Acts 1:3-5 3To these he also presented himself alive after his suffering, by many convincing proofs, for forty days, appearing to them and speaking about the things concerning the kingdom of God. 4And after gathering them together for a meal, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, “Which you heard of from Me; 5for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not after many days from now.”
Verse 3 builds on the eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus left no doubt about his resurrection but offered many convincing proofs. This verse is the only one in the New Testament that gives the time period of when Jesus appeared to his disciples. Forty is symbolic in the Bible for a complete period of testing and preparation. Just as Jesus spent forty days preparing for his ministry by fasting in the desert, he wanted his disciples to prepare the same way by spending time with them as the resurrected Lord. As far as the little textual evidence, Jesus did not spend continual time with them but appeared at different times.
Jesus continued to speak about the main topic of his earthly ministry: the kingdom of God. The disciples had heard his teachings for three years. They knew the stories, parables, and various sayings. Now, they could filter these through the power of resurrection. The kingdom had truly and clearly come in the person of Jesus. After Jesus’ teachings, the kingdom of God is not mentioned as much (only in Acts in 8:12; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 31). The focus of the preaching in the early church became the person of Jesus and the salvation he provides. Jesus is the King of the kingdom. To believe in him is to become part of the kingdom.
Jesus left his disciples with clear directions to remain in Jerusalem until the promise of the Father. This promise is described further as Luke quotes Jesus’ own words in verses 4b-5. The occasion and setting of verse 4 are unclear, but at some point, Jesus gathered the group together for a shared meal, which in itself is another proof of his physical resurrection. He appeared to them earlier in Galilee, so the disciples would need to return to the capital city to await this promise.
Verse 5 gives the promise, which is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist prophesied of this gift back in Luke 3:16. John and Jesus had two different baptisms. John’s baptism was of initiation and repentance in preparation for the coming Messiah. Water baptism symbolized the new life people experienced as they repented of their sins and turned to God in expectation and faith. Jesus’ baptism would be of fire. Fire penetrates, purifies, and cleanses. Jesus’ baptism would be deeper and build on the baptism of repentance John preached. Instead of water, the means of the baptism would be the Holy Spirit. The Spirit would do this deeper work in the hearts of the disciples, burning away the chaff of sin, purifying them, and preparing them for the mission Jesus had commended them.
The church would continue both forms of baptism. The apostles called for people to repent, believe, and be baptized and then receive the same gift of the Holy Spirit, who would do the deeper work in them (2:38). The same promises are given to us today. We are urged to turn from sin and show this by baptism in water, and then we must seek the filling of the Holy Spirit who will guide us and wmpower us to live out what Jesus taught.
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