#DailyDevotion Jesus Sets Up The Ministry Before He Ascends

Mark 16:14-20 ¹⁴Still later He showed Himself to the eleven while they were reclining at the table, and He scolded them because their minds were closed and they didn’t believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. ¹⁵Then He told them, “Go everywhere in the world and preach the good news to the whole world. ¹⁶He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who doesn’t believe will be damned. ¹⁷“The believers will have these miraculous signs: In My name they will drive out demons. They will speak new languages. ¹⁸They will pick up snakes. If they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them. They will lay their hands on the sick, and these will get well.” ¹⁹After talking with them, the Lord was taken up to heaven and sat down at the right of God.²⁰They went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed the Word by the miraculous signs that went with it.

Before Jesus ascends into heaven, bodily, to the right hand of the Father, he not only commissions the apostles but he institutes the office of the Holy Ministry in that commission. While the office of apostle is peculiar to the twelve, as witnesses of the resurrection, the work of teaching, preaching and administering the sacraments would continue after them. Jesus tells them to go everywhere in the world and preach the good news to the whole world. What is that good news? Jesus had suffered, died, and risen for our justification and has ascended into heaven opening heaven to all believers. Well that’s it in a nutshell.

The response to such a message is those who believe and are baptized will be saved and those who don’t will be damned. What a wonderful promise. We like to pride ourselves on being spiritual sometimes. That pride often says we don’t need to be baptized, we don’t need the Lord’s Supper and we don’t need the absolution from a pastor. We’re good with the Word. Jesus apparently thinks something different. He in fact knows what we need spiritually to remain in him and to remain faithful. He knows we need certain rites and rituals to which the word is attached that we can hand the assurance of our faith on. Those who reject the ones he has given us make up new ones which in fact don’t work. Examples would be saying the sinner’s prayer, making a decision for Jesus, going to the altar and the like. Such things are our works and as such are unreliable and uncertain. The means of grace: baptism, absolution, the Supper, the Word, and the forgiveness of the Church; these are given because they are God’s work and as such are sure and certain. The sign we have received of baptism here from Jesus along with such faith that believes the given in baptism is God’s work and assures us of our salvation. One is not automatically damned if they have not been baptized yet but still believe. If one refuses baptism though, they refuse Jesus and does not believe. The one who dies without faith in Jesus is condemned because it faith in Jesus that unites us to Jesus and his life, death, resurrection and ascension.

Now Jesus ascends to the right hand of God before his apostles. What does this mean? For one it means he has taken up the mantle of glory he had before he descended to the earth. It means he rules coequally with the Father and has the Father’s authority. By our union with Christ Jesus in faith and baptism we have been raised with Christ in the heavenly places. Now we have access to God our Father in Jesus’ name. We may come boldly and confidently to the throne of God’s grace and receive from him mercy and every good and perfect gift.

Heavenly Father, grant us faith in Christ and the certainty of our salvation in baptism so we may boldly come before you and receive your multitudes of gifts. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.