1:12
A Sabbath day’s journey was approximately 1 kilometer. It was the maximum distance a person was allowed to walk on the Sabbath, though the phrase was used as a general term for a short distance. There was a place called Bethany near the Mount of Olives. The end of Luke’s gospel (Luke 24:50-53) refers to the disciples returning to Jerusalem after the ascension.
1:13,14
Luke lists all the apostles. Obviously, there are now only eleven of them as Judas Iscariot is not with them. The room they return to is not necessarily the “upper room” where the Last Supper took place. While the Holy Spirit and His role is a central part of Luke’s account, this is linked together with the importance of prayer. Here he stresses that the disciples were “constantly in prayer”. Moreover, the various women who were followers of Jesus were there as well. As with Luke’s gospel, women get several mentions along the way. Mary the mother of Jesus was also there, as were Jesus’ brothers. During His earthly ministry His brothers had at best been sceptical, considering Jesus to have gone mad. Now they are followers of Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment