Ascension Mysteries
St. Luke 24:44-53
May 13, 2018 – Redeemer
The life of Christ is a life of mystery. At the incarnation God became a man and confined Himself to human flesh. On Good Friday one particular man died outside Jerusalem and by that death He completely atoned for the sin of the world. This same man rose from the dead and ascended into heaven and right now in His risen body, He sits at God’s right hand ruling all things for His bride, His church, for you.
You can see the mystery in the response to these events. The Shepherds returned to their flocks, glorifying and praising God and telling everyone what they had seen and heard. We have seen the Lord. We got to meet our Savior. Oh, what did He look like? Where is He? Oh, he’s 21 ¼ inches long and weighs 7 lbs 3 oz. He’s got the pudgiest little legs. He’s in a cave out back of the Bethlehem Bed and Breakfast.
There was a day on which the sun dimmed its light in shame as the creation killed its creator and we call it Good Friday. It is good because on that day you were redeemed from slavery. As Dr. Luther said, “Jesus took your captivity captive” – the sin which held you is now forgiven, the Devil who accused you is silenced, the death whose grip you fear must release you – for they are now all bound to Jesus. He holds them under His death and resurrection. Now you don’t answer to them. They answer to the Risen Lord.
Today, the fickle and fearful apostles see Jesus ascend into heaven and they returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.” If someone had asked Peter or John what made them so joyful they would have said, “Oh, it’s great, Jesus has left us.” These guys, who once locked themselves in a room with double dead bolts on the doors because they were afraid of the Jews, now walk right into the enemy camp and bless God in the name of Jesus Christ.
Shepherds bragging up a baby. A horrible death that is wonderfully good. The departure of the most significant person in the world leads to joy among his friends. Isn’t that all mysterious?
Perhaps the greatest mystery of the Ascension is this – the Ascension didn’t take Jesus away – it brought Him and all His gifts close to you. Jesus sits in heaven, true man and true God in human flesh and that shouldn’t alarm you one bit, but should strengthen you in every way – just as it did the Apostles.
The Ascension means Jesus finished all His work. Jesus said to them, … everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” … “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,” (Luke 24:44–46, ESV) Everything written in the Scriptures has been fulfilled in Jesus.
Now remember, Jesus is speaking to the guys who would receive the Holy Spirit and write the New Testament. Here He is referring to the Old Testament – the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms. What does this mean? It means two things – first the Old Testament, all the way back to creation, is God’s own true Word. Second, the subject of the Old Testament is one person – Jesus of Nazareth. When Jesus “opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,” He taught them to understand that Adam’s failure to protect his wife points forward to Jesus laying down His life for His bride the church. Isaac carrying his own wood for the sacrifice prophesies Jesus carrying His own cross and being our substitute. All those cute little white male lambs that were slaughtered at Passover foretell the One Perfect Lamb of God whose ugly death is the most beautiful act to faith. All the blood of bulls, and goats and doves splattered across the pages of the Old Testament meet their fulfillment when the blood of God spills from His pierced side as the sacrifice for sin. Jonah’s three days in the belly of the big fish, is a sign of Jesus being three days in the belly of the earth. The Old Testament preaches Christ from Genesis to Malachi. The Old Testament teaches “that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead.”
Since Christ’s work is finished and the Old Testament fulfilled, Jesus gives His New Testament Church a singular mission, “repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all nations.” At the time Jesus ascended into heaven there were 11 apostles, about 500 believers, and around 200 million unbelievers in the world. God gave His church a sermon to save the world. That sermon which the apostles preached was as popular then as it is now. You are a sinner. Don’t make excuses. Don’t tell me what you think or feel about sin. Don’t tell me you’re the victim of the wrong kind of cereal when you were a baby. Don’t try to justify the way you treated your wife, husband, children, body, or work this past week! God knows what you have done. You know what you’ve done. Repent.
Do you like to hear God’s Word “repent?” No. It hurts because it is the truth, the damning truth about me and you. Lord, have mercy on us. The mystery continues because God your Father for no other reason than His love for you in Christ Jesus forgives you all your sins. That’s all we have for you at Redeemer – forgiveness. We have a very unique building at Redeemer. You might make a friend or two here. We sing well and have the liturgy, but the one thing needful for you is this, “In the name of Jesus, by His death and resurrection, you are forgiven.” If you don’t need forgiveness we’ve got nothing for you. If you’re not a sinner you don’t need what we have — repentance and forgiveness in the name of Jesus to all nations, to the ends of the earth – to Saint Cloud.
Lastly because Jesus has ascended He can be closer and nearer to His bride, the Church on earth, than He could be before His ascension. When Jesus ascended into heaven He ascended beyond time and space. He is still in His body, but not bound as we are. Saint Paul writes in the Epistle – He fills all in all. Later in Ephesians he says, “He ascended far above all things, that He might fill all things.” If Christ had stayed on earth, limited by time and space, who knows where He would be this morning? Would He be at 2719 3rd Street N in Saint Cloud or would He be in Popple Creek? Would He be in Minnesota or Madagascar? Who would He be with and who would be without Him? Because He is ascended and sits at God’s right hand He can now be present, in His risen body and blood at Redeemer and at Holy Cross on Clearwater Road, and at the altars in Madagascar and wherever His Word is preached in truth and His Sacraments are rightly administered.
Jesus ascended into heaven, but He is not far from you. He draws near you in His Word and in His Supper, by the preaching of His men who follow the Apostolic Word, proclaiming this simple truth – Jesus died for the your sin and three days later rose again to life. He ascended into heaven and will return on the day of His Father’s choosing. Right now is the time to repent of your sins – not tomorrow, not three weeks from Wednesday. Repent, right now, and believe this – Jesus died for your sins. You are forgiven. Now that is a marvelous mystery – in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Pr. Bruce Timm
May 12, 2018 anno Domini