WONDERING GURU
May 12 2024
7th Sunday of Easter, Year B
(Acts 1:15-17, 20A, 20C-26; 1 John 4:11-16; John 17:11B-19)
Introduction: The Ascension is largely overshadowed by the
Incarnation and Resurrection. Christmas and Easter are great celebrations, but
Ascension Day goes by without a trace, barely recognized—yet it is no minor event
in the life of Jesus and His church. The Ascension means there can be no
neutrality about Jesus. We cannot simply pick and choose from His teachings. We
can’t treat him like any other religious leader or a political figure. The
Ascension is the final proof that we are dealing with more than a man. All the
Bible says about who Jesus is makes little sense without the Ascension. Through
His ascent we know we are dealing with God.
It’s been said, Our Lord’s ascension is a climactic,
glorious event—it is His exaltation to the right hand of the Father. Paul
writes, “He who descended is the very One who ascended higher than all the
heavens, in order to fill the whole universe” (Eph 4:10). Jesus humbly came to
this earth; He descended to a sin-ruined planet, and went even to the gates of
hell for us. Now He is seen returning to glory. It’s important that this event
is described in the Bible. Luke tells us it took place “before their very
eyes.” He wants us to know that something tangible, something real took place.
Just as with the Resurrection, there were eyewitnesses to this historical
event. It was a unique and spectacular moment! They saw the cloud take their
Master to His heavenly home; this cloud was an OT image of the presence and
glory of God, first seen in the wilderness wanderings of the Jews enroute to
the Promised Land.
Easter Joy: On the day Jesus ascended to Heaven, 40 days after
His Resurrection, His followers stood on the Mount of Olives grief-stricken.
Their Easter-joy seemed short-lived. It took two angels to reassure them that
this was part of the eternal Plan. Luke’s Gospel says that they “returned to
Jerusalem with great joy” (24:52). The Ascension proved to be a blessing as it
prepared for the coming of Jesus’ spiritual presence, no longer confined to the
limitations of time and of a physical body. St Augustine reflects this benefit
to us in a prayer: “You ascended from before our eyes, and we turned back
grieving, only to find You in our hearts.” Jesus is present in us, wherever
we go. He is our constant Companion. Author Philip Yancy suggests that, “ever
since the Ascension, Jesus has sought other bodies in which to begin again the
life He lived on earth…the Ascension represents my greatest struggle of
faith—not whether it happened but why…by ascending, Jesus took the risk of
being forgotten.” Like the disciples, we really don’t want Jesus to go. We
feel detached from Him. We’re looking up into the blank sky, wishing Jesus were
closer to us. Even though we may not feel His presence, we are assured that He
will never leave or forsake us!
Why did Jesus say Good Bye to his apostles?
•So that He could keep His promise of sending the Holy
Spirit. Jn. 16:7—It is necessary for you that I go away, for if I don’t the
Comforter won’t come!
•So that He might serve as our High Priest. Rev. 1:13 and
among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching
down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. These are the garments of the high priest,
in Exodus 28.
What has Jesus been doing since He left this earth?
Resting?
•Intercession-(Heb. 7:25) We
pray to the ascended Lord, “Thy will be done; Thy Kingdom come, on earth as it
is in Heaven.” Jesus hears our prayers and intercedes for us; He responds to
our prayers because we are His people. He is our Mediator, Advocate and great
High Priest. No angel could adequately represent us. Calvin writes, “Jesus
has entered heaven in our flesh, as if in our name.” So, in a sense, as
Paul writes, we are seated with God “in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus”
(Eph 2:6).
•Intervention-Our Lord’s ascension assures us that we too will be
taken up to Heaven. He’s preparing a place for us. Many people fear or obsess
over death, yet for believers, death is no longer an issue. Our eternal home is
a settled promise. And Jesus is busy working to bring about His Kingdom rule on
earth, in preparation for His return: “Jesus, who has been taken up from you
into Heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into Heaven”
(Acts 1:11). One day He’ll call us to cross over to Glory and join Him in His
victory. In the meantime, we’re waiting,
and often experiencing pain and hardship. When we focus on our losses, like the
disciples on the day of Ascension, we need to take a step back and look beyond
our personal experiences, and seek what God wants us to have—HOPE. Hope invites
us to confess and to repent of our sins. 1 John 1:9 “If we confess…” That is
not talking about salvation but rather the daily confession, repentance, and
forgiveness needed in the life of a believer.
“Easter is incomplete, Pentecost is impeded, and
the Second Coming is impossible without the Ascension” (Robert Ramsey).
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