An Upper Room Season: What Shall We Do?
Right now we are in a very unusual season in modern life. Our very busy, scheduled out lives have been up-ended as many of us are required to stay at home.
We are at that “in-between” time. As a teacher, I have always known this time as “in-between” Spring Break and Summer. It is when the students have basically decided that they are (or should be) done with school and don’t really want to be there. Now, many parents are experiencing the joys of homeschooling during the “in-between”. 🙂
I see people posting on social media almost constantly and read the words “I’m bored” and “What should I do today?” daily. That question, “What shall we do?” is in the Bible too.
Setting the Stage
To set the stage for this Bible passage, we need a quick (and hopefully painless) little history lesson.
God’s chosen people, the Jews, have annual feasts, festivals, and celebrations that help them remember the things God has done in the past. Passover celebrates the deliverance of the Jews from slavery in Egypt, when the God caused the Angel of Death to “pass over” the doors of all the Israelite families who obeyed God’s instructions and spread a sacrificial Lamb’s blood on their door posts.
The Festival of Passover was why there were large crowds in Jerusalem when Jesus entered the city to the waving of palm branches and shouts of Hosanna. Only a few days later, those same crowds would shout “Crucify him! Crucify Him!”
Shavuot
But there is another Jewish festival that follows Passover. About seven weeks after the start of Passover, the Jewish festival of Shavuot is celebrated. Shavuot is a festival celebrating two things:
- The giving of the Torah (the Word of God given to Moses at Mount Sinai) to the people of Israel.
- The first fruits of the second harvest, commemorated by bringing an offering of two loaves of bread.
Shavuot is a celebration that is almost like a wedding. It is a special time for the Jewish people to celebrate their relationship with God through the Torah. To draw close to Him and deepen their relationship with Him.
Now to our story…
Now we come to the beginning of Acts. Passover has happened. Jesus has died and risen from the dead. He has spent time with his disciples and many others have seen him and interacted with Him. Now, Jesus is about to ascend into Heaven.
Before He leaves the earth, He gives His disciples some very specific instructions.
“Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me;” Acts 1:4 (NASB)
Don’t leave Jerusalem! This made me think of being told to stay somewhere. Shelter-in-place. Quarantine. Don’t leave your home!
Stay where you are
However, the disciples are not being told to stay in Jerusalem to avoid trouble or disease. No, rather, they are told to stay and wait. Wait for the fulfillment of the Father’s promise.
“He said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” Acts 1:7-8 (NASB)
Following the Plan
The disciples now know the plan. They are to wait in Jerusalem. God will send the Holy Spirit. Then, they will get to tell everyone about Jesus.
Yes, they knew the overarching plan, but can you imagine the questions that plan must have brought up. What shall we do while we wait? How will we know when the Holy Spirit comes? What is our strategy for getting the word out about Jesus? Do we have a marketing plan? Who is actually in charge here now that Jesus is in Heaven?
What shall we do?
What do the disciples do? Well, at first, they just stand there staring at the sky. A pretty understandable reaction. Then two men in white robes bring them to their senses and they head back into Jerusalem right back to the upper room.
“When they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Batholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas, the son of James.” Acts 1:13 (NASB)
An active time of waiting
It was not inactive waiting. They were busy doing things while they waited where Jesus told them to. They were praying.
“These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.” Acts 1:14 (NASB)
Then in Acts 1:15-26, Peter starts to lead this group of about 120 followers of Jesus by reviewing what happened with Judas as a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and then they elect through prayer and God’s guidance Matthias as a replacement apostle for Judas Iscariot.
An atmosphere of anticipation
So, the apostles, the family of Jesus, the women (a group of 120 people) are gathered together: praying, reviewing the past, making decisions for the future. They are unified, staying in obedience to what Jesus told them to do. Waiting in an atmosphere of anticipation.
They are waiting and the city is filling up. The Festival of Shavuot is about to happen. There is an expectant excitement in the city as Jews from all around the known world come to Jerusalem to celebrate the gift of God’s Word and His provision of bread from the harvest.
The Fiftieth Day
Then, Pentecost. Literally meaning “fiftieth” in Greek (pentekoste). As in the fiftieth day from the start of Passover.
The day of Pentecost comes and something remarkable happens.
“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.” Acts 2:1-4 (NASB)
Drawing a crowd
It was so loud that it drew crowds of people from throughout the city.
“Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language.” Acts 2:5-6 (NASB)
Everyone is amazed and confused at what is happening, so Peter stands up with the other eleven apostles and speaks to the crowd. He explains that the prophecies of the Old Testament prophets like Joel and David have come true. That the Messiah has come and fulfilled prophecy and that the Holy Spirit has come that very day in fulfillment of prophecy.
The response to the move of the Holy Spirit
“Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” Acts 2:37 (NASB)
What shall we do? What action should we take?
The Word of God
You see, these Jews were from all over the known world. They had converged on Jerusalem for the Festival of Weeks (Shavuot). A festival that celebrates the Word of God. They didn’t know Jesus personally or have a relationship with Him. They hadn’t accepted Him as the Messiah.
They were just now hearing from Peter that prophecy had been fulfilled. That the very Word of God had become flesh for them and dwelt among them. They had come to celebrate the Torah and found the fulfillment of the Torah. They traveled to wave their bread offerings and discovered the Bread of Life.
“Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” Acts 2:38-39 (NASB)
Three thousand people came to Jesus that day. And those 3,000 turned the world upside down.
Action Step:
What Shall we DO?
If you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus today, your answer to the question “What shall we do?” is the same as Peter told the crowds on the first Pentecost:
Repent, be forgiven and receive the Holy Spirit.
If you don’t know how or want to talk more about this, please contact me. It would be my joy to answers any questions I can for you.
If you have a relationship with Jesus already, your answer to the question “What shall we do?” is to follow the example of the 120 in the upper room. We have an upper room moment here.
Where we are called to pray and be led by God in making plans to reach the world for the Kingdom of God. To embrace the Holy Spirit in daily life, drawing strength, power, and direction from Him, as we lead hungry people to the Bread of Life.
Prayer:
Holy Spirit, fill us with You. Let Your presence rush like a mighty wind into our lives as we are “waiting” in the upper room. Let Your power draw people to experience the Word of God and the Bread of Life in the person of Jesus. Set us on fire for You and let our mouths be instruments of Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ name, amen.