Then they gathered around him and asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" – Acts 1:6

 Today's Scripture Reading (January 12, 2021): Acts 1

Zig Ziglar argued that "lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days." The enemy to our aspirations has never been the amount of time we might have. We have all been gifted with the same length of a day. The problem is one of focus, and the truth is that we will get what it is on which we focus. If we want to achieve a high level of education but focus our time on playing games, the education will take a back seat to the games we play. If we want to write a book but focus on sleep, the novel will remain a dream, but we will be well-rested.

Yes, Ziglar's explanation is a little simplistic. While we are all given the same time, we are not given the same abilities. And at some point, we have to take the time to discern where it is that our natural talents lie. An author who can't spell, which I sometimes think describes me, might have an uphill climb in their attempt to write the great novel, but if we bless the places where we have some aptitude with focus, we might be amazed at what we can achieve.

Luke says that the disciples gathered around Jesus. We have no indication that they knew that this would be the last time they would meet like this with their Rabbi. The reverse seems to be true as they begin to talk about the next steps. And the words reveal the focus of the disciples throughout the length of the ministry of Jesus had not really changed.

First, with the phrase "at this time," the disciples revealed that they were still looking for an immediate change. It was what the people had wanted all along. It was the change for which the Zealots had been fighting. This fight in the first century wasn't all that different from the Black Lives Matter protests of our contemporary society. The idea was that we have been waiting long enough; we aren't going to wait any longer. Nothing is happening except by violence, and now is the time. Some might be willing to achieve it by peaceful protest and raising their voices a little, but now is the time to take the fight to the establishment and get their attention at long last.

The use of the word "restore" indicates a political focus on a territorial kingdom. The promise that the people had held onto was that God would restore David's Kingdom at some point in the future. The Messiah himself would echo David and of Moses and the political kingdom that they had led.

The use of the "Kingdom of Israel" points toward a national vision. This was not about bettering the global community; it was a commitment to "Make Israel Great Again" vision.

But none of this had been the focus of Jesus. His was a global vision global, it was universal, and it was for all time. It is still is. The disciples were still on the wrong side of Jesus's purpose. But we get that because sometimes we are too; we need to be reminded that Jesus came so that "all" might be saved, regardless of the political or national bent or stripe.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Acts 2