It is now forty day since Christ’s death and
resurrection. Since His appearance on the shore of Galilee,
when He had prepared breakfast for some of the disciples after
their all-night toil at fishing, His presence is not as
sporadic.
Christ meets with the disciples once again, in Jerusalem.
He repeats His commission that they are to preach the good
news of repentance and faith in Him. He reiterates that they
are to take the gospel first to Jerusalem, the place where
Christ was crucified; then they are to carry it to all of
Judea, the country round about where they had walked with
Him, and where He had done miracles; and next they are to
carry the gospel to Samaria, a place which Jewish people
hated; and lastly Christ commissions them to carry it to
all the rest of the world. Jesus teaches His disciples that
His sacrificial death was for ALL mankind, not just the Jews
The earthly days of Jesus are drawing to a close. He must
leave His friends behind, these disciples whom He so tenderly
loves. It is time for Him to go back to His Father in Heaven;
and it is essential that His return be seen by His disciples.
They have to learn that death no longer has power over Him.
They have witnessed that He can appear and disappear from
their sight, passing through walls and doors; so now they must
witness His return to Heaven, so that they will no longer
expect Him to be among them in His human form. He must prepare
them for living without His physical presence. He must teach
them that God has planned a better way.
He teaches the disciples that He is not leaving them
without the comfort of His presence. Should He remain on
earth, even though He is no longer constrained to human
limitations, He still would be unable to be everywhere and
with everyone at the same time. Earthly bodies have their
boundaries, but when He is departed from them He will send His
Representative down to be with them--His Holy Spirit.
By His Holy Spirit He will be with them always, even if they
go to the ends of the earth.
Jesus’ next admonition is that the disciples are to remain
in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit, whom John the Baptist had
foretold should baptize them, gives them the power to carry
out His commission. The disciples listen with intent, although
their hearts are a little saddened, realizing that this is
Christ’s last earthly farewell to them. They follow Christ out
of the eastern gate of the city, across the brook Kidron, past
the Garden of Gethsemane, where He had prayed His agonizing
prayer, and up towards the Mount of Olives. Now Jesus takes
them past Bethany where His good friends, Mary, Martha and
Lazarus live. This exclusive group walks on to a quiet place,
hidden from the road and village. Below them is Jerusalem,
that city over which Christ had wept, that city which had
rejected Him and crucified Him, and which holds the tomb where
unbelievers still think that Christ lies buried.
Now, away from the eyes of the world, in the quietness of
this sacred place, Christ spreads out His hands, and once more
invokes a blessing on His beloved disciples. Then slowly He
begins to rise from the ground and float upwards. The clouds
gradually engulf Him. Two angels come down and accompany
Christ to His Heavenly Father. The disciples can no longer see
Him. With pain in their hearts, they gaze toward the sky.
Their Friend, Teacher, Savior and Lord is gone from their
presence. They cannot take their eyes from the clouds. Not a
word is spoken amongst them.
As they stand with their eyes upward, the two angels who
had accompanied Christ appear to them. “Ye
men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same
Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come
in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”
(Acts 1:11)
One by one the disciples lower their eyes to the earth.
Their Lord is gone from them. Pensively they leave the mount
of Olivet and head back to Jerusalem. They go directly to the
upper room as Jesus had instructed them to do. They would wait
and pray until the promised Comforter comes to them.
© Helen Dowd
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with Study 18