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JESUS’ ASCENSION EXALTS HUMANITY.
In the name + of Jesus.
C:
He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Very rarely are departures a happy
experience. Sometimes, people are
embittered with each other and go their separate ways angry with each
other. Most times, parting is sad. When a child heads off to college, a mother
will watch with tears until the car disappears.
If a family moves to a new state, they must bid farewell to a familiar
town and townsfolk. The worst is death. The college student will come home. That family may return on vacation to
visit. But death is final. Parting usually produces tears. St. Luke recorded how the Lord Jesus parted
from his disciples. “While he was
blessing them, he parted from them and was taken up into heaven” (Luke 24:51). Over a period of forty days, Jesus had
appeared to his disciples and then disappeared.
But this parting was different.
He was lifted up from the earth and hidden by a cloud. They would not see him again. So, their reaction seems strange. “They worshipped him and returned to
Jerusalem with great joy” (Luke 24:52).
Perhaps the best explanation for this
comes earlier in our reading. “He
said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to 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.’ Then he
opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:44-45). The apostles had witnessed the
sufferings, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
They recorded the facts in the Gospels.
But Jesus enlightened them to understand that everything had happened
according to plan. All that was
necessary to be done, Jesus accomplished.
The curse of sin has been removed.
Humanity can be spared damnation.
Jesus’ ascension means that humanity has been exalted.
Jesus opened the minds of his apostles so
that they could see how the entire Old Testament foreshadowed and foretold all
that had to happen. Everything points to
Jesus. Since sin has been taken away, the
cherubim no longer prevent the way into Paradise. Rather, at our last hour the angels come and
deliver us into the Paradise of God. The
waters of the Flood had destroyed the whole wicked world, but now the waters of
Holy Baptism lift us up from death and damnation and we are kept safe in the
ark of the Holy Christian Church. Just
as the Lord had delivered Israel and drowned the Egyptians in the Red Sea, Jesus
Christ has delivered us and has drowned our enemies in the waters of
baptism. Just as the Lord fed Israel in
the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land, so also our Lord feeds us bread
from heaven on our way to our heavenly Promised Land. Like David who went out to slay Goliath, the
Son of David went out to slay the devil for us.
Like Hosea whose wife was unfaithful to him but was redeemed and
restored to him, our heavenly Groom redeemed and restored his Church to
him. And on and on it goes. Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms pointed
to Jesus, and he has fulfilled all things.
Therefore, the Father has exalted Jesus and given him all authority over
heaven and earth. Jesus’ ascension means
the exaltation of his humanity.
Every week, we confess about Jesus, “He
ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father
Almighty” (Apostles’ Creed). To sit
at the right hand of God the Father is to possess all honor, glory, and
power. It is hardly a shock to confess
that God rules over all things. It would
surprise many that we confess that a man is ruling over all things. And yet, that is the case. Jesus became a man to unite himself to
humanity and to take up our cause. He
has never stopped being a human being—not when he rose, not when he ascended,
and not when he took up his power to reign over all things. In the same way, Jesus never stopped being
God. He did not make use of his divine
powers and majesty except for the miracles he did. Instead, he willingly suffered and died in
weakness to secure our salvation.
No longer is Jesus living in weakness and
humility. Jesus’ ascension exalts his
humanity. The man, Jesus, now makes full
use of his divine majesty. What is true
of God is true of the man Jesus. This
man possesses all power and majesty.
This man sees all things, knows all things, and is present in all
places. Shortly before he ascended into
heaven, Jesus made this promise to his disciples, “Surely I am with you
always until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). He did not mean that he will be with us in
our hearts or in our thoughts. He is
actually with us. Even though the
Christian Church covers the entire world, Jesus is with each and every
Christian. Because this man is
omnipresent, Jesus’ body and blood are on the altars of every Christian church
on earth. Jesus’ ascension exalts his humanity.
I suppose Jesus’ exaltation could be
terrifying. If he sees all things, he
sees what you try to get away with. If
he knows all things, he knows the secret thoughts of your heart. If he is present everywhere, there is no
escape from his watchful eye. If all
judgment has been entrusted to him and he judges justly, then he has you dead
to rights. The Bible says, “Death and
Destruction lie open before the Lord—how much more human hearts”
(Proverbs 15:11)! You and I might
try to defend our sins with clever arguments or appeals to emotion. Jesus calls evil what it is, and he does not
justify it. Repent.
Jesus lives and reigns over all
things. He has been entrusted with
judging the living and the dead—the man who will either acquit or condemn each
man or woman. But let’s remember what
has given this man the right to do so.
Jesus said, “This is what is written and so it must be: The
Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day” (Luke 24:46). Having fulfilled what his Father sent him to
do, Jesus was exalted to the highest place.
Jesus’ ascension exalts his humanity.
But Jesus’ ascension also exalts your
humanity. His death has taken away your
sins. His judgment upon you is nothing
to be feared; for he has proclaimed a pardon for all who believe and are
baptized into his name. His continual
presence is not something you need to escape.
For, if Jesus is always with you, then his mercy always rests upon
you. There is no place you can go where
his righteousness fails to cover you.
There is no headline or tragedy or political action that cuts you off
from Jesus’ gracious promises. Jesus
lives and reigns over all things, but he lives and reigns for you.
Jesus’ ascension exalts your
humanity. That is why he became a man to
begin with. Mankind had fallen into sin
which corrupts all things. Sin corrupts
hearts so that we desire what is evil.
Sin corrupts minds so that we are guided by fear or anxiety more than
God’s promises. Sin corrupts governments
so that leaders use their power to fight against Jesus Christ and pass
legislation that violates God’s word.
Sin corrupts this world so that an avalanche wiped out an entire town in
Switzerland. Sin corrupts our bodies so
that the beauty and agility of youth become wrinkles and arthritis.
Sin has caused people to seek contentment
by perverting the body and life God has given us. God created man with a special purpose and
design. Because of sin, we despise God’s
purpose and pervert his design. God gave
us people to love and things to use, but we end up loving things and using people. This despising of God’s creation has led many
to think that God has made a gross mistake with the bodies he has created. Men insist they are women and women insist
they are men. While this rejection of
God and his creation is terrible, it is also particularly sad. What kind of confusion and discontentment leads
young, healthy people to reject their God-given bodies and think that happiness
is found in hormone suppressors and mutilation?
What’s worse is that we have a government who supports this perversion and
prosecutes those who want to offer correction and relief to confused and
deceived people.
But there is hope for those who are
confused. There is correction for those
who have been deceived. There is even
forgiveness for those who have desecrated themselves. The scars may not be reversed, but the people
can be redeemed. And in the end, even
the bodies will be restored at the resurrection. This is true for all bodies whether sin has affected
us physically, mentally, or emotionally.
For, we are all corrupted by sin.
But Jesus’ ascension exalts our
humanity. At the resurrection, he will
raise us up with bodies that will be perfected.
Our hearts and minds will be purified.
We will be content and happy when God makes all things new. Our place will be the home of righteousness. For the Son of Man, the Christ, has paved the
way into Paradise. This man has opened
heaven to mankind. Just as Jesus became
man to dwell with us and to unite himself to us, so he will bring us to dwell
with him in unity and purity. He will
make our bodies, our mouths, our minds, and our hearts what they were always
intended to be.
Jesus’ ascension exalts
mankind. And you are already being
exalted. You have been rescued from a
life that is pointless and purposeless.
You do not need to turn to alcohol, drugs, carnal pleasure, greed, or
self-glorification to cope with life.
You do not need some alternate identity or to be validated by social
media. Jesus’ ascension means your
humanity has been exalted. Your identity
is found in him. You are a child of the Most
High God. You are a special
creation. You are unique in your
interests, talents, abilities, and goals.
God directs those so that you live for his glory and for the benefit of
others. He designed you for his glory,
and he is improving the image of God in you.
It will be confirmed in perfection when you are taken up to dwell with
your ascended Savior who redeemed you from sin and reconciled you to the Father.
Until then, you get to declare the praises of God who exalts you. This is the mission Jesus gave to his Church. He told the apostles what must happen: “Repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations” (Luke 24:47). This is what we are given to do. Just as we bear the name of Jesus, so also we proclaim it to a world that needs it. Jesus rescues people from the depravity and depression that come from sin, and he exalts mankind to what God intended us to be. Jesus’ ascension exalts humanity. Just as Jesus is with you to the very end of the age, so also you will be his in the age that never ends.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
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