March 29th Daily Devotion

A SERIES OF DEVOTIONS BASED ON ACTS

THE DISCIPLES STILL DID NOT UNDERSTAND

 Acts 1:6 “ . . . they gathered around Him and asked Him, “Lord, are You at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

For forty days after His resurrection, Jesus spent a goodly amount of time teaching and counseling with His disciples.  For three plus years He had been doing this.  One would think by now the disciples understood that Jesus would not physically remain on this earth.  However, their Jewish minds, were still working overtime.  They believed that Jesus was the Messiah.  They believed the Messiah was to re-establish Israel as a world power such as it was during the time of David and Solomon. 

With their expectations of the Messiah, thus of Jesus, “. . . they gathered around Him and asked Him, “Lord, are You at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”  This was their hope not unlike of the crowds just weeks earlier at the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.  Remember, on that occasion the people received Jesus as a conquering king and royalty. 

The disciples should have remembered Jesus’ words, “My kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36)  His heavenly Father had not sent Him into the world to establish an earthly or worldly kingdom.  Indeed Jesus was given all authority over heaven and earth by His Father. (Matthew 28:18-20)  And in the Book of Revelation, John writes, “. . . there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah, and He will reign for ever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15)