John 15:26 – 16:4; 1 Peter 4:7-14; Ezekiel 36:22-28
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
The Incarnation of the Son of God was much more than the Word becoming flesh and dwelling among us. It was the beginning of the resurrection and the eternal life of men. The raising of Lazarus was but a shadow of it; the resurrection of Jesus was its guarantee.
When the angel Gabriel proclaimed to the Virgin Mary that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and the power of the Most High would overshadow her, the Word became flesh. In Jesus Christ, true and eternal life entered into man once again for the first time since God breathed His life-giving Spirit into Adam and he became a living being.
In Jesus, God visited His people to save them. Yet there was nothing outwardly spectacular about Him. As Isaiah says, “He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him.” In humility He lived as a son, honoring His father and mother. He loved God with all His heart, soul, and mind, and He loved His neighbor as Himself. He fulfilled the Law perfectly for us who were conceived and born in sin and who daily transgress in thought, word, and deed.
At His Baptism in the Jordan, the truth about Jesus was openly revealed. John proclaimed Him to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and there in the Jordan the Father and the Spirit bore witness that it was so. The heavens were opened. The Spirit descended upon Him like a dove. And the Father declared, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
What a remarkable proclamation that was. Since the fall into sin, God could not look upon man and say such a thing. Yet there in the waters stood the sinless and holy Son of God in human flesh. The One who knew no sin entered into the waters where sinners confessed their sins. He became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
There the Holy Spirit anointed Him the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One of God. Like David, He was anointed for a reign of humble and sacrificial service. But unlike David, who often failed as shepherd of God’s people, Jesus is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep.
And that is exactly what He did. Jesus showed the world what it truly means to love God and neighbor. He showed mercy to sinners. He welcomed tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers, and the outcast. He forgave sins and ate with those whom respectable society despised.
But the Pharisees were scandalized by such mercy. In rejecting those whom God desired to save, they revealed that they did not truly love God. So they plotted against Jesus. They even joined themselves to the pagan Romans in order to destroy Him. One of His own disciples betrayed Him, and the others fled. He was arrested, mocked, scourged, condemned, crucified, and killed. The sinless One died for sinners. This is how God loved the world.
But the story does not end with the cross, nor even with the resurrection. Christ is risen indeed, and His resurrection is the guarantee that all who believe in Him shall also rise. Yet there is still more. After His resurrection, Jesus continued to live as a man in glorified flesh. He ate and drank with His disciples. He taught them. He comforted them. The same Jesus who suffered and died now lives forever, the firstfruits of all who will be raised from the dead.
And then He ascended. Sadly, many Christians treat the Ascension almost like an afterthought, but it is not. Jesus said to Mary Magdalene, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.” His Ascension matters because in it humanity itself enters heaven.
In His incarnation, human flesh was restored to life. In His obedience, the Law was fulfilled for all men. In His death, He bore the curse of sin. In His resurrection, death was defeated. But in His ascension, a flesh-and-blood man entered into the presence of the Father for us. Jesus Christ, true God and true man, reigns now at the right hand of the Father in glorified human flesh. This is your guarantee that you also shall live with God forever.
And He will come again. As the angels declared to the disciples at the Ascension: “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven.” Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. That is not wishful thinking. It is certainty.
And while we wait in this little while before His return, our Lord has not left us alone. In today’s Gospel He promises the Helper, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. Jesus says, “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth… He will bear witness about Me.”
That promise was fulfilled at Pentecost and continues still today. The Holy Spirit is given to sustain Christ’s Church during this time between the Ascension and the Lord’s return. For we live in a world hostile to Christ. Satan, the world, and our own sinful flesh tempt us to unbelief. They urge us to live for ourselves, to seek comfort in the passing things of this world, and to forget that Christ is coming again.
But the Holy Spirit keeps calling us back to Jesus. Just as the Lord promised through Ezekiel, “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.” The Spirit works through the Means of Grace: through the preaching of the Gospel, through Holy Baptism, through Holy Absolution, and through the Holy Supper of Christ’s body and blood. Through these means the Spirit forgives sins, strengthens faith, and keeps us steadfast while we wait for our Lord’s return.
And so even amid suffering, persecution, weakness, and death, Christians live in confidence and hope. As St. Peter writes in today’s Epistle, “Rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings.” For the same Christ who suffered, died, rose, and ascended also reigns for you now. Nothing can snatch you out of the Father’s hand. Nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
For your Lord has come. Your Lord has died. Your Lord is risen. Your Lord reigns. And your Lord will come again.
In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.
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