Commissioning
(Reading: Acts 1:6-14)
So, the first thing the disciples ask Jesus in the book of Acts, after they have been with him during his ministry, seen all the miracles, the healings, the wonders, after they have witnessed his death, and experienced his post-resurrection appearances, is this:
So, Jesus, NOW are you going to restore the Kingdom of Israel?
This may strike us as ridiculous, but it’s really understandable if we remember that for their people in their day, everyone believed that the way to tell if someone is the Messiah is if he restores the Kingdom of Israel. That was their understanding of the job description of “Messiah.” So Jesus had died and been resurrected, which was pretty neat and certainly unexpected, but there was still that nagging question about the restoration of Israel. The disciples probably knew that they were running out of time. They had been through a lot, following Jesus, and perhaps felt they needed this thing to get back on track.
But in response, Jesus bega…
So, the first thing the disciples ask Jesus in the book of Acts, after they have been with him during his ministry, seen all the miracles, the healings, the wonders, after they have witnessed his death, and experienced his post-resurrection appearances, is this:
So, Jesus, NOW are you going to restore the Kingdom of Israel?
This may strike us as ridiculous, but it’s really understandable if we remember that for their people in their day, everyone believed that the way to tell if someone is the Messiah is if he restores the Kingdom of Israel. That was their understanding of the job description of “Messiah.” So Jesus had died and been resurrected, which was pretty neat and certainly unexpected, but there was still that nagging question about the restoration of Israel. The disciples probably knew that they were running out of time. They had been through a lot, following Jesus, and perhaps felt they needed this thing to get back on track.
But in response, Jesus bega…
