Ascension
And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. Luke 24:50
In less time than it takes to read this sentence, a person you meet for the first time will have formed certain conclusions about you. If it’s a potential employer, the decision to hire you is often formed in the first thirty seconds. Such is the power of first impressions.
What about last impressions? They often become lasting impressions.
Jesus made both a first and a last impression. He arrived in humility, was born to peasants, and was cradled in a feeding trough. His humble beginnings led to a humble life and ended with a humble and seemingly helpless death. But death was not the final word. The Ascension is. This same Jesus will return just as the first disciples had seen Him go.
The last impression? “He lifted His hands and blessed them.” These are the hands that reached a disciple, whose faltering faith would sink him in the stormy sea. These hands healed a servant’s ear, raised the widow’s son, and multiplied bread and fish into a meal for thousands. There was no illness or handicap, no dilemma or problem beyond the power of these hands. These hands created all things.
Embedded in these hands is the reason we can place our cares into them: they bear the marks of our salvation. Scarred by nails, they ever remind us of His love that came to our earth, bore our sins, and paid our price. The same hands that healed the sick and raised the dead also carried our burden to Calvary so that we could be blessed with forgiveness and life. The lasting impression of these hands, raised in blessing, sustains us in life and comforts us in death.
Lord Jesus, Your nail-scarred hands speak to Your humility and love. You left behind Your glory so that I might be saved. Help me to share this lasting impression with all the people in my life. Amen.