Jesus Ascended into Heaven with Scripture Fulfilled!

It is graduation season. For those graduating it is a time to celebrate because they have completed their studies. With the end of one thing though, another begins. After graduation, new work will begin at the next level of schooling or at a new job.

Today we celebrate Jesus’ ascension into heaven. Traditionally, this day would have been celebrated a few days ago on Thursday as that marked forty days after Easter matching the fortieth day after the first Easter upon which day Jesus ascended into heaven. Jesus’ ascension could be called his graduation in the sense that all his work to save us was done, and now that he is in heaven, he is working for us in a different way. In our New Testament reading from Ephesians 1, we hear the new position Jesus occupies, 22 “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church.” Jesus rules as King over everything for the church, which is all believers. Using the illustration of graduation to describe Jesus’ ascension means his work now is getting ready for homecoming. A traditional homecoming welcomes former students back to their campus. Jesus is working on a heavenly homecoming to bring you home to celebrate with him forever.

Every homecoming has a big game. The outcome of the big game affects the celebrations. If the home team loses, then the festivities are not as joyful. But when the home team wins, everyone celebrates. The big game for your homecoming to heaven pitted Jesus against sin, death and the devil. The odds were always in Jesus’ favor though, which meant they were always in your favor. In our Gospel reading today from Luke 24, we pick up with Jesus speaking to his disciples late in the day on the first Easter, 44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” The disciples were in the first row as Jesus battled. They mistook his death as the end of the game, but Jesus came back to life. He then appeared to the disciples to remind them that he had always known the play by play. He had given them the highlights and top plays before the game had been played. While Jesus was with his disciples, he told them what the Scriptures said about him; his teachings were not new. He connected the Scriptures written hundreds and some over a thousand years before to himself. Jesus divided the Old Testament into three parts, “Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” In each, God revealed Jesus’ work to save the world.

Jesus used the Scriptures to give the disciples faith in him as the Savior. The disciples had a front row seat to all the action of Jesus’ victory over sin, death and the devil through his sacrifice on the cross and resurrection, but they still did not understand. Scripture was the means Jesus used to give them the gift of faith as we read in Luke 24, 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. It was not their keen intellect or careful observations that brought them understanding, but Jesus using Scripture. He shared from the Law of Moses, which are not just the first five books of the Old Testament and the history of the Israelites. They are also the one and only true, factual history of the world. Most of all, they are filled with prophecy. They reveal God’s love for broken, sinful humanity, his unique creatures among all his creation. In Genesis, the promise of a great ruler is given to Judah, the son Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, 10 “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his.” This pointed ahead to Jesus, the descended of these men. And this description matches what we heard in our New Testament reading from Ephesians 1, 20 … “he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” Jesus is King over everything. Then, Jesus spoke of the prophets who did not guess at the future but were told by God what would happen. And their words from God were not only for the people of their day or salvation from events of their time, but for eternal salvation. Their words from God applied to Jesus. Their words from God still apply to us, words like the prophet Isaiah spoke in Isaiah 12, 2 “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” Jesus remains our salvation. And Jesus used the Psalms, often called the hymn, praise or worship book of the Old Testament. Though it is not simply a compilation of rhymes or imagery or repetitive positive words, but also prophecy. It is profound, relevant, law and gospel, sin and grace, Jesus, Savior, Messiah language like our Psalm for today, Psalm 47:

“He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet.
He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.
God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.
Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.”

Again, these words reveal God as the King who defends his people, gives salvation and provides them an inheritance, a heavenly homecoming.

Your joy in Jesus’ ascension comes from God. Joy over Jesus’ ascension comes through understanding that it showed his work to save us was complete. He had suffered, died and risen from the dead. These things were seen by the apostles, but they did not understand until Jesus gave them understanding. You needed Jesus to give you understanding as well. Without Jesus, reading the Bible would give you some historical knowledge or some beautiful imagery or moral examples, but those do not save you. True understanding of the Bible is given to you by the Holy Spirit, the same Holy Spirit Jesus sent to the apostles, as we heard him promise in Luke 24, 49 “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” We will talk more about this next week on Pentecost, but for now we have the great joy in knowing our Savior because he sent the Holy Spirit to give us the gift of faith.

When we hear Scripture, it is not just another book, but the Word of God detailing his love for us in the sending of his Son, our Savior Jesus. Jesus continued speaking to his disciples that evening of the first Easter as we read in Luke 24, 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations.” Jesus himself just after dying and rising from the dead relied on Scripture to feed his disciples faith. Certainly, they had seen all he had done, but faith would come from hearing Scripture and the prophecies fulfilled of his life, death and resurrection. These truths were not just great things he had done but were intimately connected to each of them and each of you. Jesus lived each day of his life according to God’s will keeping all his commands for you. He allowed himself to be arrested, beaten, falsely accused, condemned and put to death for your sins and to save you from experiencing God’s disappointment and anger in hell. He was raised to life to show his power over death and the devil, and to prove his power to raise you from the dead and bring you to a heavenly homecoming. By the power of the Holy Spirit, you repent and trust in Jesus’ forgiveness.

You are the result of the message of Jesus going out to all nations. In our New Testament reading from Ephesians 1, Paul asks for the Holy Spirit be given to the Christians in Ephesus:

17 “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.”

Ephesians 1:17-20

Paul encouraged the Ephesians with the truth that they and you, and all who believe have the same limitless, unrivaled power working in them that raised Jesus from the dead and seated him in heaven to rule all things. As is reflected in Paul’s prayer, the Holy Spirit is constantly working in us better understanding. And as our understanding grows, we grow surer and more hopeful of heaven.

We also grow in our desire and ability to witness to others. Your witness or testimony is the same as Jesus spoke to his disciples that Jesus suffered and rose on the third day, and the message of repentance and forgiveness, which is law and gospel, sin and grace. This is the message from the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms. Share these truths with your kids, whether they are young or old. As they get older the conversations and questions will get deeper and more challenging, but the same truths of Scripture will not change. And when they are young, share these truths. Whether from Genesis, one of the Psalms or a prophet like Isaiah, your kids hear, and the Holy Spirit works in their heart. They learn other stuff; they can learn Scripture. They learn songs that they sing all the time that you now also have memorized. Repeat Scripture with them every day that is how they not only learn, but also grow in their faith. Again, that is what Jesus did. He always went back to the Scriptures, the same theme of suffering, three days later rising, law and gospel, sin and grace, dark and light, death and life.

It is graduation season. With the end of one thing though, another begins. After Jesus finished his work to save us, he ascended and now rules over everything for our good. His ascension means joy for us as it did for the disciples as we read in Luke 24:

50 “When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.”

These are the closing words of Luke’s Gospel. He records God’s people filled with joy at all their Savior has done. Then in his second book, in Acts 1, we read, 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky?” Two angels appeared after Jesus’ ascension to remind the disciples that they now had work to do in sharing the good news of Jesus. And for us, it is good to be in worship that is filled with Scripture for the continual strengthening of your faith, but you are not to stay in the pew staring at the pastor. Go share the good news that our heavenly homecoming is waiting because Jesus ascended into heaven with Scripture fulfilled. Amen.