We are big on Easter, and rightfully so—God the Father raised Jesus from the dead, putting an exclamation mark on the life of his Son. From Easter to Pentecost, there’s a span of 50 days.

Pentecost has its origins in the Jewish festival of Shavuot, which celebrated the giving of the Torah and the harvest, occurring fifty days after Passover. In Christianity, it commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, marking the birth of the Church and the beginning of Christian evangelism as described in the New Testament (Acts 2). This event transformed the apostles, giving them the ability to speak in different languages and emboldening them to spread the teachings of Jesus Christ to people of all nations.

Intrinsically linked to Easter, Pentecost marks the culmination of the 50-day Easter season. This period begins with celebrating Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday and concludes with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. The connection between these two events is essential in the story of salvation and the founding of the Christian Church. While Easter signifies Jesus' victory over death and sin, Pentecost symbolizes the empowerment of his followers to continue his mission and spread the Good News to the world.

The very first verse in the book of Acts teaches us that the gospels were about “all that Jesus began to do and teach.” The rest of Acts teaches us that Jesus is still doing and teaching in the days, weeks, months, and decades after the gospels.

The work of the first-century church was the work of Jesus. It’s all too easy to substitute our work for his, to engage in ministry apart from his direction. What is Jesus doing and teaching in our day? Are we still working with him or simply working for him?

Jesus’ message in the 40 days of resurrection was really no different than his message during his three years of ministry: He taught about the Kingdom of God.

Acts opens and closes with the Kingdom of God front and center. The very last verse in the book shows us Paul, three decades later, proclaiming the Kingdom of God.

Have we meditated on the meaning and importance of the Kingdom, or have we restricted the message of Jesus to only his sacrifice of the cross? Individually and corporately, we need to rediscover the Kingdom message while not neglecting the message of the power of the cross and resurrection.

The angels who were present at the ascension asked a pretty good question: “Why are you looking toward heaven?”

It’s a question worth considering. Many believers are more concerned with heaven than with the Kingdom of God. The breathtaking sacrifice at Calvary purchased the forgiveness of sins and the hope of heaven, but in our generation, many followers of Jesus have limited his work and message to heaven and heaven only. We should ask: If the gospel is only about going to heaven, why did Jesus invite us to take up the yoke of discipleship?

I’d love to get a recording of everything Jesus taught in those 40 days, but it hasn’t shown up on iTunes yet. In the meantime, he invites us to work with him just as closely as the first disciples.

Why 50 forgotten days instead of 40 from Easter to Pentecost? Simply because there were 10 days of waiting, watching, and praying before Something Big happened to the church. The idea of ten days to do nothing is desperately needed in the church today, and this is the perfect time of year to embrace that very thing.

The gospel accounts end with Jesus saying, “Go!” Acts opens with Jesus saying, “Wait!” What was so important that Jesus told his disciples to stay in Jerusalem? In our day, many Christians are familiar with the Great Commission, but are we aware that Jesus also told us to wait? Jesus said, in effect, “Don’t go anywhere, don’t do anything, until you receive all that I have for you.” Have we meditated on the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives? We can work for God without any special empowerment. We cannot work with him apart from the Holy Spirit.

What do you do after Easter? That’s really the question of what it’s like to live in the Age to Come. The days from Easter to Pentecost are usually an afterthought, yet they can become an opportunity to reflect on the significance of the resurrection in our lives. 

The risen Jesus didn’t leave in a hurry: He hung out with his disciples and put the finishing touches on three years of training. He wants to do the same for us.
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See https://www.janross.org/reclaiming-the-nations/ for a deeper dive into Pentecost and Evangelism.

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© 2026 Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved

“Sit often under the influence of God’s Word.”🌻
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