To The Ones Who Love

“Then they returned to Jerusalem…They went to the upper room…They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.” Acts 1:12-1

To me, dedications were the best part of the Top 40 Countdown. “This one goes out to the one I love,” people often said as they shared stories and songs about someone special. Many dedications were ultra-sappy. On occasion they didn’t make sense, but my favorites were those which gave words to my feelings and music to my thoughts. Today’s devotion is a dedication—a song and a story that goes out to the ones who love and who long for those they love to know Jesus.

Here’s the song.
“Then they returned to Jerusalem…They went to the upper room…They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers”(Acts 1:12-14).

Here’s the story behind the song.
Jesus had a family. We’re not quite sure how many siblings (half-siblings, actually), but at least six(Mk 6:3). For the first thirty years of His life, all was well. Yes, Jesus seemed perfect—or at least Mom thought He was, but He grew up like the rest of them, followed Joseph in the family trade, and became a carpenter in His hometown. But everything changed the day He hung an “Out Of Business—For Good” sign on His shop door and began traveling from place to place preaching and teaching that God’s kingdom had come and He was it! A little, or even a lot, of religion was fine, but this was over the top. When their brother-turned-rabbi starting healing, performing miracles, and sending out twelve chosen men to spread the news, His family “went to take charge”(Mk 3:21). Their justification? Insanity. “He is out of his mind” they said (Mk 3:21). “It’s our job to bring him back to his senses and back to his shop.”

But when Jesus didn’t stop, they changed their tactics, turning to sarcasm and making fun of His ministry “for even his own brothers did not believe him”(Jn 7:5). One year at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, they chided Him by saying, “You should head on over to Judea because anyone who thinks he’s big should be willing to step out big time”(Jn 7:1-4). Though Mary, His mother, is mentioned at the cross, we’re hear no more about the rest of the family until we find them in Acts—after the resurrection, in the upper room, believing. “Then they returned to Jerusalem…They went to the upper room…They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers”(Acts 1:12-14). His brothers weren’t there sightseeing—or scoffing. Jesus’ brother, James, became the leader of the church in Jerusalem and wrote a book in the Bible called by his name, and His brother, Judas (Jude for short), wrote one too.

If you’re someone who’s waiting and wishing and praying and pleading for family you love to come to Christ, take heart. It took three decades of perfection, a crucifixion, and a resurrection for those kin to Jesus to have faith. It might take some time, but those same, powerful truths still turn hard-hearted (and soft-hearted) skeptics into humble, happy believers. Let them keep jeering, chiding, mocking, and smirking in doubt. You keep loving, listening, and living in faith.

There’s always room for one more in the upper room.