Read:
Reflect:
One of the last things Jesus said to his disciples before he ascended into heaven was that they should stay in Jerusalem and wait for the Father’s promise that they would soon be baptized with the Holy Spirit (vv 4-5). What might this mean exactly, and how should they wait? It is helpful to look closely at vv 12-14 to see who was waiting and what they did during this period. Perhaps that will help us when we wait for the promises of God to be fulfilled in our own lives.
It is clear that the eleven disciples of Jesus were in the waiting group for they are mentioned by name (v 13). Mary, Jesus’ mother, and the women (v 14), which would include those who followed him from Galilee (see Luke 8:1-3; 23:49, 55), no doubt also Mary Magdalene, and likely many others (see Luke 8:3), were there too. The presence of these women is remarkable because it was quite unusual, even somewhat scandalous, culturally. This appears to indicate that the resurrection and ascension of Jesus had already started to produce a genuine gender equality in this early group of Jesus-followers. There was no sign that this being-together-in-waiting was in any way inappropriate. Furthermore, the rest of Jesus’ family were present as well. Jesus had four brothers and several sisters (Matthew 13:55-56), and, in New Testament usage, the word “brothers” (Acts 1:14) could refer to siblings (both men and women). Though Jesus’ brothers had not believed in him initially (John 7:5), they were now part of the group waiting for power from on high. The story of how they came to believe in Jesus is left untold, and we can only imagine how dramatic and exciting it must have been. In total there were about 120 people gathered together (v 15).
Two things stand out in particular as they waited for the Spirit to come. First, they were all in agreement with each other. This meant they all believed that Jesus’ promise would be fulfilled and they wanted to experience it together. Unity was important for this hope to be realized for all of them together, and not just as an individual experience. Secondly, they were devoting themselves to prayer (v 14). They recognized that God would be the One to bring the promise to realization. So they devoted themselves to the discipline of prayer, appealing to the Lord to do as he promised. And they did this together as a group, though they no doubt also prayed privately. All this shows that these followers of Jesus did not sit back inactively and expect God to simply act. They were actively engaged, in this case through concerted prayer, to bring about the purposes of God.
Waiting is hard and requires patience. For Jesus’ followers the wait for Pentecost was relatively short: a mere ten days and the Spirit fell on them with power. But the wait for the return of Jesus (v 11) is much longer. Two millenia have already passed and we still wait for this momentous event. However, the length of the wait is not the most important; it is how we wait that matters more. So, like Jesus’ first followers, we share and agree with one another on our hopes and expectations. As a unified body we work for his kingdom rule until he comes. And we devote ourselves to praying together to our Lord: Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). The Scriptures make it clear that along with this prayer we become God’s hands and feet to bring his purposes to pass (Acts 1:8).
Respond:
As we anticipate the celebration of the gift of the Spirit this Pentecost Sunday, and as we expectantly wait for the final return of our Lord, may our hearts and lives be open to the powerful, transforming work of the Holy Spirit.
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(1 Thessalonians 5:23)