TO JERUSALEM WITH
JOY
LUKE 24:50-53
Luke
24:50 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and
blessed them.
Susie: After
commissioning His first followers as His witnesses or emissaries, Jesus led
them to Bethany, the home of His good friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus which
was less than two miles from Jerusalem:
John
11:1 Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary
and her sister Martha.
John
11:18 Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off:
There are 8 furlongs in a mile. Therefore, 15
furlongs is equal to 15/8 = 1.875 miles.
Susan: Jesus stood and
raised His hands over the group of His followers—those He had led to Bethany
and told to wait for the Spirit. He blessed them. A blessing was a
pronouncement of all that was true and good for their lives and for their
future. He, more aptly and efficiently than any earthly father could pronounce
this blessing, because He was the only omniscient, ultimate “blesser.”
To bless an individual, the person laid his hands
on him. To bless a group, hands were lifted and extended over them, as in the
priestly blessing (Leviticus 9:22) and Jesus' blessing of the disciples at His
ascension (Luke 24:50).
Leviticus
9:22 And Aaron lifted up his hand toward the people, and blessed them, and came
down from offering of the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and peace
offerings.
Luke
24:51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and
carried up into heaven.
Susie: As Jesus was lovingly
pronouncing a blessing over His disciples, He was drawn up into the heavens. Acts
1:9 states that, “a cloud received him out of their sight.” You may be
thinking, “Doesn’t Acts 1:12 say that the disciples came back from Mt. Olivet
after the ascension? Here they are in Bethany!” This really is not incongruent
as Bethany is on the eastern slope of Mt. Olivet.
Luke
24:52-53 And they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: And
were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.
Susan: After being
with Jesus in the flesh for three plus years to watching the horror of the
crucifixion to numerous interactions with the risen Jesus in the flesh, His
disciples were convinced that Jesus was the genuine article. He was the great
“I Am,” both completely man and completely God, the God-Man.
Susie: Imagine the
immense joy they had in realizing they had been in the physical presence of the
Almighty. These disciples who had been hiding, fearing for their own lives, downcast
and distraught are now making a joyful journey back to the city of Jerusalem to
await the power Jesus had promised them.
Susan: These disciples
were all experiencing that internal blaze of the Eternal that Cleopas and his
companion had felt on the road to Emmaus. They were not idle as they waited for
the promised Holy Spirit. They spent their days worshipping, exalting, and
praising Emmanuel—God with us—in His temple.
Ponder
this and Apply it: Jesus went back to
Heaven, to the right hand of the throne of God. His disciples obeyed His
command to wait in Jerusalem but had no idea exactly what form this power they
were awaiting would take. We know from the second chapter of Acts this power
was the Holy Spirit taking up residence inside them. We receive this same gift
as soon as we receive Jesus’s free gift of salvation. We have the mighty power
of God available to us, empowering us to understand and obey all the
instructions in God’s word. We may not be in the temple in Jerusalem or even in
our local place of worship every day, but we can choose to spend our days
worshipping, exalting, and praising Emmanuel—God, who in the form of His Son
Jesus, came down to make a relationship with Himself available to us!
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