21 May SUNDAY, MAY 21, 2023
According to the Book of Acts, Jesus’ disciples ask the same question many of us ask God in earnest. “Is now the time when you will…? How long will it be until…?” Any of us could easily fill in those blanks.
How long will it be until something gets better, until something stops hurting, until a better job, a new situation, place or deal comes along to take the place of the one we’re not currently thrilled about or must endure. It’s fairly easy to fill in a blank if it means thinking about a thing that’s hard to bear, or by all accounts is deemed unsatisfactory, one that makes most people unhappy in general, or most people miserable at worst. 
The disciples ask, “Lord, is now the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” Reestablishing the kingdom to Israel was foremost on their minds. To them, restoring the kingdom to Israel is what seemed necessary more than anything in order to make things right. It’s the thing they thought would be most life changing, most significant, impactful, and terrific.
If only, Lord, you would restore the kingdom to Israel, life would get back to normal, or at least be better by a long shot. Think of an, “If only, then statement,” you’ve heard lately or heard yourself saying while bemoaning a current dilemma.
If only people would…fill in the blank, then, others could, or I could, we could, the country, economy, the church, military, all those things would be stronger. If, then, the vast majority would fare better. Things would improve. Better still, everything might work out. Perhaps, we could all be happy or at least, happier.
But Jesus, in classic form, doesn’t address the specifics of their inquiry, at all. Instead, he counters their presumption, the very idea of them asking a question that entertains the idea of “when” entirely. To Jesus, the disciples are like little children who repeatedly ask, “Are we there yet,” during a long car ride.
He essentially responds by saying, “Quit asking. It is not for you to know when the exact time is at hand. For now, please quit asking about how long or when. Sit back in your seat. See how God’s got the steering wheel in hand? Don’t worry, beforehand, the car was serviced. Your driver knows the route like the back of his hand, and is able to see everything up ahead.
In the meantime, look out the window; enjoy the view. Before you know it, we’ll arrive together. Jesus points out that how long a thing takes is determined by his Father, a person of greater authority and perspective than those of us who protest, who are mostly along for the ride and who are not ultimately responsible for others in the equation.
Is that a satisfactory answer? Perhaps such a reply works on children, but what about adults? In fact, what Jesus says next could only apply to adults being given authority, to persons Jesus trusts completely. He goes on to explain that God’s kingdom is about to be established unlike any political kingdom they’re used to. God’s judicial system and territory will exceed a particular city or capital like Jerusalem.
God’s kingdom is not limited to one nation like Israel or Judea. It will not only expand into a region like Samaria, but to the ends of the earth. “Such a kingdom like you’ve never seen is about to be established,” he tells them. “Yes, you my disciples, are about to receive power bestowed upon you by the Holy Spirit. Not the same kind of power exerted by or on display by the Roman Empire, but one above and beyond the clouds into heaven.”
And then Jesus ascends, lifted up by a cloud that takes him away toward heaven. Immediately, the disciples find themselves in the presence of two persons dressed in white who tie together what they have witnessed to what they may anticipate. They two dressed in white offer testimony of what the future holds. Jesus will come again in the same way the disciples saw him go: up away from them into heaven, and back down toward them from a place in heaven.
In the same way they were advised not to ask, “when” they are advised to quit looking toward the place he arose and instead turn to the task at hand being given to them. The task was not only to be busy, entertain or distract themselves, but to be about the business of the Lord.
They were to gather together as men and women in constant devotion to prayer. The purpose of which is to discern, better understand and communicate God’s will. That’s the purpose of prayer. It is not to manipulate outcomes, get what we want, or get on God’s good side.
The reasons we are to pray are the exact same reasons Jesus prayed. Although he already knew God’s will, prayer was time spent in relationship, carrying on a conversation. It served as glue between them and reinforced their bond. I thought it was neat in John 16:25 when Jesus admitted to his disciples that he would no longer have to pray to the Father on their behalf.
Why? Because, as Jesus said, “The Father himself loves my disciples.” It’s like when the children of our friends become dear to us. We no longer only think about them when they are mentioned by our friend. We wonder and hope the best for them because they are already in our hearts and on our minds. We are interested and care without being reminded.
What most interested Jesus and what he most cared about was for people to know his Father as the one true God and for people to believe that Jesus came into the world from the Father and would return to him. That’s how Jesus defined honoring God on earth.
He mentioned sharing glory with God during time that stretched throughout eternity. Eternity encompasses time before the world was, the present which to us, is now, and the future, which to us, lies ahead. To God, time is not linear or chronological. Kairos, also known as God’s timing, is all inclusive, holds endless possibilities, and always seeks to connect earth with heaven.
According to the KJV of verse 6, Jesus says, “Those you have given me, once belonged to you, and now by believing in me and by keeping thy word, I am sure that I haven’t lost one of them. Do keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.” Ephesians 4:25 says, “for we are members of each other.”
Family, friends and neighbors may not understand why you bother coming to church. Many people feel no need for such a thing. As long as they are distracted, entertained, kept busy doing, or allowed to drive, time passes quickly enough. How many more miles isn’t of concern. Striving to arrive becomes its own form of destination.
Words spoken to Jesus’ disciples prior to today’s gospel reading include warnings of persecution and his departure. John 16:33 reads, “These things I have spoken to you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
In Jesus, we may have peace during tribulation. In Jesus, we may find encouragement to be of good cheer. In Jesus, learn to pray differently than most writers of psalms did. Typically, they asked for God to rise up against their enemies, to punish and scatter those who hate God, to in effect, restore power to the kingdom of Israel. But most psalms also come around to remembering God’s tender loving care for all those in need: orphans, widows, the solitary, homeless, or imprisoned.
They name God as their protector and defender. They see his presence visually, palpably. It is able to be noticed among and within people, upon the land, and in places they inhabit. Because of His goodness, God makes provision for the poor. Finally, as Jesus alluded to, God gives strength and power to his people. Blessed be God.
From all of this we can discern that God’s will is multi-faceted:
for Jesus’ disciples to gather and devote themselves to prayer,
to care for those in need, including the poor,
to protect and defend in ways that make a noticeable difference
such that God’s presence will be undeniable
among and within the people of the world, upon the land,
in places they inhabit, and all that surrounds them.
When Jesus prays for his disciples in John 17, it is the longest prayer noted in scripture. Jesus prays in his Father’s name for those whom God has given. In his Father’s name, he asks for protection for one purpose: that they may be one, as he and the Father are one.
I fear the judgment that awaits Christianity. Think about all that has happened since the day Jesus spoke those words asking God to protect all who believe so they may be one as he and the Father are one. Since the day he acknowledged concern for all those whom God the Father once claimed as his own, Jesus prayed for unity, not happiness.
Jesus acknowledged that those whom the father once claimed were entrusted to him. God did and keeps doing his part. Believers have been protected throughout the centuries with one purpose in mind. A purpose we have failed to aim for much less achieve. Unity. God’s children have failed to become one, as Jesus and the Father are one.
The bottom line of Jesus’ prayer was unity, not individual or collective happiness, although I bet that’s part of the package. The bottom line of Jesus’ prayer was for followers to believe and be unified under the simplest of doctrines: Believe that the Father sent the Son and that the Son whom we called Jesus has in fact, returned home.
Believe that Jesus went there to be with and to reign with his Father in heaven, at once, sending the Holy Spirit to abide with and be in God’s children. Power has already been given for us to know and understand that everything that belongs to the Father also belongs to Christ. With that, eternity and everything else in the world can be shared. Kairos, or God’s timing, the right and perfect time will always interrupt what’s currently being done to point out what God hopes to accomplish. Let us pray.
We have failed miserably to keep things simple. Help us to understand how to move in the direction of unity with Christian brothers and sisters who aim to acknowledge both your divinity and your care for humanity. We find ourselves divided on issues, wanting to advance certain agendas in order to bring on your kingdom. We truly want to live, not only according to our religious convictions, but according to the holiest desires you have for all of creation.
Jesus Christ, make us one, as you and the Father are one. May we serve as witnesses to not only your resurrection and ascension into heaven, but to unification of your followers through devotion and prayer. May we through you, trust each other, trusting you to deliver what’s needed while seeking to do our part and follow your will. IYHNWP, Amen.