Acts 1:6 - Ray Nabors

So when they had come together, they were asking him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?

We’re not told which time this meeting with Jesus was but there was a concern about when He was going to restore the kingdom. One commentator suggested that the wording would indicate that this question was either being repeated multiple times now, or at least previously, or by more than just one individual. Because of the wording and way it is being asked the thought behind the question is from a physical point of view and not from a spiritual perspective.

The influence of the nation of Israel’s status being under the Roman rule and the number of rebellion attempts probably had an effect on their thinking. This question comes from the disciples desire to being a self-ruling sovereign nation. They wanted Jesus to be their leader. And now that He was alive again, it must be the right time.

The problem facing them also faces us. They forgot that Jesus said the Kingdom could not be seen. He told stories to describe what the Kingdom was like. He even demonstrated how the Kingdom looked. He defined who could and who would not inherit the Kingdom. He commanded them to wait for the helper. While He was here the Kingdom of God was present. Once they had the Holy Spirit the Kingdom of God would again be present. Sometimes we forget because of the surrounding influence of the world just like they did. Sometimes we forget that the Kingdom of God is still present and is in each of us that believe that Christ died and is now alive.

A change of heart, a change of mind, a change in our thinking, a change of control and letting Christ be in charge is necessary to becoming more like Him and being obedient.