What? Why? How?

Imagine yourself to be one of Jesus’ disciples just minutes after Jesus ascended to heaven. The past 2 months have really been an emotional roller coaster ride. After spending three years with this man, you were convinced that He is the Messiah, the Savior, but He had to be unbelievably crucified. You were still not over this depression when you found out that He had risen! Yes! Indeed! He is the Messiah! You have just spent forty wonderful days with the risen Christ! Now that you are expecting Him to finally restore the kingdom to Israel, He’s gone! You are still staring dumbfounded into the blank blue sky where Jesus was lifted up moments ago, defying the laws of gravity. Then the angels came and asked, “Why are you still staring into the sky?”

Why? Why does He have to leave again?

This is because His redemptive work is finished. He had also succeeded in changing a group of unreliable followers into fearless evangelists – those eleven men who had deserted him at death, would now proclaim Him with intense force that would reach the ends of the earth.

If you read through the Gospels, you will see that He had planned this from the beginning. He had been hinting at His departure right from the start of His ministry. (John 6:62; John 13:1; John 17:13; John 20:17) It was obvious for all but the clueless disciples. He had said during the Last Supper, “It is for your good that I am going away.” He had to depart in order to transfer His work to other bodies – our bodies – the new body of Christ. The mission that God assigned to the Son, the Son was now entrusting to the disciples – to us. Our work? The Great Commission – “Go therefore and make disciples of ALL nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you…” Matthew 28:19-20 NASB

This commission was repeated in Acts1:8 “…and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” How did the fumbling disciples succeed in this seemingly difficult task? The disciples could not do the work on their own. They had to wait for the coming of the Spirit a few days after Jesus had ascended.

Our Christ had sent a helper – the Holy Spirit to work in us, so that we might succeed in this unfinished work. We are not truly left alone. He has promised in Matthew 28:21,”I am with you always, even to the end of age.” Jesus is still doing His work in this world (through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit). Only now, he teaches and works through us – the church. You can see it working throughout these past two centuries, and will continue to do so until the day of His appearing again.

We will not be able to do the work Christ commissioned us to do of we do it on our own efforts. We need to tap on the power of Christ and the Holy Spirit. We need to turn it on – with regular prayer and Bible reading and daily devotions. Only then, can we get the energy and the guidance to continue Christ’s work on earth.