Clothed with power from on high

Luke 24:25-49 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” ²⁷ Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

²⁸ And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He were going farther. ²⁹ But they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over.” So He went in to stay with them. ³⁰ When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight. ³² They said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?” ³³ And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them, ³⁴ saying, “The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon.” ³⁵ They began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.

³⁶ While they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be to you.” ³⁷ But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit. ³⁸ And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹ See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” ⁴⁰ And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. ⁴¹ While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” ⁴² They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish; ⁴³ and He took it and ate it before them.

⁴⁴ Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵ Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, ⁴⁶ and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, ⁴⁷ and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.   Jesus, the Word made flesh, speaking the word and  expounding on the written word; it’s no wonder that they said:   “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?”    Jesus was as is in agreement with the written word. He Himself said:  “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. ¹⁸ I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. ¹⁹ So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-20)     The purpose of the law is to make people aware of sin. The purpose of the writings of the prophets was to proclaim that there would be a savior who would come to redeem man from sin and reconcile them to God. Jesus accomplished the redemption and the reconciliation through His sacrifice on the cross.

The purpose of the law remains to bring about an awareness of sin. It is not the job or the purpose of Christians though to cause that awareness. It is the word and the Holy Spirit. Jesus says:  “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” (John 16:8) What we as believers can be part of is to be the prophetic voice that declares the good news of the savior and redeemer, Jesus Christ and the gospel of the kingdom of heaven which has come.

Jesus had spoken to the disciples before the crucifixion of what would happen when He was gone. He said:   ^“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” (John 16:7) Now in today’s text He says:  “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵ Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, ⁴⁶ and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, ⁴⁷ and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

We, like the disciples Jesus spoke to, are not to go out into the world without being clothed with “the power from on high,” filled with and yielded to the Holy Spirit of God. Neither the words we speak, nor the works we do will accomplish their purpose if we do them without the Holy Spirit. Our words spoken without the Spirit may be condemning, critical and judgmental. Our words spoken in the Spirit will be prophetic words of encouragement, exhortation and edifying to others. In the same way, our works, even our works of love and compassion will not accomplish their purpose if they are not yielded to the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter, says: If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.    Without love not only are we not profited, but neither are others profited by our words or our works. Notice though even the great works of compassion are of no profit without this love. This love which Paul speaks of saying:    Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, ⁵ does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, ⁶ does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.   

This love is not human love. If chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians is read in context, the context of chapter 12 and 14, we will see and understand that this love is a gift of the Spirit. The love we need to have for others is beyond our human capability. It is perfect love, Godly love, unconditional love, love which is patient, kind, not arrogant, it does not take into account wrongs suffered, but also does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth.  If we are to accomplish our purpose, to fulfill Jesus commission to be His representatives to the world, we must do nothing without the “power from on high.” The Holy Spirit living in us and through us is the only way we can accomplish the word, the works and the will of the God the Father and Jesus, His Son.    

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; Holy Spirit today and every day as I go out into the world, as I interact with others may I be truly filled with and clothed with Your power. May my words be true to You and Your Word. May my works and even my love be not my own, but rather yielded to You may I walk in the Spirit, that Your purpose would be accomplished.   Amen