Quit Staring at the Sky...

...and Get Busy Serving Christ

Up to this point, we have considered events surrounding the Passover in AD 32 or 33. We have considered the death of our Saviour on Friday, He rested for a day, which may have been the actual Sabbath, a day of rest, and then rose from the grave on the third day after His execution. Have you ever found yourself wondering why He did this and what the end result should be for us? In my short meditation, we will consider these ideas briefly.

From Resurrection Sunday, we are fast-forwarding about 40 days, and in that gap of time (good thing this won’t take 40 days), we will consider why Jesus did this for us.

Back when humanity was first created, we were created in innocence. God gave us a command, not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Care to guess which tree we ate from? The serpent tricked the woman, the woman enticed the man, and woman and man both died because of their disobedience to the one law God had given them. This deliberate disobedience brought sin and death into the world, where it had not been known anywhere before. Because these were our first parents, they passed their sin onto us, and it is called original sin. We all must pay that as well as the price our own sin earns for us as we grow into our prideful selves. That sin has touched every part of our humanity and corrupted us at every level. It must be dealt with by our death as the penalty such sin demands. However, only an innocent life can pay the price demanded. We are not innocent. We, to put it into common terms, are lost and without hope. We must pay, and yet are incapable of standing to pay the price.

That is why God became a man in the person of Jesus and lived a holy life under the Law of Moses (and I’m certain Jesus wrote that Law with His own hand for Moses - twice). After about 33.5 years, he used world events that God Himself engineered to provoke the nation He chose and was born into to kill Him. As He died on that cross in that Passover Week about 2000 years ago, He expiated, that is wiped away, all of our sins by propitiating them. Propitiation is the turning away of anger by the offering of a gift. This is not a bribe, it is required payment made on an offender’s behalf. It’s like if you got a traffic ticket and showed up in court to face the charge. The judge shows incontrovertable evidence that you did the crime, but before he sentences you, I stand up and tell the judge in open court that I will pay your fine. The judge will dismiss the case against you and take my payment. Jesus did that for us.

Jesus live the life we should have lived, and then died the death that we deserve. Because He was human, his payment could be accepted. Because He was also God, His payment could be effective. Because He was sinless, the spotless lamb of God, Death had no hold on Him and He rose again to change the meaning of death for all who will turn to Him as Lord in repentance and faith. I don’t know about you, but this raises a question in my mind, imperfect in understanding as I am. Here it is: Why? Why would an all-powerful God suffer for our sakes? Yes, it is because He loves us, but I think it is also because He has great and high intentions for those of us who will respond to His call to be saved by His great sacrifice. In our online Bible study, we have just finished the Book of Revelation. In chapters 21 and 22, I believe is the answer: His people will serve Him there as we serve Him here. This brings us to our text this morning. Let’s look at the relevant part of this text.

Acts 1:8–11 says, “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.’”

Everyone was there that loved our Lord Jesus. They were there to say good-bye, or rather, “so long for now,” and all beheld Him while He ascended into Heaven while they watched with their own eyes. After the Lord had dissappeared from view, they all still looked after Him in longing fashion, as if to wish Him to return, and all true servants of Christ understand that longing. But then it stretched into minutes. We aren’t told how long they stood there, but it must have been a remarkable length of time because the text tells us what happens next.

Two men, ostensibly angels from their clothing, appeared beside them and spokje to them. What they said reveals what was going on. Can you picture this? There they are, looking up at the sky with them, as if trying to see what they are all looking at, and then one speaks: “Hey, why are you all standing around, just looking up at the sky? Yes, Jesus will return, in the same way you just watched Him leave.” The implication was, yes, the Lord will return, but it isn’t going to be in the next 30 seconds.

Why were they just standing there and looking up? Part of it may have been expectation, because Jeus IS returning, but we don’t know when. We have to keep watch for that. Another part is that after the Lord, facing each other would be a letdown. Let’s face it, we don’t always like everyone who is here, even though we love them as Christ commanded. Whatever your issue, it is solved in the life of the risen Christ. Our job is to serve Him by being exercised in the gifts He gave us via the Holy Spirit for the common good. Beloved, He is Risen! It is time to serve Him here as we will serve Him in eternity.

May the Risen Lord bless us all as we do so.