Ascension
Lk
24:44-53
5/10/18
There have been two occasions when I
went to see a movie and didn’t know that in fact it was only the first of two
parts. The first time was the sequel to
“Back to the Future” and the second was the sequel to the “Matrix.” In both cases two movies had been shot at the
same time. To the best of my knowledge this fact had not been revealed before
the release, and so movie goers were surprised – and in my case, disappointed -
to find that the end of the movie was not the end of the story.
That is not the case with “Avengers:
Infinity War,” the Marvel universe movie that just opened in record breaking
fashion. Anybody who knew anything about
the Avengers movies knew going in that this was the first of two parts. People knew that all questions would not be
answered and plot lines would be left in the air, awaiting completion. Instead of leaving surprised and perhaps
frustrated, they emerged expectant of the next movie.
The books of Luke and Acts are like
“Avengers: Infinity War” in that you begin Luke knowing that it is not the end
of the story. Instead, the story of
Jesus and the Gospel continues on into the book of Acts. This means that Luke doesn’t have to do
everything in his Gospel. There are themes that he can wait to develop in Acts.
Luke and Acts are two volumes. However, they are tied together by the event
that we are celebrating tonight, the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord. The book of Luke ends with the ascension of
Jesus. The book of Acts begins with the
ascension of Jesus.
The ascension of Jesus joins them
together, and it’s not just because Luke is about the earthly ministry of Jesus
and Acts is about the growth of the Church as the Gospel was spread. Instead, events in the book of Luke are the
reason that the ascension takes place.
And the events in the book of Acts are made possible by the ascension of
Jesus Christ.
We learn at the beginning of our
text that the risen Lord said, “These
are my words that 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.” Jesus begins by reminding
the disciples about how he had told them that is entire life and ministry was a
fulfillment of the Old Testament.
Up until
now the disciples had never come across as being anything but obtuse –
genuinely clueless when it came to almost every aspect of Jesus’ ministry. But
now the risen Lord opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to
them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third
day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be
proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” Jesus enabled them to understand how
his death and resurrection fulfilled the Old Testament.
Then he
added, “You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise
of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power
from on high.” Our Lord said that the
disciples were witnesses of his death and resurrection – something that was now
going to be proclaimed among all nations. But first they were going to receive
what Jesus described as “the promise.”
They were to wait in Jerusalem to receive it.
We are
told, “Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he
blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up
into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
and were continually in the temple blessing God.”
Jesus says
that his death and resurrection have fulfilled the Scriptures, and that
repentance and forgiveness of sins are to be proclaimed in his name. That
preaching of repentance never ceases to be true for us. We are people who continue to struggle with
sin. It continues to trip us up in the
things we think, and do, and say.
Because we
are transgressors of the law, Jesus was numbered with the transgressors and
died as a sinless sinner. Though without sin of his own, he took our sin – he
became sin for us. He suffered death and
God’s judgment.
Jesus
faithfully carried out the will of the Father as humbled himself to the point
of death – even death on a cross. Yet on
the third day God raised Jesus from the dead.
Jesus had said, “For everyone who
exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” The Son of God humbled himself in order to
give you the forgiveness of sins. And
now God has exalted him. That’s what the
ascension of Jesus is about. Jesus, the
crucified and risen Lord, was exalted to the right hand of God. And this exaltation is directly tied to what
happens at the beginning of Acts.
In our text Jesus tells the
disciples, “And behold, I am sending
the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed
with power from on high.” We receive more details in Acts where we read, “And
while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to
wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, ‘you heard from me;
for
John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not
many days from now.’”
Before he
ascended, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit.
It is Jesus’ ascension and exaltation that brings this about. Ten days from now we will celebrate Pentecost
when this happened. On that day Peter
declared to the Jews that they had killed Jesus. Yet then he announced, “This
Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having
received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this
that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.”
The
exaltation of Jesus in his ascension makes it possible for Jesus to pour forth
the Spirit. Or to put it another way,
the outpouring of the Spirit provides the proof that Jesus has been
exalted. It is as the exalted Lord that
Jesus now sends forth the Gospel and creates faith through the work of the
Spirit.
The One who
humbled himself for you, has now been exalted.
Peter said on another occasion in Acts, “The God of our fathers raised
Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.
God
exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to
Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is
the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."
Jesus humbled himself in order save
you. Now raised from the dead he has
been exalted as the ascended Lord. He
has given you his Spirit whom he poured out on you in Holy Baptism. There he washed away your sins and assures
you that as you repent and call on his name you continue to have forgiveness.
Jesus’ resurrection, ascension and
exaltation have given you the Holy Spirit. And Jesus’ words to you continue to
be the same as they were during his ministry: “For
everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be
exalted.” Our Lord has shown us that for
those who belong to him, the way of humility and service leads to
exaltation. It does because this is the
way that Jesus has already walked for us.
Today in the ascension we celebrate
the exaltation of Jesus Christ. What does
his exaltation mean for you? It means
that in humility you now seek to serve. You are to do this at home as you assist and
help husband or wife; father or mother; son or daughter. You are to do this at work and school to
bosses and employees; teacher and students.
You are to do this at church to another.
The world doesn’t think like
this. It says instead that you should
put yourself first. You should look out for #1.
You need to take care of yourself.
But the death, resurrection and exaltation of Jesus Christ has changed
everything for us. The way of Jesus was
one of humility and service; it was a way of sacrifice and death. But it led to
resurrection, life and exaltation.
The Spirit sent forth by the exalted
Lord leads us to recognize this. He has
made you a new creation in Christ. He
nourishes the new man in you with the true body and blood of Jesus. He draws you in faith toward Jesus and
enables you to walk in Jesus’ ways.
You can do so because of the One has
given you the Spirit is the exalted Lord.
He has shown you where the way of service leads. It leads to exaltation with Christ for
you. It does because while the ascended
and exalted Lord has withdrawn his visible presence, this is only
temporary. The One who ascended into
heaven will come again in the same way as he went into heaven. And he will exalt you. He will demonstrate to all that the humble
life of faith in Jesus results glorious eternal life with the exalted Lord.
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