Introduction:
What follows below is a post that derives from a recent sermon I preached in our Sunday morning service at the church where I pastor. It is part of our verse-by-verse sermon series through Luke's Gospel ("Meeting Jesus in Luke's Gospel"). In the message I preached about the importance of "abiding in Jesus Christ". We've have studied about Mary and how she typified what it means to abide in the presence of Christ. In the last post we noted how Mary abided in the reality of Jesus Christ's pending crucifixion, what I termed "abiding in Jesus Christ's cross". In today's post we will note how she likely continued in her awareness of Christ's presence in her life by how she abided in the presence of His majesty.
Abide in the presence of His majesty. Acts 1:11-15
We’ve witnessed Mary abiding in the presence of Jesus Christ by His Words and right before His crucifixion. For her, as it is with all His followers, Jesus Christ is powerful and precious. We turn our Bibles to one final scene, Acts 11:11-15,
“They also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.’ 12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. 13 When 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. 14 These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers. 15 At this time Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren (a gathering of about one hundred and twenty persons was there together).”
We have a core of devoted followers of the Lord Jesus Christ present in this upper room gathering. We have of course The Eleven Disciples and the four women who would had went to the tomb after Jesus’ crucifixion (Matthew 27:56-61; Matthew 28:1). The seventy whom Jesus sent out to proclaim the Gospel while He was journeying to Jerusalem were likely there as well. Although Luke does not specify who the remainder of the audience was, there is a good chance Mary of Bethany, her sister Martha, and their brother Lazarus was among those gathered. The text tells us they were all together “with one mind, continually devoting themselves to prayer.”
They all were captured by witnessing or hearing about the majesty of the ascended Christ. If indeed Mary of Bethany, who anointed our Lord and who sat at His feet was present, she with the others were delighting, devoted, and depending upon their Lord. The majesty of our Lord Jesus Christ in His ascension was all about His coronation in Heaven as Prophet, Priest, and King.
She had heard Him teach the Word of God as Prophet, and now in His exaltation He would ever speak through all the words of Scripture. She anointed Him as one would have anointed the High Priest in the Old Testament. He is now in Heaven to pray on behalf of all believers (Hebrews 7:24-25).
The 120 believers were in prayer in the wake of His exaltation as King of Heaven and looking forward to what will be His return to set up His Kingdom on Earth. They could never forget His Majesty. She saw His glory in His time here on Earth.
All true followers of Jesus Christ ought to be eager to follow Him as their Majestic Lord in Heaven. In other words, we’re abide in His presence, since in His exaltation He is with His people always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:19-20). As I close, remember: abide in the presence of His words, His cross, and His majesty.
In the next post we will turn attention to Mary's sister Martha and how she learned to abide in the pattern of Jesus Christ. Stay tuned!
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