135. Chapter 22 - Final Instructions and the Ascension
Chapter 22 - Final Instructions and the Ascension Matthew 18:16-20;Mark 16:14-20;Luke 24:13-53;John 20:11-31;John 21:1-23;
Acts 1:1-10 Nature of Post-Resurrection Teaching
It is not enough that the appearances of Jesus after His resurrection should be real, actual,and thus the miracle be thereby substantiated completely. What Jesus said on these occasions must be so in harmony with the truth and with His divine Person and mission and of such grandeur and magnificence as to match the sublime record of His earthly life and of divine revelation. Glancing back over the brief recordings of what was said and done in these appearances, we find the thrilling climax of the Gospel narratives.
It is significant that Jesus does not in these resurrection appearances bring back from beyond the grave new information concerning the state and circumstances of the departed. He did not need to die and go beyond the veil in order to have such information. He had already given detailed descriptions in His towering warnings concerning hell and His precious promises of heaven. He had warned the rich, wicked Pharisees with the fearful account of Lazarus and the rich man. He had utterly demolished the sneering Sadducees’ attack upon heaven by revealing the nature of life in heaven. He had created these regions. He knew whereof He spoke. In Paradise
We do have the information from Jesus as to where He was during this time that He was not on earth appearing to men. It is given incidentally in the promise to the repentant thief: “With me in Paradise.” To this is added the information given to Mary: “not yet ascended to my Father.” Paradise, the temporary abode of the blessed awaiting the final reception into heaven, was the place to which Jesus went at death. During these days of His appearances it seems implied He did not ascend into heaven. That would await the final coronation at His ascension. Luke tells us in the introductory statements of Acts that the appearances of Jesus after his resurrection covered a period of forty days. These appearances, so far as the records indicate, were separated sharply in time and space. But these appearances were no more limited by these elements than the appearances of the angels.
Day of Resurrection
While it was not something said during these appearances, it is a most significant and instructive fact that the resurrection and so many of the appearances were on the first day of the week. Here was basic instruction by deed rather than word. By His divine providence God might have brought it to pass that the resurrection would have occurred on the Sabbath. If the holy day set apart in the Old Testament were to be kept sacred in the New then the basic event of the resurrection could have been on this day. There were five appearances on that first Lord’s Day — the day Jesus arose from the dead. There are no recorded appearances until the next Lord’s Day. The disciples are represented as assembled, Thomas being with them, on that second Lord’s day. There is an air of expectancy. This is significant. This day already stands apart as the day of His resurrection and of His appearances. They await His further appearance. The church was established at Pentecost — again the first day of the week when the baptism in the Holy Spirit occurred, the first proclamation of the full gospel, and the founding of the church. The Old Testament established two great institutions: the temple and the Sabbath. The revelation that both of these are to pass now was part of the leading by the Holy Spirit of the inspired leaders of the church into all truth. God used Stephen to bring to the church the fuller realization of the passing of the Old Testament law. His martyrdom resulted from his proclamation. That the Sabbath was now to yield to the glorious first day of the week, the day of the triumph of the Messiah over man’s last enemy — death, was being revealed in the most practical manner by these object lessons of the appearances.
Three Subjects of Discussion The teaching of Jesus in the resurrection appearances covers three general fields: (1) establishing the reality of His presence and of His resurrection, (2) explaining the necessity and meaning of His death particularly in the light of the Old Testament Scripture; (3) presenting the program of world-wide evangelization. The first appearances to the bewildered and despairing disciples naturally had as their first objective the restoration of their faith in Him and the full assurance of the resurrection. Mary is reported as saying just one word when she actually found herself in the presence of the risen Christ: “Rabboni”; “Master.” It expressed unlimited joy, faith, and devotion. It was a most natural reaction for her to desire to gain the added assurance of touch, as she saw and heard Him. But Jesus commanded her not to detain Him for He had not yet ascended to heaven. There was much work to be done. She must go immediately to report to the disciples His resurrection. The fact that His final ascension to heaven is near is given strong emphasis. The days that remain are full of urgency. In this instruction we see the primary objective of bringing to the disciples the full assurance of His bodily resurrection, the climactic proof of His deity (John 20:16, John 20:17). The appearance to the other women immediately after this carries the same urgent command to go and report to the disciples His resurrection. The disciples are commanded to go into Galilee where they, too, shall see Him (Matthew 28:10). This had been the content of the instructions they had received from the angel shortly before this. The promise that they should see Him in Galilee at some future time with no indication that He is to appear to them this very day in Jerusalem, is to assure by repetition that they will actually leave the capital, hard as it will be for them to go away. Moreover, they are left to wrestle with their doubt until He actually appears to them later in the day. The evidence is the stronger because they are not expecting Him. The instruction Jesus gave to Mary concerned His ascension. In these appearances Jesus gave instructions to help solve the perplexing problems in their minds and to prepare them for the thrilling experiences ahead. The disciples had found it very difficult to understand the teaching of Jesus concerning His going away to prepare a place for them and His coming again to take them to the Father’s house. The message Mary brought informed them that Jesus had not yet fulfilled this mission: He had not yet ascended. But they were not to expect that He would go back to the continuous fellowship of the years of His ministry. The triumphant joy in His resurrection must be tempered with the realization that the hour of parting at His ascension is at hand. The present tense is used instead of the future as emphasizing the immediate approach of the time of the ascension: “I am ascending.” The sense of urgency inherent in His prohibition to Mary not to cling to Him, but to carry the news of the resurrection would impart itself to the disciples.
Meaning of His Death
We know nothing of what Jesus said to Peter when He appeared to Him on this first Lord’s Day. The brevity of the Scripture lies quite beyond mere human achievement. The most extended accounts which we have of what took place in any appearances are of the two going to Emmaus in Luke and to the seven by the Sea of Galilee in John. It is in the appearance to the two that the final instructions of Jesus are seen in the second phase of explanation of the necessity and the purpose of His death. Instead of shame, it is glory; instead of defeat, it is victory.
Evidence from Old Testament
Instead of revealing Himself to them immediately Jesus added now to the increasing evidence He had given to Mary and to the other women, the powerful confirmation to be found in the Old Testament predictions of His death and resurrection. How wonderful it must have been to have heard Jesus, still a mysterious Stranger to them, quote the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah and point out the detailed fulfillment of its many specific predictions. No wonder the hearts of the two burned within them when the mysterious personal power of the Son of God expressed itself in discussing the majestic predictions of the Old Testament.
How thrilling it must have been to have heard Jesus give as added proof of the resurrection the prediction of David, which Peter later presented with such power at Pentecost. But Jesus began with Moses. He must have cited the symbolism of the Passover lamb and all the law which showed the necessity of the shedding of blood for the remission of sins. His presentation of the divine plan for man’s redemption which was now being fulfilled must have included the glory of the second coming also: “Behooved it not the Christ to suffer these things, and to enter into his glory?” In these appearances is seen increasing force of evidence. At first, the empty tomb was allowed to speak for itself as Mary ran to carry the news, and Peter and John came to investigate. In the meantime, the actual appearance of the angels to the other women and the message to the disciples increased the evidence. The appearance of Christ to Mary was sufficient in itself, but the appearance to the women added a plurality of witnesses and the emphatic testimony of touch. The hours spent on the journey to Emmaus enabled Jesus to expound the clinching evidence from the Old Testament prophets. Since Jesus “interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” the entire range of His earthly mission came into view with the things that had been contrary to popular expectation and hard to understand. But the primary emphasis must have been upon the death, burial, and resurrection. The two rushed back to Jerusalem arriving in the early hours of the night. There “they rehearsed the things that happened in the way.” The entire account of how he had explained that the Old Testament Scriptures had predicted His death and resurrection must have been repeated by the two. The assembled disciples are by now assured that Jesus has been raised from the dead for He has appeared unto Peter and his testimony was so strong that they had been unable to reject it (Luke 24:34). They doubt, however, the strange details of this report from the two (Mark 16:13). How could Jesus have been in their presence talking with them for hours without their knowing who He was? How could He have suddenly been revealed to them in the breaking of the bread at the table? The two, themselves, would have been in great difficulty trying to explain how it could have happened. How could it be that they had not recognized him? Their eyes had been miraculously veiled (Luke 24:16), and He had appeared in a strange form (Mark 16:12). But they would hardly have been able to explain this as yet. And how had it happened that when they finally reached the home in Emmaus this Stranger should have been allowed to preside at the table and ask the blessing? They were so completely in His spell that their concurrence seemed inevitable. And when He had blessed and broken the bread did not the nail-scars on His hands now suddenly become plain to them as He reached forth His hands in offering the bread to them? The disciples may have asked the two some very earnest and pretty difficult questions about their whole account.
Appearance to the Disciples in Upper Room In the midst of this exciting exchange between the apostles and the two disciples, Jesus appeared in the midst. While they were still terrified and unable to explain how He could possibly be present (John tells us of the locked doors), Jesus gave them further reassurance. After permitting them to touch His body, He gave to them the testimony of the senses of taste and of smell, by eating of the remains of the supper. Then Jesus gave them the same powerful evidence from the Old Testament which He had given to the two. We are apt to think of this appearance as merely lasting a few minutes, but it may have lasted for hours. Luke is very emphatic in declaring that Jesus covered the whole range of the Old Testament in His exposition of the necessity and purpose of His death and resurrection: “all things must needs be fulfilled, which are written in the law of Moses, and the prophets, and the psalms, concerning me” (Luke 24:44). By His extended explanations of the Scripture Jesus “opened their mind” that they might understand “that the Christ should suffer, and rise again from the dead on the third day.” At this point in the development of their faith, the primary question became not: “Is He actually risen?” or “Why did He have to die?” but “What are we to do about this glorious news? May we tell it? Where and when shall we proclaim the good news?” Thus the instructions which Jesus gave in these appearances proceed in logical sequence.
Matthew and Mark
If we only possessed the Gospel of Matthew, we might conclude that the great commission was not given until at the very last of these resurrection appearances and that the ascension took place from a mountain in Galilee. We would have to imply that the ascension did take place. The many references in the Gospel to His going away and His second coming would justify such a conclusion. If we only possessed the accounts of Matthew and Mark, we would feel that Mark confirmed the conclusion of the giving of the great commission only at the very close of the period of resurrection appearances. We would observe that Mark gives a clear-cut historic declaration of the ascension. We might conclude that the ascension actually was only a vanishing from the room where they had been seated at meat together, as He had done on other occasions. Since we would now see clearly that Matthew does not tell of the ascension and thus does not locate the ascension on a mountain in Galilee, we might conclude that the ascension took place from Jerusalem. Mark tells of an appearance while they are at meat, but does not say where this was. He tells immediately of the ascension, but does not give a geographical location.
John
If we had only the three accounts of Matthew, Mark, and John we would marvel at the independence of the accounts that boldly declare, as does John, that they have not attempted to tell all that Jesus said and did, but that they have told sufficient for man’s redemption. We would see more clearly that each writer did not feel any necessity for closing his narrative with the ascension, but only to give a satisfactory, thrilling conclusion to the glorious account. On a mountain in Galilee, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee where they share a meal together, or in a meeting where the ascension occurs — here are the dramatic conclusions of these three accounts.
Luke
It is Luke who gives the detailed descriptions of the ascension in the close of his Gospel narrative and in the opening of Acts. He definitely places the ascension from the Mount of Olives. This immediately confirms our conclusion that Mark had been describing at the close a meeting in Jerusalem where the great commission had been given, but it also shows plainly that Mark is reporting two different appearances as the ascension occurs not from a room where they are eating, but from the mountain top just outside Jerusalem.
Discussions on the First Day
It is Luke, also, who shows clearly that the discussions and instructions of this first Lord’s Day when Jesus was raised and appeared five times, ran the full gamut of problems before the disciples and included the ultimate task of proclaiming this climactic news of the risen Christ to all the world. Mark’s account implies the same thing. When we understand that the great commission was given on a number of occasions and that this was the natural and inevitable topic of conversation, once the disciples were completely convinced of the resurrection, then the difficulties in the variant accounts disappear.
Great Commission in John’s Gospel
It is sometimes said that John gives no report of the great commission, but that the nearest the comes to such a report is that wonderful word of Christ spoken on this same occasion in the upper room the night of this resurrection day: “Peace be unto you: as the Father hath sent me, even so send I you” (John 20:21). This strongly confirms the account of Luke that on this very first day Jesus did give them instructions concerning carrying the good news of His resurrection out to the world. It is not quite clear from John’s account whether it is a further giving of the Holy Spirit, in addition to that with which they had been endowed with miraculous power as they were sent forth on that missionary tour two by two, or whether as He breathed upon them it was a solemn promise that the Holy Spirit would be given to them in a miraculous manner at Pentecost. This was the definite promise given at the ascension as recorded by Luke (Acts 1:4, Acts 1:5). There is no logical objection to a successive giving of the Holy Spirit with the climax at Pentecost, but there is no indication in John’s account of any visible result of a larger measure of the Spirit being granted. It would seem, then, that this is another promise of the baptism of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. That they will have the authority to declare to the world God’s plan of redemption by which man’s sins may be either forgiven or retained, according to his obedience or rejection, is a part of this same promise of the giving of the Spirit. This was fulfilled at Pentecost when the first full gospel sermon was proclaimed. Here, then, we have a further independent statement of instructions given at this first resurrection appearance to the ten apostles which is to send them forth into the world as God sent His Christ and is to give them authority and power to proclaim God’s commands for men to obey that their sins may be forgiven.
Second Appearance to the Apostles The appearance on the next Lord’s Day when Thomas faced Jesus and was convinced of His resurrection, brought forth the climax of testimony of the disciples to their faith in the deity of Christ. As Thomas was the last of the apostles to he convinced, so he is the clearest in his testimony. There can he no quibbling over the meaning of “Lord” or “Son of God.” Thomas salutes Jesus as “My Lord and my God.” The testimony is absolutely sealed against perverse interpretation. The only thing left to unbelievers is to assail the Gospel of John as a whole. It is evident that further instructions on the proclamation of the good news to all the world are given at this meeting on the second Lord’s Day. This is the plain implication when Jesus gives the final beatitude of the Gospel accounts which confers a blessing upon those “that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29). Those who have not seen, yet have believed, are to believe through the word of these who are sent forth into the world by Christ, even as Christ had been sent by the Father.
Third Appearance to the Apostles The final appearance recorded in John offers instructions given specifically to Peter. But by implication the tasks assigned to him are shared by the other apostles. The tender care for those that believe is as important as the initial proclamation which is to bring them to salvation. Both the sheep and the lambs are to be fed and guarded The measure of love for Christ is to he seen in the fidelity to the task of caring for the believers. The grave embarrassment which Peter faced in the three-fold question as to his love for Christ was the result of his three-fold denial in the palace of the high priest. But now before all the world Peter is to have another chance to make good. The plain prediction that this tremendous task of declaring the risen Christ as Lord to all the world and of being a faithful shepherd of the flock to those who believe is to bring martyrdom to Peter by crucifixion, must have had a powerful impact on all the group. They evidently all felt that the same privilege of dying for Christ was being set before them, even as the same task of proclaiming to the world and ministering to the church. They, too, had failed before, when they had been so sure that they were ready to die for Christ.
Close of John’s Account The question which Peter asked concerning the fate of John must have been the very question which each was asking of his own future. Peter was not asking a question of idle curiosity. It was a burning issue before them. They did not know how long a time might elapse before they went to their death for Christ. In many parables Jesus had suggested that His second coming would be long-delayed and that a very considerable period would elapse. But they hardly would recall these details in this exciting interview. The reply of Jesus to Peter was a typical enigma which would invite years of reflection and produce fruitful conclusions. Critics try to make out that John does not record the predictions of the second coming of Jesus as do the Synoptics. But John closes his narratives with the clearest and most dramatic of references to the second coming.
John is attempting to correct a false rumor which has spread abroad among the churches. Jesus had not predicted on this occasion that John would live to see the second coming of Christ. John corrects this false impression by a most emphatic quotation of Jesus’ exact words: “If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.” This leaves the time of the second coming indefinite just as Jesus repeatedly had declared it would be. Peter was rebuked and silenced by this reply. The church was kept in a state of expectancy. The second coming was set before them as the day of glory at a time of God’s choosing. Jesus had already predicted that James and John would share the cup of suffering with Him (Matthew 20:23). There was no need that this should be repeated now. When John wrote toward the end of the century he was the last surviving apostle. This naturally increased the interest of the church in the instructions Jesus had given by the lake shore. John wanted to keep in their hearts the glorious hope of the second coming, at the same time that he corrected the false rumors that had gone forth concerning his own future.
Appearance to the 500 The statement of John that this appearance by the Sea of Galilee was the third time that Jesus had appeared to His disciples shows clearly that he uses “disciples” to mean the apostles and that no appearance to the apostles had occurred other than on the first Lord’s Day and then a week later. This increases the probability that this appearance by the Sea of Galilee was also on the first day of the week. He had sent them to Galilee and had promised to meet them there. They did not know exactly where, and were waiting for Him to appear. It is plain that the appearance on a mountain in Galilee followed after this by the sea. It is usually held that the appearance on the mountain in Galilee was the one which was shared by 500 witnesses. It is Paul who tells of the appearance to so many witnesses at one time (1 Corinthians 15:6). He does not say where or when. This is the most probable place and time of the known appearances. The fact that only the apostles are mentioned (Matthew 28:16, Matthew 28:17) as being present is no more strange than that only the apostles are mentioned (John 20:19-26) as being present in the upper room on the night of the first Lord’s Day. Luke is very clear that the two from Emmaus were also present in the upper room and had just completed their recital of their journey with Jesus to Emmaus. Luke also states that there were other disciples present: “found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them” (Luke 24:33). John does not say that only the ten apostles were present. He uses the term “disciples” and specifies that Thomas was absent.
If the 500 were present at the meeting on the mountain in Galilee, then it is probable that the seven disciples were sent from their meeting with Christ by the sea, to go into the cities and villages of Galilee calling together the 500 who were to meet on the specified mountain on a certain day. The presence of the 500 would readily explain why “some doubted” when Jesus first appeared. The apostles who had been with Jesus on three other occasions since the resurrection should certainly be full of faith now. But if such a large number as 500 were present, it would be natural that some of them would be as hard to convince at first, as the apostles had been at the early reports and appearances. If only the eleven apostles were present at the appearance on the mountain in Galilee, then the doubt of some is to be explained as resulting from the fact that Jesus appeared at first off in the distance, where it was not easy to make sure as yet of His identity. Matthew shows that Jesus approached the group after they first sighted Him: “but some doubted. And Jesus came to them” (Matthew 28:17, Matthew 28:18).
Before comparing the contents of the great commission as it was given in different forms on different occasions, it is necessary to consider the genuineness of Mark 16:9-20. Radical critics reject these verses. They are included in both the Authorized Version and the American Standard Version. The latter gives the foot-note: “The two oldest Greek manuscripts, and some other authorities omit from Mark 16:9 to the end. Some other authorities have a different ending to the Gospel.” This brief summary states the case against the passage. The translators rendered their own decision on the evidence by including the verses in the text. The Revised Standard Version (1946), in keeping with its radical character, omits the passage from the text and prints it in a foot-note. This passage is omitted by Sinaiticus and Vaticanus, one important manuscript of Old Latin, and of Syriac and Aethiopic versions. A shorter conclusion is found in L, 274, the margin of a manuscript of Old Latin and Harclean manuscripts and an Aethiopic text. A statement by Jerome shows that this passage was not in most of the Greek manuscripts which he had in the fourth century. But it is found in all the Greek manuscripts we possess today with the above exceptions. Alexandrinus and Ephraemi have it. It is cited by Irenaeus, by Tatian, by Hippolytus, by Dionysius of Alexandria in the third century. Most important is the fact that the evidence from the versions is practically unanimous in favor of the passage. The exceptions to the above are very few. The Syriac Peshito, Old Italic, Sahidic, and Coptic all contain it. These versions were made very early when a great number of Greek manuscripts much older than any we have, were available. The evidence from these translations is therefore very powerful. The fact that the absence of these verses from some texts can be readily explained is very important. A very old copy of the gospel evidently lost the last page containing these verses, as constant use wore out the manuscript. Some scribe copied from this defective manuscript and started a line of manuscripts which omitted these verse.
Internal Evidence A most conclusive argument for the passage is found in the fact that the critics who reject it, realizing that the manuscript evidence against it is too slight, depend upon an argument from internal evidence which is ridiculous. They say that these eleven verses were written by another author because seventeen words and phrases occur in these verses which are found nowhere else in the book. Broadus took the twelve preceding verses in Mark which have never been questioned and found exactly seventeen words not found in the rest of the book. McGarvey took the last twelve verses of Luke, of which there is no question, and found nine new words.
It has been pointed out in recent years an absurd ending is given to the Gospel of Mark by cutting off these closing verses: “Neither said they anything to any man, for they were afraid.” This has been called “the epitaph of the unbelieving preachers who smother the spiritual life of this generation.”
Those who would deny the Trinity and remove the great commission from the New Testament have attempted also to cast doubt upon the closing verses of Matthew’s Gospel. With customary duplicity they have published statements that some of the great manuscripts lack the great commission in Matthew. The fact is that there is not in existence in any library in the world a copy of the book of Matthew which omits these verses. In other words, a copy of Matthew which lacks all the last part of the book from Chapter 25 on cannot be cited as lacking these verse. The copy is worn out and lacks all the last chapters.
Luke’s Account
It is noteworthy that Luke in reporting the great commission as given on that first Lord’s Day gives the statement of Jesus of how the Old Testament predicted that “the Christ should suffer, and rise again from the dead the third day.” Thus the basic elements of the gospel — the death, burial, and the resurrection, are introduced into the command to go and proclaim the good news to all nations: “and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47).
Repentance is used here in an all-inclusive sense, just as faith is sometimes used to include the entire committal of the life. Judging only from this quotation from Luke, repentance alone is all that is necessary for the remission of sins. This is true only in the sense that repentance is here used of the entire turning of the individual to God. Usually repentance means a change of mind arising from sorrow for sin and leading to reformation of life. Two Greek verbs are used in the New Testament for repentance — metanoeo and metamelomai. The preposition meta carries the basic idea of change; as the noun nous means the mind, so noeo means to know; melomai relates particularly to the emotions. Where there is a difference in the two verbs, metanoeo is the one with the higher content. It is significant that in recording the remorse of Judas metamelomai is used Remorse is without hope and leads to death instead of life. The change of mind must arise from sorrow for sin. A person might decide he will break the law and park his car in front of a fireplug while he goes into a store for a purchase. But the driver suddenly sees a policeman standing on the corner and looking in his direction. The driver quickly changes his mind and drives off. This was not repentance: he did not change his mind because of sorrow for sin, but because of mere fear of punishment. His only regret as he drives off is that the presence of a policeman prevented him from breaking the law. Repentance is not reformation, but it cannot be separated from the actual change of life. If repentance does not lead to an actual reformation of life, if it ends merely in change of mind, then it is not repentance.
While Luke’s report of the great commission does not mention faith or baptism and says nothing of confession, coming as it does at the close of his entire Gospel account and joined with the other great historical work from his pen, Acts, it clearly implies that all these are included in the word repentance.
Luke is very clear that they are to begin the proclamation at Jerusalem. They are now at the capital. They are commanded: “tarry ye in the city, until ye be clothed with power from on high.” They have the facts in their possession and can present their own eye-witness testimony. They need the fuller understanding of the significance of the facts and the divinely-given power of the Holy Spirit to enable them to face the high and mighty in all the world with the truth. They are not told how long they are to continue to concentrate their preaching in Jerusalem. That will be made known in due time.
Evangelism of the Jerusalem Church The Jerusalem Church is sometimes criticized as being selfish and lacking in missionary passion and world-wide vision. They continued to concentrate their proclamation in the capital until persecution drove them Out. But what were they doing in the capital and what did they do when they were driven out? From Pentecost on they were on fire to tell the message to any and all who would hear. Daily from house to house and in the temple they taught and preached. They had enormous success. While the ends of the earth were coming up to the temple at the three great feasts each year and could be evangelized, these first Christians could send Christianity forth into all the world, just as Philip sent it into Ethiopia when he won the eunuch. These first Christians did not suddenly become evangelistic when they were scattered by persecution. They had been preaching day and night all the while. The length of their concentration in Jerusalem, where Christ had instructed them to begin, was a matter for their inspired leaders to direct.
Great Commission Understood The command to preach to “all the nations” and to every creature” was clear to all the Christians. It was not a matter of their failing to understand that Jesus had commanded them to preach to all. Their difficulty was in understanding how they could do this in the light of the prohibitions against going into the homes of Gentiles and eating with them. The hard thing for the church to understand was that the Old Testament had passed. This continued stay in Jerusalem was necessary until the church was led into all truth by the inspired leaders. Stephen was God’s instrument in making clear the passing of the Old Testament. This opened the door of their understanding as to how they could go among the Gentiles with the gospel. The death of Stephen brought the storm of persecution which scattered the church, even as his preaching had brought the new understanding of the relationship between the law and the gospel.
Luke gives two accounts of the commission: the first, in the city of Jerusalem (Luke 24:44-49); the second, on the last day He was with them just as He was about to ascend (Luke 24:50-53; Acts 1:6-11). His emphatic presentation of the evidence in the magnificent historical preface to Acts brings out the fact that Jesus appeared to His disciples over a period of forty days and that He offered many infallible proofs and gave them much instruction concerning the kingdom which was about to be established. Again he quotes Jesus as urging them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They are to be His witnesses to testify of the historic facts of the gospel and His chosen messengers to declare its commands, promises, and warnings. In both statements of the great commission given by Luke there is strong emphasis upon the fact that the apostles are to be His witnesses. In the preface to Acts the expanding circle of their testimony is clearly set forth: “in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). It was most important that the testimony should be offered first in Jerusalem itself, face to face with the wicked leaders who had crucified Jesus and had used every conceivable means to keep His body sealed in a rock-hewn tomb. This was not to be a vague, formless rumor which rises out in some remote region and gradually spreads. It is to be clear-cut historical testimony of eye-witnesses in the very presence of the most vicious enemies. If these enemies are able to deny the facts, they now have full opportunity. Failing this, they will have the way open to persecute and kill the witnesses, but in no other way can they silence them. In slaying them they will forever seal the truth of their testimony.
More Complete Understanding
It is plain from the preface of Acts that the apostles were in need of further instruction which the Holy Spirit would give them. We cannot tell just how much of a worldly idea of the kingdom still lingered in their minds as they asked: “Lord, dost thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). That word “restore” seems to suggest the glory of David and Solomon on a world-wide basis. But this is not so certain as is generally held The Old Testament repeatedly declares the world-wide spiritual nature of the leadership of Israel under the Messiah. Jesus had explained these prophecies to them after His resurrection. It is noteworthy that Jesus did not condemn them now for making a remark which had a longing for a worldly Messiah, such as He had used in rebuking Peter at Caesarea Philippi: “thou mindest not the things of God, but the things of men” (Matthew 16:23). Now at the time of the ascension He only rebukes them for inquiring as to the time: “It is not for you to know the times or seasons.” We cannot tell how far their question was based on reflections as to whether the setting up of the kingdom is to wait upon His second coming. They had been promised the baptism in the Holy Spirit “not many days hence.” Was this to be the occasion of the establishment of the kingdom or would it wait upon His return to the world? As in the Old Testament predictions of the first and second comings of the Messiah there was difficulty in interpretation, so now in the predictions of the initial establishment of the kingdom at Pentecost and the final consummation at the second coming. The apostles are commanded to wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Both the necessary information and the power would be bestowed for the tasks before them.
Matthew’s Account
Matthew gives profound emphasis to Jesus’ declaration of His universal authority as He gave the great commission. But it is a mistake to think that this was the only time He affirmed His divine authority. It is implicit in all that He did and said. Before issuing the great invitation as well as before giving the great commission, Jesus declared He had divine authority: “All things have been delivered unto me of my Father….Come unto me all ye that labor….”(Matthew 11:27, Matthew 11:28). Explicit claim to this authority is recorded many times in the Gospel narratives. The disciples were commanded to go to all the nations. Although “go ye” is a participle in the Greek and carries the secondary idea, yet it is as clearly a command as the verb “make disciples,” for a participle takes on the color of the verb upon which it depends. The main purpose of the campaign is to carry the message of salvation to all. The verb “make disciples” means by giving them instruction. Thus they are commanded to preach, baptize, and teach. The verb baptizo means to immerse, just as the verbs cheo and rantzzo mean respectively “to pour” and “to sprinkle.” Even the figurative meanings of baptizo such as “dyeing” make clear the action, for a garment is not dyed either by pouring or sprinkling. Although in classical Greek the verb baptizo is sometimes used of ships “sinking,” it is made very clear in the New Testament that baptism is a resurrection as well as a burial (Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12).
Baptized into Christ The name stands for the person: “into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” In the solemn act of baptism the person is baptized into the body of Christ: he is joined with the Person of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Hence we are baptized “into Christ.” The fact that Luke does not choose to repeat these words when he records a baptism in Acts, does not at all imply that the apostles disobeyed this command of Christ. Luke simply records that the person was baptized into Christ which was all that was necessary for his brief history. Modernists feel obligated to deny the genuineness of this passage because of its clear-cut testimony to the Trinity. Advancing their theory that the Trinity was a late development, they center their attack upon this passage. But the manuscript evidence for these closing verses of Matthew is unanimous. Furthermore the Pauline Epistles which set forth the idea of the Trinity in doctrinal discussions and in specific fashion in benedictions are too early to allow for mythical development such as the modernists suppose. The word “Trinity” is not found in the Scripture, but the idea is fundamental to the Gospel narratives and the entire New Testament. Strong support is to be found also in the Old Testament.
Teaching Them to Observe All Things A complete understanding of all the teaching of Jesus is not essential to conversion but only an understanding of the fundamental elements. A lifetime of study with ever increasing knowledge and faith leads the Christian on in the gradual mastery of the life and teaching of Jesus. We are to “grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.” The process is not complete until eternity affords perfection.
Divine Help
Exceeding precious is the promise that Jesus would be with them. They were to have the presence and help of the Holy Spirit, but Jesus would also be their constant Companion and Guide. A seemingly impossible and incredible task has been calmly assigned to an insignificant little group of people who have been ordered to go out and conquer the world by the simple proclamation of the gospel to each individual. The promise of Christ’s presence and help fulfilled a desperate need, as they were about to face the Jewish leaders who had just crucified Jesus and the endless opposition and persecution of an unbelieving world.
Time and Place of Mark’s Account
Mark’s account of the great commission presents the apostles sitting at meat when Jesus appeared to them. If this is the same occasion which Luke 24:26-43 describes, then there is no difficulty in the rebuke which Jesus gave to the apostles for their unbelief and hardness of heart in failing to accept the first testimony of His resurrection. We are accustomed to place this giving of the great commission in Mark as at the close of the forty-day period and make it closely parallel in time to the giving on the mountain in Galilee recorded in Matthew. But if it be the same occasion as Luke records, then the apparent difficulty of the rebuke of Jesus disappears. It seems plain, however, that Mark is giving a general summary of post-resurrection teaching of Jesus in Mark 16:19 and is recording the fact of the ascension without giving the time and place. The Method The commission in Mark shows how the nations are to be made disciples: by preaching the gospel to every creature. As repentance in Luke’s first report was used of the entire turning of the life from the world to God, so “he that believeth” in Mark uses faith to cover the entire spiritual revolution in the heart. Both Matthew and Mark give the strongest emphasis to the solemn ordinance of baptism. Just as Luke had associated with repentance “forgiveness of sins” so Mark declares faith and baptism the way of salvation: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned” (Mark 16:16). Disbelieveth in this last clause covers the entire rejection of disbelief and disobedience. The Miracles The miracles which Jesus promised would “accompany them that believe” and were to give the seal of heaven to the truth of their proclamation were fulfilled in the apostolic age. The scene on the Island of Malta, when Paul was bitten by a deadly serpent and suffered no harm, is an illustration. The speaking in tongues on the day of Pentecost, many miracles of healing, the casting out of the demon from the girl at Philippi, all show the fulfillment of this prediction. At the time of the first sending forth of the apostles two by two a similar prediction of miraculous power had been given and fulfilled.
Translation of Elijah The ascension of Jesus brings to mind the translation of Elijah. There is deep pathos in the second chapter of 2 Kings as Elijah makes his last journey with his faithful helper Elisha. Repeatedly he tests the faith and devotion of Elisha by suggesting that Elisha should stay behind now on this additional stage of the journey. But Elisha answers resolutely: “As Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee” (2 Kings 2:2). Young students of the school of the prophets eager to exhibit their prophetic power, predict to Elisha that Elijah is to be taken away from him that day. Petulantly Elisha responds: “Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. In the final hour of parting Elijah asked his faithful successor to ask what he most desired. The response was magnificent: “I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me” (2 Kings 2:9). As Elijah was swept up into heaven in a chariot of fire drawn by horses of fire in a great whirlwind, Elisha cried: “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof” (2 Kings 2:12). Elisha understood now that the real secret of the strength and security of Israel was not in man’s might, but in God’s.
Silence of the Apostles In contrast with this, there is a strange silence which is upon the apostles in approaching the final hour. They utter no such magnificent outcry of anguish or triumphant joy in the moment of parting. They are completely under the spell of their divine Master. Although Luke does not specifically state that the apostles knew that this was to be the day and the occasion of the ascension, yet the repeated warnings of Jesus must have made them realize that the hour of final parting was imminent. At the first appearance Jesus had said to Mary “I am not yet ascended unto the Father; but go unto my brethren, and say to them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father; and my God and your God” (John 20:17). The sudden, mysterious appearances and disappearances of Jesus must have made them wonder which would be the last and what would it be like. If they recalled the manner of Elijah’s translation in the midst of their reflections, they would have been filled with tense expectation. The miraculous manifestations at the baptism and on the Mount of Transfiguration had been so tremendous as to increase their present wonder. As the appearances themselves were on each occasion by surprise rather than by meticulous appointment, so the element of surprise must have been present in the ascension. But it was against the back-drop of excited expectation. Their question: “Lord, dost thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” was no routine request for information. It was filled with the excitement and anxiety which crowded these appearances. Jesus had repeatedly warned them during His ministry that He would leave them and return to God. Now He had made it evident by the message to Mary that the time was close at hand. They must take over the awesome responsibility of leadership and carry on His campaign in the face of cruel opposition. When and how should they begin? It is no wonder they attempted to question Jesus as to the relation of His departure and the establishment of the kingdom. The blunt rebuke they received was joined with a thrilling prediction of the coming of the Holy Spirit upon them to give them knowledge and power for the worldwide task. The Ascension
“And when he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9). The clause, “as they were looking,” is a reminder of the fact that they were actual eye-witnesses of what took place. It suggests all the grief, amazement, and triumph in their hearts as they saw Him ascend. In his previous account Luke stated that just before He ascended, “he lifted up his hands and blessed them” (Luke 24:50). He describes the reaction of the apostles: “And they worshipped him.” This was the same result which the mighty miracle of the walking on the water had produced: “And they that were in the boat worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God” (Matthew 14:32). Speechless and filled with emotions too deep for words, the disciples watched their Lord ascend. Barclay, McGarvey, Andrews, and others argue effectively that the miracle did not take place at the point tradition has marked in full view of the city, but from a more remote height on the Mount of Olives to the south. The cloud that received Him out of their sight may have been as a curtain drawn across His departure while He was still in plain view. This seems more probable than that He should have ascended higher and higher until He was still visible only as an uncertain speck in the infinite distance and became at last enveloped in clouds. The attitude of the disciples was now changed from the awe of worship to the straining of the vision toward heaven as they sought a last glimpse or a further view. The appearance of the two angels broke the spell and recalled them to the enormous task at hand with the assurance that the return of Jesus to judge the world would be in this same manner. The Coronation With all the sublime boldness of divine inspiration which affirms without explanation or defense that which man unaided by God could not know, Mark declares: “So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken unto them, was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God” (Mark 16:19). “Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory” (Psalms 24:7-10). “And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength. and honor, and glory, and blessing” (Revelation 5:11, Revelation 5:12).