The Ascension of Jesus Incarnation and Ascension Jesus’ ascension is the strangest event in history. He floated into the sky like a balloon or maybe launched into the clouds like a rocket. Either way, it’s strange. But his incarnation is also strange - the Creator becoming a creature. There’s a connection between these two for our lives today. In his incarnation, God descended to humanity. In his ascension, humanity ascended to God. Jesus has lifted our humanity into the presence of the Father, where he is now seated in authority over heaven and earth. Jesus is now interceding for us, and he has sent us his Spirit. From the moment of divine conception, the incarnate Jesus carried our sin in his body while vicariously living a perfect life of obedience to the Father. Or, as Paul says, “[God] made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). After a life and ministry full of love, power, and miracles, Jesus was beaten and executed on a cross, dying the death of failed messiahs. But the reality is that Jesus, bearing our sin in himself, marched victoriously to the cross where he dragged our sin into the grave. From there, he conquered death by rising from the grave, forever separating sin from us and forever uniting us to himself. And so, three days after his brutal beating and execution, the resurrected Jesus was walking Judea once again, appearing and re-appearing to his followers for over a month. Thrilled with his resurrection from the dead, his followers expected him to take control of the government and set things right. But Jesus had something better in mind something which he had told them all along but something they did not yet understand. He was leaving them, and it was to their benefit. So he left. The Ascension Event Right in front of his disciples, the incarnate, resurrected Jesus ascended into heaven. Tim Keller calls this “perhaps the most visually unexpected of all the miracles they had seen firsthand.” Levitating into the clouds is a weird way to conclude his earthly life and ministry, but Jesus’ ascension is more than a gravity-defying miracle - it’s an event that changed everything. But we aren’t primarily interested in the ascension event. It’s important, but, like a coronation or inauguration, the event is less important than the person. In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

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So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:1-11) Thanks to aviation and special effects, it’s hard to imagine what it was like for the disciples to witness Jesus’ ascension. They had no heads-up before seeing their friend - who had come back from the dead forty days ago - levitate into the sky. Staring blankly into a cloud, the disciples were clueless about what they had just seen. They didn’t understand it immediately, but they should not have been surprised at his ascension. Jesus had explained it while with them so that they would understand what was happening when it happened. The ascension event is a picture of something bigger than Jesus floating into the sky. Like a new king ascending to the throne to receive his crown, Jesus’ physical ascension is symbolic of a greater reality. Jesus has ascended to a position of ultimate rule and authority. Jesus physically ascended into the sky to show that he was leaving, just as he said, so that he might be with us forever. Without the physical event, we wouldn’t know where Jesus is. We could only speculate about the final disappearance of the resurrected Jesus and assume that he’s in some remote part of the earth that has yet to hear his name and gospel. But because he ascended to the right hand of the Father, Jesus now has rule and authority over all things, and from that position he sent his Spirit into the world. We can now be closer to God than ever before. Seated at the Right Hand of the Father The ascended Jesus is seated at the right hand of God. At Pentecost, Peter declared: “This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing” (Acts 2:32-33). In his first letter, Peter further explains that the resurrected Jesus “has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him” (1 Peter 3:22). Millard Erickson says that “Jesus’ sitting at the right hand of the God should not be interpreted as a matter of rest or inactivity. It is a symbol of authority and active rule.” Jesus is king “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:20). He has all power and authority, and any earthly power or authority is subject to the Lord Jesus. They answer to him.

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Jesus, Our Advocate in Heaven Binding himself to humanity in his incarnation, Jesus ascended in that humanity into the presence of God where he now intercedes for us. The writer of Hebrews says, “[Jesus] is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them…For Christ has entered…into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf” (Hebrews 7:25, 9:24). I love how the Westminster Larger Catechism explains Christ’s intercession: Christ makes intercession, by His appearing in our nature continually before the Father in heaven, in the merit of His obedience and sacrifice on earth, declaring His will to have it applied to all believers; answering all accusations against them, and procuring for them quiet of conscience, not withstanding daily failings, access with boldness to the throne of grace, and acceptance of their persons and services. How often do we fail, and how quickly do we condemn ourselves? How quickly does Satan jump in to accuse us? We have an advocate in heaven - the ascended Jesus. And he says, “No, my obedience is their obedience. I’ve paid the punishment for their sin. So back off.” Once our accuser flees, Jesus may then turn to us and say, “Go and sin no more,” but we no longer stand condemned. “Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let’s hold fast our confession. For we don’t have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16). We have an advocate in heaven, but he has not left us alone on earth - he has sent us his Spirit. Sending the Spirit, Our Advocate on Earth During his final meal with his disciples, Jesus insisted, “it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you” (John 16:7). To understand this, we can go back to his words in John 14 about the Holy Spirit. Think about these cherry-picked verses from that chapter: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever…I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you…Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you…Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you...Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid…If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father.” Jesus’ ascension means we have peace in this crazy world because he has sent us his Spirit and is now closer to us than ever. We see this in Mary Magdalene’s encounter with the resurrected Jesus in John 20. In her excitement, Mary clings to Jesus, to which he oddly responds, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God’” (John 20:17). I never understood why Jesus told

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Mary to stop clinging to him. It seemed harsh, and I didn’t see a connection with his ascension. Is Mary not allowed to hug a resurrected body? Tim Keller explains: Mary had grabbed hold of him with all her might. It is likely that she was thinking that she had lost her cherished relationship with her teacher when he died and, now that he was alive, she would never allow it to be lost again…But there she was mistaken. When Jesus said, ‘Don’t cling on to me…I am returning to my Father,’ he was indicating that after he ascended she’d have access to an even stronger love relationship. Why? Because then he would literally never leave her, and he would be not just in her arms sometimes but in her heart always. Because he is ascended, Jesus is with us forever. He did not leave us as orphans. Just as the Father sent the Son, the Son sent the Spirit. Therefore, Jesus is closer to us than ever - “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received […] the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God…” (1 Corinthians 2:11-12). Far from being left and forsaken, having the Holy Spirit means that we have an advocate who shares the mind of Jesus with us, and who takes our prayers and offers them to Christ. Paul reminds us that “the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with groanings too deep for words. And He, who searches the heart, knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Because Jesus has ascended, we have advocates both in heaven and on earth who intercede for us. The Ascended Jesus (the Person) We have an idea about the appearance of the incarnate Jesus. He came as a baby born into poverty - his life marked with love and humility. According to the prophet Isaiah, “he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2). But what about now? How are we to think about the ascended Jesus? The ascended Jesus is marked by the same love and humility, but his humanity is now majestic bordering on terrifying. It’s now appropriate to who he is. The apostle John, banished on the island of Patmos, saw the ascended Lord Jesus, and here’s how he described him: Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

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When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” (Revelation 1:12-18) That’s the ascended Lord Jesus who sits at the right hand of the Father and intercedes for us. With an advocate like that, what have we to fear in life? Years before John’s encounter, someone else had witnessed the ascended Jesus. The Jewish leaders had given Saul of Tarsus power and authority to persecute the Christians in Damascus. But Saul was met by the ascended Jesus who has all power and authority. Now as he was on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” (Acts 9:3-5) Jesus was so magnificent that Saul hit the deck when he appeared. And notice Saul’s response “Who are you, Lord?” Imagine his horror at the response, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” Not only was Jesus alive and glorified, but he was identifying himself with his followers. Saul had no further interest in persecuting Christians. After this encounter with Jesus, the apostle Paul was willing to suffer all kinds of trouble for him. Paul’s boldness came from the Holy Spirit, but I suspect it was reinforced by this vision of the ascended Jesus. Perhaps he understood what Stephen had been talking about before was stoned: “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56). Living in the Truth of the Ascension The incarnation and ascension of Jesus means that “God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ…and raised us up and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-6). We who are in Christ have an advocate in heaven who, through his incarnation and ascension, has taken us with him into the presence of God. Or, as Paul says in Colossians, “[our] life is hidden in Christ with God” (Colossians 3:3). We who are in Christ have his Spirit in us that we may have and know the mind of Christ. Like the ascended Jesus in heaven, the Spirit on earth intercedes for us and makes our weak efforts acceptable to God through Jesus. Jesus’ ascension means that we can have peace and hope in the midst of the chaos and pain of this world. No matter how bad things are or how bad they get, we are in the hands of the Lord Jesus who has all power and authority in heaven and earth. He’s got the whole world in his hands (as the song says). Our pain isn’t trivial, but Jesus is ascended. We don’t need to worry about our life because Jesus is ascended. We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but Jesus is ascended. Pain, anxiety, and uncertainty are realities of life, but the deeper reality is that Jesus is ascended. Listen to John Calvin’s encouragement: 5

Thus, since He has gone up there, and is in heaven for us, let us note that we need not fear to be in this world. It is true that we are subject to so much misery that our condition is pitiable, but at that we need neither be astonished nor confine our attention to ourselves. Thus, we look to our Head Who is already in heaven, and say, Although I am weak, there is Jesus Christ Who is powerful enough to make me stand upright. Although I am feeble, there is Jesus Christ who is my strength. Although I am full of miseries, Jesus Christ is in immortal glory and what He has will some time be given to me and I shall partake of all His benefits. Yes, the devil is called the prince of this world. But what of it? Jesus Christ holds him in check for He is King of heaven and earth. There are devils above us in the air who make war against us. But what of it? Jesus Christ rules above, having entire control of the battle. Thus, we need not doubt that He gives us the victory. I am here subject to many changes, which may cause me to lose courage. But what of it? The Son of God is my Head, Who is exempt from all change. I must, then, take confidence in Him. This is how we must look at His Ascension, applying the benefit to ourselves. Tim Keller makes the same point in different way: “Can you relax? Are you anxious? Are you feeling you can’t keep everything going; you’ve got to keep all these balls up in the air? Then you don’t believe in the ascension or you’re not using it as a resource.” Traditionally at Easter, we great each other with the words, “He is risen! He is risen indeed!” But I think everyday we should remind each other that Jesus is ascended.

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