The Fortieth Day (Acts 1:1-8)
This sermon was preached on 25/4/2010
The author of this volume is Luke, the doctor who became the companion of Paul. There are several references to him in the literature of the early church – he was a native of Antioch in Syria, which we know from the Book of Acts was one of the earliest centres of Christianity, and he may have been converted there. These references to Luke also say that he never married and later, after Paul’s death, moved to Greece where he died at the age of eighty-four. He first appears on the Christian scene in Troas (the use of ‘we’ in Acts 16:10), and perhaps he was a doctor there. It may be the case that he was converted at that time. Alternatively he may have been a believer in Jesus for some time before then. Whether it was the time of his conversion or not, it does seem to have been a time of special consecration for Luke and he was accepted into the company of Paul’s apostolic team, perhaps because his medical skills were needed by others in the group.
No doubt, Luke at that moment of consecration had little idea of what was ahead of him in the service of God. As far as he could see, he was putting his talents to good use. Yet behind the scenes, God was working in his life, preparing him for his future role as one of the authors of the Bible. As far as we know, Luke is the only Gentile who had this great privilege. Even in his medical role, Luke would have been good at observing details and taking notes of what he saw, and these practices would have helped him as he interviewed witnesses and summarised events. None of us can say what God will do through us when we dedicate ourselves to him.
Paul’s apostolic team learned quickly that Luke was both reliable and capable. One of the first places they went to was Philippi, and we can see from the account in Acts 18 that Luke seems to have stayed on there when the others left (note the use of ‘we’ as the team journey from Troas to Philippi, and the use of ’they’ when the team leaves Philippi; in Acts 20:6, when Paul’s team, having revisited Philippi, leaves for Jerusalem, the ‘we’ is resumed). We should not be surprised that the church in Philippi was devoted to helping missions once we recall the likely possibility that it was nurtured by Luke in its early years. We cannot say how great the blessing will be that others will experience through our devotion to Jesus.
It is not too difficult to see that Luke was marked by practical love for Paul. In Colossians 4:14, Paul calls him ‘the beloved physician’. This description flows from years of experience. Paul had several infirmities, with some suggesting that he had symptoms of malaria, and he needed medical care. In addition, he suffered much physical abuse from hostile crowds and official beatings from the authorities. I suspect that many times Luke had to deal with deep lacerations, even broken bones, in Paul’s body. And during these years, a deep bond developed between Paul and his doctor.
Colossians 4:14, when combined with 2 Timothy 4:10, reveals another feature of Luke, which is that he did not flinch when the going became tough. These two verses detail the contrast between Luke and Demas – the latter abandoned the Christian ship when the winds became too strong and the waves were almost submerging the boat. But Luke remained, true to the end. In fact, he was Paul’s only companion in his second, and last, imprisonment in Rome. From his prison cell, Paul informs Timothy, ’Only Luke is with me’ (2 Tim. 4:11).
We can mention one more characteristic of Luke, and it brings us back to the books he wrote. Why did Luke write his Gospel and the Acts? His initial reason was that Theophilus, a high-ranking Roman official, would know about Jesus Christ and his church. The labour of writing these works were intense and demanding, yet Luke thought it worthwhile for a great deal of labour to be expended on one person. Luke had a concern for the soul of Theophilus, and his concern made him busy in helping his friend.
Luke’s preface
It is usual for an author to begin his book with a preface that enables the reader to see where the author has come from and what he intends to say. Chapter 1 of Acts functions like a preface and in it Luke details what his main emphases are going to be in his book.
Perhaps we are puzzled as to why Luke does not detail the appearances of the risen Jesus or the teaching that he gave to his apostles during the forty days between his resurrection and his ascension. We would be very interested in a comprehensive account of these post-resurrection appearances because only a few of them are recorded in the Gospels. Similarly we would appreciate being informed as to the particular teachings of Jesus given by him after Calvary had occurred in addition to what is said in the Gospels which was given by him before he went to the cross.
I suppose Luke would tell us that it would not be possible to record all these appearances of Jesus within one volume, and he would probably also say that the ones that are described in the Gospels are sufficient for us meantime, because he would know that one day we will hear all about them when we get to heaven. Regarding the teachings of Jesus, I am sure that Luke would refer us to what had been recorded in the Gospels, and even if we stressed that it would be interesting to know them from a post-resurrection perspective, he would say that we can find them in the writings of the apostle Paul (who was instructed by Jesus after his resurrection). To them, we can add the teachings of Jesus in the Book of Revelation. Yet, when we turn to Paul’s letters and to John’s Revelation, we discover that the teachings of the risen Christ are the same as those he gave when he was on earth.
Before we look at verses 1-8 more closely, let me mention what I suspect may be the main points of Luke’s preface. His first point is that the risen Jesus is still active, although he is no longer present physically on earth. I think we can deduce this from the verb ‘began’ in verse 1 – it suggests that he is still continuing with his work although in a different way. Luke is saying that the contents of his second volume will describe the ongoing acts of Jesus as he oversees the extension of the kingdom of God.
This is a common New Testament perspective. Note Paul’s explanation of his life’s work in Romans 15:18-19: ‘For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ.’
The second point stressed by Luke as he writes to Theophilus is that the Holy Spirit will be active once he comes. In contrast to the rulers who were responsible for the development of earthly kingdoms, and who used fiendish power to defeat and enslave their enemies, the risen Jesus will use heavenly power (the Holy Spirit) to bring spiritual life and power to sinners who were the enemies of God. The Book of Acts will detail what took place in several places when the Spirit came in his power.
A third point that Luke stresses is that the blessings connected to the growth of the kingdom of God will come to a spiritually-active church. In Chapter 1, he describes what the church did as they waited for the Spirit to come; in subsequent chapters, he will detail what the church did after the Spirit came. What is important to note about this point is that God blesses those who practice their faith.
Perhaps you can see other points that Luke mentions in his preface. Some of them may be explained as we focus on what Luke recorded took place on the fortieth day. From these verses, I want us to meditate on three issues about which Jesus spoke on this very important day, the day when he would return to his Father. These issues are (1) the baptism with the Holy Spirit; (2) the future of Israel; (3) the spread of the gospel.
The baptism with the Holy Spirit (1:4-5)
The first detail that the Saviour stresses is that this baptism was going to occur in a particular place, Jerusalem. I think this is why he commands his apostles not to leave the city. If any of them had decided to return to Galilee, they would have missed out on this occasion. Of course, the mention of a specific location raises the question as to why it was selected? One answer to the question is that God is free to bless wherever he wishes. A second answer is that Jerusalem was the climax or goal of the Old Testament perspective, but here in the New Testament it is only the beginning of what God was going to do. A third answer is that the inhabitants of Jerusalem were the ones who had urged the authorities to crucify Jesus, and Jesus here reveals that where sin abounded, grace would abound even more.
A second detail connected to this baptism was that it was going to be experienced by particular people, the apostles of Jesus. Initially, at least, the baptism with the Spirit was limited to them because there is not a suggestion that it was experienced by the other believers out of the 120 who are mentioned in verse 15. This leads us to ask why Jesus limited the baptism to them, and the answer is given in verse 8: they needed spiritual power in order to be the witnesses of Jesus. These men already had the Spirit, but they needed to experience him in a more expansive and powerful way as they went out with the gospel.
A third detail connected to the baptism with the Spirit is that it is connected to a particular promise made by the Father to his Son (v. 4). This takes us back to the eternal counsels when the Father, Son and Holy Spirit interacted with one another concerning their kingdom of grace and glory. One aspect of these counsels was that the Father promised the Son that, upon the completion of his work on earth, he would receive the Holy Spirit in order to continue the development of the church throughout the history of the world.
This statement of Jesus creates the anticipation that something great and marvellous is going to take place shortly in Jerusalem and elsewhere, through these men, as they are empowered by the Holy Spirit.
The role of Israel
Another detail that Luke mentions, from what Jesus and his disciples discussed on this fortieth day, is the future of Israel in God’s purposes. Several commentators find fault with the disciples for asking this question, but on what evidence they do so I cannot see. I don’t think it is valid to say that they would have asked a carnal question having spent so much time during these forty days being instructed by Jesus about the kingdom of God. The Saviour, certainly, does not find fault with them for asking it and neither does he say that Israel will not be restored in the future.
Why would they have asked this question? I think the answer is that the Old Testament promised both the coming of the Spirit and the restoration of Israel during the reign of the Messiah. Jesus was about to begin his reign from heaven, and he had intimated that the Spirit would come within a few days. Therefore it was natural for them to ask if the restoration of Israel would also occur then.
We should note two things from this matter. First, the apostles were acknowledging the sovereignty of Jesus because they believed that he would be the one who would restore Israel. This would be one of the actions that Jesus would do from heaven during his reign. The church has waited a long time for Jesus to perform this great work, but it will be wonderful when it happens (Rom. 11:11-15). We should be praying for and anticipating with delight that wonderful future day.
Second, Jesus reminds them that the Father works to his timetable, and there are many details within it that he has not revealed when they will happen (v. 7). This denial, however, should not diminish or remove our confidence in him. Today, we seem to be seeing the decline of Christianity in the western world, or so we are told. But these commentators don’t know the timetable of God. Our hope is in his plans and not in human speculations.
Witnessing for Jesus
In verse 8, Jesus assures these men that they will take the gospel to the end of the earth. Acts itself will tell us how the gospel reached Rome. Elsewhere, in the New Testament, the gospel goes to Africa and Asia. Church tradition suggests that Thomas took the gospel to India and Matthew took it as far south as Ethiopia. Only the records of heaven can say how far the gospel was spread by these men.
Yet the generation of Christian witnesses that brought the gospel to the first-century world has gone, as has the millions who lived then. Today, twenty centuries later, the church has the same task – to bear witness to Jesus to millions of people who know nothing about him, who have other gods, who live for sinful pleasures, who face a lost eternity.
As we look at the task, we feel incapable even of witnessing to our own world here in Inverness. But the resources of the early church are still available. What are they? The Father’s secret counsels to bless sinners, the Son’s ongoing activities from his throne in heaven, and the Spirit’s power to bless the gospel. Surely the prospect of the involvement of the triune God should cause us to imitate the example of the apostles and their friends – to engage in prayer until God comes in spiritual power.