St. Luke 24:44-53
Dearly beloved,
St. Luke’s gospel has a way of always showing us two sides
to the same picture. The gospel begins in the temple, showing a very human
side to man’s longing for the prophecies of old to come to fulfillment. We
see people in the midst of holy things grappling with the convergence of
heaven and earth. The Virgin Mary and Zacharias respond to God coming in
the flesh in their midst.
The last chapter of Luke’s gospel directs our gaze to the
powerful impact of God and man, heaven and earth, converging. The
resurrection, an overcoming of death is the violent shattering of the
principles of our world. That which is dead cannot make itself alive, yet
Jesus does just that. Chapter 24 then proceeds to show how man tries to
grapple with heavenly realities.
There are the Emmaus disciples walking on the road, sad and
wondering what this all means—the tomb being empty and the report of the
women at the tomb. The gospel for today, then, has Jesus standing in the
midst of the apostles. They were scared. This is Jesus, who has just
defied the laws of nature. Yet, Jesus is present bodily. And so, this
brings us to the Festival of the Ascension, which we celebrate today. What
is it all about?
One might think that the church would be somber, as it
watches its Lord and Savior depart from them. Yet, it is a joyous occasion
and one which calls for the highest reverence. There are two aspects to the
Ascension of the Lord. The Ascension of Jesus Christ highlights the godhead
of Jesus Christ. Jesus had stepped down from glory, hiding that glory in
flesh and blood, taking on our likeness, walking amongst mankind. His
hiding of His glory is a radical thing, for the glory of God is to shine.
We celebrate the Ascension in order to celebrate His
majesty, His glory, His magnificence and honor. Jesus takes His flesh and
goes back to His heavenly throne to return to His Divine splendor. This is
the heavenly side of St. Luke’s account. The earthly side comes out in the
gospel. Jesus tells the apostles that they were witnesses to all the things
that took place in Christ’s earthly life. Jesus, in telling them this, is
finalizing the apostolic ministry. Jesus then follows this by saying,
“Behold, I send the Promise of my Father upon you; but tarry in the city of
Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” Something is given
to the apostles.
Then Luke tells us quite succinctly that Jesus lifts up His
hands and blesses the apostles and then Jesus ascends to heaven. Here is
the earthly side of the account, but Luke doesn’t stop there. He finishes
the account by declaring for the church to hear, “they worshiped Him, and
returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple
praising and blessing God. Amen.”
The heavenly side of the ascension is Jesus returning into
His glory and majesty, going flesh and blood back to His heavenly throne. The
earthly side is the life of the church. The earthly side of Luke’s account
tells us how the apostles and early Christians responded to His
Ascension. “They
worshiped Him.” “They were continually in the temple giving thanks to God.”
All that takes place in that last sermon of Christ to His apostles is given
clarity by His words to the apostles just before His arrest. John 16:7
speaks concerning the life of the church and the gift of the Holy Spirit:
“It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper
will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.”
Jesus ascends and blesses the apostles at the same time. One
side is heavenly, the other side is earthly. The apostolic ministry springs
forth from Christ and conveys the Holy Spirit to the church through
preaching, the absolution of sins, and the holy sacraments. The church is
to continue to live this way. In Acts 1:8, Luke gives us the other side of
the Ascension. Jesus tells the apostles, “you shall receive power when the
Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” This
is on par with the so called “Great Commission.”
In other words, now begins the apostolic task. With the
preaching of the apostles comes the Holy Spirit to the hearers. The
Christians find themselves in the temple continually in prayer and in praise
to God. Your life is wrapped up in all of this. It is the witness of the
apostles and their subsequent preaching, which gives to you a life which
defies death. Though you shall die, you shall then yet live! Death is
swallowed up in victory and your Christian life is to be characterized by
finding yourself in the Divine Service.
This world is passing away and so are the people in it. But
Luke is reminding us in his gospel that something earthly and heavenly take
place at the same time. God does His thing while the people are doing their
thing. We are continually gathering together and while we are doing that,
Jesus is doing something heavenly. We gather, Jesus comes to us. Heaven
and earth converge, just like it does in Luke’s gospel.
Jesus forgives, we pray to Him. Jesus loves, we thank Him.
This is your life. You live in the realities and the result of Christ’s
death, resurrection, and ascension. In all of that, Jesus demonstrates His
love and imparts to you the Holy Spirit, the Comforter in order to comfort
your hearts and souls. This is to be your life, here on earth, basking in
the gifts of Christ, until it is your turn to come humbly before the
glorious throne in heaven. Truly, your life is one characterized by a
convergence of things earthly and things heavenly. Amen.
--
Rev. Chad Kendall
www.frchadius.blogspot.com
Trinity Lutheran Church
Lowell, Indiana
www.trinitylowell.org
