Jesus is alive! What had looked like defeat was the greatest miracle anyone had ever seen. Not only was Jesus alive, but he had predicted exactly what would happen. He is the long expected Messiah. In the midst of this excitement and after forty days of the resurrected Lord appearing among them, Luke records these words of the Eleven: “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know the times or the dates the Father has set for his own authority.” (v. 7).
The apostles continued their desire to see the restoration of national Israel. They thought that in this restored earthly kingdom they would have positions of authority (Mark 10:34-45; Luke 22:24-27). Perhaps the coming of the Spirit and the new age was just what they had been waiting for.
But, Jesus’ response correctly reoriented them. This was not a movement of political and worldly strength. This new age of the Spirit was a time of gospel declaration, the good news that Jesus is alive and that through him all could be made alive. This Jesus movement would not be highlighted with human power, but with a cruciform life – a life modeled after the cross – and Spiritual power.
Far from a restored Israel, we see throughout the book of Acts that the fledgling church was persecuted and dispersed. Rome’s grip on Israel was far from over. But, in the midst of this persecution, out of an insignificant looking church, the gospel spread and thousands of people bowed to Jesus as Lord.
The gospel is powerful and effective. Everywhere that people heard the good news of Jesus’ resurrection and the grace of God revealed through it, people were bowing to King Jesus. People who were far from God were brought near. Jews and Gentiles, slaves and free, men and women were all finding equal footing in the kingdom of God. The kingdom was on the move and lives were being changed. It did not look like the apostles expected.
Today, we do not know what God is up to. We must be humble and admit that we may misunderstand the times just like the Eleven did. But what we do know is that the gospel is on the move. God is working to draw people to himself. And our response is that we will join in this work. Just as the gospel was seen most powerfully in the death of Jesus on the cross, our call is to see the gospel extended through taking up our own cross (Matt. 16:24-25). God’s will is that all people know him. This is not done through the enacting of power and influence, but through the power of the gospel, the spiritual power given to us to bear witness as we walk the way of the cross.