Weekly Reflection
April 19th to 25th
Easter 2
Living Hope
Please note: The Archive Page here is becoming over-full; to simplify this I have decided that as from May 3rd I shall reduce it to include only the preceding four weeks at any one time. I hope you will not find this a problem.
Readings: Acts 2:14, 36–39, Zephaniah 3.14–17
Acts 2:14, 36–39
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: ‘Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 36 ‘Let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.’ 37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptised, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.’
Zephaniah 3.14–17
14 Sing, Daughter Zion;
shout aloud, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
Daughter Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away your punishment,
he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;
never again will you fear any harm.
16 On that day
they will say to Jerusalem,
‘Do not fear, Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp.
17 The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.’
among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes
before your very eyes,’
says the Lord.
We can see two occasions on which the Holy Spirit is given to ordinary people. In John 20:21-22 (which we read last week), Jesus confers the Spirit specifically onto the Eleven Disciples to equip them for their public ministry: suddenly we see these humble fishermen and other artisans transformed into dynamic men of God. The other occasion is where we see at Pentecost the fulfilment of Joel 2:28-32, that the Holy Spirit has now become available to every believer who repents of sin and is baptised.
The Ministry and Witness of the Disciples, and subsequently of all believers, is designed to gather people into the Kingdom in preparation for the End Times when Jesus returns. In the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19, Jesus specifically bids everyone from all over the world to come and join His heavenly Kingdom. This is a responsibility and a task that every believer has – to draw more people in; not by force or coercion, but by attraction; the most attractive evangelistic tool we have is to share our personal living faith, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit Who is within each of us. As believers we are all given this task, but we are also equipped with a powerful helper, namely the Holy Spirit. God’s purpose here is clear enough; 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord … is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” God wants everyone to be in the Kingdom, but by their own choice.
All of this is leading us gently but inexorably to the time when Jesus will return in Triumph and Judgment and usher in His Eternal Kingdom[1].
In this context I should especially like us to notice the start of Verse 16 of Zephaniah 3, the first three words of which are “On that day”. This is a prophetic usage (also referred to as “The Day of the Lord”) and is found in several Old Testament prophets. This alludes to the day when Jesus returns in Majesty and Triumph to judge the world and restore God’s Rule to what it was before the Fall of Adam in Genesis 3. At the end of Verse 15 God says to Jerusalem, “Never again will you fear any harm”, a clear reference to the time when Jesus has restored peace and harmony on earth.
It is also worth noting the point in Acts 2:41, that they “were baptised … and about three thousand were added to their number that day”. That’s what I call a mass Baptism – imagine the logistics! Actually it’s not as unlikely as it sounds; in the vicinity of the Jerusalem Temple, about 200 mikvaot (ritual baths) have been found (I saw them personally about 50 years ago[2]). These were used for ritual cleansing before Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), and after childbirth or menstruation. I also presume that at Pentecost friends could have baptised each other, to reduce the queues.
The Bible and archaeology together are a powerful living testimony to what God has done and is doing, and what He wants us to do today.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for those whom you first brought alongside each of us to show us the Way, that even if we were “Cradle Christians” [born into a Christian family] there was a point at which our faith was fully activated by the Holy Spirit,
Give us both Wisdom and Courage dear Lord, to know how we can best spread our faith to others, and please make opportunities available to us to share our beliefs into fertile soil. For the sake of your Kingdom.
Amen.
Peter Sebborn
Christian.Footsoldier@gmail.com
[1] This is the study of Eschatology and is a detailed theological subject in itself.
[2] This is an (albeit relatively trivial) example of living faith in action; I’m sure most of you my readers are already Christian believers, but there is nothing quite so powerful in witnessing to others, as a personal experience which you can quote – and I have many more!