Appearance and Ascension
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning! Welcome to CHCC. Today is bitter-sweet. This will be our last passage on the book of Luke. Twenty-four chapters in twenty-five months. From the foretelling of John the Baptist’s birth to Jesus Christ’s ascension. As we enter into our final passage, we reach the the third part of a resurrection gospel trilogy. The first was when the women visited the tomb to prepare Jesus’ body for burial only to find the tomb empty and visited by two angels with word that Jesus is not there, but is alive.
The second part was our focus last week; two disciples are walking the road to Emmaus when a visitor meets them. Unbeknownst to them, this visitor is the risen Lord. And Jesus walks up to them, asks them, “What are you guys talking about?”
And the question seems to take the disciples by surprise because it tells us they stood still, and then Cleopas sarcastically asks Him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
But Jesus presses for more. He responds, “What things?” And so Cleopas take Him through the ups and downs of the past week. How they had been following this Jesus of Nazareth, a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and the people. And how their religious leaders arrested Him and had Him condemned to death on a cross. And with His death, their hopes of a redeemed Israel have been buried as well.
Then Cleopas says, “It is now the third day since these things happened.” But what is more, they share that some women in their company came back with some shocking news about an empty tomb and a couple angels telling them Jesus is alive!
But they don’t seem to know what to make of that. Seems too good to be true. And to this, their mysterious traveler then takes them through all the Scriptures—the Law and the Prophets—and shows them how the Scriptures point directly to Jesus and how His death was necessary.
You can sense their excitement and hope come flooding back. They insist this traveller stay with them for the evening and have a meal with them. And then it tells us that Jesus broke the bread and blessed it and gave it to them. Then they recognized Him and He vanished before them.
And in response, they say to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” (Lk. 24.32)
And then immediately after Jesus vanishes, then take to the road again back to Jerusalem to tell the disciples what they have seen. And this is where we pick up our passage—the third part of a resurrection trilogy. And as we will come to see, this passage takes the very same outline as the first two: confusion, rebuke, instruction, then witness. John’s account tells us the disciples were in hiding at this time.
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews,
We have accounts of Jesus meeting the two disciples on the road to Emmaus as well as meeting Peter. And now Jesus is about to meet the others in this room.
If you have your Bibles with you, please turn with me to Luke 24, verse 36.
PRAY
As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them.
The early church, and especially Paul, would combat many false doctrines and forms of gnosticism. One such belief was known as docetism—which was the belief that Jesus was only spirit, only divine, who merely appeared to be human. This passage here is a great counter argument to the false teaching of docetism. Luke points out that initially the disciples, in their fright and confusion, thought they were looking at a spirit. But Jesus Himself shows that He Himself is tangible. He has a physical body, one that has the marks inflicted by instruments of torture.
In Paul’s letter to the Philippians you can see his argument against such teachings.
who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Likewise, Paul would write to the necessity of the resurrection to the believers in Corinth.
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
Now, I know this isn’t a prevalent teaching today. It is interesting that the first century skeptics wrestled with the humanity of Jesus while modern day skeptics wrestle with the deity of Jesus. However, it is necessary that we understand that Jesus is fully God and fully man. His humanity was necessary for His sacrifice and our salvation.
And then Jesus Himself, gives credibility to His humanness as well as His resurrection.
And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.
The evidence was before them. They had heard from the women and doubted. They received word from Peter but they still seemed unsure. The disciples from Emmaus confirmed and they began to consider. And now Jesus is before them all with the evidence of the nails in his hands and feet.
In John’s account, the doubting is highlighted by poor Thomas, although it appears they all struggled with belief. But Jesus encourages Thomas to touch the wounds of His hands and side where the spear had pierced Him. Upon doing so, Thomas cries out, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
If you believe today, Jesus has called you blessed! John MacArthur explains this passage, stating:
Jesus foresaw the time when such tangible evidence as Thomas received would not be available. When Jesus ascended permanently to the Father, all those who believe would do so without the benefit of seeing the resurrected Lord. Jesus pronounced a special blessing on those who believe without having Thomas’ privilege
As Peter would write:
Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
While we do not see the tangible body of the resurrected Christ as the disciples did in that locked room, we see evidence of Him through the Word and His work in our hearts. And because of that we rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory!
Yet in our passage here in Luke’s gospel, the disciples still weren’t quite there yet! Look at the next verse.
And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?”
The Greek phrasing here literally translates to, “They being unbelieving from joy and amazement.” It was like a euphoric state of giddy and excited wonderment and disbelief.
As many of you know I’m a Chargers fan and so I can recall many games of frustration and heartbreak. I mean there is a well known phrase in NFL circles called “chargering” for losing games in heartbreaking fashion.
But one memorable occasion we flipped the script! It was in 2018 and the Chargers are down a score with just over a minute remaining. Facing 4 and 8 from the Chiefs 40 yard line, Philip Rivers throws a dart down the middle seam to Travis Benjamin to get the first down and put them on the 10 yard line.
As a Chargers fan I’m ready for either a turnover on downs or an interception in the endzone to break my heart. First down, incomplete. Second down, sack. Third down, a pass interference in the endzone! First and goal from the 1 with 8 seconds left!
The next play, Rivers hits Mike Williams on the back shoulder in the endzone for a touchdown! I’m thinking, oh my gosh we just forced overtime (while also thinking we could somehow miss the extra point and add another Chargers heartbreaker to the list.
But they don’t send out the kicking team. The offense stays on the field! With 5 seconds left, the Chargers are putting all the chips on the table! The line up, the ball is snapped, and two Chiefs players collapse on one receiver and Mike Williams sneaks to the back corner of the endzone wide open for the conversion! Chargers win!
And I just stood there in utter shock and disbelief. I was waiting for flag to ruin my excitement, anything. But no, they did it!
And I imagine the feeling of the disciples was like that but tenfold. The phrase used is like that inability to believe what you are seeing. It doesn’t make sense. Jesus was dead. They all saw Him breathe His last on the cross. They saw the spear in His side. But He is there in their midst!
And then—I just love the humor we see from Jesus. The last passage, He walks up to the two disciples and asks, “What are you guys talking about?”—knowing it is about Him.
And here he asks, “Have you anything to eat?” And I imagine, the disciples are still in shock. But one grabs him a broiled fish, and Jesus just begins eating.
And apparently this isn’t the only time Jesus shared a meal with the disciples after the resurrection. Peter tells Cornelius in Acts 10…
but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
So now Jesus has their rapt attention. Perhaps more so than ever before. And with it, He gives them the essentials of the gospel and their mission.
And notice as Jesus instructs the disciples here it is the same way it has been done in the previous two passages of this resurrection trilogy. It is through the Word of God. First the angels…
He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words,
And then with the disciples on the road to Emmaus, it tells us that Jesus opened the Scriptures to reveal Himself in them.
And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
And now here in the room with the disciples, Jesus explains His Passion and resurrection through the lens of the Old Testament:
Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
As Leon Morris explains:
The solemn division of Scripture into the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms (the three divisions of the Hebrew Bible) indicates that there is no part of Scripture that does not bear its witness to Jesus.
And as I stated last week, we need to remember that the reason Jesus walked them through the Old Testament, revealing how it speaks of Him was so that they didn’t rest their belief in the resurrection from personal experience alone.
Resting faith on a miracle alone isn’t enough. And so Jesus wanted them to ground themselves in the Word of God—to build their faith from the reality of the prophetic words of Scripture. Because Jesus even foretold the reality that some can believe in the resurrection and still not believe in Christ. He mentions this through the parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus.
He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”
The full reality and weight of Jesus’ death and resurrection only make eternal sense through the context of the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms. And so Jesus gives what is perhaps the greatest teaching moment in the history of the world. Verse 45.
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,
This was divine illumination. While they had heard and retained many teachings of Jesus over the three years of His ministry, this was something different. A veil had been removed from their spiritual eyes and they were perceiving the truth of His Word like never before.
Remember, before, there were certain aspects of the Truth to Jesus’ life, ministry, and mission that were hidden from them.
“Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.” But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
And another time in chapter 18.
For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.” But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.
But on this Easter night, the veils are removed as the Holy Spirit opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. As on pastor put it—The Holy Word illumined by the Holy Spirit.
And it is here and through any of the other teachings they had during Jesus 40 days after His resurrection that became the foundation of the Church’s preaching of the gospel message and their apostolic mission.
First thing we read that Jesus taught them was about the necessity of His Passion and resurrection through the lens of the Old Testament.
and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,
And it is beautiful to see that this teaching penetrated the hearts of the disciples and became the cornerstone of their teaching. We see it in Paul’s letters.
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
So this is the message that went forth, from Jesus to those disciples in the locked room, to every believer in the early church and throughout the ages to us today. But we, too, must understand that the gospel is only fully preached when it is set in the context of the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms. So let us look at each individually for a moment this morning. I don’t have the time to take a deep dive this morning but we can lay the groundwork today.
THE LAW
Where do we find Christ in the Law? I think Jesus’ sufferings are most clearly perceived in the great institutions of the laws and in its events. What I mean by that is all the way back in Exodus 24, the old covenant was established—essentially—on a sea of blood from sacrificial animals in which Moses would cover the altar, the people, and the Book with. And in the many generations to follow, blood continued to cover the altars from clean animals, which in effect was an external ceremonial (temporary) cleansing from these offerings.
It was the Law of the sacrificial system that was pointing to and was fulfilled permanently by Jesus Christ and His blood shed upon the cross. And thankfully, the author of Hebrews explains this better than I can.
For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
The daily necessity of the sacrificial system pointed to—and ultimately yearned for—the atoning and permanent sacrifice of Jesus.
Likewise, the Passover lamb in Exodus 12 pointed to and prophesied of Jesus’ sufferings and sacrifice. Do you remember, just before Jesus’ arrest, He shared the Passover meal with His disciples, making it clear that He was the Passover lamb.
And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”
Jesus then fulfilled the Passover to the very letter. The Passover lamb was required to be a male without blemish. And of course, Jesus is perfect and without sin. He is spotless. Likewise, in His sacrifice there was no bones broken—just like that of the Passover lamb in Exodus.
And just as faith in the blood of the Passover lamb in Exodus saved the Israelites from death, so faith in the blood of Jesus brings life. Christ is our Passover as was established all the way back in the book of Exodus!
And there is so much more we could cover on the Law here but perhaps for another time.
THE PROPHETS
But let us now turn our attention to the prophets of the Old Testament. What about them? How do they point to Jesus? Well I think I have established over the past month or more that the most explicit of Christ’s sufferings come to us from the book of Isaiah, chapter 53.
In fact, Jesus Himself, in the upper room, would quote directly from Isaiah 53. Specifically, Jesus references the final verse in chapter 53, when He says He will be numbered with the transgressors. And by quoting from the final verse, Jesus is pointing to the fact that every line of the chapter refers to him as the ultimate Suffering Servant.
But what is more, the prophets not only spoke to His suffering, but also to His resurrection. Jesus mentions to His disciples that the Scriptures have written that He must suffer and on the third day rise from the dead. It is likely that He is pointing to Hosea.
After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will raise us up,
that we may live before him.
What is interesting is that this prophecy here in Hosea was given to sinful Israel, but there is in their history that corresponded to it…that is, until Christ rose from the dead on the third day, and thus he raised with himself believing Israel. The prophecy clearly points to Jesus. His body lay in the tomb for two days, and on the third day He rose again. As we noted that Paul mentioned that Christ “was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”
THE PSALMS
What then about the Psalms? How do they encapsulate Christ? The gospel is clearly seen in the Law and the Prophets, and it is also seen clearly in the Psalms as well.
I think Psalm 22 is the central Psalm that scholars point to. Of course Jesus quotes the first verse from the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
But it also speaks to the physical anguish He would experience.
I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast;
my strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.
Then one verse later speaks to the crucifixion!
For dogs encompass me;
a company of evildoers encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet—
Then two verses later it references the dividing of His garments!
they divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.
But the Psalms—like the Law and Prophets—don’t just speak to His death. They also speak the life of resurrection!
Psalm 16 is referenced by Peter in his sermon at Pentecost. Let’s look at a few verses. The words of David concerning Jesus…
I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
And Peter at Pentecost would explain how these words don’t apply to king David because he is dead. Rather, they point to the resurrected Jesus.
“Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.
I hope you see—even in just this small portion here—that Jesus is the central theme of the entirety of Scripture. The Law establishes that, the Prophets, build upon that further, and the Psalms confirm it. And so with that teaching, that understanding opened to the disciples, Jesus establishes their mission.
GOSPEL MISSION
and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Jesus establishes that the Law, Prophets, and Psalms speak to Him. And then He gives them a gospel mission: Repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem.
And that was what the early church did and why we saw its explosion throughout the world. And it is our mission today as well; to be gospel men and women who proclaim that “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”
As R. Kent Hughes states:
Our message is not a philosophy. It is not even a way of life. It is the eternal good news based on historical events prophesied in the Old Testament and fulfilled by Jesus the Messiah. We are to preach Christ and him crucified.
And gospel people are to be mission people. The gospel demands that we share Christ everywhere, and that we use our time and resources to go to the nations. It is a matter of life and death. It is about the glory of God.
And as this section concludes, Jesus promises them a power from on high. And of course we understand this to be the Holy Spirit. Jesus commands them to wait in the city until they receive Him which takes place in Luke’s second book—the book of Acts.
And then the book of Luke ends with a quick presentation of the Ascension.
And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.
And Luke will actually backtrack a bit in the book of Acts and go into greater detail about this moment and so when we get to Acts we will discuss it in further detail.
But I just love how beautifully Luke concludes His gospel. It began with the foretelling of the forerunner and the promise of the Messiah to Mary. And so from the very beginning it sparks wonder and hope. After 400 years of silence from God, His spirit is moving among the people, hope is here.
And then we see Jesus’ mission, his power and authority on display time and time and time again. We see His love, His tenderness, His steely resolve to take the cross for you and for me. We see His graciousness to forgive sin and to stand in the gap for sinners like us.
We see the ups and downs of the disciples’ faith. And as they receive the Scriptures from Jesus as He confirms they are all pointing to Him, their faith explodes and their hearts are set ablaze.
And so as Jesus ascends to Heaven once more to take His place at the right hand of the Father, we wait with eager expectation. And the disciples return to Jerusalem with great joy and continually blessing God in the temple.
And that is what we continue to do today as we wait with hopeful expectation for Jesus to return. We walk this life with a great joy—knowing our future has been secured by Jesus Christ. And we continue to meet together to bless God and praise His name.
So, to me, I think it is the perfect ending to this gospel because it establishes our hearts and our mission as a church. We live with joyful expectation, we preach Christ and Him crucified, and we meet continually together to bless God.
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