March 14, 2010: The Ascension of Jesus

The Ascension of Jesus

Luke 24:50-53

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.

Parallel Passages:

Mark 16:19-20

19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

Acts 1:6-12

6 So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

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? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk¹ from the city.

Footnotes:

1.  Acts 1:12: That is, about 3/4 mile (about 1,100 meters)

Background:

1.         As we can see from above, only Luke and Acts, both written by Luke, and the end of Mark mention the ascension of Jesus.  Neither Matthew nor John refers to the ascension of Jesus.

2.         Luke tells us that Jesus had appeared to the disciples in Jerusalem, and then he led them out “to the vicinity of Bethany.”  As we learned earlier in our study of Luke, Bethany was a small village located about 2 miles southeast of Jerusalem on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives.  Bethany was located on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, and it was the first town travelers would encounter after leaving Jericho on their way to Jerusalem.  Bethany was the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, and Jesus had arrived in Bethany about six days before the Passover to spend time with them.  By referring to the “vicinity of Bethany,” Luke is like referring to some place on the eastern slopes of the Mount of Olives in the neighborhood of Bethany.  Indeed, later in the book of Acts, Luke expressly says that after Jesus ascended, the disciples “returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city,” which was about ¾ of a mile.  So based on the two accounts from Luke, it appears that Jesus ascended in the presence of the disciples somewhere on the eastern slopes of the Mount of Olives.

3.         In the Book of Zechariah (Zechariah 14:3-9), the Mount of Olives is identified as the place from which God will begin to redeem the dead at the end of days.  Notice what Zechariah says:

3 Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. 5 You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.

6 On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost. 7 It will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime—a day known to the LORD. When evening comes, there will be light.

8 On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter.

9 The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name.  (Italics added)

For this reason, Jews have always sought to be buried on the mountain, and from Biblical times to the present day the mountain has been used as a cemetery for the Jews of Jerusalem. There are an estimated 150,000 graves on the Mount, including the prophet Zechariah and those of many famous Jewish leaders.

4.         Luke tells us that after Jesus led the disciples out to the Mount of Olives, he “lifted up his hands and blessed them.”  Jesus’ work with them was complete.  He had lived with the disciples likely for three years, and had taught them through his life what life in the kingdom of God meant.  He had honored and obeyed his Father in every way, sacrificing his life for our sins and rising victorious over death.  He had just appeared to the disciples over a period of 40 days after his resurrection, confirming his bodily resurrection and teaching them everything that was necessary from the OT Scriptures.  Now, it was time for him to leave so that the Holy Spirit of God could be poured out on all believers.  So, in this last act, Jesus, the eternal High Priest, raises his hands into the air, and he blesses his disciples, just like the High Priest would do when he came out of the temple on great festival days.

5.         Luke tells us that while Jesus was blessing the disciples, “he left them and was taken up into heaven.”  In Acts, Luke tells us that Jesus “was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.”  In other words, it appears that Jesus lifted off the ground and disappeared into a cloud.  Then, as they were looking up into the sky as Jesus was disappearing, “two men dressed in white stood beside them” and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky?” Sound familiar?  John described two “angels in white” that appeared to Mary Magdalene when she looked into the empty tomb of Jesus.  There, they asked her why she was crying when she found Jesus body missing?  (John 20:10-13.)  All of the disciples were from the region of Galilee, except Judas, who already had killed himself after Jesus’ crucifixion.  Now, the “two men in white” tell the disciples that this same Jesus who was taken from them into heaven “will come back in the same way” they had “seen him go into heaven.”  Notice the parallels between Zechariah’s prophesy concerning the coming of the Lord to the Mount of Olives at the end of days, Jesus’ ascension on the Mount of Olives, and the angels’ statement to the disciples that Jesus would come back in the “same way.”

6.         Luke tells us that in response to Jesus ascension, the disciples worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.  Luke confirms the same thing in the beginning of Acts, where he says that after the ascension, the disciples returned to Jerusalem.

7.         Luke’s gospel ends with the statement that the disciples stayed continually at the temple, praising God.  In Acts, Luke tells us that after returning from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem, the disciples “went upstairs to the room where they were staying,” possibly a reference to the Upper Room where the Last Supper was held.  There, they “all joined together constantly in prayer.”  (Acts 1:12-14.)  So, taking the two passages together, we gain a picture that after the ascension the disciples were gathering together regularly for prayer and that they were going to the temple regularly praising God (there were numerous rooms at the temple complex where they could meet) and waiting for the pouring out of the Spirit of God, which Jesus had promised.  He told them to wait in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit.  (Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:4-5.)

Application:

1.         Why did Jesus lead the disciples out to the Mount of Olives near Bethany for his ascension?  He could have ascended anywhere.  Why go to the Mount of Olives?

2.         Why did Jesus ascend to heaven?  Why not just stay here and keep appearing to the believers?

3.         Notice the nature of the questions that the two angels asked Mary Magdalene at the tomb of Jesus and that they asked the disciples while Jesus was being lifted up from their sight into a cloud.  Do these questions seem unfair or stupid or obvious to you?  What do you think the angels meant by asking them?

4.         Why did the disciples go back to Jerusalem after the ascension?  Why not head back to Galilee?   They all were from Galilee.

5.         Why were the disciples “joyful” when they returned to Jerusalem after the ascension of Jesus?

6.         What do you think the angels meant when they said that Jesus would come back “the same way”?

7.         Notice Zechariah’s reference to “living water” flowing out from Jerusalem when the Lord returns.  Compare Zechariah’s reference to “living water” to Ezekiel’s reference to living water that will flow from the temple in Jerusalem, Ezekiel 47:1-13, and Jesus’ reference to living water when he spoke with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:4-14.  What does the living water represent?