Acts 1- "Can I Get A Witness!"
Acts 1 - NIV
Verses for the Day
Jesus Taken Up Into Heaven
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[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with[b] 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.
Commentary
Luke, the companion of the apostle Paul on is missionary journeys, is the author of both the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. The book of Acts is also called, "The Acts of the Apostles". How do we know this?
Look at the beginning of Luke's gospel.
1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled[a] among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
You can see Luke says, "In my former book Theophilos" referring the gospel he also wrote. The name "Theophilos" means "lover of God". Luke addresses him as, "Most Excellent Theophilus" which might have meant he was a Roman official or a man of means. Importantly Luke wanted to give a detailed eyewitness not only Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, but also the rise of the early church. Luke was a physician, so he realized the life and death consequences of getting it right.
Luke picks up where he left off at the end of his gospel in Luke 24, as he records Jesus' last words to his apostles.
"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."
The disciples still didn't exactly understand what Jesus was telling them. They were still in the mindset of Jesus restoring the kingdom of Israel in a political or national way. Theologican John Stott summarizes their state of mind,
“The verb restore shows that they were expecting a political and territorial kingdom; the noun Israel that they were expecting a national kingdom; and the adverbial clause at this time that they were expecting its immediate establishment.” (Stott)
Though the disciples were still a little shaky on their idea of the kingdom Jesus came to initiate, Jesus gave them a clear mandate which is similar to the one in Matthew 28. When the Holy Spirit came upon them in 10 days they would be Jesus' witnesses to all the ends of the earth.
The use of the term witness or eyewitness is an important one for Luke, the Physician. Because he was scientifically minded, the facts were vitally important to him. The fact that the apostles and others were eyewitnesses proved that Jesus rose from the dead and everything Jesus said about himself was true. It was proof that Jesus was the Son of God, the Messiah. If Jesus did not raise from the dead, he was a farce and the Christian faith falls apart.
We know that some of the disciples died for being a witness for Jesus in cities which were hostile to His name. We see Jesus giving the range and scope of the spread of the gospel. It would start in Jerusalem where they would receive the Holy Spirit in ten days. This was their immediate surroudings which they were familiar with.
Next, it would spread to Judea. Geographically Judea, also known as the kingdom of Judah, had Jerusalem as its captial, and also contained important cities like Jerusalem. It was the home of the Southern Kingdom of Israel, which was made up the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Jesus was called the "Lion of Judah".
Then it would spread to Samaria in the North. Samaria was the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, which consisted of the other 10 tribes. These tribes were exiled in 733 B.C., as they ran after pagan gods. This was a challenging area for the apostles to think about being witnesses in, because they view the Samaritans as their enemies. They had a a general disdain for the Samaritans, which they viewed as "half-Jews". Remember Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, which shocked his disciples.
Finally, Jesus uses the words, "To the ends of the earth". Jesus' mission was never just for the Jews or Israel, but the gospel was meant to be preached for the salvation of the whole world. When God called Abraham, he made this unilateral covenant promise with him,
“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:2-3
"And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.” Genesis 22:18
You see although God chose the Jewish people, and the nation of Israel to be a special nation, their purpose was always to bring the Messiah into the world. It was never just about them. This is why when we focus on national Israel today, it is a mistake. In Galatians, Paul says we are all descendents of Abraham by faith. We have become the new "spiritual Israel".
"There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise." Galatians 3:29
Application
1. What do you think it means for you to be a "witness for Christ"? It what sense have you witnessed Jesus in your own life? We often call our witness our testimony.
2. What is the importance of the fact that though God's promise of salvation came through the Jews, the plan all along was for the gospel to be proclaimed to all nations? I.e. Why do we sometimes think about only reaching out to people "like us"?
Prayer
Send Your Holy Spirit afresh on Your Church today, as we seek to be your witnesses where we live, in our neighbor communities, and to the whole world. Give us courage and boldness to stand up for you even when it is uncomfortable or inconvenient! Amen.
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