Witnesses (Luke 24:44-53)

There are a lot of movies and television shows set in courtrooms. For example, classic movies such as To Kill a Mockingbird and Twelve Angry Men all include a courtroom scene. More modern courtroom movies include A Few Good Men, My Cousin Vinny, Primal Fear, Legally Blonde, Big Daddy, just about anything by John Grisham, and the list goes on. The smaller screen offers us such courtroom dramas as Better Call Saul, The Practice, Ally McBeal, Boston Legal, and Law & Order to name a few.

In all these movies and TV shows, the witnesses play a crucial role. These are people who have seen or heard something that is connected to the person who is on trial. Because they have witnessed something, they are brought into the courtroom to give evidence. The testimony of the witnesses help to determine whether the person on trial is innocent or guilty. Witnesses have experienced something and tell others what they have experienced.

The legal system in biblical times worked very different from our modern courtroom, but the role of witnesses was still crucial to establishing the truth, just like it is today. The Bible talks about witnesses in basically the same way that we understand them in our society. They were people who saw or heard things and then told others what they had seen or heard. They passed on information and helped determine what was true by giving testimony to what they had experienced. Then and now, there are two key elements in being witnesses: firstly, they experienced something for themselves, and secondly, they passed what they had experienced on to others.

In our New Testament and Gospel readings for the Ascension of Jesus, he identified his disciples as witnesses. In Luke 24:44-53, Jesus said, “You are witnesses of all these things” (v48 NLT) referring to his suffering, death and resurrection. In Acts 1:1-11 Jesus said, “And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere” (v8 NLT). Both accounts were written by Luke. Both are part of his description of Jesus’ ascension into heaven forty days after his resurrection. Both are addressed to Jesus’ disciples who had traveled with him for three years, heard him preach, seen him perform miracles, watched him die, and then spent forty days with him after his resurrection from the dead.

Jesus’ disciples were his witnesses firstly because they had experienced the goodness of God and the power of his love during the time they spent with Jesus. By seeing his miracles, hearing him teach them about the kingdom of God, watching him die, and then being with him after his resurrection they encountered the life-giving goodness and grace of God for themselves both in the way Jesus treated others but also in his relationship with them. This led them to be Jesus’ witnesses in the second way. Like a witness in a courtroom, they told others about what they had experienced through Jesus. They spent the rest of their lives sharing this good news with others as they traveled around the known world, sharing the gospel with others as they gave witness to the love and grace of God for all people in Jesus.

When Jesus identified his original disciples as his witnesses, he was also talking to us as his modern-day disciples. Like them, Jesus calls us to be his witnesses to the people around us and share his good news with them. A lot of people can find the idea of being Jesus’ witnesses pretty scary or intimidating. We might feel inadequate or not good enough. We might worry that we won’t know what to say or that we’ll say the wrong thing. We can be afraid that our knowledge of the Bible isn’t good enough. There are many reasons why we can tell ourselves that we could never witness to Jesus properly or effectively.

If we think about witnessing like we see it in courtroom movies and TV shows, however, a lot of the worry about witnessing to Jesus can disappear. Witnesses are people who have experienced something for themselves and then share that experience with others. We can think about being Jesus’ witnesses in the same way. Witnessing to Jesus begins with knowing him as a real and living person. We do that by spending time with him and being in relationship with him through faith. Like his original disciples, as we spend time with Jesus, talking with him, listening to him, and experiencing his goodness and grace for ourselves, we become witnesses of the way he can transform us into the people he is calling us to be.

Once we have witnessed God’s life-giving grace and love for ourselves, then we are able to give witness to him to others. We don’t have to preach sermons or work miracles. Instead, we can give witness to Jesus’ love and grace to others by the way we live our lives and the way we treat others. We give witness to God’s love by loving others the way he has loved us. We give witness to God’s forgiveness by forgiving others the way he has forgiven us. We give witness to God’s grace for us in Jesus by showing grace to others. We give witness to the way God accepts us for Jesus’ sake by accepting others in the same way. The most effective ways to be witnesses for Jesus is to treat others the way he treats us – with grace, kindness, mercy, forgiveness and love. Then, we can witness to Jesus by being ready to explain the Christian hope we have with gentleness and respect when they ask us about our behaviours, as we heard in last week’ New Testament reading from 1 Peter 3:15,16.

Jesus identified his disciples as his witnesses at the same time that he promised that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit gives us the power to be Jesus’ witnesses by giving us God’s gifts of peace, joy, hope and love through the gospel. The Spirit strengthens our faith in Jesus, works in us to transform us more and more to be like Jesus, and gives us the experience of God’s transformational power in our lives. As the Holy Spirit gives us the power to trust in Jesus, the Holy Spirit also gives us the power to witness to Jesus by telling others what God has done for us.

We can see God giving Jesus’ disciples the power to be his witnesses on the day of Pentecost which we will celebrate again next Sunday. Jesus calls us his witnesses because he has set us free from guilt, fear, shame and worry and filled us with his love and grace through the good news of his suffering, death and resurrection for us. As we grow in our faith in what he has done for us, the Holy Spirit gives us the power to see the changes he is working in us as well as the power to tell others about the difference Jesus makes in our lives. Like a witness in a courtroom drama, God will give us the opportunities and the power to be witnesses to Jesus by working in us and telling others what he has done, is doing and will do for us in Jesus.

More to think about or discuss:

• What is your favourite courtroom movie or TV show? What role do the witnesses have in helping people find the truth?
• What do you think Jesus meant when he said that his disciples are his witnesses? How do you react when you think about Jesus calling you his witness as well?
• How can we or your faith community help you witness the goodness & grace of God in your life? How can we help you give witness to your faith in Jesus to others?