February 1, 2024

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE READING:

“What does ‘He ascended’ mean except that He also descended to the lower, earthly regions?  He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.” (Ephesians 4.9-10)

REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

When Jesus ascended to a place it was to worship, to pray and to serve and the people would come to join with Him. When Jesus descended to a place it was to do the same and He took Himself to the people. In life and in death, it was true. With that knowledge, we can hear His words to the disciples with such transformation that in our hearing we can imagine ourselves in the midst of them.

In His going up to Jerusalem, going in to the Upper Room and ascending to promise of the heights of heaven for us all, Jesus celebrates Passover.

In his going out, going away and descending into the treachery of false worship, idle prayer and the service of the enemy, Judas departed from their presence but not without the permission of Jesus whom he worshipped, prayed for and was pledged to serve.

After Judas had “gone out” and “gone down,” Jesus then directed the remaining disciples (those at the table and those who served them) to hear “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately.” (John 13. 31-32) In this He introduces the promise of the resurrection. But, it could only be “lifted up” after Judas had “gone out.” Following this Jesus reveals the promise of His return saying “I go (up) to prepare a place for you. And if I go (up) and prepare a place for you, I will come (down) again and receive you to Myself so that where I AM, there you may be also. And where I go (up) you know, and the way (up) you know.” (John 14.3-4) It is through the way of the cross that Jesus would “go up” and ascend to the heights of earth as well as to the reaches of Heaven. He called all who would be His disciples to embrace “the way, the truth and the life” which would afford them the same blessing. It would resonant with similar trials but not for the same purpose. The cross for Jesus was to die to self for the life of all others. The cross for us is to die to self but only for the life of some others. Jesus who was without sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God. We whose sin has been forgiven by Him and whose righteousness is accepted by us upon our profession of faith overcoming our confession of sin become His ambassadors. As His ambassadors of God’s glory, grace and gospel we “rise up and go down,” “we go down and rise up,” “we go in and out” and we go forward into all the world to make of all nations disciples of Christ. We teach them the gospel of truth. We demonstrate the way of the Spirit’s work. We share with them the life of faith, hope and love with love being the greatest of these.

Hear the tragedy of Judas who went out and down to consult with the enemy in order to validate his own understanding of the Messiah. He who went down, being overcome by the Enemy of God and humanity, then went up to a place and from a tree hanged himself. But, he would not be suspended between heaven and earth. Instead, the rope gave way, the limb from which he hung gave way and he fell the full distance to the ground and burst open like an overripe melon.

Hear the blessing of Jesus who went out and up and was confronted by the enemy in order to fulfill all righteousness as He had declared in the Jordan River. Being immersed under the water, He was lifted up in the Spirit. Going out into the wilderness, He went in to the presence of God’s Word. Going down into the world to declare the righteousness of God, He went up to demonstrate the integrity of that very word. He went into the presence of His accusers and came out the sacrificial Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He went up to Golgotha to demonstrate His faith in the promise of God and laid down His life for all others. He was laid down in a tomb rendered of all human life having surrendered His spirit into the hands of Almighty God. He went to the depths of death and preached to the captives who had not yet heard the invitation to truly believe and brought them out. He ascended on high to fulfill the will of God whose glory brought the truth to the ends of all creation. And He is coming again to take all believers in Him to be where He is now preparing a place for them. And in that place there will be no more going out or coming in, going down or coming up for God will be in the very midst of them as the true center of worship, prayer and service. This is the life so worthy for which we live now in order to fulfill the call that has been placed on our lives by the God who loves us, believes in us and has called us His own.

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, before we were conceived in the womb, You had already formed us in Your love and by Your Spirit spoke us into being. Each one of us is blessed with the opportunity of doing right, being good and producing the fruit of the Spirit so that others may be fed the truth of that same love so that the two will become one. It is our soul’s sincere desire to embrace the oneness You have in mind that we would know that we are Your people and that You are our God. Lead us in that discovery of the truth and the manifestation of that love for us all. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN.