Children of Acts - Son of Bartholomew

CHILDREN OF ACTS

SON OF BARTHOLOMEW

A monolog for a teen boy

By Robert Allen

“After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes,

and a cloud hid him from their sight.”

Acts 1:9

                I am so excited that I just have to tell someone.  May I tell you?  Would that be all right?

            For the past month I have been following my father all over the country of Judea.  You probably haven’t heard of him.  He is one of the twelve disciples but not nearly as famous as Peter and James and John.  His name is Bartholomew.

            Anyway, he came home a little over a month ago with the news that Jesus, the man who called him to be a disciple, had risen from the dead.  He had been there the day Christ died on the cross and had seen him placed into the tomb, but now Jesus was alive again.  That was big news, but it didn’t stop there.  Jesus had gathered his disciples together along with over one hundred other people and was teaching them about the kingdom of God.  Father wanted me to go with him and I agreed gladly.  I wasn’t looking forward to living under the rule of the Romans and if someone was going to set up a kingdom of God I wanted to be a part of that.

            So we followed Him, in and around Jerusalem mainly.  Sometimes the crowds included several hundred people, and we had to meet in open spaces like the Garden of Gethsemane.  Usually it was my father and the other disciples along with some of the women including Jesus’ mother Mary and even her other sons.  I was surprised to see them at first, they had nothing to do with Jesus before His death.  But James and the others had seen Him after the resurrection and now they believed in Him just like the rest of us.

            All of us were particularly anxious to hear about the kingdom of God.  None of us liked living under the thumb of Rome and watching the Legions march around with their pagan emblems to the Caesars they worshipped as gods. I was so glad to hear one of the disciples ask the question which was on all of our minds, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6)

            His question voiced what we all wanted, to make Him our King and place Him on a throne in Jerusalem.  He was in the line of David and God had promised David a kingdom which would never end.  Surely this was the right time for that to happen.  Our King was right there with us.  He had conquered death and now He would conquer the Romans.

            But that was not God’s plan.  Oh, the day would come when He would return to rule and reign over all the earth.  He would be King of kings and Lord of lords.  But first He had a job for all of us to do.  Peter, and James, and John, and my father Bartholomew, and me as well.  He wanted us to tell everyone about Him—his life and death and resurrection.  He wanted the people of Jerusalem to hear the good news as well as those in Judea and Samaria and all of the rest of the world.  We were to continue the work which He had started, the work of seeking out those who were lost in sin and pointing them to the Savior of the world.

            The more I thought about that the more excited I became.   If we restored the kingdom here in Israel it would be beneficial to all those who lived in the land of Judea, but it really wouldn’t help the rest of the world.   Jesus explained how He had come to be a Savior for all people and not just the Jews.  His salvation message included everyone, every tribe and nation and people and tongue.  The rest of the world didn’t need a Jewish kingdom, they needed a kingdom of God. 

            Those weeks went so fast.  There was so much to learn.  And then before we knew it He told us He was leaving.  We had gathered on the Mount of Olives that day, just east of the city of Jerusalem.  He reminded us one more time that He was counting on us to be His witnesses to all of the world and then right before our eyes He went back to heaven.  That’s the only way I can think to describe it.  His feet left the ground and He just kept going higher until He was hidden by the clouds.

            And so, I need to tell someone and I am so glad you listened.  The Savior has come.  He died for you and for me.  He rose victorious over death.  God has exalted Him to the highest place in heaven itself.  And one day He will be coming back to reign.  How can you not be excited about that?