Jesus foretells the Holy Spirit’s coming
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Saint for Today: St. Mark
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Jesus foretells the Holy Spirit’s coming
The apostles were gathered in one place talking about the events of the past few days. Jesus had been betrayed and brought to trial. He was given a sentence of death by crucifixion. But that was not the end. His tomb had been found empty and two of his followers had met him on their way to Emmaus.
Then suddenly Jesus was in the room with them. “Peace be with you,” he said. The men were terrified. They thought a ghost had appeared in front of them. So Jesus asked, “Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.”
Jesus held up his hands, then he pointed to his feet to show his friends the nail marks from where he had been crucified. Then they were happy because they knew it really was Jesus, and that he was back with them. “Have you anything here to eat?” he asked. They gave Jesus a piece of baked fish, which he ate as he talked with them about the Scriptures. “Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And (behold) I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Then Jesus told his apostles to come with him, and he went with them to Bethany. There he stopped to pray with them. With his hands raised, Jesus said a blessing for his friends. While he was still praying, Jesus was taken up to heaven.
The apostles rejoiced over what they had just witnessed and they praised God all the way back home, and they praised God in the temple as well.
READ MORE ABOUT IT:
Luke 24
Q&A
1. What were the apostles doing when Jesus appeared to them?
2. What happened when Jesus was blessing his apostles?
Bible Accent
The most important message of the four Gospels is the life and teachings of Jesus. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he promised his followers he would send a promise from his Father that would give them “power from on high.” (Luke 24:49.) This promise from the Father came upon the apostles when they were praying in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. The coming of the Holy Spirit enabled the early Christians to travel throughout the world of their day spreading the good news about Jesus. The Book of the Acts of the Apostles, which was written by Luke, tells us about the ministries of Peter and some of the other apostles, the martyrdom of Stephen, and the exciting conversion and missionary journeys of Paul.
Saint for Today: St. Mark
Mark (d. 74) was the author of one of the four Gospels. Most scholars believe that he is the man referred to in the book of Acts as “John who is called Mark,” and that in the early days after Jesus’ ascension into heaven, the house of Mark’s mother was a frequent meeting place for the apostles. Mark was invited by the apostle Paul to travel with him and Barnabas on one of his missionary journeys. Although scholars are unable to confirm whether Mark served as an interpreter for Peter on his missionary work, in one of Peter’s letters he says that Mark is with him. It also is very likely that Mark was the young man who ran away frightened after Jesus had been arrested in the garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14). We honor Mark on April 25.
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