Ascension

This day in the Christian calendar is marked as, the Ascension of Jesus. For the past weeks we have been concentrating and contemplating on our Lord’s heart, His passion in convincing His own disciples, that He was really alive. Understanding the negative impact His death was having on His followers, Jesus set out on a forty day targeted and specified mission to bring convincing proofs to His disciples. With tenderness of heart and divine understanding, love and care, Jesus spent those days with them and among them, giving them convincing proofs that He was alive. After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. Acts 1: 3

Today marks the end of those forty days. Today marks the time when Jesus ascended back into heaven. Today is Ascension Day, and we are committed to pause and reflect on that occasion with new hope, new understanding and new resolve. In this light, our mission today is to bask and meditate on some passages of Scripture, all pertaining to Jesus’ return to heaven, the place from which He came. We are also being reminded of the power of the Scriptures for enlightenment, enlivening, emboldening and enabling. We can look to the Scriptures, as the disciples turned to them, to prove, convince and refute all ignorant talk about the Resurrection of Jesus, Messiah.

We believe, and now turn to the Scriptures concerning the Ascension of Jesus, for many reasons, including these most powerful, living and working ones. We listen to Paul’s word about the Scriptures to Timothy as he speaks of, the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 3: 15b.

We know that the Word and the Scriptures are synonymous, so we can understand just what Isaiah, God’s prophet is saying in this Scripture verse.  Just as the rain and snow come from heaven and fall to the earth and does exactly what it came to do, water the earth, so that plants grow, yielding seed for the sower and food for the eater, so too with the Scriptures or Word of God, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Isaiah 55: 11.

We, like Paul, should be able to claim, big time, with both lip and life in agreeable conjunction that there is no shame in the Scriptures, nor in the Gospel. I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. Romans 1: 16

For these reasons and more, we receive Scripture verses about the Ascension Talk of our Risen Lord from the writers of the Gospel.

We begin with Matthew, who does not spell out the word ascension for us in so many words, but he gives a full Ascension speech of Jesus to His disciples. Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28: 18 – 20.

Mark is more direct, detailed and informative in his reporting. After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Mark 16: 19

Luke is painstakingly descriptive, picturesque and dramatic in his delivery. When he had led them out of the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. Luke 24: 50 – 52. It has been suggested by Biblical scholars that the book of Acts was written by Luke. In that case, we quote from Acts 1: 9.  After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 

We have chosen to quote Jesus’ words to Mary, after He revealed Himself to her. Jesus said, Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. John 20: 17. 

Having seen these verses, we are given even more Scriptural evidence that Jesus was resurrected and that He did ascend back to the Father. Even more glorious is the fact that He allowed His disciples to witness His Ascension, as they personally knew, in truth and fact, about His Crucifixion.