Jesus has not only risen from the grave but taken the express back home to heaven. Two angels told His followers that He most certainly will return. It's hard to imagine the cocktail of emotions Christ's closest companions must have felt.
The first thing they did was to return to Jerusalem (v12). It's easy to gloss over those words but they are important. Luke is telling us that Jesus’ apostles were obedient to what He had commanded.
Previously, the Lord ordered them to stay in the capital city (v4). They weren't go anywhere until the Holy Spirit drenches and empowers them. This is a reminder that in times of great emotion, we are to be obedient to Christ.
The eleven apostles headed back to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. This mountain sits across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem and the temple mount. Olivet is actually 200 feet higher than the city.
Dr. Luke writes that it is "a Sabbath's day's journey" from the city. This possibly indicates that this occurred on a Saturday, the mandated Jewish day of corporate worship.
In the coming weeks and months, that would change for those who followed Jesus. They would shift their Sabbath to Sunday, the day of His resurrection.
"A Sabbath day's journey" is a half a mile, according to Exodus 16:29, the distance from the farthest tents on the perimeter to the tabernacle. This limited to the distance a God-fearing Jew was to travel on Saturday.
This distance would later impact Jewish life as culture became oriented around the local synagogue. As a result, these synagogues became the central location for small towns in Israel.
Taking a proper Sabbath has been a personal struggle for me. God has certainly commanded it (Ex 20:8). And Paul tells us that He clearly has determined that the specific day of the week doesn't matter (Rom 14:5).
But do you take a full day of rest? It should be part of the weekly rhythm of our lives.
When they got back to the city, they headed for "the upper room, where they were staying" (v13). This is no doubt the same upper room where they celebrated the Passover seder, where they hid after Jesus' crucifixion, and where the risen Lord appeared to them.
Spoiler alert. It would later be the very location where the Holy Spirit falls for the first time (Acts 2).
This is another great practical example from Scripture of the importance of community. While quiet time alone with God is imperative, we need each other.
God Himself said, "It is not good that the man should be alone" (Gen 2:18). The very existence of the Trinity models perfect fellowship: Three Persons, One God!
Just as the wolf preys on stray sheep, our enemy loves Lone Ranger Christians. Are you in community?
At this point, Dr. Luke calls the roll of those in attendance in the upper room. First, the surviving 11 apostles:
-Peter
-John
-James
-Andrew
-Philip
-Thomas
-Bartholomew
-Matthew
-James the son of Alphaeus
-Simon the Zealot
-Judas the son of James
It's interesting to note a couple of things. Each time Jesus' closest followers are listed, the order is nearly the same each time.
Peter is always first, indicating his status as first among equals. Even though there might be slight variations in the order, they are divided into small groups that are always listed in the same order.
I do wonder if there is any significance to John now being placed after Peter in the list. In Luke's list here in Acts 1, he jumps his older brother James. Does this reflect his rising status among the apostles? Maybe.
The good doctor tells his readers that the Eleven were united, both in mind and activity (v14). And that activity was prayer. What did they pray about?
Most likely for "the promise of the Father" and their imminent baptism by the Holy Spirit (v5). This is a great reminder to prepare our hearts as we call on God to fulfill His promises in Scripture.
Dr. Luke adds to the roster of those in the upper room at this point. "The women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and His brothers." "The women" were those same ladies listed in Luke 8:2-3 and later visited the empty tomb (Lk 23:55-24:11).
We now read Mary's last mention in the NT. She is to be revered and honored, but she is not divine. Jesus' mother needed a Savior too. And here in the upper room, she prayed to her risen and ascended Son.
Jesus' brothers (and most likely His sisters) were there in that upstairs banquet room as well. Earlier they didn't believe their oldest sibling was anything special (Jn 7:5).
Here they worship Him as God. The realization of His divinity and worship by His own mother and siblings may be one of the most dramatic proofs of who Jesus is! I know that my family loves me, but there's no way they would worship me as divine!
Jesus' brothers would go on to have a MASSIVE impact on the early church. In just a short span, they went from doubters to key leaders of the movement.
James would become the leader of the church in Jerusalem as the apostles took Christ's Gospel of grace to the world. Jude would write a tiny but power-packed epistle.
They assembled in an upper room in Jerusalem. Dazed but NOT confused. Jesus is ALIVE and He is God!
©2011
Jay Jennings
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