Day 1 of 14
Ascension and Promise
The Forty Days Between Resurrection and Pentecost
Scripture Readings
Today's Reading
Read Acts 1:1-11. Luke begins his second volume by reminding Theophilus that his first book (the Gospel of Luke) was about "all that Jesus began to do and teach." The word "began" is crucial -- it implies that Acts is the continuation. Jesus is not absent; He is at work through His Spirit and His people. For forty days after the resurrection, Jesus appeared to the disciples, "speaking about the kingdom of God." Then He gave them a command and a promise: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
Reflection
The Book of Acts opens with an ending and a beginning. The ending is Jesus' earthly ministry -- He ascends into heaven and is hidden by a cloud. The beginning is everything that follows: the birth of the church, the coming of the Spirit, and the explosive spread of the gospel across the Roman world.
But between the ending and the beginning, there is a command to wait. The disciples are not to rush out and start preaching. They are to stay in Jerusalem until they receive "power from on high." John Stott observed that this is perhaps the hardest command in all of Scripture. The disciples are not told to organize, strategize, or launch a movement. They are told to wait for what only God can give.
N.T. Wright insists that the ascension is not about Jesus going away. It is about Jesus being enthroned. In the Jewish and early Christian worldview, heaven is not a distant location; it is the dimension of reality where God's purposes are sovereign. Jesus ascending to the right hand of the Father means that He now reigns over all things. He is not less present after the ascension but more -- present everywhere by the Spirit rather than confined to one location in Palestine.
Acts 1:8 provides the outline for the entire book. The gospel will move from Jerusalem (chapters 1-7) to Judea and Samaria (chapters 8-12) to the end of the earth (chapters 13-28). This geographical expansion is not merely strategic. It is theological. The good news about Jesus is for everyone, everywhere.
Going Deeper
Two angels appear and ask the disciples a pointed question: "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven?" There is a time to gaze in wonder, and there is a time to get to work. The ascension assures us that Jesus reigns. The promise of the Spirit assures us that we will not work alone. The question is: Are you ready to be a witness?
Key Quotes
“The ascension of Jesus is not about Jesus going away. It is about Jesus being enthroned as Lord of the whole world, present everywhere by the Spirit rather than confined to one place.”
“The disciples are told to wait. This is perhaps the hardest command in all of Scripture. They are not told to organize, strategize, or launch a movement. They are told to wait for what only God can give.”
Prayer Focus
Ask God for the patience to wait for His timing and the faith to believe that His power, not your effort, accomplishes His purposes.
Meditation
The disciples watched Jesus ascend and were told He would return the same way. How does living between the ascension and the return shape the way you see your daily life?
Question for Discussion
The angels ask the disciples, 'Why do you stand looking into heaven?' What is the difference between gazing upward in passive wonder and living actively in light of Jesus' reign and promised return?