During Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances for forty days, He gave many infallible proofs (Gk., tekmerion, occurring only here in the NT, lit., in many proofs, Acts 1:3) of the reality of His resurrection. What made these “I AM alive” proofs or signs of Jesus so evidential, so compelling, and so convincing to the apostles were found in the discovery of seeing and hearing Jesus and touching Him (Lk 24:29-40; Acts 4:20; 1 Jn 1:1).
The physical resurrection of Jesus was the greatest revival of hope in the hearts of the fearful apostles since his crucifixion, death, and burial! The fact that Jesus was alive and ascended back to heaven sustained all the apostles in their faithfulness to Jesus Christ unto death.
Prior to Jesus’ ascension, He deflects the question concerning the restoration of the kingdom to Israel, and redirected their focus on being supernaturally empowered by the Holy Spirit ([explosive] power from Gk., dunamis, the origin of our English word, “dynamite”) and being a witness of Jesus in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
You shall be witnesses to Me generates cloudy conditions, grammar-wise; is the mood imperative (command) or declarative (a simple statement of fact)? Based on grammar alone, it would be correct to interpret either way. The wind of context, however, changes the weather conditions over the fork in the road of grammar here to sunny and unlimited visibility; it is clear that this clause should be taken as an imperative in the future tense (Cf. Acts 10:39, 42-43; Jn 14:26; 1 Pet 3:15, et al).
Along with the meaning of witness, these witnessing stops in Acts 1:8 are where the rub resides on being a witness for Jesus, and a bonus reason is given! We got to have a bonus! Below are some of the reasons why evangelicals might want to refrain from witnessing to others for Jesus from Dr. Luke.
1. Witnesses. The Greek word for witnesses is martus. Our English word martyr is derived from it, one who dies for his faith. This was “commonly the price of witnessing” (John MacArthur on Acts 1:8). Stephen was the first to experience martyrdom (Acts 22:20, martyr is the same Gk. word translated witnesses in Acts 1:8). Paul, the future apostle attended this stoning. Does this engender any positive imagery in Lk 9:23, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me? Do you share this desire in 2 Tim 3:12, Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution? If self-preservation is at the top of your list of things to do, being a witness could actually shorten your lifespan!
2. In Jerusalem, and in all Judea. Here is the epicenter of persecution for the cause of Christ. The judicial and religious ruling body, the Sanhedrin, was located in Jerusalem and had thousands of eyes and ears throughout Israel. Many, not all, were part of the “Crucify, Jesus” movement. Israel was looking for a political deliverer to break the yoke of the despised Romans, not a spiritual one, for they did not see themselves as sinners. Also, religious and legalistic people do not like a witness of God’s grace and mercy. They prefer only an unbending law and entrenched traditions.
That negative term “sinner” was directed toward the half-breeds of Samaria, Gentiles, particularly the Romans, law-breakers, the Jesus movement, and those who had physical challenges (visible proof that someone sinned in the family, cf. Jn 9)! This same group, that mishandled the law of Moses, cast Stephen, one of the godliest men you will ever read about, outside the city of Jerusalem, and began to stone him.
In fact, they continued stoning him as he called out to God until he died, and probably after his death, they hurled a few more stones at his body for good measure. This town was the demonic hotbed of hostility toward anything Jesus. Sounds pretty good, huh, You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem and all of Judea?
3. And Samaria. Surely Jesus, the Samaritans, those half-breeds who under Jeroboam’s leadership took ten tribes to Samaria due to the continued policies of Solomon by Rehoboam, his successor to the throne, by burdensome taxation and forced labor for royal projects. Rather than throttling back, Rehoboam unwisely ratcheted up the unpopular policies of his father and divided the nation. The northern tribes intermarried with the Gentiles and drifted from monotheism to polytheism.
The relationship between the southern and northern tribes remained intense and dangerous even during Jesus’ day, having two separate places of worship. Devout Jews refused to even travel through the land of the Samaria. Send me on the next caravan, Jesus, Samaria sounds like an adventure spot, not!
4. And to the end of the earth. You mean you want for us to be witnesses for Jesus, way out there where only God knows what’s there? What we do know is that out there is a world full of Gentiles! And You want us to be witnesses to the Romans, the Greeks, the Egyptians, Arabs, and all the remaining unknown barbarians who would rather kill and conquer us than give us the time to hear about how God loves them? To obey this would take us only further away from our family. The Gentiles are a troublesome lot not open to conversion. They are more interested in power, conquest, and unspeakable things, not surrendering to someone crucified on a cross.
5. The bonus motivator as promised: the flesh, the world system, and Satan. All three of these elements are going to work against us because we are associated with Jesus. The need for power (Acts 1:8) suggests this confrontation with the triad of evil is at another level. It also suggests that there is an innate weakness in all of us. Apart from the Holy Spirit, we are going to be ineffective as a witness for Christ. There is nothing like battling a three-front war. Yep, maybe we should leave this witnessing business to the experts? <><
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