“They worshiped Him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy.”
- Luke 24:52
There are many tales of the Disciples that were not told in the past few weeks. Times where they doubted, times where they understood, but more times where they got it wrong. There were so many text and verses to choose from, but these tales will be rounded out with the time they understood it all and truly worshipped Jesus because they finally got it.
For context, this worship comes after the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. All of which needed to happen, as Jesus foretold them, and the disciples were finally able to connect all the dots, at least with the help of Jesus.
Crucifixion:
Even though Easter is only a short two weeks away, it is never to soon to talk about Jesus’ essential sacrificial death on the cross. Many may have presumed Jesus to be a violent revolutionary plotting an uprise against Rome, some of His disciples may have been in that camp. These people though He was going to tear down one political system and restore Israel’s monarchy the way it once way. But that was not Jesus’ plan.
Jesus had plans to restore another thing that would bring an alternative Kingdom. His plans were not to die by the sword, but to die as a sacrifice. His plans would enable us to truly worship God as opposed to ourselves. His plans flipped the script for the entire world.
The Disciples finally realized the necessity of His death on the cross, not as something that a revolutionary would do, but as something the Passover lamb would do. They finally came to realize that His death atoned, paid for, covered, cleansed, or whatever other word you want to use, saving them from sin and death. While once we were bound to spend eternity separated from God, now we have been invited into His loving presence and graced with the Holy Spirit. All of this, the transformation and reconciliation, all made possible because of the act of Christ on the cross.
Resurrection:
Jesus could not stop there though. If He died and never rose from the grave, we would surely have known Jesus as a lunatic rather than our Lord. Sin and death were firmly and entirely defeated there on the cross, and proven defeated when Jesus rose again three days later.
Only then, did the Disciples, upon seeing His resurrected body come to understand fully that Jesus was the Messiah, that He did come to be the Savior of the world. The empty tomb of Jesus became death’s own tomb. Obviously, this caused some skepticism, especially when one only hears through the word of others that they saw Jesus. The women were slightly skeptical when the angel told them, the disciples were skeptical when the women told them, and Thomas were clearly skeptical when the disciples told him! How often does someone rise from the died by their own power? It’s unheard of. While Jesus was the lamb on the cross who was the sacrifice for our sins, He arose from the grave as the lion who defeated death.
Ascension:
His Ascension was just as necessary, Jesus’ work on earth; as in His discipling the twelve, bearing the cross, and rising from the dead had been finished. After a few more lessons the disciples would be ready to be full-time apostles. So, Jesus finished up those lessons about the Good News and the Kingdom of God and then left. Rising up through clouds in their very sight, it was so awesome an angel had to tell them to stop looking for Jesus and go do as He had instructed them.
In the ascension though, we do not only remember Him as the sacrificial lamb, nor only as the lion who defeated death, but also as Lord, the King. Though in one sense Jesus left them absent from His presence and strength, He left so the Holy Spirit could come and dwell within us. Now it is the Holy Spirit who teaches us, helping us to walk in the ways of Christ as life-long disciples and as sent apostles with the Good News. Finally, the disciples were understanding the necessity of Jesus being the Lamb, Lion, and Lord.
Response:
There is only one immediate proper response to such understanding of Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension… Joyful Worship.
Joyful Worship is the only response that could do that moment justice. When after navigating through spiritual fog for so long and it lifts, enabling us to fully understand what God was doing in that moment, the only response is to get on our knees and praise God. The only possible response of the disciples at that immediate time was to worship.
What a great joy Easter weekend should be. What a great joy it is to reflect on the crucifixion, that Jesus would humble Himself to such a point of suffering because of His endless love for the world. What a great joy it is to reflect on the resurrection, that Jesus overpowered death, taking it to the grave because of His endless love for the world. What a great joy it is to reflect on the ascension, that Jesus saw it best to go and prepare a place for us in His Kingdom and sent the Holy Spirit to fulfill the mission through us. Worship in this, by thinking about God, singing a song of praise, praying declaring the goodness and greatness of God.
Final Blessing:
Let us sing a new song from our hearts, patterning our lives in a way that is constantly bringing honor and glory to God. Joyfully praising Jesus as the lamb, lion, and Lord who gave it all to free us from sin and death while simultaneously offering His presence and love.
Now may the Lord of Life and Redemption be with you in every step, every breath, and every heartbeat of your journey.
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