I was talking with the worship team earlier this week; I was telling them I had no idea how I was going to connect Mother’s Day with the Ascension. I wanted to celebrate Mother’s Day but at the same time the historical liturgist in me could not just skip the Ascension. Since technically Ascension was last Thursday, I thought about asking if y’all would join me for an Ascension service on Thursday so that we could celebrate Mother’s Day today. But I decided not to put your piety to the test like that. I honestly resigned myself to ignoring Mother’s Day and just focusing on the Ascension. But then, as I started studying the text, I realized that Jesus and mothers have a great deal in common. I’m not calling Jesus a girly man or trying to insult His masculinity in any way. Neither am I suggesting that your momma has a five o’clock shadow or an oversized Adams apple. I’m just saying that in at least three ways Jesus is like a momma. Like a momma - Jesus equips us, like a momma - Jesus sends us out into the world, and like a momma - Jesus never stops loving us. Today we are going to celebrate both the Ascension and Mother’s Day as saint Luke helps me explain how Jesus is like a momma.
The section of Luke’s gospel that is before us today is Luke 24:44-53. These are the last verses in the last chapter of Luke’s gospel. Luke closes his gospel and opens the book of Acts in similar fashion: he speaks of Jesus’ ascension and his directive and encouragement for us to be His witnesses. The ascension marks the end of all that Jesus did while he was present here on earth in bodily form. It also marks the beginning of his reign at the right hand of God for the benefit of his church on earth. The ascension marks a transitional time in the church year. Today we begin to shift our focus from salvation accomplished to salvation proclaimed.
Acts 1 identifies the site of the ascension as the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath Day’s walk (about three-quarters of a mile) from Jerusalem. Nearby the Lord had prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane and was betrayed. Within sight of the city that scorned him, within sight of that place called Golgotha and the empty tomb, the once rejected but now risen Jesus ascended in triumph.
In verse 50 saint Luke writes, “50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them.” Jesus blessed them. To get a better sense of the blessing Jesus gives to His disciples before He ascends into heaven, we really need to go back and review the previous 23 chapters of Luke’s gospel. There you will read how Jesus patiently trained and equipped the disciples. You can see Jesus being an example for His disciples to follow as he resists Satan’s temptations, deals with opposition from the Pharisees, and shows love to sinners. You can listen, as Jesus teaches His disciples parables about humility, service, and sacrifice. You can hear Jesus rebuking, correcting and training His disciples in righteousness. You can see Jesus acting like a momma.
I bet if you look back and think about all the people that equipped you and helped you get ready for life, I bet momma is near the top of that list. It was probably your momma who showed you what compassion and forgiveness looked like. It was momma who taught you how to share your toys and play nicely with others. And wasn’t it momma who painted your back porch red when you were being ugly? As a child I didn’t fully appreciate what a blessing my momma was, but now, when I look back, I can see that more than anyone else, it was my momma who equipped me for life. Well, more than anyone but Jesus, that is.
As He did for the disciples, Jesus has lifted up His hands to bless us. He blesses us with people, like our mommas and others, who serve as Christian examples of faithfulness, compassion, and love. He blesses us with Bibles. In 2 Timothy 3:16 saint Paul tells us, “16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Like He did for His disciples, like your momma did for you, Jesus patiently trains and equips us.
Like a momma, Jesus has equipped you for life; He has equipped you for a purpose. In verse 51 saint Luke writes, “51 While he was blessing them, he left them...” Jesus left them. He left them with a great commission to “go and make disciples of all nations”, He left them to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins to all people. Now some might say that wasn’t very nice of Him. They might even say, if Jesus really loved His disciples so much, then why did He leave them. Why didn’t he stay and help them? Jesus left them; He didn’t stay to help them, because He loved them. Jesus loved His disciples so much that He left them. Jesus was acting like a momma.
One of the saddest and yet happiest days in a momma’s life is the day that her children leave home. Again, I don’t think I appreciated how hard it was on my momma when I moved out, but as I watch the mother of my children send her little ones out into the world, I’m starting to understand. It is hard for a momma to let go of her babies and gently nudge them out of the nest. But she does it because she knows it’s for the best. She knows that if she continues to cook and clean up after them; if she continues to do everything for them, they will never learn how to do anything for themselves and they will end up living in the basement playing video games for the rest of their lives. Mommas know that the world is full of opportunities and the only way her babies are going to make the most of those opportunities is if she sends them out into the world. She is happiest when her babies’ lives have purpose. She is eager to see them put into practice all those lessons she taught them.
Jesus didn’t want His disciples to spend the rest of their lives living in the basement. For the last three years Jesus had done all the teaching, He had performed all the miracles, when opportunities to share the gospel presented themselves Jesus stepped up to the occasion. Jesus knew that if He did not leave the disciples, they would never leave Him; they would never go into Judea or Samaria; they would never go to the ends of the world. Jesus knew, if He did not leave His disciples, their lives would have no purpose. Jesus did not want His disciples to miss out on the opportunity to be His witnesses and so He left them.
Like a momma who sends her children out into the world, so Jesus has sent you. You see, Jesus doesn’t want you living in the basement either. Jesus loves you, that is why He left you. He has left you here to be witnesses of what He has done. He has left you here to make disciples of the nations around you. He has left you here to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins to your friends and neighbors. Jesus sends you out into the world to make the most of the opportunities He has placed before you.
Like a momma Jesus sends you out into the world, but he has not sent you out all alone. In the second half of verse 51 saint Luke writes, “51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.” Jesus did not move into a retirement community in Florida, He did not ride off into the sunset never to be seen or heard from again. Jesus was taken up into heaven. In Ephesians 1:22 Jesus tells us in heaven, He continues to care for us when he reminds us, “God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church.” In Romans 8:34 Jesus tells us in heaven, He continues to defend us by reminding us that “Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” In John 14:2 Jesus even tells us someday we can move back home. He says “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.” Even though He has ascended into heaven, Jesus hasn’t stopped loving you. Once more, we see Jesus acting like a momma.
You see, A momma never stops being a momma. I’m 43 years old and my mommy still calls me her little blue jay. I’m successfully married, raising children of my own, and gainfully employed but that doesn’t stop my mommy from giving me guidance or offering me her criticisms. I’m a grown man, but still I know, if things ever get really bad my mommy will be there for me. Mommas never stop worrying about their babies, they never stop caring for them. Even after the good Lord calls your momma home, I strongly suspect she will keep on loving you.
A momma never stops being a momma and Jesus never stops being Jesus. Those who have been trained in the way they should go, who go out into the world to make the most of the opportunities Jesus has placed before them, those people take incredible comfort in the knowledge that Jesus is with them. Jesus is always there when you need to talk. He is not afraid to let you know when you screwed up. But at the same time, in all things He continues to work behind the scenes for your good. Like a momma, Jesus will never stop loving you.
Luke’s account of the Ascension ends with these words, “52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.” I suppose that is another thing Jesus and momma’s have in common. They both deserve our gratitude. Today we praise God that in some ways Jesus is like a momma and we celebrate that in some ways our mommas are like Jesus. Happy Ascension/Mother’s Day everyone. Amen.