Day of the Ascension of Christ (1879)

Mark 16:14-20 The Lord had gone out from the Father and came into the world.1 The only begotten Son, Who is in the Father's bosom2, was made man3 in order to be our Savior, and had taken on the form of a servant.4 In this He accomplished the work of redemption. It was completed when He, finally giving His life as a voluntary offering for sin in death, exclaimed: It is accomplished. This completion of the work was first confirmed by the Father, in that He "brought again the great Shepherd of the sheep from the dead" on the third day5; also in order to use the divine nature according to His human nature fully and perpetually from now on. So it was, in terms of redemption, all done by Him, in order "to be able to leave the world and go to the Father."6 But how should the fruit of His redemption now be given to the world? Even this He has immediately provided. For this purpose, "He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God."7 In what way, however, according to His arrangement, should His purchased grace henceforth be announced to the world, of which today's festival Gospel gives necessary insight and instruction. He describes not only His glorious ascension, but also what He has done and organized before and after this His going away to the Father for the salvation of the world, that He now leaves. We therefore consider: How the Lord imparts the fruit of His salvation to the world. We learn from the Gospel, 1. that He has equipped the apostles as His messengers for the whole world: a. because they should be witnesses of his resurrection to the ends of the earth8, He revealed himself to them, i.e., He appeared to them according to His exalted humanity for a demonstration of accomplished redemption9; and that repeatedly in different places and in different surroundings and locations (most recently, v. 14), in

John 16:28. John 1:18. 3 John 1:14. 4 Philippians 2:7. 5 Hebrews 13:20. 6 John 16:28. 7 Acts 1:3. 8 Acts 1:8. 9 Mark 16:14a.
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order to take any doubt out of their souls. The whole world should be linked to their testimony in the event of the loss of salvation10; b. because redemption is based on the Words of Scripture, whose fulfillment He is, and the messengers of the Lord were to proclaim Him as fulfillment of Scripture11, so He shows to them those sins, which alone will still condemn mankind according to His salvation, when He rebukes them, that they had not believed Scripture, even though He even reaffirmed them by the testimony of the women12, thus they do not even want to imagine again the world of unbelievers as the chief sin; and this punishment should come to pass on the world at the end13; c. He sends them with the commission, to proclaim the good news of accomplished redemption, to the whole world, without distinction of persons; and also all mankind without distinction should hear it14; d. He commissions them to administer redemption and salvation freely upon all who believe and are baptized; but those who do not believe, to declare certain condemnation; and even this order shall applies to the whole world15; e. in order to promote the course of the Gospel in the world, He promises divine signs to those who accept their message, for immediate confirmation of it16; which confirmation however is not necessary for faith itself, and for that reason according to His pleasure is given or not given (The signs will follow the believers)17; 2. that He Himself henceforth rules His Church only in divine majesty to the end: a. He has withdrawn his visible presence in the world18, because according to Scripture salvation is promised only by faith19 and this applies to the end20; b. He sits at the right hand of God21, i.e., He reigns now with divine power, glory, and majesty over all things even according to His humanity, what is in heaven and on earth, in order to be present at

John 20:21; Luke 10:16; Galatians 1:8. Luke 24:44, 46-47; Acts 3:18; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. 12 Mark 16:14b. 13 John 16:8-9. 14 Mark 16:15. 15 Mark 16:16. 16 Mark 16:17-18. 17 Hebrews 2:4. 18 Mark 16:19. 19 Mark 16:16; Galatians 3:22; Romans 3:22, 26. 20 John 3:16. 21 Mark 16:19.
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all times in the same way to all His own until the end of the world22, and to include them in His glory23; 3. that He Himself now works with His messengers and through their service until the end. What He arranged and promised, He himself has also brought to implementation; because a. He worked so hard in his weak and despondent disciples that they happily left everything in order to go out into the hostile world and tell the contemptible and seemingly hateful news to the world24, so that they would come to all, even to us25, b. He ruled them also, that they used the Word only as a means and weapon for aligning their work, and nothing but this Word, and indeed in every place, among learned and unlearned, self-righteous or sunken in vice.26 Their preaching should also now be the only way to salvation for each state and condition of individuals or entire peoples.27 c. He worked with them also, that their preaching was the Word of His Spirit, and His divine power tells men the impossible, only God possible work of conversion and sanctification of the heart28, and still tells through the Word.29 d. He reaffirmed their word with signs following30, in order to convict the world that it is from God; and indeed in such a way that not only was the ancient and seductive service of devils and idols put to shame, but also the apostolic Word is known and still effective for all times in the world, and also has come to us. R.L.

Matthew 28:20. John 14:3, 17:24; Acts 1:11. 24 Mark 16:20a. 25 John 17:20. 26 Mark 16:20b. 27 Ephesians 2:19-22. 28 Mark 16:20c, 13:11. 29 2 Corinthians 3:3. 30 Mark 16:20d; Acts 14:3.
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