J.J.
He [Jesus] presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. – Acts 1:3
Three things Luke describes in this verse. Jesus presented many proofs of his resurrection. Jesus appeared to the disciples for 40 days. Jesus spoke about the Kingdom of God. Our doctor-writer must have meant to say something important here.
Some suggest that faith in Jesus is blind, without reason, devoid of evidence. Au contraire, the first witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection were sighted (figuratively and perhaps for the most part physically), reasonable and seeking evidence. In fact, they doubted whether Jesus had really resurrected (Matthew 28:17; Mark 16:14; John 20:25). So Jesus had to give them proofs, evidence, reasons, to believe that He is real. Not just proofs but “many proofs”. So that these disciples could go on to fulfil Acts 1:8, that is become witnesses to Jesus to the ends of the world. You can only really be a witness if you have in fact witnessed it for yourself. These disciples witnessed many proofs of Jesus being alive after the suffering on the cross.
After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to them for 40 days. Why 40 days? Why not more or less? Forty reminds us of the time spent by Israel in the wilderness before they could enter the Promised Land, and then Jesus in the desert before His public ministry commenced. In both events, the 40-period was a time of testing and preparation. Since Jesus already had His 40-day period, it’s likely this 40-day period is meant for the disciples before they commenced their own public ministry.
What was so trying here during this time? Well, we know for one that they had doubts about Jesus’ resurrection. But we also know from other accounts that there were also heart issues which had to be addressed. In John 21:15-19, Jesus had to address Peter, asking him thrice, “do you love me more than these?” and saying “then feed my lambs … tend my sheep … feed my sheep”. One cannot be too sure what the question meant; whether “these” refers to Peter’s fishing profession, or the other disciples’ love for Jesus, or Peter’s love for the other disciples. In any case, one would imagine Peter’s answer to be the same yes to all 3 permutations. To which, the one response was given by Jesus: feed, tend, feed, my lambs and sheep. Forty days of heart and mind preparation for what though?
I think it was preparation of, and testing of obedience of, the disciples to commence their public ministry proclaiming and demonstrating the eternal Kingdom of God which Jesus has heralded. During the 40 days, Jesus spoke about the Kingdom of God to the disciples. The same gospel of the Kingdom Jesus proclaimed during His ministry (as mentioned many times in the gospel accounts). In various accounts post-resurrection, we know Jesus and the disciples spoke about the Law and the Prophets, that is the Old Testament Scriptures, in relation to Jesus and the Kingdom. So what is this Kingdom in relation to Acts?
The Kingdom of God is multi-faceted, like a well-cut diamond revealing and concealing different hues of light when perceived from different angles. Yet, it’s significant that Luke does not repeatedly use this phrase “Kingdom of God” in Acts as much as the gospel accounts do. The phrase appears twice at the beginning and twice at the end, out of 6 times in total. It seems to me Luke was using the phrase as bookends. Between the start and end, he chose, like many good writers, to “show” not “tell” how the disciples lived out, proclaimed and demonstrated the Kingdom of God.
Acts 1:3 speaks to us of the disciples’ journey of faith–from doubt which required “many proofs”, to 40 days of heart and mind preparation and testing, to learning from the Scriptures about the Kingdom of God, to a public ministry living out, proclaiming and demonstrating the Kingdom of God.
Yet, that is not only the disciples’ faith journey. It is also the journey of many Jesus followers over the two millennia since. This is especially encouraging for me. My faith journey comprises troughs and peaks, valleys and mountaintops. It is not so much cyclical as it is an erratic wave on a string. And time and again, I go back to that place where the disciples began at. Doubt, faith, heart, mind, Scriptures, ministry. And I am glad for that, knowing that the disciples began as doubters and ended as martyrs for the King. Perhaps I too may live to that end. And if not it is just as well. Either way, I hope to finish the journey well. And the witness of the disciples and their faith journey shows me that by God’s grace, I can.
S.D.G.