A few weeks ago I wrote about how we ought to embrace the idea of Easter in place. The unique moment that we’re in due to COVID19 made this Easter, in some ways, more akin to the first Easter than our normal Easter experience in the modern age is.
This post continues along that line, inspired by some conversation we had last week with our community as we discussed Jesus’ final words on earth as recorded in Luke’s gospel. Here’s what Luke writes:
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
– Luke 24:45-49
Jesus spent 40 days on earth after his death and resurrection, occasionally appearing to his disciples until, 10 days before the Jewish festival of Pentecost, he ascended back to heaven. The words above are Jesus’ final statement before he ascends and they are, I believe, particularly timely for us.
According to the historical church calendar, we are in the weeks between Jesus’ resurrection, ascension, and the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. For 2020, Pentecost Sunday will be May 31st. Will we use these weeks as Jesus intends us to?
You are witnesses
The first thing Luke records is that Jesus opened his disciple’s minds to understand the breadth of scripture and how it pointed to him, something they’d struggled to before that time. Throughout the Gospels we read that the disciples continually don’t understand what Jesus is attempting to teach them. Now, miraculously, they do.
Then, immediately after their minds are opened, Jesus then appoints them as witnesses to all the nations, paralleling the great commission that Matthew records at the end of his Gospel.
Proclaiming forgiveness of sins to all nations is a huge task, right? Now that they understand the scriptures and the message, you’d think they’d better get started immediately, right? Not so. In fact, Jesus tells them to do the exact opposite.
But stay in the city
Jesus insists that his disciples not get started on their mission immediately despite the fact that they now have a solid, miraculous understanding of scripture. Instead, they are to stay in Jerusalem. They are, in effect, to shelter in place.
Why stay in Jerusalem? It’s not enough to just have understanding of the message. Even if you fully grasp the width and breadth of the story of Scripture and can explain it effectively, your understanding of no help if there is no power paired with it.
Until you are clothed with power
The disciples are commanded to stay in the city until “clothed with power from on high.” Hole up in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit falls upon you in power, Jesus says.
It’s not enough to be able to verbalize the beautiful intricacies of God’s word. You must also have power. As Paul says to the Corinthians, it’s not enough to have eloquence and be able to proclaim the Gospel well. In fact, Paul seems to say that teaching with eloquence and wisdom reduces the power of the Gospel (1 Cor. 1:17).
Instead, in order to proclaim the foolishness of the Gospel message to the nations requires power, something that only being filled with the Holy Spirit can give.
This, I believe, is a key thing for us to grasp.
What this means for us
We are currently in the season between the resurrection and pentecost, a season where we remember the wonder and joy of Jesus’ resurrection but wait for the power from on high that Jesus describes in Luke.
Like those first disciples, we are advised (by our government, not by Jesus) to stay in place. We’re admonished to stay in the city. The question for us is, how will we use this time of staying in?
Will we be frustrated by it, anxious to return to doing all the things we feel we need to do? Will we use it to hustle more, learn a new hobby, or become a better person as many blog posts and memes I’ve seen advocate? Or will we use it as those first disciples did, to wait and joyfully, earnestly, eagerly seek the promised power of the Holy Spirit?
Grow your yearning
Pentecost, according to the church calendar, is May 31st this year. What might it look like for us to leverage the next 5 weeks or so to wait well, earnestly cultivating a yearning for a renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit and power for God’s people? Could it be that God’s given us an opportunity to reneact something of the experience of those first followers of Jesus?
What might it look like for Pentecost Sunday 2020 to look something like that first Pentecost, God’s people spilling out of our homes in worship and power – preaching the Gospel with heart-convicting passion, healing the sick, freeing those oppressed by evil, demonstrating God’s goodness, and proclaiming the name of Jesus to the nations God has placed us among?
My prayer is for exactly that.
Let’s stay in, but stay in for power. And when we do gather, let it be for worship and prayer and eager anticipation of the earth-shaking presence of the Spirit of God who will enable us to go in the power that we need to do as Jesus has commanded.
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