“Then Jesus led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands, he blessed them. Now during the blessing he departed and was taken up into heaven.” —Luke 24:50–51
How like Jesus to bless the disciples before He leaves them! From the area of Bethany—meaning the “house of sorrows”—from His earthly incarnation, Jesus ascends into heaven to reside there. My mind is racing through all the blessings the patriarchs, prophets, and priests gave prior to their departures from this earth. How much greater the blessings from the mouth of Jesus flowing out of His love for us!
We find in the book of Numbers this great priestly blessing:
“The LORD bless you and protect you; The LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” — Numbers 6:24–26
Jesus lifts His hands and blesses His followers. Although the exact words are not recorded, we can be sure they were words of encouragement and comfort.
“‘He lifted up His hands and blessed them.’ He did not go away in displeasure, but in love; He left a blessing behind Him. He blessed them to show that, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them to the end. ‘While He was blessing them, he left them’; to intimate that His leaving them did not put an end to His blessing them. He began to bless them on earth, but He went to heaven to go on with it.” —Matthew Henry
The writer of Hebrews tells us:
“Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.” —Hebrews 4:14–16
We too have every reason to hold on to our faith, for He who has called us is faithful! It is Jesus who saves us, lives to intercede for us, allows us to approach the throne of grace with confidence, and grants us abundant grace, mercy, and peace. Paul tells us:
“He who calls you is trustworthy, and he will in fact do this.” —1 Thessalonians 5:24
“For the one bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort—for the sake of his good pleasure—is God.” —Philippians 2:13
Furthermore, he goes on to say in his letter to the Ephesians that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing:
“Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ.” —Ephesians 1:3
God has given each one of us special blessings. We have been blessed with every spiritual enrichment needed for our spiritual lives—we need only to appropriate them by faith.
Become More
“God doesn’t just give us grace; He gives us Jesus, the Lord of grace.” —Joni Erickson Tada
Further Reflection
“We came into this world wretched, miserable, and undone creature, in cruel bondage to sin and Satan, under guilt and under wrath, hostile toward God—the fountain of blessedness—and in a state of condemnation leading to everlasting destruction. But when a man is converted, he is brought out of that state of woe and misery into a sure title to glory, honor, and peace forever. When once a man is converted, all this blessedness that we have heard of is his; he has an absolute right to it. God’s work is accomplished for it; His faithful promise is given.” —Jonathan Edwards