Recognizing Jesus

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

RECOGNIZING JESUS

Acts 13:26-31

26 "Brothers, children of Abraham, and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent. 27 The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. 28 Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he was seen by those had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people.

NIV

Paul is still speaking to the Jews and Gentiles of this local synagogue in Pisidian Antioch. Now he gets to the events of the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Paul said they did not recognize Jesus. It is not that they did not know that he was Jesus but they saw him as someone who was stirring up the crowds, threatening their control over the people. The Greek word used here as recognize carries a meaning of being ignorant, without knowledge. They were unaware that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah who they read about when they read the prophets in the synagogue. This is proof enough that people can attend church and still not see Jesus for who he is. There are people who have in some sense put Jesus to death in their lives. They either fail or refuse to see Jesus as Lord and Savior. Of course, Jesus spoke about them when he said that men love the darkness, it hides their sinful behavior. But we have witnesses to the truth about Jesus. They have recorded, through the power of the Spirit, all the events that took place surrounding the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. In this one case at one moment in time, we must judge for ourselves whether to believe the witnesses or dismiss their words altogether. Once we have determined, again through the power of the Spirit, that the witnesses are true, and this bible is the authentic word of God meant to bring us to repentance and thus salvation, we then must live our lives in the light. We moved from that city of darkness and death to the city of light and life. This is the story Paul is telling, the message that brings that move within a person from death to life. In some sense, coming from being a dead man walking to eternal life, is a form of resurrection, although not the real one that we will experience on the day of our last breath. Still, once we were dead and now, we have eternal life. This is our story, and although we did not physically see Jesus, we do have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit bearing witness to us and through us that Jesus is alive and well, sitting at the right hand of the Father, and that Jesus has prepared a place for us, and that he will come and get us to take us there. We are witnesses to that truth. Now we are witnesses to our people because we recognize Jesus.