Today’s reading: Luke 23:26-24:53
My selection: Luke 24:45-49
45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
My reflections: The disciples always showed themselves to be a very needy and, often, unstable group of men. Here we can see both their needs and the way Jesus equipped them to carry out the super-human task that they were given.
1. The disciples needed Jesus to open their minds to understand the Scriptures. It was not that they were unbelieving or unwilling to believe, they simply could not see what was being said in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms about Christ and how this had been fulfilled in His death, burial, and resurrection.
2. The disciples needed direction for their future. Jesus gave them that direction through what we commonly call “the Great Commission” (v. 47; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). It included a what (the content of the message) and a where (all nations beginning from Jerusalem).
3. The disciples needed power to carry out this commission. Jesus promised that they would receive power from on high, the fulfillment of the promise of His Father, the Holy Spirit (Acts 2).
My challenge: Just as Jesus’ disciples were weak, confused, and dependent, so are we. Pray that the truth of God’s word, that is pervaded with the person and work of Jesus Christ, may be clear to you. Start in your Jerusalem, where God has you now, and continue the work of proclaiming repentance and forgiveness of sins in the name of Christ who suffered, died, and rose for the redemption of sinners who believe in Him.
Tomorrow’s reading: John 1:1-2:25
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