Jesus’s birth, life, death, and resurrection are all important events that Christians talk about and celebrate; however, Jesus’s ascension into heaven is rarely discussed – sometimes either overlooking it completely or treating it like a footnote or epilogue in Jesus’s ministry rather than a pivotal event. Yet, it is mentioned in the Apostles’ Creed and referenced multiple times in the apostolic teaching and preaching in the New Testament, showing that it has a deeper significance and importance than we may think. Rather than being the “spike” after Jesus scores the touchdown, this is the act of him crossing the goal line. It is not the dessert that is a nice addition to a wonderful meal, but rather part of the main course that is Jesus’s ministry and work. Since this historical event occurred 40 days after Jesus’s resurrection and we now stand that same distance from our celebration on Resurrection Sunday, it seemed a perfect time to focus our attention on the past, present, and future angles of Jesus’s ascension.
Past – What Exactly Happened at the Ascension?
We read in Luke 24:51 and Acts 1:9 that while Jesus was with the disciples, he was “carried up into heaven” (Luke 24:51) into a “a cloud” that “took him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9). This is a moment both of departure and of exaltation. The fact that Jesus went up into the clouds and then disappeared does not mean that we should view heaven as a place that we can get to if we go far enough up into the sky. God could have chosen many ways to remove Jesus from the earth; it could have been done in private or he could have just disappeared or walked off into the horizon. God chose this particular way of removing Jesus from the earth as a way to show that Jesus has been “raised up” in glory so that he has a name that is higher than any other name, and also that he is now in God’s presence, as the cloud was often a symbol of God’s presence.
Something that is easy to overlook in this event is that it means Jesus’s body is now in heaven, not on earth. He didn’t shed his body when he went to heaven; his incarnation and identification with our humanity continues. The reality of Jesus’s body being in heaven is one reason that Reformed Christians don’t believe that Jesus’s body is literally in the bread of communion; it is in heaven. It is also a reason we believe that our hope is a bodily resurrection, not an escape from this body, but life in a glorified body.
Present – What is the Ascended Jesus Doing For Us Now?
Multiple places in the New Testament state that Jesus is now “sitting” in heaven (see Psalm 110:1, which is quoted often in the New Testament; see also Hebrews 1:3). Because we also hear Jesus standing (Acts 7:56) and walking (Revelation 2:1), we should probably think of “sitting” in its symbolic meaning, as this term has definite symbolic significance. The term “session” is what many theologians use to describe this work of Jesus “sitting.” Similar to the way a judge takes his seat and the court is now in “session,” so when Jesus takes his seat in heaven, it does not mean that he is resting but that he is entering into his new ministry from the heavens. A key element of this ministry is that of reigning, as kings are said to rule as they sit on the throne. Jesus’s “session” means that he is now sitting as king, ruling from the heavens over all the earth (see 1 Peter 3:22; Ephesians 1:20-23). This means that the world is not out of control, but under this control; enemies on this earth are still present, but Jesus is ruling even now as the day awaits for them to be placed under his feet like a footstool (1 Corinthians 15:25). This work of ruling also has special significance for the church, as Jesus is ruling over and through his church (see Ephesians 1:20-23).
In addition to his current work as king, the ascension also points to Jesus’s present work as priest. The Book of Hebrews notes how Jesus has gone as a priest into the heavenly sanctuary (Hebrews 6:19-20; 9:24-25) and that he does not bring the blood of animals as a sacrifice, but rather his own blood which serves as the final and ultimate sacrifice (Hebrews 9:11-14; 10:11-14). His work as a priest in the heavenly sanctuary also involves “interceding” for us, so he prays for us as a priest (Romans 8:33-34 and Hebrews 7:25-27) and serves as our advocate before the Father when we sin (1 John 2:1). Because we have Jesus as our priest in God’s holy place also means that we can and should go to God in prayer through him – a point the writer of of Hebrews reminds us of when he discusses Jesus as our high priest who is like us and entered into the heavenly sanctuary and then urges us to “approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16).
A third “office” that theologians have noted that Jesus fulfills is that of a prophet, revealing the will of God to the church and bringing us to obedience. Much of Jesus’s prophetic work in the present is administered through the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus promised to send to be a helper to his disciples, doing similar things that Jesus did while on earth but without being bound to a particular place (John 14-16). The Day of Pentecost described in Acts is the fulfillment of this promise as Jesus pours out the Spirit. The Holy Spirit then led the apostles to write the Bible and now continues to be at work helping Christians understand it, thus teaching and guiding God’s people in all truth (John 14:26; 16:13-15). The Spirit also gifts people to serve, equip, and build up the church (Ephesians 4:7-10). While these are actions of the Spirit, we should recognize them as happening because Jesus sent the Spirit, thus working through them. The Spirit’s work may be the primary way Jesus’s prophetic activity continues, but Jesus’s presence in heaven is also a “prophetic act” as he shows us where our true home is now and where our hearts should be, directing us to seek the things in heaven rather than on earth (Colossians 3:1-2; also see Ephesians 2:6-7).
Future – What Does It Show Us About Jesus’s Return?
The ascension also points to some of the things we can hope for in the future. Since the angelic messengers told the disciples that Jesus will “come in the same way that you have seen him going into heaven” (Acts 1:11), we know that he will indeed return and that this will not be a socratic or symbolic thing but a bodily return. Jesus’s bodily ascension and return reminds us that our hope is in bodily resurrection; we will be like Jesus when he returns and thus also have glorified bodies (1 John 3:2). The return of Jesus and our resurrection also stands as a reminder of the promise of Jesus’s complete victory; he is ruling and reigning and will ultimately defeat death (1 Corinthians 15:23-28).
Final Thought and a Helpful Summary
The ascension does not mean that Jesus’s work is finished, but rather that one phase of it is complete and that he continues to work in different ways until the end. If we forget about Ascension Day, we may be tempted to think that we have to do all things on our own. But when we remember it, we tap into the great benefits it has to offer. The Heidelberg Catechism gives a great summary of these benefits in Q&A 49 answering this question “How does Christ’s ascension to heaven benefit us?” with these words: “First, he is our advocate in heaven in the presence of his Father. Second, we have our own flesh in heaven as a sure pledge that Christ our head will also take us, his members, up to himself. Third, he sends his Spirit to us on earth as a corresponding pledge. By the Spirit’s power we seek not earthly things but the things above, where Christ is sitting at God’s right hand.”
May we remember and celebrate these benefits (and many more!) found in the ascension both today and on Ascension Day in the coming years. Like Good Friday and Easter, the date will change year to year, but the truths it points to never will.
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