12Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. 13When 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, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. 14These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers . . . (a gathering of about one hundred and twenty persons was there together) . . .
Wouldn’t it be fascinating to be an unseen observer of the first day after Jesus’ departure? All of His followers had now was the memory of what He taught them. The last words must have still been ringing in their ears: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you . . .” But where does one go after the ascension?
They would have known from Zechariah 14:4 that Jesus would return to Mount Olivet, just a short walk outside the city, the place from where they last saw Him. But He had told them to not leave Jerusalem. So the natural place to go was back to the city, to the upper room, their last gathering place in Jerusalem. What was their emotional state? Anxious, sad, excited, all of these? To be sure, there was a heightened sense of expectation. The disciples did not have much information to go on, but they were going to follow Jesus’ instructions “not to depart from Jerusalem” (vs. 4), so they headed back to the upper room, where they had previously met their risen Lord (e.g. John 20:24ff).
But Jesus was now gone for the long term. They did not know for how long, but it has now been close to two thousand years, well past the apostles’ lifetimes. But the hope of His return was firmly embedded in their hearts. Luke, who writes from the perspective of some thirty years later, takes pains to set in place the beginnings of the evangelism explosion that was soon to be ignited.
The company of believers at that first meeting is identified by name and includes first and foremost the apostles. Only Judas Iscariot was missing. Others included the faithful women who followed Jesus, His mother, and His earthly siblings, 120 in all.
We must not miss the import of their first action as a group without the physical presence of their Lord: “These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer.” They began by communicating with God, that is, in prayer. Prayer became one of the four hallmarks of the church (Acts 2:42) and a significant emphasis of spiritual leadership (Acts 6:4). We today do well to follow their example, and become people, first and foremost, of prayer.
Lord, I commit to beginning each day in communicating with You.
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