EASTER VII
May 21, 2023
“You Will be my Witnesses”
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
The season of Easter is drawing to a close, and it feels a bit as though I haven’t absorbed the lessons of these weeks as I could (and probably should) have. They’re important, as they lead us through the time following Jesus’ resurrection and the unique ways in which he interacted with his disciples and other believers. Just as he always had, Jesus came to people just as they were — sick or worried, believing or questioning, wealthy or poor, fearful or confident — every one of them was heard, healed, loved, and forgiven. Last week, we learned how Jesus came to the shore where several disciples were fishing, earlier, how he joined some who were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus, and appeared as they gathered for a meal. As always, our Lord was and continues to be with all people wherever we are, and whatever we are doing.
The Sundays of Easter have focused on readings from the Book of Acts, which is an interesting combination of inspirational and historic accounts of the early church. Here is where we sense the change in Jesus’ teaching, as he speaks to the disciples of going forward in ministry, taking on new positions of responsibility and authority. Their time together in ministry had been preparation, as the disciples and other followers listened and learned what Jesus demonstrated and spoke about, but now it’s time to take that step into leadership, and he assures them that they are ready to do just that.
If they were wondering, questioning, shaking their heads as if to say, “No, not me — I don’t think I’m ready for this — I need to learn so much more, I need people to accept me and tell me they’ll listen to me” — Jesus told them they were ready, and the Holy Spirit would give them the strength they needed going forward.
Our Lord spoke with such strength as he told the disciples how the Holy Spirit would give them power, promising them they would be his witnesses not only in Jerusalem, but throughout the earth. Rather than defining a witness as one giving sworn testimony in a court of law, when Jesus names the disciples as his witnesses, he confers a certain status on them, as people who bear testimony to the truthfulness of what has been said or done. We learn in Acts 5 that when the apostles were arrested and questioned by the high priest, Peter responded, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. …. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.” (v. 29b, 32)
This Easter season has given us the opportunity to learn and hopefully find our way to be Christ’s witnesses in the world, teaching by what we do and say, always mindful that “the Holy Spirit calls, gathers, and enlightens the whole Christian church on earth . . .” (Martin Luther’s explanation of the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed).
Remembering with gratitude the gift of the Holy Spirit,
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers