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IMPLICATIONS OF THE ASCENSION
The
coming May 9 is Ascension Day in the Christian Calendar; the following Sunday,
May 12, is considered Ascension Sunday. While such a day is often not
recognized in evangelical traditions and particularly in American free church
traditions, it is a vital experience that occurred in the life of Christ; thus,
it is important for Christians to recognize and understand. One’s typical
thought could easily minimize the Ascension as if Jesus ascending from the
earth into the heavens was nothing more than a fascinating sight to behold;
yet, the implications of Jesus’ ascension are vast and far-reaching. Why then
is the Ascension important? Why should Christians remember it? And what are its
implications? I intend to answer these questions with four key ideas.
1. 1. The
Ascension is important because it is biblical.
2. 2. The
Ascension means that Jesus presently understands his people.
3. 3. The
Ascension means that Jesus’ resurrection is absolute and inarguable.
4. 4. The Ascension means that God is now human.
The
Ascension Is Biblical
Christians should recognize the importance of the Ascension because it is biblical. Too often, Christians seemingly negate many biblical events and passages to maximize the importance of others, e.g. Christmas and the Resurrection. Nonetheless, every word of Scripture is crucial to the Christian life and is a valuable part of what God has given his people for life and for godliness (1 Pet 1:3). The Ascension is no different. While Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection are certainly essential elements of the Christian faith, so is everything else that occurred in the life of Christ and, in fact, every word of the Bible. No word of the Bible is more important than another; every word is a portion of the word of God. In fact, the words Paul spoke are equally as important as the words Jesus spoke because they are all parts of the word of God, which is why many Bible translators have begun getting rid of red-letter editions. Since every word of Scripture is equally important and the events in the life of Christ are crucial, Christians should not only remember his birth, death, and resurrection but should also live in the reality of every aspect of his life including the Ascension. Living in the reality of the events of Christ’s life allows God’s people to be transformed by him in a present reality. The Ascension then is important because it is biblical.
The
Ascension Means Jesus Presently Understands His People
The
author of Hebrews writes:
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Heb 4:14-16).[1]
An astonishing veracity of the Ascension is found in the fact that while God the Son surely walked this planet as a human and, thus, could empathize with humanity’s weakness and struggles, he also ascended in glorified human flesh and, therefore, still empathizes with and understands humanity. To consider God, the creator of the universe, to be the same as humanity is an amazing concept and reality. It is not only that Jesus once could sympathize with humanity; he presently does because he is presently human. Jesus did not float into the heavens and become a spirit but ascended as a resurrected human and currently sits at the righthand of the Father interceding on behalf on his people (Rom 8:34). Jesus understands the struggles people face; Jesus understands sadness; Jesus understands weakness; Jesus understands temptation; yet, he was perfect in all of it. He understands and yet he conquers, which is why God’s people need him. The Ascension should comfort us to know that God is human and understands us.
The
Ascension Means That Jesus’ Resurrection Is a Fact
The Ascension offers inarguable proof that Jesus rose form the dead since so many people observed him following his resurrection. Jesus walked the earth for forty days after he rose and then ascended into the heavens prior to the Holy Spirit being freely poured out on his people ten days later (Pentecost). The Apostle Paul says that Jesus appeared for five-hundred witnesses after his resurrection (1 Cor 15:6). In a court of law, one witness would be sufficient evidence; five-hundred would be absolute. Without belaboring the point or offering the countless explicit details that oppose any argument against Jesus’ resurrection, suffice it to say that staging a resurrection would have been close to impossible, i.e. only a real resurrection could have worked. Moreover, if Jesus did not rise from the dead, hundreds of millions of Christians have been martyred for a lie, which would have been even more difficult in the early church, a time so close to the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus’ appearances and his ascension after his resurrection inarguably point to a living God in Jesus Christ. He rose, walked the earth in human flesh, and then ascended to the Father. The Ascension puts an exclamation point on the fact that Jesus lives.
The
Ascension Means That God Is Now Human
In the Ascension, the incarnation of God is vividly seen. No other major religion includes 1) a God who is still alive and 2) a God who has become human. The Creator became as one created, for although Jesus is still God, he took on the form of a lowly human and still subsists the same. Jesus lived as a human, died as a human, rose and walked this earth as a human, and then ascended as that same human, although glorified. In fact, Thomas was able to touch the scars of Jesus (John 20:24-28) and his people will one day behold the scars in his hands and feet. The scars of Jesus point to not only the reality of his suffering but of humanity’s sin for which he died; yet, Jesus now serves as an advocate on behalf of his people. The only reason Christians may approach the throne of God boldly is because when the Father looks upon his people, he sees not the filth of their sin but the righteousness of his Son. God’s wrath was poured on the human flesh of the Son so that his people did not have to endure it. Jesus, therefore, now exists not only as God but also as human and intercedes for his people. The Ascension reveals this astonishing fact.
The
Ascension Matters
Some may not think the Ascension is
an important recognition; yet, the ascension of Christ in human bodily form
matters tremendously; it is of utmost importance. Why does the Ascension matter
and why should Christians care about it? It matters first because it is in
Scripture; thus, it is equally as important as anything else in the Holy Bible
including the Resurrection. Further, it matters because Jesus ascending as a
human man means that, as the author of Hebrews contends, we still have a great
High Priest who sympathizes with human weakness and mortality, i.e. it is not
only that he once could sympathize with us but he literally still does. The
Ascension matters because we are reminded that Jesus not only lived but he
still does live in the flesh and will one day return in the same.
I recently read a quote by Fr.
Kenneth Tanner, which reads:
The Ascension means that God the Son is forever embodied in the flesh and blood and bones that Mary gave him; that his wounded humanity is present where God dwells, and God is present everywhere. Everywhere.
The Ascension means that a human, Jesus of Nazareth, is now part of what it means to be God and that this state of affairs goes on forever. For God to hate humanity (or any human), God would have to hate himself.
The Ascension means that created human nature is now seated at God's right hand and that no one needs to impatiently grasp for divinity again, for Christ has divinized human nature; creatureliness is now godliness in Jesus the Son and we truly participate in that union.
The Ascension means that by the Spirit Christ is still present in the world via his body, the church. It is Christ himself who acts and speaks when the church proclaims the gospel, heals the sick, visits prisoners, cares for the poor, celebrates the Eucharist, gathers together and so on. Jesus is the head of his body now, and we are now the fullness of Christ in the earth.
The Ascension means that Christ is elevated to Lordship of all things. Jesus is Lord and all temporal rulers and spiritual powers are judged as inadequate, as false gods. There is no Lord for the Christian but Jesus.
The Ascension means that Someone who knows what it is like to be a limited by time and embodiment and hunger and anxiety and rejection and torture and pain and betrayal and thirst and contingency—who knows being human from the inside out—is present in God when we pray (with all of our limitations), and this Someone knows our every petition and our every experience from the inside before we ask.[2]
The Ascension matters. Praise God for his Ascension.
