Acts 1:6-14
“So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He replied, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their site. While he was going and they were gazing up towards heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up towards heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’”
“Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.”
Did you know it is technically still Easter? As far as the Universal Church is concerned, it is Easter for another two weeks! Just dropping some knowledge on you.
Today is “Ascension Sunday.” It is the day the Church celebrates Jesus return to heaven to be with God. Isn’t it interesting, in the verses above, that the Jews still didn’t get the purpose of Jesus, his life, death and resurrection. They wanted to know when he would restore the kingdom of Israel. All Jesus talked about was bringing to Earth the Kingdom of God.
Is Jesus still misunderstood today? Certainly he is misused and mis-interpreted on a daily basis. By this statement, I don’t claim to have all the answers. Nor should you. But pay attention to the words of Christ, depicted in the Gospel narratives. He does all he can to tell you his intentions. And they are usually not the intentions you would like for them to be.
Jesus came to save humanity. That is a loaded statement and as one of my professors likes to say: “Too many trees have died in discussion of that.” What does “Jesus came to save,” mean to you?
Read the Gospels, read the witness in the epistles of the New Testament, listen to the witness of those around you and ask God to reveal to you the meaning of Jesus in this life. It is deep, rich and powerful. Seek the words of Jesus and you will grow in your faith.
Awesomeness Abounding!
Lee
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