Scripture: Acts 1:3
After his suffering, Jesus showed them that he was alive with many convincing proofs. He appeared to them over a period of forty days, speaking to them about God’s kingdom.
Thought for the Day: Today is the last day of our focus on the opening of Acts 1. We’ve been reflecting on these verses for more than five weeks – between sermons and devotionals. Today, we take a peek at this verse that not only speaks of the “convincing proofs” that Jesus offered his disciples, but how he spent forty days with them. The Bible likes its numbers, and yet in modern time, we have tried to view the numbers as if they are to be understood literally. I’ll be honest with you, there are some embarrassing attempts at trying to explain why certain numbers should be taken literally, and yet the explanations require both mental gymnastics and for us to step outside of basic rational thought. Now it might have been forty days that the resurrected Jesus spent with his disciples, but the author of the book isn’t all that interested in our ability to answer “40” on the fill in the blank Bible quiz. The author wishes for the mind to be swept into the rich history of faith where periods of “40” were times when individuals or groups were made ready for something that would soon follow. Those who knew the ancient stories would have been on the edge of their seats with that reference. They would have expected the story to take an amazing turn at any moment. Where have you experienced a forty?
Prayer: Make me continually ready for whatever it is that you are making ready, O God of Resurrection. Make me ready — for I wish to see and to follow. Amen.
SEE YOU IN WORSHIP
