Luke 24:50-53

Luke 24:50-53

And He led them outside into Bethany.  And after lifting up His hands, He praised them.  And it happened, in His praise of them, that He sat apart from them at an interval.  And He was being carried up into heaven.  And after they bowed down to worship Him they turned back into Jerusalem with great joy.  And they were through all time in the temple while praising God.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus praises the disciples.  Many translations say that He blessed them.  In either case, we can hear Jesus speaking favorably towards the disciples.  He wants to extend favor.  Even though these disciples fled, ran, and abandoned Him, Jesus forgives, embraces, and praised.  That’s love.  That’s forgiveness.  That’s what God is all about.

Do you love unconditionally as God loves?  Can you bless others around you, even when they reject or abandon you?

Second Thought:

Jesus ascends to heaven.  Here is the last act of the fleshly Messiah.  God has already lifted Him up in propitiation for our sins.  He has already proven that He can beat death. He has proven that He can conquer sin.  He has proven that He can resurrect.  The only promise left for His disciples to experience the first fruits is the promise of eternal life dwelling with the Father.  As proof of this, Jesus raises into heaven.  The Father will call us home, too.  We will one day follow with Jesus into life eternal with the Father.

What do you think life eternal will be like?  Are you looking forward to such an existence?

Third Thought:

The story ends as it should.  God’s name is praised.  The last thing that we hear in this chapter is how the witness of the disciples is to give the glory to God.  Why shouldn’t He get the glory?  He sent His Son.  He died for our sake.  He conquered death.  He extends the same offer to us.  Of course He gets the praise.  Our lives should reflect the same spirit.

Does your life reflect the praise of God?  When people look into your life, do they see you giving God glory?  How can you increase the visibility of the praise that you give to God?

Passage for Tomorrow: Revelation 1:1-3