Shalom,
The time has passed so quickly. And, without realizing it, we have finished scrutinizing 24 chapters, 1,551 verses and 25,944 words in the Gospel of Luke during our Sunday meetings. What are our reactions after reading so many verses? Are we excited as we get better understanding after dissecting the whole book of the Gospel of Luke? Or, we grudgingly read our Bible during church meetings and we soon forget about the message once we leave the building? Are we not enthused to study further?
The Gospel of Luke was written by a physician started with a preface addressed to Theophilus, as well as to each of us today. May we not get tired of hearing and reading the Word of God written in the Bible and may the Holy Spirit remind us of what we have read and meditated on. Do not only cling to certain verses and undermine or even completely forget about other verses. Doctor Luke was sure his literary patron, Theophilus, did not read haphazardly; hence Doctor Luke continued his writing (Acts of the Apostles) and sent it again to Theophilus.
We should believe that every verse in the Bible was inspired by the Holy Spirit. And we were sealed with the same Holy Spirit that helps us understand the Word. He is also the guarantee of the redemption of our lives that made us His belongings when Jesus returns (Ephesians 1:13 -14).
One thing we need to bear in mind is that Jesus was still on earth for forty days after His resurrection to convince His disciples that He really rose from the dead. What were their reactions? They did not believe it. They thought they were hallucinating and seeing a ghost (Luke 24:37). Then He asserted that a ghost have no bones and flesh while showing them His hands and His feet (vv. 39-40). But while they still did not believe because of joy and amazement, Jesus asked for some food, and they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish (vv. 41-43). The fact is many “Christians” today are hallucinating, and some even believe that Jesus' resurrection was just a bluff as they are convinced that His remains are still buried somewhere even though the Bible states the infallible truth.
What did Doctor Luke write about Jesus' ascension to Heaven? “And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God” (vv. 50-53).
What did the disciples do after witnessing their Teacher ascended to Heaven?
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They worshiped Him.
When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted (Matthew 28:17). Thomas was skeptical about Jesus resurrection at first and he wanted proof before he finally admitted that Jesus was Lord and God (John 20:27-28).
Jesus accepted their worship, proving that He is Lord and God.
All these events occurred 2,000 years ago. Now, do we still believe Him? Do we still want to worship Him?
Then Peter was sent by God to go to the house of Cornelius, a Roman centurion. At first Peter had doubts because he was a Jewish and Cornelius was a gentile but eventually he came without objection after receiving the vision from God (Acts 10:10-16). Upon Peter’s arrival at Cornelius' house, he was greeted by Cornelius who fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter immediately lifted him up and told him he himself was a mere man (vv. 25-26). Likewise, after Paul healed a crippled man in Lystra, the crowd called Paul Hermes and Barnabas, Zeus. Then the priest of Zeus brought oxen and garlands to the gates, intending to sacrifice with the multitudes. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes, saying they were men with the same nature as them (Acts 14:8-15). This shows that many people worship the wrong person because they do not know which God they should worship.
Prior to the pandemic, we used to attend prayer meetings regularly. And most of us felt guilty when we skipped a meeting. Then the pandemic hit for almost two years and the church went entirely online. Now COVID-19 cases start to decline and churches are allowed to hold face-to- face meetings by enforcing health protocols. Have we returned to church physically? Or, have we become too comfortable tuning in into a sermon from home—something that can be done casually, at any time convenient for us? Let’s be honest, our doubts toward the living God make us lazy to physically gather for worship, even though there is no church attendance requirement to enter Heaven because the Lord looks at the heart.
Pay attention to this, even though we do not see the Lord with our physical eyes, but we can worship the risen One anywhere and anytime. We do not have to go to Jerusalem to worship as the Jews did or to Mount Gerizim as the Samaritans did (John 4:20). Above all, God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth (v. 24). We need not yell when worshipping Him because He dwells not only in the high but also with him who has a contrite and humble spirit (Isaiah 57:15). What is more, speaking in tongues is not a necessary requirement for a true worship because tongues must be interpreted so that the church may receive edification (1 Corinthians 14:5). And he who speaks in tongues speaks to God. Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered (Romans 8: 26).
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They returned to Jerusalem with great joy.
It all began about thirty and three years earlier when the wise men from the east went to Jerusalem under the guidance of a star looking for the newly-born King of the Jews (Matthew 2:1- 2). When the star stood where the young Child was, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy (vv. 9-10) even though they had not yet met the Child. Oh what a great joy of meeting the Child!
Before returning to His Father's house, Jesus reminded His disciples that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Him. And He opened their understanding that they might comprehend the Scriptures (Luke 24:44-45). As a result, they were overjoyed. Even though Jesus was no longer with them, He did not leave them orphans because the Holy Spirit would abide with them forever (John 14:16-18).
In the early church era, when did the apostles rejoice? Surprisingly, when they were scourged, arrested to be imprisoned, they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name (Acts 5:41).
How about us now? Do we rejoice under any circumstances? Or, do we only rejoice when everything is safe and life is good? Or, do we complain more than we rejoice in our following Jesus?
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They praised and blessed God continually in the temple.
What did they do in the temple? Of course, they read the scrolls that did not contain the chapter and verse divisions as in our Bibles today. Still, they always praised and blessed God.
And here are some self-reflection questions for introspection: What is our reason for going to church? Are we serious about hearing the Word and glorifying God? Are we focused on criticizing the preacher? Do we go to church just to meet friends?
Why did Jesus mention the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms? At some point in history, the Old Testament arranged into three distinct sections, namely:
⊕. The Law of Moses which consisted of 613 items condensed into the ten commandments → The Table of Show Bread.
⊕. The books of the prophets wrote about prophecies that had been, were and would come to pass → The Altar of Burnt Offering.
⊕. The Book of Psalms contained songs to glorify God → The Gold Lampstand.
The activities of the early church always involved the three things mentioned above (Acts 2:42,47).
We are to rejoice because we have both the Old Testament and the New Testament. The prophecies about Jesus in the Old Testament were fulfilled in the New Testament.
What are the characteristics of the Psalms?
⊗. It is the longest book in the Bible. It is easy to find because it is located in the middle of the Bible.
⊗. It is easy to understand, no need further explanation and no cultural barrier.
⊗. It was composed over a period of approximately 1,000 years. It had been ± 2,500 years since then.
⊗. The message still moves us today because the Word is living.
⊗. Unlike other books in the Old Testament that need the New Testament perspective to understand what the text means, the Psalms are plain and practical.
⊗. The New Testament church also used the book of Psalms in their meetings.
It was by grace that we could finish the discussion of the Gospel of Luke with such a great joy, began with the birth of John the Baptist as a messenger who prepared the way for the coming of Jesus, the
Savior who was born into the world, to carry out the mission of redeeming sinners through His sacrifice on the cross. Then He rose on the third day and ascended to Heaven. All that was written in the Scriptures were fulfilled. Now it is our duty to continue His great commission by preaching the Gospel to the ends of the earth while continue to focus on worshiping only Him who will come to pick us up to be His bride. Amen.