Waiting

Acts 1:12-26

Our text picks up at the tail end of what must have been an extraordinary 40 days for the apostles. It started with an empty tomb and encountering the risen Christ. Jesus, the one whose arrest and crucifixion had crushed them and sent them into hiding, was alive! Jesus ate with them and broke bread with them (Luke 24:30, 41-43); he continued to teach them about the kingdom of God.

He gave them the Holy Spirit (John 20:22), breathing on them the same way that God breathed into Adam to make him a living being (Gen 2:7), thus making them new creations (2 Cor. 5:17). He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:45).

What began with the life-changing encounter with the risen Christ, ended with final instructions and a blessing from the Master, as he was taken into heaven right before their eyes. Add to that the assurance from the two angels, that ‘this Jesus,’ this same Jesus, would return in the same way – bodily and visibly – as he departed from them, to the same location (Zech. 14:3-4).

The next 10 days (Ascension=Easter+40; Pentecost=Easter+50; therefore 10 days is the time of waiting) would be a time of waiting, as Jesus had instructed them to wait in Jerusalem until they were baptized with the promised Holy Spirit. And that is exactly what they did.

They waited, devoting themselves to prayer, together with Mary the mother of Jesus, his brothers, and the women who followed him.

We know that Jesus brothers (James, Joses, Judas, and Simon [Mark 6:3]) did not start out as followers (John 7:5), but I’m sure that seeing Jesus risen from the dead changed that!

There were women who followed Jesus (Luke 8:2–3 names Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means). They were present at the crucifixion and some were present at the tomb.

At first glance it might seem that there was nothing extraordinary about this time of waiting.  But I submit to you that the waiting itself was extraordinary, and could not have happened without having encountered the risen Christ and receiving the Holy Spirit (John 20:12).

What do I mean?

• The apostles did not know that it would be 10 days, they knew only that they were told to wait. The ones who could not even keep watch with Jesus for one hour in the garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:40) were now prepared to wait as long as necessary for the promise of the Father.
• They were of one mind; they were unified, obediently following the Lord’s instruction, devoting themselves to prayer, together with the rest. This would characterize the early church after Pentecost (Acts 2:42).
• Peter stepped into his leadership role (remember Peter before the resurrection). Using the Scripture as his foundation (leaders, take note), he addressed the Judas issue (recorded for us in Scripture so the rest of us would not spend time speculating why Judas betrayed Jesus.) The one who denied his Master at the questioning of a slave girl, now stood as a leader to address a pressing issue. Peter spoke about Judas from a Scriptural foundation, explaining that

The Scripture had to be fulfilled. (Ps. 69:25; Psalm 109:8).

Peter echoed Jesus’ high priestly prayer, where Jesus referenced Judas’ loss as a fulfillment of Scripture, referring to him as the “son of destruction.”

Judas was numbered among the apostles, but his place was not with them; he served a different purpose in God’s plan. (Prov. 16:4; John 6:70; 17:12).

Judas fit the description of what John the apostle would later describe as the many antichrists that had come, who “went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.”

The vacant slot left by Judas had to be filled; this too, would be a fulfillment of Scripture (Ps. 109:8)

Peter, who was quick to speak without thinking, now applied sanctified common sense  to lay out the selection criteria for Judas’ replacement.  Prov. 2:6 (CEV) says “All wisdom comes from the Lord, and so do common sense and understanding.”

The replacement had to be “one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” 

• The group, which had once argued among themselves about which one was the greatest (Mark 9:34) now selected two men, and left the final choice to the Lord, in the form of casting lots (Prov. 16:33). There was no jockeying for power; there was unity of purpose and submission to the Lord.
  
  Although there would be other apostles, namely Paul and Barnabas (Acts 14:14) and James (Gal.1:19), there would be no more replacements. When James was put to death by Herod, there was no move to replace him (Acts 12:2). Why? By that time, elders and deacons had been appointed in the church at Jerusalem (Acts 15).

A note on casting lots: this was the exception and not the rule, as this decision was clearly to be the Lord’s. In the case of appointing elders/overseers, we have clear instruction in the Scripture as to their qualifications (2 Tim. 3).

What does this mean for us?

We are waiting as well. We are waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. (Tit. 2:13); we are waiting eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Rom. 8:23).

How well do we wait? Is our waiting characterized by patience, calm silence, and expectation? Are we taking heart and being strong?
Or are we waiting anxiously, fretting about events and circumstances? Are we waiting for Christ himself, or are we only waiting for our blessing or a change of earthly circumstance?

Or worse, have we found something else to occupy our time while the Lord tarries?  Be careful, as the Master of the house will come at a time when we least expect.

The Scriptures give us insight as to what our waiting should look like.

• 37:7 – “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!”
• 27:14 – “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”
  Jesus told us that we would have trouble in this world. But he also told us to take heart, for he has overcome the world (John 16).
  Are we being courageous as we await his return?
• 5:3 – “O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.”
  Are we offering ourselves as living sacrifices as we prayerfully watch for his return?
• 1 Thess. 5:17 – Pray without ceasing.
• 1 Peter 3:8 – Have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.
• 5:25; 2 Tim. 4:5 – “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is…fulfill your ministry.”

Waiting. Praying. Working in unity. Stepping into our God-given roles.

While these things might not seem extraordinary – perhaps even mundane to us – then perhaps it is time for us to check ourselves, our perceptions and priorities, for these are the very things we should be doing as we await the return of the Lord.  Amen.