Tuesday Read: Two Days Before Ascension - The Last Instructions
Two days from now (May 14, 2026), we observe Ascension Thursday. The risen Christ who spent forty days proving his resurrection and teaching about the kingdom will ascend to the Father, leaving his disciples with final instructions and a promise. These last two days before ascension must have carried enormous weight for the first disciples - knowing Jesus would leave again, this time permanently until his return.
What did Jesus say in those final hours? Acts 1:4-5 records his last command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." The last thing Jesus told them before ascending was to wait. Not to act, organize, strategize, or launch the mission - to wait for promised power.
This was the disciples' test. They'd been given the Great Commission - make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). They had their marching orders, clear mission, global assignment. The natural response would be immediate action - divide up territories, plan strategies, start preaching. Instead, Jesus commanded them to wait in one city for an unspecified time ("in a few days" could mean anything) for something they'd never experienced (Spirit baptism).
Waiting is harder than working. Action creates the illusion of control and productivity. Waiting requires trust that God is working even when you're not. The disciples had to believe that waiting in Jerusalem for the Spirit was more productive than immediately launching missionary activity without the Spirit. Obedience sometimes means pausing when you want to proceed.
Jesus's final promise was power: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Notice the sequence: power comes first, then witness follows. Not "go witness and I'll give you power along the way." First receive power, then go witness. The mission was impossible without the Spirit. They had to wait for empowerment before attempting execution.
This flips modern mission thinking. We tend to act first and ask God to bless our efforts later. We create programs, launch initiatives, develop strategies, then pray that God will empower what we've started. Jesus's pattern was reversed: wait for God's power, then act in that power. Don't presume on God's blessing for self-initiated activity. Wait for his Spirit, then proceed in his strength.
The disciples asked one last question before Jesus ascended: "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6). After forty days of teaching about the kingdom, they still thought Jesus would establish political kingdom in their lifetime. They expected national restoration, military victory, Israel's dominance over Rome. Jesus had to correct them one final time.
His answer revealed their confusion: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses" (Acts 1:7-8). They asked about timing. He redirected to mission. They focused on political restoration. He pointed to spiritual witness. They wanted certainty about God's schedule. He gave clarity about their assignment. This exchange shows that even after unprecedented access to Jesus's teaching, the disciples still fundamentally misunderstood key things.
If the first disciples - who walked with Jesus for three years, witnessed his miracles, heard his teaching directly, experienced resurrection appearances, and received forty days of additional instruction - still got major things wrong, you shouldn't despair about your own confusion. Spiritual understanding develops gradually. The Spirit's illumination over time brings clarity that even direct access to Jesus didn't immediately provide the first disciples.
Jesus's final words were promises and commands wrapped together: wait for the Spirit (command), you will receive power (promise), you will be my witnesses (promise and command). Then "he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight" (Acts 1:9). The ascension was visible, physical, witnessed by multiple people. This wasn't spiritual vision or symbolic departure - Jesus bodily ascended to heaven while his disciples watched.
Two angels appeared immediately: "Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11). The ascension wasn't the end - it was intermission. Jesus left visibly; he'll return visibly. The same physical, bodily Jesus who ascended will physically, bodily return. The disciples weren't supposed to stand staring at empty sky. They had work to do while waiting for his return.
Two days from now, we commemorate this moment. Jesus ascended. The disciples returned to Jerusalem. They waited and prayed for ten days. Then the Spirit came at Pentecost. The story moves forward whether we feel ready or not. Jesus is preparing for the next chapter. Are you?
