In the category of “wow, that is amazing!” I would put the birth of our children; the return of spring every year, I love the way the birds and flowers return; Milt Stegall’s catch and run in the final seconds of the game that allowed the Bombers to win an important game last year and oh so many other things. What do you put into the category of “wow, that is amazing!”?
Can you imagine standing with the disciples when Jesus ascended into heaven? That would certainly have been in this category. He was with them, talking with them and all of a sudden he began to rise from the earth into heaven. Yet it isn’t the physical ascension of Jesus that is actually the most amazing. We can’t stand amazed at his physical rising into heaven because we weren’t there, but we can be just as amazed at the significance of the ascension.
Luke 24:36-53 and Acts 1:1-11 are two of the texts which tell us about the ascension of Jesus. As we think about them, let us examine the significance of the Ascension.
First of all we will look at the significance of the ascension for Jesus and understand it in the context of his whole life.
Although divine circumstances attended the beginning of his life on earth, it was really a very lowly and humble beginning. He came from the glories of heaven, and was born as a human child with all the helplessness and weakness that involves. He was born to poor parents and was born in a dirty cattle stall. He grew up like any man and until he began his short three year ministry, he appeared as just an ordinary human being. His ministry was attended by difficulty, and rejection. He tells us that he had nowhere to lay his head, his own family did not accept what he was doing and he received opposition from the ruling Jews at every turn. Phil. 2:6-8 reminds us of the humbling nature of his coming. It says, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!”
In spite of the difficulty, he completed the task that he had been called by God to do, the task that the prophets had predicted (As Luke 24:45,46 indicates).
He had come to show God to men, to die, to rise again and to bring life. Through all the difficulty and the agony, he obeyed the Father. The agony of the cross, was such a great terror to him that he prayed that the cup of suffering could pass from him and while praying He sweat drops of blood, nevertheless in faithfulness He completed the task given to Him by God.
In light of these aspects of His life, what was the significance of the ascension for Jesus?
First of all it meant glorification for him.
We see that glorification in the cloud that came down to receive him as He ascended. Clouds, especially those that come down from God are important in Biblical history. The cloud represents the "Shekinah" glory of God, which is the glory of God present with people. In Exodus 40:34 the cloud represented God's glorious presence over the temple during the Exodus. In the transfiguration, God met Jesus and the disciples in a cloud. In the ascension the cloud represented God coming to get Jesus and is a symbol of the glorification of Jesus.
In comparison to the humbling circumstances of His coming and His life, His ascension was glory for Him. This glorification was fitting for who He was. Phil.2:9-11 describes that glorification. It says, “Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place
and gave Him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
In Luke 24:44-46, Jesus told the disciples, “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms…The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day…”
This was what the prophets had said about Jesus. Jesus came to do these things in fulfillment of prophecy and the fact that he ascended was a sign that he had accomplished what he had come to do. It was God’s “amen” to the work of Jesus.
When someone completes a job, sometimes there is a celebration to thank that person for the work they have done. The ascension was that kind of a celebration. It was God’s acceptance of Jesus’ work. In the ascension God says to Jesus, in effect, "thank-you, come and receive Your reward for a job well done."
It also meant exaltation. Both Luke 24:51 and Acts 1:11 say that he was taken up into heaven. After this Jesus was seen at the right hand of God. Stephen saw Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father. His ascending culminated in a position of honour in the presence of God. Ephesians 1:20-23 describes that exaltation when it says, "he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over every thing for the church, which is his body the fullness of him who fills everything in every way."
Thus, for Jesus, the ascension was Divine approval, glorification and exaltation.
What is the importance of the Ascension for the disciples and for us?
Departure is always a sad experience. I remember the first departure I experienced that really touched me. I don't know how old I was, probably about 8 or 9. My dad's youngest sister had always been living with us and she was a special aunt. She is only about 10 years older than I am and was sometimes our babysitter. After she graduated she went to work at The Pas for several years. We went to see her off at the train station and I remember how sad I was to see her go, I can still remember the ache in my heart that she was leaving.
Jesus had become very special to the disciples. He was a loving, caring friend who could heal and provide in miraculous ways. Just 40 days earlier they had experienced the devastating blow of his death, but then the great joy of his resurrection. Now over a period of 40 days they had seen him from time to time and shared some special times with him. We don't know what they were thinking. Did they hope that he would never leave them? We know that they hoped that he would now establish the kingdom because this hope is expressed by them in Acts 1:6. With all of these questions, combined with their hopes and joys, Jesus left them. It was a departure and they may have been sad and wondering, but it was a departure with a difference. It was a departure with great significance.
As the disciples were together in the upper room, they were discussing things. The disciples who met Jesus on the Emmaus road had just returned and were telling all that had happened. In a sense, we could say that they were discussing the missing body of Jesus. But then, as the Life Application Bible Commentary puts it, “suddenly the missing body was among them – a living body”. Although they were still trying to wrap their minds around the possibility and meaning of the resurrection, there was no question that it had happened.
In Luke 24:36-43 we have some of the proofs of his resurrection. He was with them, they were able to touch him and he ate in their presence. It was no fantasy, no dream, no apparition.
At the funeral this past week I spoke with one of Carla’s cousins. Many years ago she and her husband left this area to minister in the US. They left and were gone. At the funeral, we said farewell to Carla’s aunt. She left and is gone. But there is a great difference between these two departures. Her cousin came back and we saw her again after quite a few years. We do not expect to see Aunt Betty on this earth again.
Forty days after the resurrection, Jesus left earth, but he did not go in death. He had risen and they saw him go, alive. He left them, but he left them alive and is alive to this day.
He did not leave them alone. In Luke 24:49 he says, "I am sending the promise of my Father upon you." The celebrations of Easter, Ascension and Pentecost follow significantly upon each other.
Jesus was Immanuel, God with us. That was part of the reason he was so special. Jesus as God present with us left to be with God again, but with the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Divine presence did not leave. The Holy Spirit is not simply a force working in the world. The Holy Spirit is a personal presence, a helper, a comforter, God is still with us. Another way of looking at this is that the Holy Spirit has taken the place of Jesus. When Jesus was on the cross and told John to look out for Mary, it was as if Jesus was replacing himself with John, for Mary. For all his followers, Jesus has replaced himself with the Holy Spirit. We say, when someone accepts Jesus, that they receive him into their hearts. Technically this is not the case, for Jesus is in heaven, but in fact it is true, for it is the Spirit of Jesus who now indwells the believer. God, Jesus is still with us.
Jesus left, but he left with the promise of the Holy Spirit who would come, and has come.
As the disciples had come to know Jesus, their concern had become the establishment of the kingdom of God. With the death of Jesus this hope was dashed to the ground. With the resurrection, it was once again revived, and the disciples asked about it in Acts 1:6. At the ascension Jesus answered this question and gave the disciples the task of establishing the kingdom of God through the proclamation of the gospel(Luke 24:47,48; Acts 1:8).
The complete assignment, as it is given in Acts 1:8, indicates that the kingdom of God must be proclaimed “to the ends of the earth.” This fits with God’s eternal intention. When he said to Abraham, “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” in Genesis 12:3, this was what God had in mind. In Isaiah 49:6 God told Isaiah, ““It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” I was recently reading the results of a visioning day held by our conference. One of the goals of our conference in missions falls directly in line with this intention of God revealed to the disciples on the Ascension Day. Their intention is to plant more churches among un-reached people groups. They want to be involved in fulfilling the task Jesus left us on the day He ascended into heaven. What are we doing about making God’s kingdom known to the ends of the earth?
How wonderful to be reminded that Jesus has not left us without the resources to do that task. The Holy Spirit is the one who gives us the power to do the task.(Acts 1:8) Doing the work of God without the Holy Spirit is like using a power tool without electricity or driving a car without gas. But with electricity or with gas, these things really function with power. So the task Jesus left us when he ascended is to make disciples of all nations in the power of the Holy Spirit.
In Ephesians 4:8-10 we have an interesting verse which tells us that, as a direct result of the ascension, Jesus gave gifts to us in order to carry out that task. The imagery is that of the spoils of war. When an enemy is defeated it is the right of the victor to take the spoils of the enemy and give gifts, from those spoils, to those who supported him. When Jesus became victor in the ascension, he gave gifts to his followers in order that they could continue the work of proclaiming his kingdom.
This is why we consider missions so important and why we emphasize the need to reach out to our community. We must continue the task he has commissioned us to do.
Parting is sad, as we have already noted, but after this parting occurred, they returned to Jerusalem with joy as we read in Luke 24:52. Why this joy?
Jesus was alive, they saw that matters were moving in a good direction, there was hope, God was in charge and they had the hope of the coming of the Holy Spirit.
As time went on this joy in the Lord increased. As we continue to read the New Testament and see how the faith life is lived by the disciples and interpreted by them, we see that we have good reason to rejoice over the fact that Jesus is not among us today, but is in the presence of God in heaven. For, as many passages reveal, he continues to work for the believers and on their behalf from his exalted position in heaven. In the ascension account in Matthew, Jesus promises the disciples, "And behold, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age." This is true in the presence of the Holy Spirit, it is also true in the way in which Jesus continues to work on our behalf. In fact, one writer says that Jesus is “more effectually present with all of us.” Through His Spirit, through His work from the throne above, Jesus continues to work in the whole world in a mighty way.
One thing the Bible tells us is that He is interceding for us. Paul says in Romans 8:34, “Who is he that condemns? 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.” Right now Jesus is in the presence of God as our high priest and is representing us before God. If we sin and confess, he is saying, "my death has atoned for that sin." If we struggle, he is saying to God, “I know what that struggle is like, he/she needs help.” Hebrews 9:24 says, “For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.”
We have joy now even though Jesus is not with us, because his being gone, is an important part of the coming of the kingdom of God and because He continues to work on our behalf.
In the devotional for Ascension Day by Oswald Chambers, I read the idea that Jesus had been in the presence of God on one other occasion and that was on the mount of transfiguration. At that time, Peter’s idea was that Jesus and they should just stay there. If they had, if Jesus had returned to the Father on that day, which he would have had every right to do, he would have gone alone. But, since he came down from the mountain and completed the task which he had been sent to do by dying and rising again, this meeting with God was a journey to heaven from which he will return in order to take us with Him.
As the disciples stood and stared into heaven, watching where he had gone, angels came and asked them why they were standing and staring into the sky. Then the angels promised that Jesus would return in the same way that he had left. This was not a final parting, but a farewell until they would meet him again.
In the meantime, he is preparing a place for us. There is a large house with wooden sidewalks and looking like a proper mansion in North-western Ontario. A man built it, preparing a beautiful home for his bride. Then he went to get her to come live with him in it. Unfortunately, after all the work of preparation, she didn't like the isolation and left. Jesus is away from us now and is preparing a place for us in heaven(John 14:1,2). When it is finished and the time is right, he will come and receive us into it. The home Jesus is preparing will be a wonderful place, a place where we will rejoice to be with him and with all his followers.
At the ascension, Jesus left, but he is coming back again. And with the disciples we look forward to that coming and pray with John in Revelation 22:20, "Come, Lord Jesus."
Some of the most important question we ask in life are:
Where is Jesus?
Why isn’t the victory He gained on the cross and in the resurrection more evident on the earth?
If Jesus is alive, what is He doing now?
What am I to do with my life if I follow Jesus?
The ascension answers these questions. Jesus is in heaven. He has given His Spirit to continue His work. He is at work interceding for us and preparing a place for us. He has given us a task to do and that is to proclaim His kingdom to the whole world. He is coming back to establish His eternal kingdom.
May we live in the understanding of the significant relationship we continue to have with the ascended and exalted Lord of all!
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