Disciples Watched as Jesus Ascended into Heaven

“Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, ‘Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom of Israel?’  And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.  But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’  Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.  And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven, as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven?  This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.’” –Acts 1:6-11 (NKJV).

                Can you imagine being present with the believers on the occasion of Jesus’ ascension into heaven?  With what awe must they have been filled!  No expressions of doubt about His resurrection of His mission were expressed by those gathered on that glorious day.  We are told in Acts 1:3 that He had showed Himself “alive to them after many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.”  The place of Jesus’ ascension was the Mount of Olives outside Bethany.  I have had the privilege of visiting the site and being there was indeed “standing on holy ground” as the gospel song expresses.  In His final words to the disciples before His ascension, He reaffirmed that His kingdom was not to be as they had expected, a restoration of Israel’s kingdom, but a new kind of kingdom, spiritual and under the authority of God Himself who knows the time of fulfillment.  When the Holy Spirit came upon them, they were to be witnesses of what He began to do and to establish (the spiritual Kingdom of God) while He was upon earth.

                The ascension of Jesus was visible, victorious and authoritative.  The ascension expanded Christ’s ministry through His followers who were given the Great Commission to witness of Him in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and throughout the earth.  The ascension showed Jesus’ restoration to His exalted position in Heaven at the right Hand of God where His executive power is ever acting on behalf of believers everywhere.  There He also intercedes for us! (see Hebrews 7:25).    

                Jesus began to rise from their midst and visibly lift from their presence.  A cloud received Him out of their sight.  A cloud was often manifested as a visible sign of God’s presence.  The cloud by day and the fire by night had protected the Israelites after their release from Egyptian bondage.  Is it any wonder, that after seeing Jesus visibly go up and disappear into a cloud that the disciples were so rapt they could not move from the Mount of Olives?  Two men clothed in white raiment (angels) came to speak to them, asking a pointed question:  “Why do you thus stand gazing into heaven?”  And then they repeated the promise Jesus had made to them:  “As you have seen Him go into heaven, He will come again in like manner!”  The awe, amazement and wonder of the disciples must be turned to practical work to bring about the spiritual kingdom Christ had commissioned them to tell about and be involved in establishing.  The incarnation of God (Emmanuel, God with us) had been successfully accomplished in Jesus Christ the Son.  The two messengers gave the believers assurance that Jesus would indeed return as He had gone into Heaven.  This is a great motivation for Christians to be involved in service to the living, reigning, ascended Lord until his second coming.  Those gathered on the Mount of Olives to see Jesus ascend into Heaven, marvelous as the experience was, had work awaiting them.  We, too, have work to do while we await His return.  Who in your family, among your neighbors and fellow workers, those you meet from day to day need your witness about their becoming a Christian? Is God putting them in your pathway so you can witness to them?  May we be found faithful!  -Ethelene Dyer Jones  04.27.2014

Holy Week Day by Day ~Sunday, First Day of the New Week~Resurrection!

“Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.  And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.  His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.  And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.  But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus Who was crucified.  He is not here, for He has risen, as He said.  ‘Come, see the place where He lay.’  Then go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead, and behold, He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see Him.  See, I have told you.  So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell His disciples.  And behold, Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!” and they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him.  Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.’” –Matthew 28:1-10 (ESV).

It was not yet good light; the dawn was just breaking and shadows of darkness played about the garden tomb.  Sorrow and fear walked with the two women, Mary Magdalene ‘and the other Mary,’ female disciples of Jesus, last at the tomb on Friday, first at the tomb on Sunday.  They were afraid.  I would have been too, going early before good day, and then being shaken by a reverberating earthquake!  How strange to be greeted by such shaking and clattering of the earth.  And fear overtook them again, for seated there upon the great gravestone was an extraterrestrial being whose garments glowed in the half-light like lightning.  Even the strong, burly Roman guards lay on the ground, out cold, like dead men!

But when the angel spoke, for by now the women realized the person meant them only good and not harm, they listened, for his message reechoed what Jesus Himself had told them before He died:  “Fear not!...He is not here, for He has risen, as He said.  ‘Come, see the place where He lay.’”  And with that I can imagine that the angel stepped aside, inviting Mary Magdalene and Mary to step up to the tomb and look in.

Matthew does not give these details, but accounts of the resurrection in other gospels tell us that the grave clothes lay there on the rock ledge where the body had been—as though the corpse of Jesus, now alive, had just escaped from them and left the clothes lying in the tomb.  And folded, the napkin, or handkerchief, that had covered Jesus’ face was placed neatly to the side.  With all the excitement of the angel’s message, the women would not have had time to give more than a cursory glance into the tomb.  But later, they would remember an important aspect of the neatly-folded napkin:  It lay folded in readiness, a sign that the Master would be back again; He had not gone far away.

Listen,  Mary Magdalene and Mary, the angel has directions for you, an important errand for you to run: “”Go quickly and tell His disciples He has risen from the dead! Tell them to go to Galilee; there He will meet them!” What joy, what delight!  The Marys did not need their urns of burial ointment and spices they had so lovingly brought to embalm the body.  No dead body was there to receive the embalming.

They left the garden grave, excited and exulting that they had such a message to give to the disciples!  And as they rushed through the garden, behold, Jesus Himself met them and said, “Greetings!”  There was no mistaking that voice!  No one ever spoke like Jesus speaks.  They fell to His feet, worshiping Him! But He, like the angel, had a message for them to bear, “Go!  Tell My disciples that I am alive.  I will meet them in Galilee!  Do not be afraid!”

Each of the Gospel accounts of the Resurrection is slightly different.  We are not to wonder at the different approaches four different writers took to recount this most marvelous of occasions—Jesus rising from the dead!  It is a major truth of the gospel story, the Word, the Lord, alive and victorious, as He had said. For my edification and amazement, I am reading each account today, allowing the Holy Spirit to teach me all facets and views of the great truths of the resurrection as recorded in Matthew 28:1-10:  in Mark 16:1-11; in Luke 24:1-12; and in John 20:1-18. I pray that you, dear reader, will take the time to do the same.  Because Christ is victorious over death, we, too, know assuredly that death is not the end.  The soul will be quickened to new life.  “O grave, where is thy victory?  O death, where is they sting?” (I Corinthians 15:55, KJV).

Matthew has Mary Magdalene and the other Mary meeting the angel and being greeted by the living Lord.  Mark records three women, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bringing spices and hearing the news from ‘a young man dressed in a white robe.” Mark later records His appearance to Mary Magdalene.  In Luke’s account, they (meaning the women mentioned being last at the tomb on Friday) came with prepared spices to find the stone rolled away and a man in dazzling apparel giving them the news of the risen Christ.  Luke identifies these women as Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and “the other women” (Luke 24:10).  But when the women told the disciples, they didn’t believe.  Peter himself went and saw the grave clothes as the women had said.  He had to see for himself. Then he marveled at what had happened.  In John’s account, Mary Magdalene went first, saw the tomb empty, and ran to tell Peter and ‘the other disciple’ (John).  They rushed to the tomb, saw the grave clothes, the napkin folded neatly, and John “saw and believed” (v. 8).  Peter and John returned to their homes, but Mary remained in the garden, and Christ appeared to her, calling her by name and asking her to go and tell His disciples that He was alive.  

So many poems, songs and hymns, essays and books have been written about the resurrection.  Myriad are the accounts of Jesus conquering death, not only that of the gospel writers, but many throughout the ages since. On Easter around the world Christians celebrate anew the glory of the cross where Jesus died and the majesty of the empty tomb where Jesus shed the bonds of death and rose victoriously.  Millions of voices on Easter proclaim the words of the gospel hymn written by Alfred H. Ackley (1887-1960):

“I serve a risen Savior, He’s in the world today;

I know that He is living, whatever men may say;

I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer,

And just the time I need Him, He’s always near.

He lives!  He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!

He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way;

He lives!  He lives!  Salvation to impart!

You ask me how I know He lives:

He lives within my heart!”

                                                                                    -Ethelene Dyer Jones  04.20.2014

Shout Hosanna! Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!  Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!  Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is He, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” –Zechariah 9:9   “Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  And the crowds that went before Him and that followed Him were shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest!’ And when He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, ‘Who is this?’ And the crowds said, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.’”-Matthew 21:8-11 (ESV).

            Throughout Christendom, the Sunday before Easter is celebrated as Palm Sunday, commemorating Christ’s notable entry into Jerusalem. All four gospel writers record what we have come to term Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  I encourage you to read all four accounts in their entirety:  Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:29-44; and John 12:12-19.

            In Christendom, we celebrate “Palm Sunday,” marked by the waving of palm branches.  On that day in Jerusalem the jubilant waving of palm branches and laying of cloaks in the Lord’s path were outward acts declaring the people’s recognition of to Jesus as King Messiah.  Ceremonial waving of palm branches had been associated with important Jewish victories of the past.  Imagine the excitement of the crowd as they anticipated their long-expected Messiah would soon declare His rule and free them from Roman oppression. 

            Jesus rode on a donkey.  That, too, had significant symbolism.  One who rode in triumph on a lowly donkey brought peace—not war. Of the four gospel writers, Matthew is the only one who mentions two animals, both the donkey and her colt.  We are not to see a problem here, but that both were brought by the disciples sent to get them.  It is fitting to recognize that the donkey would have walked alongside her unbroken colt to give confidence to the young animal on whom no one had ever ridden.  Jesus rode on the foal, fulfilling the prophecies given in Isaiah 62:11 and Zechariah 9:9: “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold your King is coming to you, gentle, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden’” (quoting Zech 9:9, NAS) .  

            The shout of “Hosanna in the highest!” is from Psalm 118:25-26.  The translation from the Hebrew (hoshiahna) is rendered “Save us!”:  “Save us, we pray, O Lord!  O Lord, we pray, give us success!  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!  We bless you from the house of the Lord.”

            An atmosphere of celebration and jubilation was everywhere.  Noted by the religious authorities whose critical watch was ever upon the prophet and healer—whom they termed an impostor—they commented on the commotion at the city gate:  “You see that you are gaining nothing.  Look, the world has gone after him” (John 9:19).  When some of the Pharisees asked Jesus to rebuke his disciples for the celebration and demonstration of loyalty their shouts and actions displayed, Jesus told them, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out!” (Luke 19:40).  Jesus was referring to the words from Habakkuk 2:11:  “For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the woodwork respond.”

            As we participate in Palm Sunday, waving palm branches is a reminder to us that the triumphal entry really happened near the close of Christ’s earthly journey, just before the Passion Week and His death on the cross.  We are likely to view the triumphal entry into Jerusalem with regret because the ones who cast palm branches and cloaks before Jesus and cried so fervently, “Hosanna in the highest!” could so quickly turn against the King of King and Lord of Lords and cry, “Crucify Him!  Crucify Him!”  But we must view His triumphal entry in the earthly life of our Lord in the perspective of His purpose for coming to earth.  He was, indeed, King of King and Lord of Lords—but not in the way anticipated.  He was not just for the Jews to be declared their king alone and to establish His rule in the holy city of Jerusalem.  He is indeed the righteous Davidic Messiah who would “save His people from their sins” (see Mark 8:31, Romans 5:6-8).

            His triumph as Christos, Saviour, Messiah, Emmanuel was His ultimate purpose:  Not just for the Jews but for everyone who will acknowledge Him as King and Lord, Redeemer Savior! Not for an age, but for all ages!  Not for an earthly dominion but for the glory of an eternal kingdom!  Let us indeed shout “Hosanna!  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”  --Ethelene Dyer Jones  04.13.2014

God Is Very Good at Making Days

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!  Because His mercy endures forever.” –Psalm 118:1 (NKJV).  “Then God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.  And God saw the light, that it was good, and God divided the light from the darkness.  God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night.  So the evening and the morning were the first day.” –Genesis 1:3-5 (NKJV).  “This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” – Psalm 118:24 (NKJV).

            Do you ever try to stretch your imagination and think how it was before God spoke and created day and night, light and darkness, the world and everything in it, the sky, the seas, the firmament, the animals, the birds, the creatures everywhere—and then man and woman?

            From nothing he created the world and its order!  With the power of His word He created! And God has been very good at making days from that time henceforth.  At first, calendars were not like we know them now, with 365 days per year except for leap year.  But back then, man with his ingenuity, and no doubt inspired by God, wrapped the days in countable time.  Seven is known to be a ‘perfect number,’ and so seven days were contained in a week of time.  Weeks were enumerated into four (and a few days more) for months.  Twelve months were designated in a year.  Ten years became a decade and 100 years a century. 

            Even the light and darkness—day and night—were combined in a period of twenty-four hours for a day.  That day counted out as 1,440 minutes or 84,400 seconds.  Perhaps we might overlook the significance of this time and how counted, but note how it has order and sequence.

            Rev. Robert J. Morgan wrote:  “God is in the day-making business.  The Ancient of Days is the Manufacturer of Days…One new day rolls off God’s assembly line every twenty-four hours right on schedule, each one unique (100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know by Heart.  Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2010, p. 165).  Just to consider receiving a new day every twenty-four hours is phenomenal!

            Then the question comes:  How shall we use the new day allotted to us?  How shall we fill the gift of today that God is so good at making and giving to us?

            I heard of a widow who was feeling somewhat sorry for herself and her plight as she faced the prospect of days alone after her husband died.  As she was reading her Bible, Psalm 118:24 seemed to leap out at her.  She decided she would use a glass-carving instrument and carve the verse into the panes of the window at which she stood every morning immediately after arising.  Seeing the words carved into the glass became a good reminder to her that each day was a brand new gift from God .  Why should she feel such self-pity when God had provided so bountifully for her?  With the Psalmist, she resolved to be glad and rejoice with each new day.

            A Bible dictionary indicates that rejoice means to feel gladness, to exult, to be jubilant, to have a heart that sings.  Vivian Green gave us these classic lines about how to rejoice:  “Life isn’t about waiting for the story to pass.  It’s learning how to dance in the rain.”

            Here’s a little quatrain from my pen, a song of praise for today that can be sung to the hymn tune “The Old 100^th”—“The Doxology”:

            O Lord, I thank You for today;

            Praise for Your guidance on my way.

            When nighttime falls may all be well”

            At last in Heaven may I dwell.  Amen.                       
 -Ethelene Dyer Jones 04.06.2014