The 40 Days from Resurrection to Ascension

At the time that I am writing this post (May 21, 2020), it is exactly 40 days past Easter and 10 days from Pentecost.  This day is historically understood as "Ascension Day,” because it is the day that Jesus ascended back into heaven.  

Acts 1:1-3 tells us that from the time that Jesus rose again from the grave (Resurrection) to the time that He ascended into heaven (Ascension), it was a period of 40 days.  And while we do not have a detailed account of everything that Jesus did with His disciples over the course of those 40 days, we do know this time was significant.  For one, it would be Jesus’ last moments with His disciples before He ascended into heaven.  It would also be a time of preparation for a great transition that would come through Pentecost -- when the Church of Jesus Christ would be birthed and the lives of these disciples would never be the same again.

So, what did Jesus do in those 40 days with His disciples that prepared them for the great transition that was to come?  And, how does this inform us as His followers today?

I’d like to share a couple of things that Jesus did with His disciples in those 40 days.

 #1 - He met with them.

Acts 1:3 tells us that one of the primary things that Jesus did with His disciples in those 40 days of being with them prior to His ascension was that “He presented himself to them” and showed them convincingly that He was very much alive.  He did this by eating with them, as He did with Cleopas and the unnamed disciple on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), and feeding His disciples as He did by the Sea of Galilee (John 21:12-13).  He invited His disciples to touch and see Him up close (Luke 24:39; John 20:27). 

“As you look back on the past 40 days since Easter, how has Jesus met with you? How has he encountered you and shown Himself to be real to you in a tangible way?  How has He fed you and ministered to you during this critical time in human history?”

For me, God has restored a creative spirit in me. He has also renewed dreams and promises that had been buried from long ago.  But more importantly, there is a sense of closeness and intimacy that has been restored in the days since quarantine has started.  Jesus, by all accounts, has become more real to me during this time, than ever before.  

How about you?

#2 - He taught them 

We also see in Acts 1:3 that in the 40 days from His resurrection to His ascension, Jesus also took considerable time to speak to His disciples regarding the kingdom of God.  Could you imagine what some of those conversations might have entailed?  I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall just listening in on some of those conversations that Jesus was having with His disciples in the days following His resurrection. 

In the same way, I believe that the last 40 days has been a time where Jesus has been teaching us and instructing us about life in the kingdom of God.  And the questions that I want to ask you are:

“What has He been speaking to you about?  What has He been personally teaching you in this season of being sheltered-in-place — about life, about Himself, about yourself, and the kingdom of God? ”

For some of you, I sense that perhaps the Lord has been speaking to you about what is truly important in life.  Perhaps there has been a re-arranging of your priorities or a reorganizing of your values. 

Perhaps for others of you, God is teaching you again that He is the true Owner of your business.  That He is the true Provider for your family.  And that you don’t have as much control over your life as you might have thought.  Perhaps the Lord is teaching you again about what it means to entrust Him with all things and not just a few.

And from my conversations with others, I sensed that God is teaching some of you again about what it means to live a kingdom-oriented life -- what it means to not only love God but to love your neighbor (quite literally) as you love yourself, and what it means to live a life of simplicity that lends its way to greater generosity.  Perhaps you are learning that it is truly better to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).  

My prayer is that the lessons, counsel, and even pearls of wisdom gleaned from this season will go with you and serve you well in the seasons ahead.  

40 Days of Preparation Unto Transition

One last note worth mentioning before I close -- in the Bible, “40” is the number that signifies two things: 1) preparation, and 2) transition.  Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness being prepared to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and through the wilderness.  The end of the 40 years marked a critical transition in his life from being a shepherd leader overseeing a flock of sheep to a shepherding leader who oversaw the people of God.  We also see Elijah being prepared for his transition and new assignment as a prophet of God, during the 40 days that he made his way to Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8).  And even Jesus Christ Himself, spent 40 days in the wilderness for His preparation and transition into the start of His earthly ministry.  

 As we are moving on from these 40 days from Easter, my last questions that I want to leave with you are these:

“In looking back on the last 40 days, what do you sense that the Lord is preparing in you? Where do you sense that God is leading you? What are some of the areas of your life that you are experiencing a “transition” of sorts?”

 As we move closer and closer to the day of Pentecost, my prayer is that as the Lord empowered His disciples with “power from on high,” that He will give you the grace, the empowerment, and His continual leadership to lead you through this season and into the next.