The Task Committed to the Disciples

Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:14-20; Luke 24:49-53

GOLDEN TEXT: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”—Mark 16:15

OUR lesson relates especially to Jesus’ instructions shortly before His ascension. This took place near Jerusalem—at Bethany Apparently He met with His followers in the Holy City—perhaps at a very early hour, by appointment. He led them out to Bethany, talking meanwhile and explaining the things that would be to their advantage to know—the things they would need to be thoroughly convinced of before He would leave them, and before they would be in a proper attitude of faith and thus prepared for the blessings that He had yet to send.

St. Luke, who also wrote the Book of Acts, tells us (chapter 1) that the essence of Jesus’ teaching during the forty days was in respect to the Kingdom of God. Still they understood not; indeed, it was not possible for them to understand fully until they would receive the begetting of the Holy Spirit. It was toward that point, therefore, that Jesus directed their attention, saying that they should not depart from Jerusalem nor engage in any work of preaching but simply wait for the promise to come, about which He had previously told them—the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus explained that John the Baptist had indeed used the water baptism, but that all His followers would receive a superior baptism—the baptism of the Spirit at Pentecost. After receiving the Spirit, they would be fully qualified to be God’s representatives and to speak the message; and from time to time they would be given “Meat in due season.” Thus they would not be in darkness with the world, and the day of the Lord would not come upon them as a thief in the night or as a snare. The Pentecostal blessing which they received qualified them fully for the ministry even though it did not cover their blemishes; for it was after they had received the Holy Spirit that we read; “The people perceived that they were ignorant and unlearned men and they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus.”—Acts 4:13

Our Lord’s ascension was a spectacular one, so far as His church was concerned, but not in respect of the world. Of the world He had already said, “Yet a little while, and the world seeth Me no more.” The world did not see our Lord during the forty days in which He manifested Himself to His disciples; for He showed Himself to none except His faithful, consecrated ones. These visible demonstrations so helpful to His disciples culminated with an actual ascension of the Lord into the air in the body in which He had thus been with them. Because they were not yet Spirit begotten, they doubtless needed just such a manifestation to help their faith, to give them to understand that they would see the Master no more until He would come with power and great glory to assemble all His saints to Himself and to bless the world.

Jesus had spoken to His disciples before of His ascension. (John 6:62) The ascending up where He was before should not, however, be understood merely to signify a return to a previous place. Rather, it should be understood to signify a return to a previous condition—the spirit condition, which the Master had left to be made flesh that He might ransom the race. As Jesus parted from His disciples into the clouds out of their sight, we assume that the body in which He had appeared was dissolved, or dematerialized. The use of it was merely to help to establish the faith of the disciples in the fact of Jesus’ resurrection, and to be a means of instruction, an assurance that Jesus had gone permanently, that they were not to expect to see Him further in any kind of manifestation. It was an object lesson.

In the first chapter of the Acts we are told that after Jesus had disappeared, two angels materialized and addressed His disciples, saying, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.” This statement has led some to believe that at His second advent Jesus will materialize and appear in the flesh. But to our understanding they are laboring under a grave misapprehension. The world is to see Jesus no more; and the church is to see Him only with the eye of faith until that time when they shall experience their change, in the end of the age. Then we shall see Him as He is—not as He was; for we shall be like Him. Then we shall know even as we are now known.—I Cor. 13:12; I John 3:2

It is worthy of notice that the angels laid stress upon the manner of His going, and that the manner agrees with what the Bible tells us respecting our Lord’s second coming. He went quietly, secretly, unknown to the world. He is to return as a thief in the night; and none will know of His return except those whose eyes of understanding will be opened to discern the signs of the presence of the Son of Man. These will be His loyal, saintly followers. So Jesus explained, that at His second coming it would be for a time as it was in the days of Noah—mankind would be eating, drinking, planting and marrying, and would not know of His presence until revealed in the great time of trouble which would precede the establishment of His Kingdom.—Matt. 24:37-39,30

QUESTIONS:

What was the essence of Jesus’ teachings during the forty days between His resurrection and ascension?

Did the world in general know about the resurrection of Jesus?

What is the true meaning of Jesus’ words, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven”?

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