The Man, The Mountain, The Moment

Preliminary:

Invite to Luke

Thanks

We will be reading from Luke 24

Introduction:

I want to talk to you this morning about a subject that has often been overlooked, underestimated, ignored, slighted, and/or forgotten about - The Ascension of Christ in a little message I’ve titled:

THE MAN, THE MOUNTAIN, THE MOMENT

While the actual narratives and descriptions of the Ascension are very limited in number and scope - that in no way negates the importance of its happening.

We find only three specific passages in the New Testament:

Two of these are found in the Gospels

Mark 16:19-20

Luke 24:44-52

One is found in the book of Acts of the Apostles:

Acts 1:4-11

Eleven New Testament books, by at least seven different authors, refer clearly to the Ascension.

The Ascension is also explicitly stated in the three Creeds, it was found in the earliest Catechisms and in the Hymnal

While we may touch on or refer to some of these scriptures as we talk about this great historical event of the Ascension I want to use for our text Luke’s version Luke 24:50

Luke 24:50–53 KJV 1900

50 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. 51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: 53 And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.

That must have been a transformative, profound, pivotal, moment in the life of the disciples

Brian Morykon Director of Communications and Special Projects at Renovaré (which is in my opinion one of the greatest Spiritual Formation ministries based right here in Wichita, KS) had these thoughts about this event -

This sparks ...curiosity. Was he [Jesus] speaking as his feet left the ground or was it a silent blessing? Was he looking up or out or down? Was his ascent steady and swift, or more like a week-old balloon that has just enough helium to saunter skyward? Could someone nearby have grabbed Jesus and brought him down for a moment, or would they have gone for the ride? Brian Morykon

We really can only remain curious on some of those details - all we are told is that he was “carried up”

Which is interesting in itself - there is no single Greek word for Ascension - there are usually a combination of Greek words that give us the phrases:

carried up

received up

taken up

We may talk more about that when we get to the Moment part.

First, I want to talk about the person of our subject. Who are we talking about? We are talking about...

1. The Man

By the designation The Man - I am not at all taking away the deity of Christ - I am emphasizing, however - his humanity.

This is the Incarnate One - It was God who assumed humanity - the one who had been through the Great Humiliation - the phrase sometimes used to refer to Jesus’ descent into humanity, then to the cross, the grave.

He - The Man ate, slept, cried, grew tired, experienced hunger, thirst, pain, sorrow, friendship, betrayal,

Yet He was the Second Person of the Trinity

God, the Son, Who was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, took upon Him the seed of Abraham in the womb of the virgin Mary.

He is the One who had been with these disciples for almost three years - He was the One they had seen arrested, taken to the cross, and now

He has risen and we find the disciples gathered together no doubt talking about all the events - in fact we find earlier in our passage (Luke 24:33) Those who were on their way to Emmaus came to the eleven gathered together and I love the next verse:

Luke 24:34 “34 Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.”

And while they were telling all that happened to them - THE MAN - THE CHRIST appeared in the midst of them and said, “Peace be unto you”

They are affrighted thinking they had seen a spirit or a ghost

But Jesus shows them his hands and his feet showing them he had flesh and bones and he eats some fish and honeycomb

Then Jesus does something according to Luke that was a transformative moment for the disciples -

Luke 24:45 “45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,”

And part of that understanding was that THIS WAS THE SAME JESUS - HE STILL HAD HANDS AND FEET - fingers and toes, flesh and bone

He still had a mouth to eat a voice to speak,

He had A real, physical body (not a ghost or spirit)

Yet HE had been Glorified and transformed, possessing new properties beyond ordinary human limitations

We will talk more about this later but one has questions...

Is Christ’s body now in heaven? The one person, with his human nature inseparable from his divine nature, ascended to the Father. Is his body visible there? Yes, his body is with the Father. But its new spiritual powers may allow it to be invisible as well as visible.

Zondervan; Gordon R. Lewis; Bruce A. Demarest. Integrative Theology (Kindle Locations 21912-21914). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

I heard Dr. Kenneth Schenck make the comment one time that a good Systematic Theology should stand up and sing - and I felt this one did on the Ascension:

Systematic Theology: A Complete Body of Wesleyan Arminian Divinity Consisting of Lectures on the Twenty-Five Articles of Religion, Vols. I & II § 1. The Ascension

The Ascension here alluded to is not of his divinity, nor of his soul after death and before his resurrection, but it is the local translation of his body and soul from earth to the highest heaven. We say “the highest heaven”—for he “passed through the heavens,” as is the original in

So I hope you understand there is a significance and importance of understanding the Christ who ascends is the same one who came as a babe in a manger in Bethlehem - the same one who went to the cross - the same one who came out of the grave - the same one who was the Eternal Son - the Only Begotten Son - the Same as the Hebrew writer put it

Hebrews 13:8 “8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

It was this One - Christ God/Man who ...

Luke 24:50 “50 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.”

This “as far as to Bethany” we are told by Luke in Acts 1:12 they were actually on a mountain.

We have talked at length about The Man - lets spend some time looking at...

2. The Mountain

The location has been questioned because it almost sounds like the Bible gives two different places -

The New Testament places a pin on the map in the vicinity of Bethany—the town that Luke identifies in his gospel (see 24:50). Yet Luke later identifies the location as “the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem” (Acts 1:12 ESV).

As it turns out, it is not at all difficult to reconcile these two locations. Both are accurate, because Bethany was a village that was located on the southern slopes of the Mount of Olives. The mountain itself was a rounded ridge that had four identifiable summits. It was named for the olive groves that covered much of its surface in biblical times. The site is composed of cretaceous limestone and forms the highest range of hills east of Jerusalem, at 2,600 feet above sea level. This places its summit at an elevation that is 250 feet higher than the nearby Temple Mount.

WHEN GOD DRAWS NEAR Exploring Worship from Seven Summits Paul E. Engle

This mountain according to Luke in Acts 1:12 was Mount Olivet

There were many locations of significance that could have been chosen for Jesus to make his earthly exodus - but I don’t think it was just random that it happened to be this mountain.

Some suggestions have been posited as to reasons why Mount Olivet was chosen:

Mount Olivet’s Proximity to Jerusalem

It was only “a Sabbath day’s journey” (Acts 1:2 - the only place a Sabbath day’s journey is mentioned and references it as a common understanding of the time.)

The Jewish Mishnah limits a Sabbath days journey to a distance of 2000 cubits -

2000 cubits would be about the equivalent to between half and two-thirds of a mile

Or more simply about 1,200 steps - far less than the ten thousand steps many strive for today

All of that to say - The Mount of Olives was less than a mile from Jerusalem so access to it was convenient, quick and easy.

Mount Olivet was a Favored Location

Jesus had frequented this location on numerous occasions.

Luke 22:39 “39 And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him.”

Mount Olivet Held Symbolic and Prophetic Significance

This is where enthusiastic crowds had waved palm branches as he descended in procession in the Triumphal Entry.

This entrance into Jerusalem would be matched by a triumphant exit to the heavenly Jerusalem

A prophecy in the book of Zechariah suggests a visible, physical return of Christ will be on the Mount of Olives.

Zechariah 14:4 “4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, Which is before Jerusalem on the east, And the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, And there shall be a very great valley; And half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, And half of it toward the south.”

Now we have seen the Man, we have looked at the Mountain - lets look for a bit at the significance of...

3. The Moment

As I mentioned earlier Luke tells us both in Luke and Acts that Jesus spent time teaching the disciples after his resurrection.

Now Luke does not tell us how long he taught them - but he teaches them, promises them the Holy Spirit, and commissions them for ministry.

Luke does tell us in Acts 1:3 that he was seen of the disciples forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God...

So we are given the timing of the Ascension of Jesus

It occurs forty days after the resurrection - The First Easter

And it was ten days before the Feast of Pentecost

So if you count forward forty days from Easter Sunday you will find that the Ascension happens on a Thursday - not a Sunday - maybe that is one reason it gets passed over so much.

This was celebrated Thursday, May 29th (coinciding with my wife and I’s 21st anniversary)

A couple of things about this MOMENT:

It was real- You can’t read the accounts given in the Bible of the Ascension without seeing that it was a real local translation if you will of the entire humanity of Christ to heaven

The Disciples saw him ascend - saw him taken up:

They followed him as far as they could with their eyes.

Acts 1:10 “10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;”

The Disciples saw him taken up and a cloud receive him out of their sight

In the Old Testament, we find instances where God comes by descending in a cloud. Here, God, in the person of Jesus, ascends.

In Old Testament theophanies, God appears in a cloud. Here, he disappears in a cloud.

In Ezekiel 1, the theophany progressively reveals to Ezekiel a cloud, living creatures, and then a human figure in the center.

Here, Jesus is the human figure in the center, but the movement of events and of textual focus goes from Jesus to the cloud, and finally to angelic figures.

—Vern S. Poythress, Theophany

The disciples couldn’t with their natural eyes see the change if any was made to Christ’s body - They no doubt strained their eyes but it soon disappeared from their view.

The ascension must have been a traumatic experience for the disciples. Psychologically Peter and the apostles needed to mature from a position where they expected the incarnate Christ to do things for them, to a position where they looked to the ascended Christ to do things through them.

Zondervan; Gordon R. Lewis; Bruce A. Demarest. Integrative Theology (Kindle Locations 22470-22472). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

We can’t possibly imagine the thoughts and raw emotions that the watching disciples experienced.

Did they understand that what they had just witnessed represented the continuation, not the cessation, of Christ’s work as Lord and Messiah? Luke records that as the disciples continued to gaze upward at their departing Redeemer, angelic beings appeared to them and announced the comforting promise of Christ’s visible return. “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11 ESV). In other words, his anticipated future return would mirror his departure into heaven that they had seen.

It should not surprise us that the disciples’ immediate response to what they had witnessed and to the angels’ promise was to worship their ascended Lord.

And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually

in the temple blessing God. (Luke 24:52–53 ESV)

These verses assure us that the disciples did not leave the scene of the ascension heartbroken. Following the angels’ announcement, they returned to Jerusalem energized to worship the Christ who had returned to his former glory and would one day come again.

4. The moment shows us the significance of the ascension:

His Redemptive Work Was Complete

On his ascension to heaven, Christ took his seat at the right hand of the Father—what theologians call the “session” of Christ. Through him, the Old Testament forms, ceremonies, types, and shadows of worship that were seen in the tabernacle, temple, and sacrificial system had been brought to fulfillment. As the apostle Paul explains, “He [God the

Father] worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right

hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion,

and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come”

(Eph. 1:20–21 ESV). The author of the book of Hebrews writes, “After he had provided

purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (1:3).

His redemptive sacrifice was complete, as was his time on earth in incarnate form.

It was Jesus’ final NO to an earthly kingdom as they had percieved it - His Kingdom - Jesus says, is not of this world.

The **Ascension of Christ**—His return to heaven 40 days after the Resurrection—is a central event in Christian theology. According to Scripture (especially **Luke 24:50–53** and **Acts 1:9–11**), here are the key **reasons for Christ’s ascension**: -— ### 1. **To Fulfill His Mission on Earth** Jesus’ ascension marked the completion of His earthly ministry. His life, death, and resurrection were part of God’s redemptive plan, and the ascension signified the successful fulfillment of that mission. -— ### 2. **To Be Exalted at the Right Hand of God** The ascension is the beginning of Jesus’ glorification. Scripture says He was exalted to the **right hand of the Father** (e.g., Philippians 2:9–11, Hebrews 1:3), a position of divine authority and honor. -— ### 3. **To Send the Holy Spirit** Jesus said in **John 16:7**, “It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate \[Holy Spirit] will not come to you.” The ascension made way for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. -— ### 4. **To Intercede for Believers** Christ now serves as **our High Priest and intercessor** in heaven (Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:25). He continually intercedes on behalf of believers before the Father. -— ### 5. **To Prepare a Place for Believers** In **John 14:2–3**, Jesus tells His disciples He is going to prepare a place for them in His Father’s house. The ascension signifies the beginning of that preparation. -— ### 6. **To Demonstrate His Divine Authority** The ascension confirms Jesus’ divine nature and authority. His bodily return to heaven was a visible affirmation of His lordship over heaven and earth. -— ### 7. **To Promise His Return** The angels at the ascension declared, “This same Jesus...will come back in the same way” (Acts 1:11). The ascension sets the stage for the Second Coming—a core Christian hope. -— Would you like a version of this suitable for teaching, a sermon outline, or a children’s version?

He Would Prepare a Place

On the night of the Last Supper with his disciples, Christ promised, “If I go and

prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also

may be where I am” ( John 14:3). Christ’s ascension was necessary in order for him

to undertake his plans to prepare for our life in heaven with the triune God.