Until He Was Taken Up

Jesus IS risen from death on a cross! Then after appearing alive is again taken up into heaven.

Witness after witness has told you what our Lord has done.  Jesus appeared not only to the Apostles and family, but the risen Jesus also appeared to other witnesses.

How can we explain this singular pivotal event in the history of man to others? How do we tell this Good News?

This is the dilemma of Dr. Luke, Mark and the Apostles Mathew and John.

Peter, the ten remaining Apostles and others can give their witness to a scribe of history (like Mark or Luke); but then the dilemma of the reporter: how can this writer of this most important Good News convince the hearers (for most were incapable of reading the written word) of the absolute truth of the eyewitness accounts: the Gospel?

Jesus IS risen from death; Jesus walked with and instructed the Apostles; Jesus IS then taken up into the clouds to His rightful Throne of heaven!

Luke has written his Gospel account as one book. Now Luke continues in what we know as the Acts of the Apostles. Luke recounts the time after Jesus resurrection. Luke chronicles the days of the first century church, beginning with the time of the Apostles with Jesus after the resurrection and before His ascension to heaven.

Now in his second book Luke details the Acts of the Apostles.

Acts 1

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

NOTE: As a twenty-first century reader of this first century writer I have read several commentaries on the identity of Theophilus. 

The best consensus is that among the few learned men of the day, he may be a faithful disciple of the early church who provided needed funds and materials to Dr. Luke (another early disciple of the Way) for Luke to record his Gospel. (The disciple Mark would have also needed the grant of materials and time to write his Gospel account.

Luke continues:

4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

… To be continued