“Once when he (Jesus) was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” He replied,“The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:4-8
Jesus quarantined His disciples into one room. He told them to stay together because something of utmost importance was about to happen to them!
Something that would enable them to be His witnesses!
There was a power they needed to tell people everywhere about Him!
This was a God-designed quarantine purposed for those who believed in Jesus to receive the third part of the trinity! The Holy Spirit was about to be sent from heaven to dwell in the hearts of all who believed in Jesus!
Never before had the Spirit of God dwelled in God’s people!
There was a new type of people about to be created!
And it required quarantine!
During those 10 days as they stayed in the upper room it is recorded that,
“These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer.”
Quarantine holds within it the power to keep one safe from outside influences. Whether it be physical or spiritual, it keeps me within the confines of myself and of those I am quarantined with.
I’m not affected by others and I have no affect on others.
Perhaps those 10 days in quarantine the disciples were protected from the talk on the streets filled with doubt and unbelief in Jesus. Perhaps they were protected from the busyness and distractions of life.
A new truth, and a new purpose was being birthed and it required single-mindedness and prayer.
Perhaps confined in one room together kept their focus on the events they had experienced the last three years they spent with Jesus as they reminisced and talked about all that Jesus had said and done. Perhaps sharing their stories and memories encouraged one another and reminded each other of the truths Jesus had taught them. Perhaps praying together brought their hearts and minds into the singleness and oneness of the heart and will of God.
When Jesus told them to remain together and to wait, He intended it to be for their good and for the good of all people!
The Good News of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the victory over sin and death, and the promise for all who believe will live forever in God’s presence was now in the lives and mouths of 120 people.
And He new they couldn’t do it on their own!
They needed the power of God to fill them, to dwell inside them, to empower them to live and speak differently than those outside the upper room!
Jesus quarantined His disciples so they would experience something only intended for those who believed in Him so that what they received would empower them to go forth and make a difference in all the world.
Those filled with the Holy Spirit are completely different then those who are of the world. When the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples those outside the upper room were bewildered, amazed, astonished, perplexed, and even thought they were drunk!
Spirit filled people look different; they think differently, they act differently, they speak differently…
They are in this world, but not of this world.
They are as strangers and aliens.
Perhaps this time of quarantine is to be used as a God-designed opportunity to be still and spend time alone with God…
To spend time reading of all the truths Jesus taught while He was here on earth…
To spend time praying so that my heart and my actions become one with His…
To receive the power of the Holy Spirit in a greater measure so that I have the power to live and speak differently than those around me so that the Good News of Jesus is spread to those around me.
