40 Days Between The Resurrection And Ascension
I wonder how much planning and strategizing went into Christ leaving the earth? He had already done it once through death, but three days later He was back on the scene. Now it was time to bring a sense of closure, yet at the same time help transition the disciples into architects for the New Testament church. What would be His exit strategy? How could He be certain that after His departure the positive changes and reality of a new regime, grace rather than law, would be embraced and passed on from one generation to the next?
It must have been an amazing forty days for the disciples, because Jesus would periodically pop up and they weren’t certain when they would see Him and have an opportunity to be with Him.
How long will these appearances last? Would Jesus continue appearing and then disappear?
The disciples weren’t certain, but today we are going to find out exactly how it is that Christ wrapped up His ministry on earth.
I. Jesus’ Conclusion to His Ministry
The final six weeks of His ministry, He made many different appearances. Look at verse three of Acts 1; After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
The gospels tell us that Jesus instructed the followers to go to Galilee and He would meet them there. He spelled it out – go to Galilee. We often need exact directions don’t we?
They probably suspected that something was different about this time because it was the first time since the resurrection that He gave specific instructions about where to meet Him. All of the other appearances were random and unpredictable.
There is a parallel passage of Christ’s words in Matthew 28 where it amplifies the message that Christ gave before His ascension. We call it the Great Commission, and it says “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to Me, therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. Surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.’”
Now, here comes Christ’s exit. He ascended.
In Acts 1:9, look back with me. “After He said this He was taken up before their very eyes and a cloud hid Him from their very sights.”
I love the way the Apostle Paul sums up the last few weeks of Jesus’ ministry. In 1 Timothy 3:16, it says, “He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by Angels, was preached among the Nations, was believed on in the world and was taken up in glory.”
Earthly Ascension Was Completed
II. The Angels Explanation to the Disciples
There are two miracles that occur. We usually think only about the ascension, but there are two miracles that take place. The first is that Jesus defied the laws of gravity. Look at verse 10, “They were looking intently up into the sky as He was going and suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.”
I wonder how long it took the disciples to notice the two Angels on either side of them? I wonder how long they allowed the men to keep staring until one of the Angels cleared his throat. The men glanced over and here were these two angelic beings!
Look at verse 11, “Men of Galilee, 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 that you have seen Him go into Heaven.”
The Angels confirm what the believers had just witnessed. When they say He was taken to Heaven there was a sense of finality and completeness. Understand the setting here because for forty days they had been having opportunities and occasions to interact.
In some ways I think that is how the disciples felt each day they saw Jesus after the resurrection, “Yep, He’s still with us.” I’m sure that was a relief to them. Yet with each appearance they had to be thinking, “I wonder if this will be the last?”
The day the ascension took place was different than others. In other words it was as if there was going to be an end to these daily appearances and verbal interchange back and forth, and as if now you were entering in to a new era.
Understand this! Jesus will come back for you. The Angels say this same Jesus will come back in the same way you had seen Him go to Heaven. The ascension was also foreshadowing for what will happen in reverse when Christ comes back.
That’s great news, what a great reunion that will be.
III. The Disciple's Reaction to the Miracles
They Obeyed.
How would they respond to the fact that Jesus was no longer with them in the flesh? To me this is further confirmation that they have truly spent time with their resurrected Lord.
First they obeyed and waited in Jerusalem. Waiting on test results, waiting on an interview result, waiting on traffic, waiting for the coach to announce who made the team. I guarantee that to these disciples while they waited in Jerusalem for this promised power, those ten days must have seemed like an eternity. They obeyed Jesus’ instruction to go to Jerusalem.
Sometimes we wait with the wrong motivation.
A woman awakens during the night to find that her husband was not in their bed. She puts on her robe and goes downstairs to look for him. She finds him sitting at the kitchen table with a hot cup of coffee in front of him. He appears to be in deep thought, just staring at the wall. She watches as he wipes a tear from his eye and takes a sip of his coffee.
“What’s the matter, dear?” she whispers as she steps into the room, “Why are you down here at this time of night?” The husband looks up from his coffee, “Do you remember 20 years ago when we were dating, and you were only 16?” he asks solemnly. The wife is touched to tears thinking that her husband is so caring and sensitive. “Yes, I do,” she replies.
The husband continues. “Do you remember when your father misunderstood my intentions and he shoved the shotgun in my face and said, “Either you marry my daughter, or I will send you to jail for 20 years?” “I remember that too” she replies softly. He wipes another tear from his cheek and says, “I would have gotten out of jail today.”
What does obedience look like for you this spring and summer? When God says, “Don’t forsake the assembling of you together” how do you respond? It is easy on Easter with a new dress, but what about on Memorial Day weekend? How will you obey when He says, “Love your enemies”? Will you do that? How about when the Bible says to “Give generously as you have been blessed.”?
Unless Jesus leaves, the Holy Spirit cannot come. It wasn’t just the disciples that were waiting on this Spirit, for hundreds of years the entire Jewish community had heard the Prophets speak of what would take place. Isaiah the Prophet foretold that the word of God would go forth from Jerusalem.
In Ezekiel 36:27, the Lord said, “I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and to keep My laws.”
So after centuries of anticipation and waiting, Jesus had told the disciples, “It’s just around the corner. Hang in there just a few more days.” Ten days after the ascension on the day of Pentecost early that morning it happened. The Spirit of God came down and instantaneously filled the disciples and they began to preach the Gospel in languages that they didn’t even know.
It didn’t stop with just the disciples. I want you to look at the concluding paragraph of the first Gospel sermon ever preached.
Please turn over to Acts 2:36-39. "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."
The wait was over and the church can be instituted because it would have the staying power that would come through the power of the Holy Spirit. Why is the ascension of first importance to the Christian? This is where I want to spend the remainder of my time.
The Holy Spirit is …..
A powerful force in my life
So it wasn’t just for the disciples. It was also for all those who put their trust in Christ. Look at verse 39. “The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, for all whom the Lord or God will call.” I John 4:4 “the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
The Bible tells us that three thousand people responded to the invitation and were baptized into Christ. Their sins were removed and that void was immediately filled with the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit had empowered these timid men who had been in hiding prior to the resurrection to now boldly proclaim the resurrection in city streets, to be thrown into prison time and time again, and to eventually go to their deaths. Why? It was because the Holy Spirit had empowered them to share that message regardless of the cost to them physically.
A peaceful agent in my life
In John 16:7, He says, “It is for your good that I am going away because unless I go away the Counselor will not come to you, but if I go I will send Him to you.”
The Holy Spirit works as a peaceful agent in your life, as a Counselor, and as a comforter. He brings calm in the midst of your stress. If you are frightened He longs to bring assurance.
There’s a cartoon of Linus clinging tightly to his blanket and he says, “One yard of flannel stands between me and a nervous breakdown.”
A personal friend in my life
The Holy Spirit is also personal. He intercedes on your behalf.
Before many funeral services just last year, I met with several different family members who had come in town for the services. At times the groans were more audible than the words. My mind drifted back to Romans 8:26, in the same way the Spirit helps us in our weakness. “We do not know what we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”
You know those times when your heart aches and the words won’t come out. The Holy Spirit is peaceful. He wants to make sure that we know He is personal and involved in our life. The Holy Spirit is also powerful and I think we seldom tap into that. Yet there is a common thread throughout the book of Acts, which is the history of the church that typifies the ministry of the Apostles.
The same Holy Spirit is available to everyone who accepts Jesus Christ as the Lord of their life.
Jesus meant it when He said that you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.
So we rely on His Spirit, we listen and we obey His promptings. Please don’t miss this, if Jesus had not ascended, we, as Christians wouldn’t have the personal indwelling of a powerful Holy Spirit. I don’t know about you, but I need to learn to lean on that supply more than I do. The longer we are Christians the more amazed we should be that the Lord would want to take up residency in our hearts.
NBC News Correspondent, David Bloom, who was 39, died of a pulmonary embolism early in the morning on Sunday, April 6, 2003. He was working for the network in Iraq. The night before he died, Bloom called the NBC assignment desk in New York City to check on the NCAA Final Four scores. Then he called home and talked to his wife Melanie and their three young daughters.
Bloom also sent this e-mail that seemed to foreshadow his eminent death, ‘I hope and pray that all my guys get out of this place in one piece. But I will tell you Mel, I am at peace. Here I am, supposedly at the peak of professional success, but frankly I could care less. It is nothing compared to my relationship to you, the girls, and Jesus Christ.’
David Bloom had an exit strategy. Do you? Because when the time comes I want you to check out of this life so as to experience an eternity with Jesus Christ. If you put your trust in Jesus, admitting that you are not perfect, confessing the name of Christ who is perfect, and being baptized into Him just as Peter says in Acts 2, “You will receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
If Jesus had not ascended we would not have the powerful Holy Spirit.
Today I invite you to come to Jesus because if you “come to Jesus” now, that means that some day you will “fly to Jesus”.
Publisher's Note: Jeff Ranson, a Teays Valley resident, is the Minister of Discipleship at Gateway Church in St. Albans.
Jeff joined Gateway staff as the Minister of Discipleship. Jeff has bachelor's degrees from Kentucky Christian College and West Virginia State College and holds a Masters degree from Marshall University. He worked for Union Carbide/Dow Chemical as an Information Analyst for 24 years.
In addition to general pastoral responsibilities, Jeff oversees the spiritual development of the Gateway family and serves as a resource to other teachers and leaders. Other tasks include being the on-site coordinator for all church-related computer services. This area encompasses the church web site, database, ad hoc reporting, custom applications, and training.
You can reach Jeff at: 304-727-8919, or through Gateway's web site: www.GatewayChurch.net.
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