Ascension
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After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.
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Why it happened?
What it means?
Where is Jesus now? -
Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk[c] from the city. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
The ascension is the least studied part of the life of Jesus. We know about birth, life, death, resurrection, Pentecost, but we hear very little about the ascension.
Luke ends his gospel with the ascension of Jesus. Luke also begins his 2nd book the Acts of the Apostles with the ascension of Jesus.
Luke 24:51 gives one sentence ‘while he was blessing them he left them and was taken up into heaven’ Acts 1:9 says ‘after Jesus said this he was taken up before their very eyes and a cloud hid him from their sight.’ Two simple sentences lead us to ask questions How, when, why, what, and where.
Why did it happen?
What does it mean?
Where is he now?
Why did it happen?
It may seem like an obvious question the answer being to translate Jesus back to heaven. He could have gone after the resurrection his mission accomplished. People had been redeemed death has been defeated, the helper - the Holy Spirit was on its way. Could he not have risen from the tomb witnessed by his family and followers and restored Peter say farewell and go.
Acts 1:3 says, ‘He presented himself alive…. being seen by them during the 40 days.’
After 40 days of appearing and disappearing - would he reappear? Ascension means he is finally glorified (John 17:5). Hebrews 2:9 declares it like this ‘But we see Jesus crowned with glory and honour.’
Mel Gibson directed the film, The Passion of the Christ. It was 2hrs7minutes of gory detail of the last week of Jesus life before the cruel cross. The ascension means Jesus’s earthly story does not finish with the crucified Christ but an ascended Jesus Christ - King of Kings. That's why it happened like it did.
Notice that Luke 24:51 says, ‘He ascended while he was still blessing them….as he left.’ He Ascended while blessing! The effect on the people was (v52) ‘they returned to Jerusalem with great joy.’ Jesus longs to bless us that is why the ascension happened this way. Is that how you picture Jesus - Blessing? It is how we should picture him. If you are looking for a scientific analysis of the ascension I cannot help you this morning. But if you come with childlike faith, and hear afresh, ‘while blessing them he left’ - allow the Holy Spirit to bless your hearts and minds. The simplicity of Luke’s two accounts of the ascension will bear witness with your soul that the ascended King of Kings - Jesus Christ the Lord longs to bless you today.
He promised in John 14:16, I will send another helper, (allos paracletos) identical to himself. In John 14:18 he promises, ‘I will not leave you as orphans.’
Final words are often important. The ascended Jesus said as he departed ‘you will be my witnesses...after he said this he was taken up before their very eyes.’ (Acts 1:8).
The stark reality here and now is that we are his witnesses, his hands, feet, and mouth - it is very humbling to know it is down to us. When the angels spoke to the onlookers- they said why are you standing? We are not called to stand and stare in awe and wonder but we are tasked with witnessing – it is our mission - empowered by the Holy Spirit.
We are his witnesses here at this end of the earth that's why it happened but what does it mean?
What does it mean?
As the ascended Messiah - Jesus was liberated from the restriction of time & space. The ascension released Jesus into the heavenly realm to be available throughout all time; helping us whilst tempted (Heb 2:16), pleading our case at God’s Right hand (Rom 8:34). Our Saviour, elder brother and friend is our forgiver, healer, protector from the evil one. When Jesus said to Mary at the resurrection ‘do not touch me’ he was saying ‘you can’t hold on to me Mary. If you hold on to me, I will be held in time.’ ‘Mary - if you let me ascend, you will have me always (Matt 28:20). Omnipresent.
The ascension released Jesus from time and space into the dimension called eternity, it means he can sustain the universe Hebrews 1:3 and rule the church Ephesians 1:22 as well as being our advocate in heaven.
As the people stood staring, the angel spoke to them. At that moment the ascension meantthe loss of Jesus, taken up, his departure, gone, loss of his physical presence, loss of his protection. The two angels broke into their staring and their sad thoughts and said why are you stood staring? The ascension is the opposite of what you think, this is not absence, this is a catalyst for the glorious presence of our Lord Jesus. If you are standing looking you need to be moved to mission by the power of the ascended Christ in (the promised helper John 14:16).
Ascension also means a coronation. The 6th of May 2023 was King Charles 3rd’s Coronation, he literally ascended to the throne at Westminster Abbey. The rights to the throne were passed to him on 8 September 2022 on the death of Queen Elizabeth 2nd. If Prince Louis, had broken loose and ran through security and jumped onto the throne before his grandfather – it would have made no difference – he had no right. It was Charles’s by right. The Ascension was Jesus’ crowning, his glorifying. He had lived the perfect life and died a sinners death and defeated that final foe by his resurrection. He had completed his mission and by right he ascended and is now triumphant with the whole company of heaven.
Another thing it means is that the ascended, Jesus Christ knows his flock, knows you by name - knows your needs and your problems. Imagine if I could bring my problems to King Charles and have him take sides with me.
We're having problems with a TPO (tree protection order), we wrote to counsellors, to our MP, next is King Charles’s secretary of State. But the reality of it is they do not really know me or care about my needs. But I can bring my care to King Jesus and he says cast that care on me because I care for you (1 Peter 5:7). The one who is saying this is Jesus Christ who ascended to the heavenly throne and he knows me and he cares for me?
He does care for you and those you intercede for.
Where is He Now?
The Life of Christ as Represented in Art was published in 1894 written by Frederic W. Farrar who said, ‘Christ is forever taken into the Godhead the form of the Manhood’. This so excited Farrar that he included words from Robert Browning’s poem ‘Saul’:
A Face like my face that receives thee,
A Man like to me, Thou shalt love,
And be loved by forever;
A Hand like this hand shall throw open
The gate of new Life to thee!
See the Christ stand!
That was the poet’s impression of where Christ is now and how he will greet us when we meet him face to face.
I question artists’ impressions of Jesus hovering ten metres off the ground and people staring at the levitating Lord.
I find it easier to understand that there is a dimension beyond our comprehension, a fourth dimension. There is time and there is eternity.
In that eternal dimension - the heavenly realm Jesus is enthroned at the Father’s right hand.
It was revealed to Stephen in Acts 7:56 he ‘saw the Lord standing at the right hand of God.’ That is where he is now.
Hear the way Jesus spoke to the Father in John 17:4 ‘I have brought glory on earth by finishing the work you give me to do 5 and now father glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.'
These are words of Jesus on the verge of his departure. There is no concern here about the ordeal that lies ahead, his arrest, trial, mock coronation with a crown of thorns. This is the Thursday before Good Friday that he says these words and there is no apprehension about the cross the next day. King Jesus is ready for his coronation, ‘Now glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.’
That is where he is now, ascended to the throne at Father’s right hand.
Notice the immediate reaction of the onlookers. We read in Luke 24: 52-53, ‘while he was blessing them he left them and was taken up into heaven. They worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.’ For these onlookers the penny had dropped - this is the ascension of King Jesus and, as if by instinct, they worshipped him. Hallelujah!
That is where he is now and this is where we are now. Preaching hero of mine, Timothy Keller died on 19th May 2023. He said as he died ‘I can’t wait to see Jesus.’ One day he will receive us into his presence when our time is done and as the poet said, ‘a Hand like this hand shall throw open the gate of new Life to thee! See the Christ stand!’
Does it make you want to worship Him? Come let us adore him.
‘ ‘All hail the power of Jesus’ name
Let angels prostrate fall
Bring forth the royal diadem
And crown him Lord of all.’
