Then Jesus said to His disciples, “These are my words which I spoke to you, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high.” 50 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 While he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple blessing God. – Luke 24:44-53
So when they had come together, they asked Him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. And when He had said these things, as they were looking on, He was lifted up and a cloud took Him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as He went, behold two men stood by them in white robes and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same was as you saw Him go into heaven.” – Acts 1:6-11
Dear Disciple of Christ,
I know this is a fairly long reading and I’ve even added a few verses beyond those listed for today, but I think that listed gives a fuller picture of what is going on and helps us grasp what the message is for all of us. I don’t expect you would be keeping track but you might have given some thought to the Ascension lesson being read on a Sunday. The gospel lesson is one of those I know you might not find that on your calendar and you’re not likely to have the day off from work, but in some churches, this day is a major holiday. This coming Sunday we will use the lessons for the ascension replacing the ones listed for the seventh Sunday of Easter. That is my recognition of two things. First, if we were to hold an ascension service at church Thursday night, it is not likely to bring people out of their homes. Second, if we don’t consider these lessons on Sunday we may well miss the whole concept and gift of the ascension. Somebody’s likely to say at some point, noting the missing Christ candle and exclaim in modern “parlance”, “Where’d He go????” We dare not do that! This day has too much to it to simply let it pass like any other Thursday of the year. No, this is Ascension Thursday.
You hear the author above indicate the rationale for his writing “another” book. The author of Luke is now following up on the story of Jesus. It has now been about thirty years since the events of Jesus’ earthly life. There have been tremendous strides and an explosion of the faith into the world. Any reader of a gospel might wonder how in the world the Christian community went from a handful of scared, confused (at the last minute, asking about the return of the Kingdom of Israel) and faithless disciples standing off in the shadows on Good Friday, to faithful witnesses that are increasing in dramatic ways and changing the world. The “Acts of the Apostles” is a book to answer some of those questions (even those left unanswered by the author in his gospel – Luke being the author of both books).
It is particularly confusing not just because of the confusion and failures of the disciples. It is also odd because of the absence of Christ. The leader, the One with the insights and the power and charismatic gifts, the One who was identified as the cornerstone, the head and the crucial center of the entire faith, leaves. He is nowhere to be found. He is holding no more early morning prayer sessions with His disciples. He is holding no follow-up meetings with them after His preaching in order to explain His parables. How can the church survive much less thrive in Christ’s absence?
A further challenge for the disciples, the reason we see them standing with mouths open on a hillside watching Jesus disappear into a cloud, is that we find little warning from Jesus to His disciples about His leaving. He does indicate again and again that He would be betrayed, suffer, die and on the third day rise. That warning was recorded three times in Mark (8:31, 9:31 and 10:33-34) and may not have been the only times He told them what was to happen. But there is no recorded mention that He would be leaving. Maybe the first part was enough or more than enough to grasp as the responses following these statements doesn’t suggest they fully grasped it all.
I remember doing a paper in High School creative writing class about when I would have wanted to live in history. My choice was to live at the time of Jesus, when He walked the earth and shone like the sun with Father’s love and wisdom. I didn’t think about being an apostle or anything, just a blessed disciple, blessed with the gift of Jesus present and presented before me. As I reflect on that paper now, though, I doubt I would have been more faithful than the disciples. I would have lacked the same faith and power the apostles and other disciples lacked. They (and I would have) wanted to be faithful and to confess Jesus and stand by His side, but I would have joined in the fleeing, no doubt. We can want to be faithful all we want, but in the end, it is up to God to give us that strength and power.
So, oddly enough, Jesus did say He needed to leave for the benefit of disciples then and now. “It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7). That gift of the Spirit isn’t one gift among many from God. It is THE gift that enables us to believe THE GIFT of Jesus as Savior and Lord and have the power to live the gospel and share it (the “power” described above and Luke 12:11-12). It is no wonder the disciples stand there staring into heaven. It is no wonder that, at the end of the lesson, we see the disciples gathered and devoting themselves to prayer. “What next?” they must have wondered. With fear and trepidation they watched Jesus leave and with eyes closed in prayer, they awaited the coming of the powerful Spirit. Those ten days must have been the most harrowing for the disciples since they left their jobs and families to follow Jesus. No visible Jesus. No powerful Spirit. Little faith. What a time. Thank God it is ended and in leaving, Jesus has sent the Spirit for them and for disciples of all times (including us!).
1) How do you think you’d feel following Jesus day after day in those days?
2) What would you have felt to watch a risen Lord lift off the ground and disappear?
3) What would you have felt waiting for something to happen? (between the ascension and the coming of the Spirit)
4) Would there be any hope at all for us or the witness or the Church in the future without the sacrifice of Christ and the sending of the Spirit?
May the grace of God in Jesus enfold us and the Spirit of God enliven us and the witness be made by us in every place we go today and each day.
Peace in Him,
Pastor Johnson