He was parted from them and carried up into heaven

Luke 24:51
Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.

There is nothing like the ascension of Christ. This happened in front of His followers after they had spent several weeks with Him following His resurrection. While the crucifixion was unexpected by His followers, His ascension would have been well expected. Our Lord has now returned to His glory and is awaiting us.

He who was going to redeem Israel

Luke 24:21
But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.

The followers of Jesus seemed to be quite dejected on the third day after His Crucifixion. It is not clear how many actually understood Jesus' prophecy that He will rise again. In any case, their confidence seem to have deserted them.

It actually turns out that, on the third day, the Lord rose again. Is this the light beyond the tunnel? Can we see the Light yet? In the times of trials, will we feel abandonend, or cling on in faith, to the promises of Yshua Ha Masiach?

The King on a Cross

On Easter Friday - our Lord is hung up on the cross. It was just the night before that the Lord celebrated Passover and instituted the Lord's Supper with His disciples. Before sunset, Our Lord would have given up His Life. As the scripture below shows, although Man mockingly puts the sign "King of the Jews", little did many of them realise the sign was true.

The crucifixion of the Messiah came to pass, but all of it has been prophesied centuries before. It wasn't just a group claiming a man was wrongly accused and made him Messiah. His coming, his life, his suffering had all been prophesied, even down to the smallest details such as the splitting of his garments and the casting of lots for his clothes by the Roman soldiers.

As we remember our Lord Jesus this Easter Friday, let us think of who he is and why he came.

John 19  
17 And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha,
18 where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center.
19 Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was:

      JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
 20 Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.
21 Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews.”’”
22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece.
24 They said therefore among themselves, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,” that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says:

      “ They divided My garments among them,
      And for My clothing they cast lots.”[d]
(Psalm 22:18)

   Therefore the soldiers did these things.