What Goes Up Will Come Down :: Acts 1:1-11
What goes up must come down. You know this famous line, don’t you? It was made famous by Sir Isaac Newton, the mathematician, astronomer, and physicist. They say an apple fell on his head, giving him the idea that led to the law of gravity: What goes up must come down.
I wonder if he wasn’t actually reading scripture. Listen again to Luke’s opening description of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus in Acts Chapter 1... As they were gazing into heaven when he went, Behold, two men stood by them in white clothing. And they said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was lifted up from you into heaven, will come in the same way you saw him go into heaven (vv. 10-11).
What goes up will come down. So now we confess: Our Lord Jesus has ascended to the right hand of God to prepare a place for us in paradise before he comes again to judge the living and the dead and give eternal life to all who believe in him. Do you believe this? Come, Lord Jesus.
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The Acts of the Apostles is the sequel to the Gospel of Luke. What Jesus began to do and teach in the Gospel of Luke, he continues to do through the Acts of the Apostles. This is a continuation of the Gospel. Here, today the Holy Spirit opens our mind to the scriptures, so that we can hear his gospel, have faith in Jesus, and do what he urges us to do.
But first he had to ascend into heaven ... go up ... as promised on the night before he descended into death on the cross. As Jesus told the disciples during his upper room discourse in John 16, I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you (16:1).
To fulfill that prophecy, Jesus first had to be crucified for the sins of the world. He did that so that you will be convicted of what your sin is doing to your body, destroying you and all of creation. He had to die on the cross so that you will be convicted of your lack of righteousness: that there is no light in our darkness. And then he has to rise from the dead, appearing to his disciples and others over a period of 40 days, so that he could show how the ruler of this world is condemned, and all who faith in Jesus will share in that same eternal life.
This is all Good News. He is risen! He is risen, indeed! Hallelujah!
Our Lord Jesus has been seen by the women at the tomb, by the two disciples on their way to Emmaus, by the Apostles in a locked upper room, and to even 500 believers at one time. We have history on our side. The disciples and other believers were witnesses of Christ’s ministry, death, resurrection, and these appearances. They were all witnesses to the resurrection! And they were eager to witness what was next.
So 40 days after his resurrection, Jesus and his disciples gathered for one more miracle on the Mount of Olives. The disciples in turn asked Jesus, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel (v. 6)?
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Oy vey! Have we learned nothing? The disciples should have known better than to ask when. Why do we have such a hard time hearing the Gospel? Why are we always so grounded in ourselves, always looking for a better day, a better way, a better life, a purpose-driven life?
Our Lord Jesus longs to make us whole: to be one with us. That’s what the ascension is about. All too often though, like the apostles, we have a hard time shaking the notion that the Messiah would come to overthrow earthly kings who advocate sacrificing their babies, who advocate euthanizing the weak, who promote the idolatry of self-righteousness. All too often we want the scriptures to be about us ... about how we can live a better life with a good word from a good man on good living. Too often we try to play a role in our salvation.
So listen to our risen and ascended Lord: It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority. We should not occupy ourselves with this!
Instead, have faith in Jesus. Have faith in what he began to say and do, and now what he continues to say and do. Have faith in the baptism he poured out upon you. Have faith in the Supper he has prepared for you. Have faith in his Word Made Flesh. As Jesus said: 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 (v 8).
Don’t worry about the timing of it all: Tell the world about what you have seen and heard!
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What the apostles saw and heard is the life and ministry of Jesus: They saw and heard the Gospel in action. They saw and heard God in the flesh actively doing what we don’t do, and won’t do, obeying the Law, fulfilling the Law, doing all that the Law demands. More than that, they saw and heard Jesus becoming a curse ... going to the cross ... dying on the cross ... shedding his blood. They saw and heard the glorious resurrection of our Lord. They saw and heard how God has overcome death, and all who have faith in this good news will overcome death too. And now we can see and hear too how all the scriptures were written so that you will believe this Gospel about how God has redeemed you, so that you can have eternal life. And now that they have seen him go up into heaven, they can.
Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven (vv. 10-11).
Won’t you now tell the world about this! Tell those in Jerusalem. Tell those in Judea. Tell those in Samaria. Tell the unbelieving world, especially here in Appleton City!
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Brothers and sisters in Christ, the ascension is no small footnote in the life of Jesus: are you sharing this good news? In his ascension, our Lord has been seated above everything and everyone. The ascension shows us we have nothing to fear. It shows us Jesus has power over all things and is in control. All authority has been given to him in heaven and on earth. He is at the right hand of God. All of this is done for the benefit of his Church, his bride and body. As the One who rules over all things, he does what is best for his bride, the Church, for all Christians.
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And now that he has gone up, you need to know: What goes up will come down and does come down. Our Lord Jesus is True God and True Man. He is now always with you ... in, with, and under the water of holy baptism, which gives you saving faith. He is always with you ... in, with, and under the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper. In this meal he has prepared himself, he reveals himself to us. And in this way, he nourishes the faith he gave us, the faith that makes you strong unto salvation. In the faith he gave you, he declares the Gospel to you: the forgiveness of sins is yours. Your sin died with Jesus. Your life is now in Christ, who lives and reigns forever.
Jesus promised this moments before his ascension, declaring: Behold, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age.
Through his ascension, the Lord was able to give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation of how this is true, pouring out his Holy Spirit upon us in word and sacraments. As Paul writes in Ephesian church (1:18-21), the eyes of your hearts have been enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power into those of us who believe, according to the working of his strong power that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name being named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus will come again in power, glory, and majesty. He will come down the same way he went up. But he also comes to us in every Divine Service. We have faith in this truth because of our baptism. And our faith in this promise grows through the Lord’s Supper to come.
Let us always celebrate these truths. He provides a feast to sustain us until the end.