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. Acts1:6-8
Having come from heaven to earth, compressing Himself into Mary's womb and then growing through the years of childhood to manhood, Jesus began His public ministry at the age of 30. Although He taught the crowds and did miracles among the masses, His real focus was on the 12 disciples He chose.
Of those 12, one betrayed, one denied and all ran away.
Then He ascended into heaven, leaving His name, His message, His reputation and the responsibility to build His church in the hands of the remaining 11 and their companions.
From a business-strategic perspective it couldn't have looked good. One might imagine some of the angels shaking their heads and saying: "What was He thinking?"
But this is His plan! (And it has been working for 2000 years)
The disciples, horrified at the the thought of His departure, come to a desperate conclusion: "If He's going, it's because He is going to do the Messiah thing and chase the Romans into the sea and bring peace on earth and an end to all this pain." And so they ask: "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
Jesus' answer isn't what they expected: He promises them power through the Holy Spirit and tells them that they must be His witnesses. The Kingdom is coming, but it is not falling into their laps while they sit around. The Kingdom comes to those who live and love for God and have learned to pray: "Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done (in me!) on earth as it is in heaven.
The Ascension is a commissioning, an entrusting, a baton-passing.
It's calling us to do His work in this world!
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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
