Friday, December 16, 2022

#250 Jesus Ascends into Heaven (Mark 16:19-20; Luke 24:50-53) December 16 = Life of Christ

Jesus Ascends into Heaven
Mark 16:19-20
Luke 24:50-53


Intro Questions

50Then He led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up His hands He blessed them. 51And while He was blessing them, He left them and was carried up into heaven. 52After worshiping Him, they returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53And they were continually in the temple complex blessing God.[1]

[1] Knight, G. W. (2001). A simplified harmony of the Gospels (p. 255). Holman Bible Publishers.


Text Graphic


Then Jesus led them out along the road to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them, and then began rising into the sky, and went on to heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem filled with mighty joy, and were continually in the Temple, praising God.

  • God is ... What do we learn about God in this passage?
  • We are ... What do we learn about people in this passage?
  • How did the disciples respond to their new understanding of Jesus? Why do the disciples react so differently when Jesus is taken away now in Luke 24:50-53 as compared when he was taken away by the Crucifixion in Luke 24:46?
  • Luke 24:52 lets us know that the apostles experienced great "joy" on the heels of Jesus' departure. Why the change from an earlier attitude of mixed feelings and troubled hearts.
  • I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How can I apply it to my life this week?
  • As we move toward the study of his disciples in the book of Acts, how will you continue to study the life of Christ as you remain His disciple?
  • You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this? Feel free to share with others by social media links at the bottom of this.


With You Always
As the disciples stood and watched, Jesus began rising into the air, and soon he disappeared into heaven. Seeing Jesus leave must have been frightening, but the disciples knew that Jesus would keep his promise to be with them through the Holy Spirit. This same Jesus, who lived with the disciples, who died and was buried, and who rose from the dead, loves us and promises to be with us always. We can get to know him better through studying the Scriptures, praying, and allowing the Holy Spirit to make us more like Jesus.


Jesus' physical presence left the disciples when he returned to heaven (Acts 1:9), but the Holy Spirit soon came to comfort them and empower them to spread the gospel of salvation (Acts 2:1-4).





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