Luke 24:44–49; Acts 1:6–8; 2:41–47

Bible Studies for Life 
Assistant Professor of Religion, Samford University

Jesus Commissions His Church

Luke 24:44–49; Acts 1:6–8; 2:41–47

Understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:44–49)
Among the more curious elements of Jesus’ ministry are His repeated admonitions not to tell anyone about Him. Jesus heals a leper but then warns him to say nothing to anyone about it (Mark 1:43). He restores a girl to life but then tells the family not to tell what He had done (Mark 5:43). He tells Peter, James and John not to inform even the other disciples about His transfiguration (Mark 9:9). When Peter correctly identifies Jesus as the Messiah, He sternly orders His disciples not to share this with anyone else (Mark 8:30). If Jesus intended to reach the world, why would He take such pains to hide His message? Answering this question involves grasping a tension not always evident today. In Jesus’ day, one could be Messiah or one could suffer; one could not do both. To be Messiah was to be a political ruler, a person who would expel the Roman armies from the promised land and restore Israel to its former Davidic glory. Suffering and death were incompatible with such a calling. 

Because Jesus knew He had to suffer, He deliberately downplayed His identity as the Messiah. It is only when He performs some act of power or when someone perceives His Messianic identity that Jesus admonishes His followers not to make Him known. To be swept in as the Messianic king would have threatened the mission of suffering He needed to accomplish first. Were people to hear Jesus was Messiah, they would never be able to hear His message of the cross.

Jesus’ own disciples fell victim to this temptation. They grasped on to every hint that Jesus was the Messiah. But His message of coming suffering and resurrection skipped across their minds like a stone skipping off a pond. Jesus’ death caught them by surprise, and the first reports of His resurrection struck them as utter nonsense (Luke 24:11). 

It would take days, years even, for the news and full import of Jesus’ resurrection to register with Jesus’ followers. But as Jesus’ resurrection did come more fully into focus, it would have a profound effect on every aspect of their lives. Living in the light of Jesus’ resurrection, the disciples would reach profound insights into the nature of God’s relationship to humanity. Even the Scriptures themselves would be understood in a new way now that Jesus had died and risen again.

Engage in Mission (Acts 1:6–8)
With Jesus raised from the dead, the disciples naturally wondered whether the moment had arrived for Jesus’ kingdom to be established on earth. With His suffering accomplished, surely now Jesus would overthrow Rome’s hegemony and take His place as Messiah. While not denying the eventual realization of these hopes, Luke especially suggests their arrival would not happen immediately. Jesus’ return and the establishment of His earthly kingdom would be delayed for some time (Luke 21:8, 24). But if the full flourishing of Jesus’ kingdom was delayed, another spiritual facet of Jesus’ kingdom was already present. Even before His death and resurrection, Jesus told His disciples the kingdom was already among them (Luke 11:20; 17:21). Now was the time for the disciples to start living out that kingdom, in the present not just the future.

Connect to Grow (Acts 2:41–47)
In the early church in Jerusalem, we find a community dedicated to living out kingdom values in the present. This singular congregation is described as being devoted to the apostle’s teaching and to one another. Sharing their possessions, selling property to make sure the needs of all were met, breaking bread and praying together, these early believers showed their determination to live out the message of Jesus on a daily basis. The attraction of this style of life was apparently quite irresistible. As the people joined together in praise and fellowship, they gained the favor of the people around them and saw their numbers increase on a daily basis. As people saw the message of Jesus lived out, they were drawn to the person who had first given that message. They were drawn to Jesus Himself.