And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising God
Understanding And Applying the Text
They had spent 3 years with Jesus and never realized who he was. They only came to realize they were in the presence of God in human form after Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus is now physically in the presence of the Father as our advocate.
Jesus blessed the disciples. Melchizedek blessed Abraham. (Genesis 14:19). The writer of Hebrews tells us superior blesses the lesser. (Hebrews 7:7.) Paul tells us Christ blesses us by God the Father, that we may be rich in all heavenly blessings. (Ephesians 1:3).
After worshiping Jesus the disciples returned. The majesty of Christ had shone on all sides. There was no longer any room for doubting His resurrection. And that for the same reason they began to honor him with greater reverence than ever before. Worship is only given to God. They worshiped Him because they realized He was God.
We have an advocate with the Father. Jesus, God in human form, came died for our sins, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven. Before He left He blessed us. Our praise to God should be like the disciples’ continuous.
