Final Ascension Farewell

May 19
3 min read

The question brought over from yesterday’s offering is this. How did Jesus’ leaving His disciples and going back home to heaven, affect them? We know for sure that He did not just leave them without saying His final farewell.

Remember, Jesus was leaving them for good, as their Lord and Master in body, flesh and bones. They had known Jesus as a real, live human being just like themselves. They knew Him eating food, being thirsty and tired, and needing water and rest. They saw Him shed tears of sorrow and knew Him with a broken, heavy heart for His people. They even saw Him get angry and cleanse His Father’s House and saw His deep pity and compassion for thousands of followers, when He fed them. They had wonderful retreats with Him in solitary places, where they were alone with Him. Then they saw Him die. O yes! They saw the Son of Man crucified, dead and buried.

Rejoicing of rejoicings! Victory of victories! He was raised from the dead and they saw Him. Jesus insisted that they were seeing Him, not a ghost, but their Risen Lord, in flesh and bones. He proved it to them most convincingly by letting them observe His scarred Body, feel His Body, touch His Body, and by eating their food of fish and honey. Jesus asked His disciples this question. Have you any food here? So they gave Him a piece of broiled fish and some honeycomb. And He took it and ate it in their presence. Luke 24: 41b – 43. Then, after forty days of fully convincing them, Jesus has His final farewell, before He returns home to God.

Do you ever think of final farewells coming in different shapes and sizes? While I was being taught on this, my very dear daughter in the Lord, told me that she had a testimony to share with me, which she would write out in an email. She kept her word and I share with you the gist of what she had so passionately confessed, as she poured out her heart upon paper.

She had done an interview for a new job, as the one in which she had been working for quite a few years, was becoming more and more unbearable. Having sent out applications to new jobs, she was called for an interview by one of the places. She had prayed and asked God to grant her to be successful in the interview. Having waited for a week or so, she received fantastic news, saying that the interview was successful. She had got the job for which she had applied. Saying a final farewell to the old job, had her riding on cloud nine. It was a final farewell which she celebrated with unashamed joy.

However, only a couple days after merrily saying her final farewell to the old job, she received an urgent call to come to say her final farewell to a very dear friend, who was in hospital, dying. She was most upset, devastated, confused and totally unable to make sense of what was happening to her life. Final farewells for her, left her in a sort of unimaginable limbo. O yes, there are times of final farewells in our lives, which can be utterly joyful or utterly sorrowful, utterly uplifting or utterly devastating.

Do you know, have you ever thought how it was for Jesus and His final farewell with His beloved friends, before He ascended to heaven? Together, we shall spend time during the remainder of this Ascension Week, focusing on compelling, infallible, convincing promises, from Jesus’ Final Farewell to His own, before He ascended into heaven.