Dear Christian friends:

Some well intentioned Bible scholars were wondering if they could use the computer in their work of Bible interpretation. So, after much discussion they decided to give it a test before undertaking the project.

They fed these words into the computer: "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." A few moments later this interpretation appeared on the monitor: "The liquor is good but the meat is raw."

Today, with our technological mind sets, it is difficult for us to deal with those unique, miraculous events such as Jesus' ascension into heaven. We know the Ascension narrative well. St. Luke reported it twice: first in Luke 24:51-52 and again in Acts 1:1-10. But what are we to make of it? How does it apply to our everyday lives today?

To me the bottom line of the Ascension is this:


This is supported by the Creed, which we confess in each Sunday worship service: "He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. This is also supported by the two texts which I have chosen as the basis of the sermon today: Psalm 47 and Matthew 28:18-20.

It is most important that we Christians be impressed that the Lord rules. We would not be so joyless and so timid as his disciples and his witnesses if we were sufficiently impressed with this fact.

How does He rule? What is this great and awesome power that has been given to the ascended Christ, who sits at God's right hand?

It is the power to forgive sins. We are all unable to free ourselves from sin and quilt. The quilt separates us from our God. The quilt wrecks relationships, destroys our happiness, upsets our emotions and takes away our peace of mind. The Bible tells us: "No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him. The ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough." (Psalm 49:7-8) The forgiveness of sins is the greatest power on earth.

"For the Lord Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth.
God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets." (Psalm 47:2,5)

Christ, the risen and ascended Lord, rules over all the earth by means of the Gospel. He rules over both those who believe and over those who do not believe. He Himself, has said:

"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." (Mark 16:15-16)

None can escape this rule of Christ through the Gospel. To the believer he is the Savior unto life, and to the unbeliever he is the Savior unto death, but to all he is the Savior, the Lord the King everlasting. Nothing can change or diminish his rule for "he became obedient to death-even death on a cross! Therefore God gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven, and on earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:8-11) Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, the believer confesses with great joy and praises; the unbeliever, too, will eventually confess, but with fear, trembling and regret.

The rule of Christ over all the world is no longer a question of fact, but only a question of time when his rule will be recognized by all the world, when he returns in glory. And even the time up to that great moment is allowed only for his merciful and gracious rule.

For he has been and is still ruling through his Church on earth. He gives this power to his Church. Shortly before he ascended into heaven Jesus said to his disciples: "all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)

Here we see Jesus doing an amazing thing, giving his awesome power to his disciples and their successors. Even before he died he had promised them that he would give them this great power, saying, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:19)

And on Easter evening he renewed this promise, saying, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (John 20:21-23)

Martin Luther, commenting on these texts says: "We also are lords and kings and have the greatest power." Luther does not mean only the clergy but he means every believer. The called pastor merely remits and retains sins as the public servant of the congregation. The power belongs to the congregation. (Luther's Small Catechism Part 5, The Office of the Keys)

Sometimes Christians are not aware of this important truth. I recall an incident which happened when I was pastor to the Lutheran deaf of Minnesota. On the third Sunday of the month I would drive to Duluth, after the morning service in St. Paul to conduct a 4:00 PM service there. After the service we always had a fellowship supper. On one of these occasions a deaf lady, who was one of the leaders of the congregation, came to me and said, "Pastor, we are offended at you!" I was a bit shocked because they were such a faithful and friendly group. So after I caught my breath I told here that I was sorry to hear that and inquired of her what I had done to offend the congregation. She replied, "You say in the service after we confess our sins: "I forgive you all your sins. Only God can forgive our sins." Needless to say, we had one of the most effective Bible studies ever that evening after the supper. I impressed upon them these texts and that basically they themselves were lords and kings who had this great power from the Lord of lords and King of kings. They were somewhat overwhelmed but at the same time comforted and glad to hear this.

Now when we really stop to think about this tremendous responsibility we, too, just might feel overwhelmed.

I'm sure that those first disciples must have felt that way, at least until Pentecost. What great disparity there was between the disciples and their power given to them by the ascending Lord! Eleven men with no money, no weapons, no assistants, no knowledge of foreign languages. In fact men who at the moment are still in doubt about their commission are to rule over the nations!

This disparity is so great that one is tempted to ask if Jesus is beside himself in giving them this authority. And when we consider our own credentials and frailties we, too, might wonder if Jesus really knows what he is doing when he gives us this awesome power.

The good news is that Jesus is not beside himself and he knows exactly what he is doing, because our weaknesses are no obstacle to this power. In fact, his grace and power is shown to be perfect in our weaknesses.

Although this is a mighty commission and seemingly overwhelming, it is really quite easy. We are to make disciples of all nations by teaching them and baptizing them. So we are to have no will or opinion of our own. We are to simply testify to what has already happened and to repeat what has already been said.

We are not sent to conquer, but we are sent to tell the conquered to whom they are subject and what their Conqueror demands of them, namely, that they, repent and believe in him or else!

We are to say to the nations what St. Paul said to the Corinthians 5:19-21, "God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Our mission is easy, also because Jesus is with us as we go on our ways, administering the Word and the Sacraments. He promises: "And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age." This is true even though with these words the Lord leaves his disciples and ascends to the right hand of God. Even before his crucifixion Jesus had told them: "It is expedient for you that I go away." (John 16:7)

How could his leaving them, or us, ever be expedient? Look at it this way. He had to leave them in one dimension to return in a greater dimension of power. He left as Jesus of Nazareth, resurrected and victorious; he returned as the Holy Spirit, indwelling and ubiquitous. Now he was to be unloosed in all the world. People would meet him and commune with him not just in Galilee, or on the Mount of Olives, or in Jerusalem but everywhere throughout the whole world, wherever his Word is proclaimed and the Sacraments correctly administered. He leaves as the risen Savior and returns as the mighty Lord of the Church.

"The Lord God omnipotent reigneth! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!" "He has the name: King of kings and Lord of Lords" "Clap your hands all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy"

Amen.