moves on to anywhere descendants of Jacob live, and then takes a giant leap to everyone. It’s interesting that Judea and Samaria are lumped together; they would have thought of themselves as very different.
· ‘he was taken up before their very eyes’—Jesus completely disappears, very obviously leaving the work in the disciples’ hands.
Taking it home:
· For you: Jesus told his followers not to leave Jerusalem without the Holy Spirit. Before you go any further in your day, ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit.
· For your six: Jesus was willing to do whatever it took to show the disciples that he was alive and to explain the kingdom of God to them. I think he’s also willing to reveal himself to your six. If any of your six are looking for something from Jesus, pray that he would give them the ‘convincing proofs’ they need of his presence, his power, and his love.
· For America: I don’t think the Jews of Jesus’ day are alone in sometimes confusing their national interests with God’s priorities. Pray that God would forgive our nation for the times we present our own agenda as his.