Daily Devotional for Sunday, May 31

The Disciples and Jesus at Bethany

“And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen,” Luke 24:52, 53.

Can you imagine the forty days after Jesus’ resurrection? The anticipation of seeing Jesus, the excitement, the wonder? When Jesus spoke, I imagine the apostles and disciples hung on His every word. I would! Before His crucifixion, He gave very important last words. Things would be very different when they saw Him again. He filled them with encouragement, peace, assurance and confidence to face the trauma that was coming. After the resurrection, His absolute last words were powerful. They were powerful before, but post resurrection, the depth and meaning struck differently. It is something like reading about a place, watching videos about it, but then hearing directly from a missionary who lives there; his or her words are more meaningful. They have been there.

The apostles and disciples understood (now) that Jesus would leave them at any moment and return to the Father. They wanted to soak up everything they could, and Jesus, no doubt, wanted that for them. His words and time with them were precious. Sometimes, we do not realize how precious something or someone is until we lose them. After a traumatic experience, we cling tightly to those we love. The night and days after 9-11, that was a popular message: Hold your loved ones tightly and pray for those who you cannot hold anymore.

After Jesus again promised the Spirit would come, He led them out to Bethany. This was  goodbye. He raised His hands over His precious ones and blessed them. Luke gives more detail in Acts 1, but Jesus empowered them with His last words. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight” Acts 1:8.

This time, His departure did not invoke sadness, shock and dismay as before. They worshiped and rejoiced and excitedly met together to bless God.

THOUGHT

Hallelujah! Our Redeemer lives!

Kelli Reynolds