Acts 1:6-14 (NRSV)
Read Acts 1:6-14 on biblegateway.com
Verse 6So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" Verse 7He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. Verse 8But 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." Verse 9When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. Verse 10While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. Verse 11They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward 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."
Verse 12Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day's journey away. Verse 13When 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. Verse 14All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.
Devotion
A well-known optical illusion, sometimes called “My Wife and My Mother-in-Law”, is a drawing that appeared on a German postcard in the late 19th century. In it, the viewer may see a young girl, or an old woman, or both! I get frustrated looking at these picture puzzles, especially if someone else has to point out the solution.
(see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Wife_and_My_Mother-in-Law)
Perhaps a similar confusing vision happens for the disciples. Not only are they witness to the risen Christ, but now they see his ascension, and the messengers in white. They also long to see freedom from oppression and tyranny. So much so that it clouds their vision. What they do not see is Christ’s purpose for them—and God’s true deliverance—in God’s call to be witnesses to the resurrection to “all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Beloved, how do we miss the big picture of God’s mission because of our own preconceptions?
Prayer
Abba/Imma, only you see the final picture, even as it unfolds around us. May we be agents of your vision to the ends of the earth. Amen.
Interested in digging deeper into today’s text?
Read more here.