The angels who were present at the ascension asked a pretty good question: “Why are you looking toward heaven?” (Acts 1:11). It’s a question worth considering. Frequently, we are more concerned with heaven than with the Kingdom of God. The breathtaking sacrifice at Calvary purchased the forgiveness of sins and the hope of heaven, but in our generation, many followers of Jesus have limited his work and message to heaven and heaven only. We should ask: If the gospel is only about going to heaven, why did Jesus invite us to take up the yoke of discipleship?
I’d love to get the podcast of everything Jesus taught in those 40 days, but it hasn’t shown up on iTunes yet. In the meantime, he invites us to work with him just as closely as the first disciples.
So Why 50 Forgotten Days Instead of 40?
Why 50 forgotten days instead of 40 from Easter to Pentecost? Simply because there were 10 days of waiting, watching, and praying before Something Big happened to the church. The idea of 10 days to do nothing is desperately needed in the church today, and this is the perfect time of year to embrace that very thing.
The gospel accounts end with Jesus saying, “Go!” Acts opens with Jesus saying, “Wait!” What was so important that Jesus told his disciples to stay in Jerusalem? In our day, many Christians are familiar with the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20), but are we aware that Jesus also told us to wait? Jesus said, in effect, “Don’t go anywhere, don’t do anything, until you receive all that I have for you.” Have we meditated on the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives? We can work for God without any special empowerment. We cannot work with him apart form the Holy Spirit.
RELATED: The Holy Spirit
There are plenty of Lenten devotionals. They help us reflect on the gravity of the cross and the glory of resurrection. But what do you do after Easter? That’s really the question of what it’s like to live in the Age to Come. The days from Easter to Pentecost are usually an afterthought, yet they can become an opportunity to reflect on the significance of the resurrection in our lives. The risen Jesus didn’t leave in a hurry: He hung out with his disciples and put the finishing touches on three years of training. He wants to do the same for us.
