Back in the '90s, God used a group called the Promise Keepers in a massive way in the lives of men. At stadium and arena rallies, PKs encouraged men to be the husbands and fathers God had called them to be.
They encouraged us to be men of the Word and men of our word. We were to keep our promises.
But there is no greater Promise Keeper than God Himself. That's a huge theme for Luke in these verses. If God says He will do something, we can count on it. It's as good as done. It's no longer a matter of if, but only a matter of when.
The good doctor describes how Jesus as "staying with" His followers in the forty days after His resurrection (v4). Actually the verb means "eating with." Remember how Christ ate broiled fish in order to prove He was not a ghost (Lk 24:42-43).
There is nothing like eating together to bring people closer together. Since Jesus stayed with His disciples, He no doubt ate with them.
Jesus had used meal time as important teaching time before His crucifixion. Levi invited Him to a feast to meet his sinful friends (Lk 5:29-31). It was during dinner that He forgave a sinful woman (Lk 7:36-50).
He fed 5000 men with a little boy's lunch box (Lk 9:10-17). He tenderly rebuke Martha and encouraged Mary at a dinner party in Bethany (Lk 10:28-42).
He busted the chops of the Pharisees and lawyers while sitting at supper (Lk 11:37-54). And of course, there is that tender moment in the Upper Room where He celebrates the Last Supper and institutes the Lord's Supper (Lk 22:14-30).
Before the days of fast food and the drive-thru window, eating together was an incredibly important and intimate time.
At these various meals, Jesus had specific instructions for His followers: Don't leave Jerusalem! Stay in town.
This is an echo of the same order He gave in the closing chapter of Luke's Gospel (Lk 24:49). As a matter of fact, much of the first chapter of Acts is a simple retelling of the last chapter of Luke.
Much like a movie sequel gives you a quick recap of the events from its predecessor, Luke looks back at the end of his Gospel account to make sure his readers have a running start into his second book.
Jesus commanded His followers to stay in the city. Something VERY important was going to happen. Or should I say Someone?
He told them to "wait for the promise of the Father." Just what had the Father promised? Verse 5 tells us He's talking about the Holy Spirit.
Several times in the OT, God promises to send His Spirit to His people. Through Ezekiel, God promised, "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new Spirit I will put within you.
“And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes and be careful to obey My rules" (Ezek 36:25-27).
The coming of God's Spirit means forgiveness and willing obedience.
Through the prophet Joel, God promises, "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.
“Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out My Spirit" (Joel 2:28-29). Peter will quote this same OT passage in his famous sermon after God's Spirit miraculously lights up a roomful of His followers (Acts 2:17-21).
Clearly, God the Father had promised to send His Spirit. And He is the Ultimate Promise Keeper.
Jesus reminded His followers of His earlier teaching,"you heard from Me." It appears Luke is citing Christ's teaching that last night with His disciples before His crucifixion.
The Apostle John tells us that Jesus spoke often that evening of sending of "another Helper to be with you forever...the Spirit of truth" (Jn 14:16-17a). He explicitly tells them that His Father will send the Spirit in the name of Jesus (Jn 14:26).
The Father can't send the Spirit as long as Jesus is still on earth (Jn 16:7). The promised Holy Spirit will be the key to knowing God's truth (Jn 16:13).
The Holy Spirit. The first two Persons of the Trinity had promised the coming of the Third Person. The Father had promised Him. The Son had promised Him. And God is the Ultimate Promise Keeper.
The risen Jesus reminded His crew of John the Baptizer's work in the water (v5). John had prepared the way for the coming of Christ through his baptismal campaign (Lk 3:1-17).
Jesus' weird cousin had himself predicted a future Spirit baptism that would make his work pale in comparison (Lk 3:16).
Christ tells His disciples that they "will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." Whatever this was, it was going to happen soon.
As a matter of fact, most scholars conclude that it would occur only 10 days after Jesus spoke these words. Something incredible happened during Pentecost that is still ringing throughout the world today.
And that's all because God is the Ultimate Promise Keeper.
©2011
Jay Jennings
No comments:
Post a Comment