And the mission for us as followers of Jesus remains the same. As followers of Jesus, we are to live our day to day lives as missionaries that reflect a genuine and authentic relationship with Jesus and that reveal Jesus to those around us through our words and our actions as we love and serve those around us. Our words and our actions as individuals and in community with one another should affirm and testify to the truth of the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel.
And this mission is not a solo mission; this mission is not a mission that is simply done in partnership with one another. This mission is a co-mission that is empowered by the very presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives that enables us to not only live the Christian life, but to partner with God as He completes His mission. After giving His disciples a mission that they were not expecting, a mission that was confusing, Luke records what happens next in verse 9:
And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.Can you imagine what that must have been like? Can you imagine watching Jesus being lifted into the Heavens? Now place yourself in the shoes of the disciples; what would be going through your mind? How would you respond to what you had just seen and heard? We see how the disciples responded in verse 10:
And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them.The disciples responded to what they had seen and heard by gazing intently into the sky. To gaze intently, in the language that this letter was written in, literally means to stare and look intently at something in a way that reveals that we are impressed. The disciples responded to the amazing things that they had seen and heard by wanting to spend their time simply soaking in the scene. The disciples were content to just remain where they were at and reminisce about what they had just experienced.
How often can we find ourselves acting just like the disciples? How often can we find ourselves simply wanting to spend our time intently soaking in Jesus? How often can we find ourselves focused on all that Jesus has done for us instead of what Jesus has called and commanded us to do? How often can we find ourselves so impressed with what Jesus has done among us that we end up not engaging the mission that God has given us to reach those who are not among us?
As the disciples stare into the sky, two angelic messengers, dressed in white clothing and appearing as men, come and stand next to them. The disciples, so focused and so intent on soaking in what they had experienced, had failed to recognize when they arrived or their presence, which becomes evident in their response to the disciples in verse 11:
“They also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky?In other words “What are you doing? Why are you just standing here staring into the sky all impressed? Aren’t you supposed to be going somewhere? Didn’t Jesus just give you a mission? The angels then continue to confront and comfort the disciples:
This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven."The angels explain to the disciples “well, if you think that was impressive, just wait. Just wait because Jesus is going to do something even more impressive. In the future Jesus will return to this very place in the exact same way that He left. So do you want to have Him find you here staring into the sky instead of engaging in the mission that He has given you when He returns?” Luke then concludes this story by revealing for us the disciples response in verses 12-14:
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. When they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.The disciples responded to the angels question by following Jesus command to travel from the Mount of Olives, which was located just 2/3 of a mile outside the city of Jerusalem, to the upper room where they had been staying. The eleven disciples then spent their time, along with immediate members of Jesus earthly family and many of the women who had accompanied Jesus during His life on earth, united in prayer. These early followers of Jesus were praying in one accord, that Jesus promise in verse 4 would come to fruition. These disciples desired that the Holy Spirit would arrive and indwell them, so that they would be equipped and empowered to engage in the co-mission of God’s kingdom mission.
Because the timeless reality is the God’s co-mission requires that we engage in the mission that He has given us. The mission to share the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel as the means by which all of humanity had the opportunity to receive forgiveness and experience the relationship with God that they were created for. The mission to live our lives as missionaries that reflect a genuine and authentic relationship with Jesus and that reveals Jesus to those around us through our words and our actions as we love and serve those around us.
So are you engaged in the co-mission that God has given us? Or do you simply want to spend your time intently soaking in Jesus? Are you so focused on all that Jesus has done for you that you are not engaged in what Jesus has called and commanded us to do? Are you so impressed with what Jesus has done among us that you are not engaging the mission that God has given us to reach out to those who are not among us?
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