"Search Me": Five Challenging Questions...Between the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ

At the end of Psalm 139, which focuses on the extent of God’s presence and knowledge, the psalmist in v. 23-24, prayerfully submits his life to be searched by the Lord,

Search me, O God, and know my heart!
    Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting!

This is a risky prayer, for certainly there are “grievous” ways in our hearts, ways that grieve the Lord and grieve others. This is also a hopeful prayer as well in the request to be led in that better way, “the way everlasting!” God’s way will require me to be turned from my own.

Our study this week will be mainly from Luke 24, John 21, and Acts 1. These passages document, in part, the time between the resurrection and the ascension of Jesus Christ. It is filled with challenging questions from Jesus, angelic messengers, and disciples alike. We will consider five and then leave the sixth question for your own devotional study.

1) The Challenge of Belief (Luke 24:1-9) “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn,

                they went to the tomb, 

taking the spices they had prepared. 

And         they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 

but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 

      While they were perplexed about this, behold, 

                       two men stood by them in dazzling apparel

   And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground,

                        the men said to them,

“Why do you seek the living among the dead? 

He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 

And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

On that first Resurrection Sunday, we read that the women had gone to the tomb to further prepare the body of Jesus with the customary spices since his burial on Friday had been done in a hurry by a couple of guys (John 19:38-42). And they couldn’t possibly have done it right! The problem wasn’t their intent to do a good job but their failure to remember what Jesus had told them before he died. There were two different “men” who met them at the tomb and asked them a challenging question that set them on the path of belief.

The angels, appearing as men “in dazzling apparel” (I jokingly refer to them as the “Men In Bling”) asked the women, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” My paraphrase of this question is actually an emphatic statement, “Start to believe!” You see, the women were doing everything to honor Jesus as dead (hence the spices) when he had said that just as surely as he would be killed, that he would as certainly rise again on the third day.

This situation makes me wonder how much time we spend looking back and longing for something to be what it once was, when Jesus’ plan is for so much more?

In the Old Testament book of Haggai, it tells of the reaction of the people after the foundation for the second temple had been laid,

‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes? Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord. Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts, according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not…

The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.’ (Haggai 2:3-9; see also Ezra 3:12-13)

Think about a photo album that we might have in our home. If we pick it up and look through it will our memories prompt us to gratitude or discouragement? It is a choice. Will we choose to believe that Jesus is at work even through difficulties and loss? The solution is not that everything would go back to the way it was, but that it might become what the Lord desires for it to be. This will involve a lot of trust!

2) The Challenge of Devotion (John 21:15-17) “Do you love me?”    

If I were to paraphrase this question, I would say it sounds like, “Is that your final answer?”

Peter had previously bragged that though everyone else would fall away, he would not fail, even unto death. Jesus, in turn, informed Peter that he was wrong and would deny him three times before the rooster crowed the next morning. Ouch! Jesus was right. Peter, when realizing what he had done to protect himself, wept bitterly (Matt. 26:75; Luke 22:62). Now, a couple of weeks later, on a fishing trip in Galilee, Peter again comes face to face with Jesus, and Jesus addresses the proverbial “elephant in the room” right there on the beach.

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,

“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” 

He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.”

He said to him,      “Feed my lambs.” 

He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” 

He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.”

He said to him,      “Tend my sheep.”

He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” 

Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and

he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep." 

Jesus asked a question of devotion. Would Peter be devoted to saving his own life or in love and trust be willing to consistently lay his life down for the care of Jesus “flock”? What about us? Are we going to be devoted to saving ourselves or serving others? Jesus said, “Feed my lambs…tend my sheep…feed my sheep” instead of becoming like the violent shepherds the prophets had called out centuries earlier. Our devotion to Christ is expressed most clearly in our love and care for others. His mission is tender, relational, practical, and ongoing. But what about others?

3) The Challenge of Comparison (John 21:18-22) “What is that to you?”

     Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, 

                                     you used to dress yourself

      and walk wherever you wanted,

                     but when you are old,

                                     you will stretch out your hands,

 and another will dress you

                     and carry you where you do not want to go.” 

¹⁹ (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.)

And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

²⁰ Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them… 

When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 

²² Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come,

              what is that to you? 

                                     You follow me!” 

As Jesus was revealing to Peter the uncomfortable news about Peter’s manner of death, Peter seemed to want to change the subject, or at least look for some company on that hard road, by comparing his fate to that of John. “Lord, what about this man?” How often do we do the same thing? When faced with bad news, or walking through difficult circumstances, do we compare ourselves with others?

Jesus’ answer, in the form of a challenging question, is as instructive to us as to Peter, the gist of which is, 
“What is that to you? You follow me!” 

So when we find ourselves falling into comparisons this week, let us take v.22 to heart. It is a spiritual wake-up call. We are not to be concerned about God’s plans for others but with our decision to follow Jesus with a fully devoted heart. I encouraged my congregation to write, “What is that to you? You follow me!”  on a notecard and to put it on their dashboard, desk, or mirror, as a ready reminder that there is no room for envy or comparison as we follow our Lord Jesus Christ!

4) The Challenge of Mission (Acts 1:1-8) “It is not for you to know…”

As we leave the Gospels and venture into the Book of Acts, it is helpful for those new to the Bible that Acts is “Luke, Part 2”. Which reminds me that God’s Not Dead, Part. 2 came out this week and well worth watching. Let’s take a moment to read the first few verses to set the scene and then notice the question the disciples ask and Jesus’ surprising answer.

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, 

“It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 

It was only natural that the disciples should ask the question about the kingdom and Israel that was born out of their original Messianic expectations and the strong Old Testament link between the coming of the Spirit and the Kingdom age. However, the timing of their question sounds like, “OK, now are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” It seems as if Jesus’ answer is of the “Not telling!” variety. Years ago, I heard the late Dr. Guy P. Duffield preaching on this passage and the title of his sermon was, “Mind Your Own Business!” Jesus was basically telling them that they were asking the wrong question. Instead of restoring the kingdom to Israel at that time, he was extending the kingdom to the world. While the timing of end-time events was not for them to know, there were two things that they really needed to understand right away: (1) “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”, and (2) “You will be my witnesses”. They were to be empowered witnesses in an ever-increasing circle that some have said correlates with the four stages of the Christian mission. As you can see, this mission of extending the kingdom would take those first Christians out of their geographical and cultural comfort zones. It still works that way today.

• Jerusalem (Geographically: Here—Where we are; Culturally: Our own) How do we witness of Christ and his resurrection life in our own family, and our church family? Are we filled with hope or do we mutter and complain?
• Judea (Geographically: Near; Culturally: Similar) Where is this for us? Certainly, it would include our neighborhood, our work environment, or our school. We can and should be witnesses to those who have similar habits and interests as we do.
• Samaria (Geographically: Near; Culturally: Distant) Where is this for us? Who are those perhaps in the next neighborhood, or even at work or school who are not part of our natural in-group but are accessible should we choose to engage. Who is near but out of our comfort zone? These divisions happen as a result of race, religion, politics, socio-economic strata, education, etc. Such outreach will not happen unless we are intentional about breaking down the social walls that divide us.
• to the end of the earth (Geographically: Far; Culturally: Distant) How can we witness to the far and the distant? Aside from the traditional role of the foreign missionary, we can witness beyond our homeland through modern communications (email, Skype, Blogs, etc.), prayer, financial support for mission work, cultural learning, as well as befriending refugees and immigrants, and participating in relational short-term missions to name a few.

That brings us to our final challenging question for this week...

5) The Challenge of Obedience (Acts 1:9-14) “Why do you stand looking into heaven?”

And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, 

“Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This [same] Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

After Jesus ascended into heaven the two “men” returned with another challenging message. It helps to know that “angel” means" messenger". They bring a message from God to the stunned disciples on the hilltop. If I were to put the implied message bluntly, it might be, “You’re still here?” Or even, “Get to work!” Standing and staring was not appropriate given what Jesus had just told them. 

Remember what he said? They wouldn’t see him again until he returned…and that certainly wouldn’t happen right away. His parables often hinted at a delay and his prophecy about Peter growing old and being crucified put his return out at least a few decades. “Such gazing into heaven was inappropriate because of Jesus’ instructions and promise about the Spirit.” (David Peterson, Acts) He told them to do at least three things:

• Stay in Jerusalem,
• wait for the Holy Spirit.
• be witnesses—“the master will return and call his servants to account”

How did they respond to this challenge? (v. 12-14)

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet,

which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. 

    And when they had entered,

                     they went up to the upper room,

          where they were staying,

Peter and John and James and Andrew,

Philip and Thomas,

Bartholomew and Matthew,

James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. 

      All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer,

together with the women

                                     and Mary the mother of Jesus,

                                     and his brothers.

They believed, they were devoted to Christ and each other, they stopped comparing and started following Jesus, and began to obey the Lord by waiting in Jerusalem (together in prayer) for the gift of the Holy Spirit! What will we do in response? I pray that we can do the same in our context! May we all learn from their example!

The following section addresses the sixth question for our own personal study this week. If we read the texts listed, we should be able to fill in the blanks for ourselves, and ask the Holy Spirit how we should apply them in our life together!

More Questions: When Jesus Comes Back, Will He Find Us…?

• Awake and ___________ (Matt. 24:42-43; Mark 13:32-37; Luke 12:35-40; 21:34-36; 1 Thess. 5:6; Rev. 16:15)
• With _________ in our Lamps (Matt. 25:1-13; Luke 12:35)
• Treating our fellow ____________ lovingly (Matt. 24:45-51)
• Using our God-given talents ____________ (Matt. 25:14-30; Luke 12:42-48)
• Taking up our cross and _______________him (Luke 9:23-24; Mark 8:34-35; Matt. 16:24-25)
• _________________ one another (John 13:34-35; 15:12-17; Rom. 12:10; Gal. 5:13-14; 1 John 3:23; 4:7-8)
• ______________________ evil with good (Rom. 12:20-21; 1 John 5:3-5)
• Preaching ___________________ and making disciples (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16)