Seeing is believing they say. Well, according to our passage this morning, the first followers of Jesus, the initial apostles, saw something quite phenomenal at the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry.
Not only had they seen him risen from the dead. Not only had they met with him repeatedly over the past 40 days – from an upper room in Jerusalem to a lakeside in Galilee. Now, on the Mount of Olives, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, they saw Jesus ascend into the sky and become enfolded by a cloud. A cloud that symbolized the presence of God the Father, to whom Christ had now returned.
Luke, the author of our passage today, wants us to be sure that we are reading eyewitness testimony to the events of Ascension Day. Listen again to the repeated refrain of verses 9 to 11 this morning:
“Jesus was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘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 seenhim go into heaven.’”
Luke’s point is crystal clear. He wants us, his readers, to believe in Christ’s resurrection because it was seen by reliable witnesses. It may be a miracle of momentous proportions, but we should trust the testimony of the spectators of the event.
OK, it happened. But what is the significance of the ascension? Why does it matter? I want to persuade you today that the ascension is hugely important to each one of us. Christ’s Ascension was more than just Christmas in reverse. It means more than simply the Son of God returning whence he came, his mission complete. It’s not simply the natural conclusion of Christ’s earthly adventure, like we might catch a flight home at the end of a foreign holiday.
In particular, I want to persuade us this morning of three things:
- Firstly, the Ascension means that Jesus has all authority
- Secondly, the ascension means that Jesus is always accessible; and
- Thirdly, the Ascension means that human beings can be in Heaven.
Let’s look at each of these in turn…
1. The Ascension means Jesus has all authority
Firstly then, the Ascension means Jesus has all authority.
The Bible tells us that moments before his ascension, Jesus told his first disciples two things. Firstly he gave them a great commission. He sent them out into the world – to the ends of the earth – to baptize new disciples. But the second thing Jesus said on the day of his departure was that all authority had been given to him. He was now the rightful king of heaven and earth and the rightful ruler over every individual – and the Ascension shows this to be true! The Ascension is a visible demonstration that Jesus has all authority. He has been raised up above us all and seated at his Father’s side in the throne room of Heaven, in the control room of the universe.
It was proud moment last month when King Charles delivered a barnstorming speech in the US Congress. Our monarch exercised influence and moral authority within the most powerful legislative chamber in the world.
But ever since Ascension day, King Jesus has held an even more illustrious position, guiding and governing his Church from the throne room of Heaven. Seated at his Father’s side, Jesus he has been pouring out his Holy Spirit and empowering his church on its mission to the ends of the earth.
Until the day he returns, the exalted Jesus will ensure that the Christian faith will never be extinguished by the forces of evil. From his place of power, King Jesus will ensure that the good news of the Gospel really does spread all around the globe. The Ascension means Jesus has all authority.
2. The Ascension means Jesus is always accessible!
Secondly, the ascension means that Jesus is now always accessible. If Jesus had remained on earth, he would have remained approachable only by those who were physically near him. He would have been constrained in space and time. But now that he is in glory, in God’s eternal presence, he is accessible to every Christian wherever or whenever we live.
Do you remember Jesus’ last great promise to his disciples? The promise he gave at the end of the Great Commission? He said “I shall be with you always”. The ascension made that possible. From his throne in heaven he can be personally known and loved by people from every part of the globe and from every period in history. The Ascension means accessibility.
This means that its possible for us all to enjoy a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus. We don’t need to travel anywhere to meet him, he is always accessible wherever we are and whatever we are going through. From the heights of the Himalayas to the depths of the Ocean, our prayers can always be heard by him in Heaven. We don’t need to go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem or even Canterbury to meet with our Saviour. As Jesus himself once said we can worship him in the Spirit and in truth, wherever we may be!
3. The Ascension means Human beings can be in Heaven!
Thirdly and finally, the Ascension means that human beings can be in heaven. The ascension is not just Christmas in reverse, because the Son of God took his human nature – the human nature he took on in Mary’s womb – back up to Heaven with him. The risen Jesus has a fully human body that since his Ascension has resided in God’s glorious presence. In Christ, a human person now resides at the right hand of God.
So the next time you are tempted to think that the world to come is simply ‘Pie in the Sky’, remember Jesus’ ascension. Because ever since Ascension Day, there has been at least one human being in God’s glorious presence. The ascension has proved that human beings can go to meet God in glory. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us in his Father’s house. So the Ascension also means assurance – assurance of the world to come.
Conclusion
So, as I finish today, I hope we’ve begun to see the significance of the Ascension. It is means something special for us, not just to those who saw it happen. Because the Ascension means that Jesus has all authority. It means our Saviour is always accessible. And it means that human beings can belong in Heaven!