He Opened Their Minds

He Opened Their Minds   

Luke 24:44-53

    Greetings in the name of our risen and ascended Lord Jesus.  A service like this where people from the congregations of our circuit gather together for worship brings back a lot of memories for me.  When I was young and impressionable, I can recall attending services with my family when a circuit or even a larger group of Lutherans would gather for a special occasion.  My biggest thrill that I can still remember was being old enough to sing in the combined adult choir.  As I mentioned, I was at an impressionable age.  Those occasions instilled in me an appreciation for the church-at-large.  In other words, I came to realize the importance of the fact that there were other Lutherans out there who believed the same things I did, who worshiped the same way I did, and who worked together to carry out God’s purposes for His Church here on earth.  We really do need each other in order to do the work that God has planned ahead of time for us to do.  That’s why I put a high priority for myself and encourage my congregation to attend services like this.  Sadly, the response is not what it used to be.  Most of our congregations can say the same thing when it comes to membership and attendance.  But the reality is that we live in a different world than the one when I grew up in the fifties and sixties.  That makes it more important for us as people of God to observe the Ascension of Jesus and what it means for us.  As we look at what Jesus said to His disciples on that day, may we be moved by the Holy Spirit to use His power to open the minds of those around us.

     I have always been fascinated by the passages in the Gospels that tell us that Jesus opened the minds of the disciples.  It happened twice after Jesus rose from the grave on Easter.  The first was with the disciples on the road to Emmaus on Easter evening.  Earlier in Luke 24 we hear how Jesus interpreted in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.  Later after He vanished from their sight they said, “Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?”  I don’t know about you but I have always wished that I could have been one of those disciples to have that “holy heartburn.”

     Now in our Gospel lesson for this Ascension, we hear that Jesus opened the minds of His disciples to understand the Scriptures.  I’m sure you have seen cartoons that show a character who has finally figured something out and he has a light bulb going on over his head.  Since they didn’t have light bulbs back then we have to imagine perhaps an oil lamp being lit over their heads.  Jesus opened their minds so that they could see the connection between the writings of the prophets of old and the fulfillment of those prophecies in His life and ministry. 

     What a blessing that would be for them in the months and years to come.  The information that Jesus taught them on that occasion would be the foundation of what they would believe and teach when the Holy Spirit would come on them as Jesus had promised.   With authority they would proclaim Jesus to be the Christ, the Savior of the world in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.  Not only would they teach and preach but some of them would also write the accounts of Jesus life and be able to show how His life, death, resurrection were just as it had been foretold by the prophets.  They would have the understanding that they were to call people to repentance and through Christ be assured of the forgiveness of their sins and the promise of eternal life in heaven for all who believe.  It is that written Word that would communicate the saving message of the Gospel to people throughout the world and throughout the ages.

      This is where you enter the picture.  In a real sense, your minds have been opened by the power of the Holy Spirit through the inspired writing of the Apostles and Evangelists.  Following Jesus’ example, the New Testament writers pointed out how the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus were God’s plan of salvation from the beginning.  From the first promise to Adam and Eve right on through the proclamations of John the Baptist, the hearts of the people of God were prepared for the coming of the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior.  The Gospel writers told you all that you need to know about the way to heaven.  St. Paul and the others who wrote the Epistles opened your mind to understand the Scriptures so that you could apply them to your life as a child of God.  In the letter to the Romans, for example, St. Paul lays out the essential teachings of Law and Gospel.  He talks about the Christian life that joyfully responds to the undeserved love of God demonstrated in Jesus Christ.

     Through the Word of God and the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, collectively known as the Means of Grace, the Holy Spirit continues to work in your heart to strengthen your faith and equip you to fight against the temptations of the devil, the world and your sinful nature.  At the same time you are also equipped to carry out God’s purposes for His people here on earth.  Jesus made it clear to the disciples before He ascended into heaven what that purpose is.  Repentance and forgiveness should be proclaimed in His name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem.  Then He told them, “You are witnesses of these things.”  If you are called as a witness you are expected to tell what you know.  You are not to keep the information you have to yourself.  Yet in our world today it has become more difficult to give witness to the faith that we share.  In a spirit of tolerance it has become against the rules in many places to share your faith. 

     What is a Christian to do?  You can think back to the disciples who were put in prison in the time after Pentecost because they were proclaiming Jesus.  The leaders of the Temple commanded them to stop teaching people that Jesus was the Christ and that He rose from the dead.  Their answer actually provided them with another opportunity to carry out Jesus command.  Recall what they said. “We must obey God rather than men.  The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging Him on a tree.  God exalted Him at His right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.  And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”   Of course that didn’t go over well with the religious leaders.  They beat the apostles and told them again to stop teaching in the name of Jesus.  We are all here today because they didn’t follow human orders. 

       You now have the opportunity to carry on the example of the apostles and use the power of the Holy Spirit to open the minds of people around you.  By faith you have been able to witness the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.  Today you are celebrating His ascension to the right hand of the Father.  You have some Good News to share with a world that, in many cases, does not understand the purpose of Christ’s coming into the world.  They may claim to have some knowledge of God and Jesus but the real meaning of Jesus’ coming is a mystery.  You know the truth.  Surprising to many Christians, there are still many in our community who don’t know much about Jesus at all.  They operate under a kind of “do good and you get rewarded” understanding of religion.  You know the real way to heaven.  You are witnesses.  By the power of the Holy Spirit, you have had the blessing of having your mind opened so that you can see God’s whole plan of salvation played out in the Old Testament and the New Testament.  You have answered the call to repentance and you have received God’s forgiveness through Jesus’ sacrifice of His body and blood on the cross.  You have rejoiced at His resurrection and you now live under Him in His kingdom.

    What a wonderful story you have to tell.  What a joy it will be see hearts and lives changed by that same power of the Holy Spirit in the Word when they have their minds opened to understand the Scriptures, when they believe in the One who ascended into heaven to rule all things by His mighty power in love, when they follow in your footsteps and begin witnessing to the love you shared with them.  Amen.

Rev. Gerald Matzke

Circuit Ascension Service

May 9, 2013

Faith Lutheran Church, Mentor, Ohio