50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51 While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple praising God
Observation – What does it say?
- Jesus led his disciples out of the city.
- Jesus led them to Bethany.
- Jesus lifted His hands to bless them.
- While Jesus was blessing them he ascended up to heaven.
- They worshiped Jesus.
- After they worshiped Jesus they returned to Jerusalem.
- They return to Jerusalem very, very happy.
- They constantly were in the Temple.
- They constantly praised God.
Interpretation – What does it mean?
They had spent 3 years with Jesus and never truly realized who he was. They only came to realize they were in the presence of God in human form after Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus is physically in the presence of the Father as out advocate.
Application – How does it work?
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. He did not just leave but blessed us. Our praise to God should be like the disciples continuous.