After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. Acts 1:3-4
“The importance of this command comports with Luke’s approach elsewhere. Just as Jesus did not begin his public ministry before receiving the Spirit around age thirty (Luke 3:22-23; 4:1; Acts 10:38), the disciples were not to attempt their mission in their own strength; to do so, in fact, would be disobedience. Jesus praised Mary and made her a model of discipleship for waiting at Jesus’ feet instead of engaging in direct activity (in contrast to Martha, Luke 10:38-41); likewise, it is only after prayer and fasting that the Spirit sends out Barnabas and Saul for the work to which they were already called (Acts 13:2). The disciples could not generate the Spirit or spiritual experience; “waiting” for the promised entailed faithful dependence on God.”
Craig Keener in Acts: An Exegetical Commentary, Volume 1 (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2012) 676.
Waiting is not easy. Especially after the excitement of Easter.
Luke records this as one of the first commands of Jesus after the resurrection: “wait for the gift.” Keener rightly notes that failure to wait is disobedience. We don’t serve a deficient Savior who needs us to do things for Him. He instructs us to wait for the gift. What a generous Savior we serve who desires to empower our obedience! I am convinced we flop when we try to engage in mission on our own strength.
What’s this look like practically as we think about our own generous engagement in God’s mission? In plain terms, we must retrain ourselves to wait, to listen, and to trust. My wife, Jenni, is exploring that more deeply today as a matter of fact.
As a spiritual director, Jenni was invited to serve as a Hiller Fellow at the Hiller Lectureship at Sioux Falls Seminary with Ruth Haley Barton, so she is in South Dakota today. The theme of the event is based on a book by Barton, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership. If you want counsel as you wait for the gift, reading that book might be a good place to start.