Luke 24.48-53
Resurrected Savior, New People
(Luke 24.48-53)
Jason Procopio
We began this series in the gospel of Luke almost three years ago—on September 3, 2017. We knew it was going to be a long series, because we’ve always been committed to preaching through books of the Bible, and Luke is a long book.
And now, we’re finally here, at the end. It’s entirely fitting (as we’ll see as we go on) that this final message in the gospel of Luke be given on Easter Sunday, the day on which we celebrate the resurrection of our King Jesus.
After all we’ve seen over the last couple years, it would be logical to come to this message like we would the end of a movie—you’re in the cinema, the last line of dialogue is given, and you see the words “THE END” scroll down from the top of the screen. Because, we assume, this is where the story comes to its end.
But as you may already know, that’s not right. In fact, as we’ve been hinting to for a long time now, this is where the next part of this story actually begins.
We’re going to read Luke 24.48-53 in a moment—if you remember, Jesus has been raised from the dead after his crucifixion. He has appeared before his disciples, who are terrified to see him alive and well (it’s quite a sight, seeing someone who was so brutally murdered standing alive and well in your living room). Jesus has reassured them that he is indeed real—he’s not a ghost—and he has explained to them everything that’s happened. He’s opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and he’s showed them that this was the plan all along—he came to suffer, he came to die, and he came to rise again (v. 44-46).
And then, he gives them their marching orders—they are to go out and proclaim repentance for the forgiveness of sins to all the nations, starting from Jerusalem (v. 47). He sends them out as his messengers (and that’s why we call them “apostles” from this point on: the word “apostle” means sent).
And we’re going to begin our reading this morning at this moment of sending—beginning in v. 48 and continuing on to v. 53:
48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
50 And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple blessing God.
In this final brief passage, we see two different things which characterize (or will characterize) the apostles from here on out: power for the mission, and joy in their hope.
Power for Mission (v. 49, Acts 2.1-36)
So the apostles have a mighty task ahead of them—they are to go and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ (the good news of his life, death and resurrection, which makes it possible for us to repent of our rebellion against God—to turn away from our sin—and to be forgiven of that sin). They are to go and proclaim this good news, in the name of Christ, to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
But even if you forget all the other nations and just think about Jerusalem, that’s an incredibly daunting task. Jesus had just been crucified in Jerusalem. This was not a place that was friendly to his message. And they had no indication that between Jesus’s crucifixion and now, things had gotten any better. They’d be going up against the Jewish religious leaders, and potentially (as we saw in chapter 23), against the entire Roman Empire—in Jerusalem alone.
For all intents and purposes, Jesus is sending them on a suicide mission.
And it would prove to be exactly that—all but one of the apostles were put to death because of their message, and the only one who didn’t (the apostle John) was boiled alive in boiling oil and died in exile on a deserted island.
Now take that future which awaited these men (which they surely would have suspected) and put it next to what we know of them up to this point. These men fled Christ’s arrest. They were completely absent during his crucifixion (except for one of them, probably John, who isn’t mentioned in this gospel). They were terrified at the thought of ending up like Jesus, and ran away from harm as soon as they could.
What could possibly make these cowards able to face the certain persecution, beatings, public ridicule, and eventually death, which would await them if they did what Jesus asked them to do?
They could never do it alone.
And that is why Jesus says in v. 49:
49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.
Now it seems a bit of a tease that Luke would mention this power and then never describe it in his gospel. In fact, he does describe it. This gospel, as we’ve mentioned before, is Part One of a two-part story: Part Two (the sequel to Luke’s gospel) is the book of Acts. And in the book of Acts, Luke describes in great detail, and over the course of the entire book, exactly what happened when this power Jesus had promised them actually comes.
In Acts chapter 2 we see the beginning. Luke tells us (Acts 2.1-13):
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
So already we see something happening that the apostles could never have done on their own. They have essentially become supernatural missionaries—they are proclaiming the gospel in other languages, which the mixed crowd outside would be able to understand. This isn’t some kind of ecstatic expression of worship: the Spirit “gives them utterance”, gives them words in languages they’ve never learned, so that people outside can understand.
(It’s a far cry from what many people call “speaking in tongues” today. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen anymore—just that in the Bible it’s not what a lot of people today think it is.)
Now what we see next is, in my opinion, even more extraordinary.
Because of all the ruckus from the crowds outside the house, Peter gets up and starts preaching to everyone there—and he preaches one of the least friendly sermons ever. He tells them (Acts 2.22-23):
22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, YOU crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
Now if you remember Peter’s story, you know why this is extraordinary.
Peter was a little more courageous than the other apostles, but he still denied knowing Jesus when things got rough. He lied and said he didn’t know him, he wasn’t one of his followers…and then he ran away like everyone else, in fear for his life.
But what he says in Acts 2.14-39 is the kind of talk that got Jesus killed in the first place He tells them that Jesus is the Messiah, that this was God’s plan all along, that you are all guilty of killing the Savior God had sent to you, but that if you repent of your sins and are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of those sins, you can be saved.
It was an incredibly courageous sermon given to a potentially hostile crowd, and Luke tells us that far from inciting the crowds to put them to death, three thousand people came to faith in Christ (Acts 2.41).
The Father promised his Spirit in the Old Testament, and this Spirit comes and fills the apostles in the New. He gives them power to fulfill their mission, and not only that—he gives their words power to save souls. The gospel, through the working of the Spirit, awakens people to new life, gives them faith in Christ, and saves their souls.
This is what we see over and over again in the book of Acts: the apostles are completely transformed from what the frightened, ordinary men they were, transformed into men of conviction, through whom the Spirit worked to bring people to faith in Jesus Christ.
The second thing we see in today’s text is:
Joy in Hope (v. 50-53, Acts 1.11)
At the end of his gospel, Luke merely hints at what happened to Jesus following his resurrection and appearance to the disciples. V. 50:
50 And he led them out as far as Bethany [on the Mount of Olives, a place he frequently visited and taught], and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.
If it seems like that’s something you’d like to explore more, Luke would agree. He describes it more fully in the first chapter of the book of Acts, including what happens immediately after Jesus’s departure. In Acts 1, we see Jesus promising the same thing to his disciples as in Luke 24—the power of the Holy Spirit which would come on them—and then Luke says (Acts 1.6):
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
So if they had had time to dwell on what had just happened, they could possibly have been filled with a similar kind of fear as they had following the crucifixion. Their Savior and Messiah was alive, yes—but he was gone. He was taken up before their eyes, carried into heaven. He had given them a mission, and a promise of power, but wouldn’t it have made more sense for Jesus to stay with them and help them fulfill their mission? Wouldn’t it have been easier to convince people of the message of the gospel if Jesus were there, physically alive and raised, to prove that what they were saying was true?
Apparently not. Apparently they would have to do this without him.
But as we saw just a minute ago, they wouldn’t have to do this without him. He had promised to send his Spirit to give them power for the mission of being his witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria, and out to the end of the earth.
They knew that. And I like to think that they fully believed that.
But still—they loved Jesus. He was their Master, and their Lord, and they had spent nearly every waking moment with him for the last three years. Seeing him disappear like that, never to be seen again in their lifetime, their must have been sadness there. There must have been longing to keep him with them—if not for his power, then just for the joy of seeing his face.
But Luke tells us (v. 10):
10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven?”
I just love this. These two men in white robes—in case you haven’t guessed it—are not men but angels, and they have no time for sentimentality; there’s no room here for the disciples to remain pining over their departed Savior; no room for sadness over losing his physical presence. Because he had promised to be with them forever, to the end of the age (Matthew 28.20), through his promised Holy Spirit. And, as the angels say (v. 11b), his spiritual presence was not the only presence they could count on:
“This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
I know it may seem strange for us to celebrate Easter Sunday in this way. The end of Luke 24, and the beginning of Acts, don’t specifically speak about what we usually discuss at Easter.
Easter is the day of the year when we take time out to specifically contemplate and rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But I’m sure some of you have been in Easter services in which they say, “Yes! Jesus is isn’t really dead! He’s been raised...” and then no one ever talks about why that matters.
We saw the first part of why that matters a couple weeks ago. When Jesus died on the cross, he took the sins of his people (their rebellion against God) on himself and was put to death for those sins, in our place. And when he died, our sin died with him. So our rebellion against God is no longer held against us—God has already punished those sins, because he punished Christ on the cross for us. So we no longer have to fear the wrath of God against us—there is no wrath left for his people.
When Jesus was raised from the dead, he proved that he had not only defeated sin; he defeated death itself, the ultimate effect that sin brought into the world. And at his resurrection he applied that victory to us. He gave us his perfect life in exchange for our sins, so not only does God forgive our sins and not punish us for them, but he actively declares us as perfect as Jesus Christ himself.
Now, all that—which we’ve been seeing the last few weeks—are only the first part of what we celebrate at Easter.
The second part is found in the end of Acts 1.11:
This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.
Now these words are very important. The disciples have just seen Jesus, resurrected and in his glorified, human body, taken up into heaven. And the two angels tell the disciples that Jesus will come back, in the same way he left. That is, when Jesus returns, he will return in his glorified, human body. And when he returns (John tells us in 1 John 3.2), we shall be like him. When Christ returns, he will make everything else as he is—free of sin, and free of the effects of sin. No more death, no more sickness, no more corruption, no more pain. In us, and in the whole of creation.
This, brothers and sisters, is the good news of Easter. At Easter, we celebrate not only that Jesus is raised, and that he has defeated sin and death. Now, let’s be clear: that would be enough. Even if Jesus gave us nothing else, that would be enough of a reason to celebrate the glory of his grace (Eph. 1.6).
But this is how good God is—as much as Christ's work for us in freeing us from sin and declaring us righteous would be enough, he didn’t stop there. Not only does God forgive us through Christ’s death, and declare us righteous through his resurrection; he promises us the new life which Christ himself now lives.
Because Christ ascended to heaven in a glorified human body, freed from the effects of sin, and will return in a glorified human body, freed from the effects of sin, we will live forever with him in glorified, human bodies, on a glorified, physical earth, freed from the effects of sin.
Easter is not just about Christ's resurrection; Easter is a celebration of everything that Christ achieved at the resurrection, and promises to us by the resurrection.
So it is no great surprise that Luke finishes his gospel by describing the reaction of the disciples to this wonderful news.
Luke 24.52-53:
52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple blessing God.
Conclusion
Brothers and sisters, even though we live in a radically different time and place as the one we see in the book of Luke or the book of Acts, and although the details of how God fulfills his plans will sometimes differ, adapting to the context, his promises still stand.
Through Jesus Christ, we still have power for the mission. The Holy Spirit which gave us faith in Christ gives us what we need to be faithful in sharing the gospel, in living the life of the church together, in seeing men and women come to the faith in Christ we have. We don’t “name and claim” anything—we simply rest in the promises of God for his people. The same Spirit which lived in the apostles and gave them power to bring the gospel to the nations lives in us today. And he is no less powerful today than he was back then.
So when we go out (or at this weird time of Covid-19, when we go online), we have everything we need. We actually can share the gospel. We actually can explain to people what Christ came to do. That doesn’t mean we’ll always say everything perfectly; it doesn’t mean that everyone will react to the gospel the way we hope they will. It means that God will always do what needs to be done to accomplish his plan through the faithfulness of his people.
In Christ, we still have power for the mission.
And in Christ, we should still respond with joy in our hope.
The reason why the gospel is such good news, and we actually want to go out and share it with everyone we can, is because we have a sure and living hope. The author of the letter to the Hebrews calls this hope a sure and steadfast anchor to the soul (Hebrews 6.19). The hope of our resurrection, the renewal of the earth at the return of Christ, is what allows us to meet the crises of our lives (like the current health crisis) with equanimity. We know that God never loses the control of his world, and that even if the worst possible scenario—death—happens to us in the near future (which is always very possible), our death will not be true death. We will be raised, and glorified, and will live with Christ for all eternity; and in that eternity, we will be like him.
So let us celebrate this glorious reality today. And if you don’t know Christ this morning, please know that everything I’ve said this morning can be true for you as well. The good news of the gospel is that you (like all of us) deserve God’s wrath for your sin, but that through Jesus Christ, you can be forgiven, and declared righteous, and receive eternal life with him. No matter who you are, or what you have done, or what you know (or don’t know), Jesus did all the work for you, to give you salvation.
