Bethany, where heaven is open
And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen (Luke 24:50-53).
The Lord never stops being the Shepherd. Luke closes his gospel with the short journey to Bethany: “He led them out as far as Bethany.” The Lord was welcomed and worshipped in this small town. In it, we learn so much about the grace and love of our Saviour. We discover the importance of sitting quietly in His presence and listening to His voice. He values our company. In Martha’s home, we learn that He understands all the cares and anxieties that trouble us, and wants us to cast our care upon Him (1 Peter 5:7). In Bethany, we know His love for each one of us: “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” (John 11:5). In the deep pain caused by the death of Lazarus, we discover the sympathy and the power of the One who is “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).
In John 12, through a simple meal at Bethany, we are taught
– to place the Lord at the centre of our lives: “There they made Him a supper.”
– Jesus is central to our service: “Martha served.”
– He is the focus of our fellowship: “Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.”
– the Lord is the object of our worship: “Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.”
Jerusalem, the great city, should have lifted up its gates to welcome the King of Glory:
Lift up your heads, O you gates!
And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in (Psalm 24:7).
In John 19 Pilate presented Jesus to the hate-filled crowd in Jerusalem with the words, “Behold your King!” Their reply was, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate asked them, “Shall I crucify your King?” And the spiritual leaders of God’s people answered, “We have no king but Caesar!” Then Jesus, as the Lamb of God, was led away to Calvary (vv. 14-16).
The Lord is no longer in this world as the lowly Nazarene. He is risen and glorified. But this morning, from heaven, as our Shepherd, He leads us to a quiet place – a place away from the world which crucified the Son of God. His hands, which were nailed to the cross, are lifted up in blessing. We see the One who was lifted up between heaven and earth, now crowned with glory and honour in heaven. The Flock of God gives its responses to an opened heaven in joyful worship to the Son of God who loved the Church and gave Himself for her. We have fellowship with the Father and the Son in the power and liberty of the Holy Spirit (1 John 1:3-4).
From this place of worship, we return to our everyday circumstances and responsibilities. We do so with joy in our hearts, a hope that transforms our lives, and a love that tells the world that we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ.
