Pastor Ben’s Ponderings

“And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God.”
(Luke 24:50-53)

This is an interesting passage of Scripture. The disciples lived with Jesus for 3 years. They walked with Him and fellowshipped with Him. He was their leader, mentor, teacher, friend, and their Messiah. They knew Him and they loved Him. They watched Jesus suffer and die on a cross. Even after the Resurrection, the disciples walked with Him for several days. And here, at the end of Luke, while Jesus is ascending into heaven, verse 52 says that the disciples “worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.” WOW! If the disciples were so close to Jesus, then why weren’t they sad to see Jesus leaving them? Instead, they were excited about going out and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.

My heart has been so blessed b y these verses. 3 things have come to my mind regarding their meaning:

1.)     The disciples knew that even though He was leaving them then, Jesus would             soon return.

2.)     Jesus would sending them the Holy Spirit to comfort them and tech them             everything they would need to know. So Jesus really wasn’t leaving them at all.

3.)     The disciples were excited about going out and preaching the gospel of our             Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because they knew that everything that Jesus had             taught them and everything that they had experienced with Him was TRUE!             That is why they had great joy!

Even through our greatest trials, we can still stand strong in knowing that everything we’ve read in God’s Word and everything that we’ve experienced with our Lord is true. And like those first disciples, THAT is what keeps us going!