Last Days With Jesus

Like many who love Jesus, I often find myself envious of His Disciples. Though their lives weren't easy, particularly in the latter days, under persecution, I am, I'll admit, jealous that they were able to sit at Jesus' feet, learning directly from Him, witnessing firsthand His miracles. But perhaps the part of which I am most envious is that about which there seem to be the fewest details.

The former account I (Luke) made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. (Acts 1:1-3)

Imagine: You have spent nearly three years of your life with a great Rabbi. A teacher and a prophet. You have witnessed His miracles, and by His words and deeds have come to suspect -- even believe -- that He is the long-awaited Messiah. It tore your heart out when He was killed, and made you question everything you thought you knew. But then, three days later, He comes forth from the Grave, leaving an empty tomb behind Him. 

Would you not look at Him, even now, with entirely new eyes? Would you not finally understand what you had already believed: that this Man was indeed the Son of God? 

Luke says in the opening to Acts that Jesus spent forty days between His Resurrection and Ascension with His disciples. We'll learn more in later verses about the last of those forty days, but imagine! Imagine forty days in the presence of God -- now knowing, having the proof of your belief, that God is exactly who He is!

Some day, you and I will stand in that very same presence -- and not for a mere forty days! Some day, you and I will be rewarded for our faith just as Christ's disciples were: by finally sitting at the feet of our Messiah!

My Dear Theophilus

The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. (Acts 1:1-3)

The apostle Luke is known for having written two books of the Bible: the first of course, the chapter named for himself. The second being the book of Acts. In both of those books is a dedication. A salutation, if you will, to the mysterious Theophilus. Scholars have questioned the identity of this individual for centuries. There is no further record of a church leader, or anyone to whom these letters would have been written, with that name.

But in fact, Theophilus may not be a name at all, but a title. The name is derived from the Greek for the words God and Love. Theophilus: Friend of God or, alternatively, One Who Loves God. So perhaps the question is not to whom was Luke addressing these words, but, was he writing to you?

Are you a friend of God? How can you know?

Jesus described the greatest of God's commandments like this:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

What does that look like? Jesus said (John 14:15), "if you love me, you'll keep my commandments." One chapter later (15:14), He said, "you are my friends if you do whatever I command you." Friends -- and not servants, because "a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you."

In John 13, Jesus made it easy for His friends to identify one another -- and for others to know us too!

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)

So, are you Theophilus -- a Friend of God?  It's easy enough to tell: Friends of God love Him enough to trust Him and do as He says. We love Him enough to spread that love to others. If this is you, Luke's book of Acts has some amazing things in store: tales of God's movement in this world, of the creation of His church, of the works of His Spirit. This is a book written so friends of God could know Him through His apostles. And it's written just for you, one who Loves the Lord.