Ignited by the Spirit

Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which”, He said, “you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” So when they had come together, they began asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time that You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:4-6)

“Are we nearly there yet?” N.T. Wright uses the illustration of youngsters, impatient to reach the end of their road trip. 2 Like those children, the apostles are anxious. The last forty days have seemed like an interruption. Let’s try to put ourselves in the thinking of these men. Nearly six weeks have passed since the trauma of the Passover. Frightened men watched their Master nailed to a Roman cross. They saw Him die, and it felt like the end for them too.
Suddenly, though, there was resurrection! Anticipation was reborn.
But now, forty days later? It hasn’t been like they anticipated. Jesus would appear suddenly, then disappear just as quickly. Where is He? He made an appearance to James, one of Jesus’ brothers. Then a large crowd of people saw Him—was that in Galilee? (1 Cor 15:3-7).
Rumors were flying. It was unnerving. The eleven hung together in unfriendly Jerusalem until Peter suggested going home to Galilee. He would like to do some fishing, and several of the others joined him (John 21:1-14). But fishing wasn’t like it used to be either. In a night’s work they caught nothing, but then surprise! Jesus was at the beach with breakfast cooking. Were the good times coming back?

After forty days, Jesus leads His faithful eleven on a familiar pathway from Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives. Yes, the good times seem to be back. The long-held dreams of a Messiah who would re-establish a Davidic kingdom are re-born in the minds of these men. Reaching the summit, they look back at Jerusalem and the magnificent temple framed below, and the big question comes: “Lord, is this the time You are going to set up your kingdom for Israel?”
But He said to them, “It is not for you to know periods of time or appointed times which the Father has set by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth. (Acts 1:7-8)