Christ’s Ascension

After Jesus rose from the dead, he spent forty days on earth before returning to heaven. We read in Acts 1:3: “After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.”

For forty days he continued to appear to his disciples, showing them, that he was alive and teaching them about the kingdom of God.

You might wonder: Why does the ascension matter? After all, you know it matters that Jesus died on the cross, and it matters that Jesus rose from the dead, but what does it matter that Jesus ascended into heaven?

Why does Christ’s ascension matter and what does the ascension mean for us today?

First of all, Jesus’ ascension matters because Jesus returned to the Father. God is a trinity, and from before the beginning of time, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit always lived together in perfect union.

God the Father sent his Son, who left the glories of heaven to enter into our broken and sinful world. Jesus left the Father’s side to come to our side. He took on flesh to live a human life within this human world, and then he died on the cross for our sins.

The night before he went to the cross, Jesus told his disciples:

 “I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

With this He summed up his entire earthly ministry in just two sentences as he spoke of his longing to return to his Father.

Before his death Jesus set his sights on the city of Jerusalem and the cross. But now that he had risen, he set his sights on heaven and his great reunion with his Father.

The second reason why the ascension matters is because Jesus took his place on His throne. When Jesus first began preaching, he had a very simple message for the people: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Matthew 4:17) The kingdom of heaven was near because the king of heaven was near. He was right there in the midst of them. But it was not until after Jesus’ ascension and his return to heaven that he took his rightful place on His throne.

When we have presidential inaugurations or royal coronations here on earth, we have great celebrations that go along with them, but nothing would have compared to the spectacle of Jesus taking his place on the throne of heaven. The prophet Daniel had a vision of this amazing event hundreds of years before it happened. We read about it in Daniel:  

“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14)

When Jesus returns all people will bow before him in heaven and on earth.

The ascension matters today, because the king is on his throne, and he has been given all authority, glory and power. Jesus is king in heaven. And just as we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, his kingdom will come to earth. All that is wrong will be made right, and we shall reign with him forever.

A third reason why the ascension matters is because Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit at his ascension. The very night before Jesus died on the cross, he told the disciples: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17)

Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit who would come in his place to be with us, to live in us, to give us strength for living, power for witness, peace in trials and to make us holy like Christ.

Pentecost Sunday is when we remember the initial pouring out of the Holy Spirit which is recorded for us in the book of Acts. The believers were all together in one room when the Holy Spirit came with the sound like a mighty rushing wind and tongues of fire separated and came to rest on each one of them. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, giving glory to God and declaring his wonders.

When the people of Jerusalem witnessed this event, they asked, “What does this mean?” Peter explained to them: “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.” (Acts 2:32-33)

In conclusion

The world around us is in so much trouble and distress, and it would be easy for us to get discouraged. But that’s where these truths about the ascension give us great hope.

And because Jesus ascended you can take comfort in these amazing truths: Jesus is back again with his Father. Everything is as it should be. Jesus has taken his rightful place on His throne. He is king and he is in control. Jesus has poured out his Holy Spirit into the hearts of believers. Jesus prays for you constantly. And Jesus will return and he promises that “Every eye will see him, and every wrong will be made right.”

You might not know this but, Poland is currently the only country in the world that has officially proclaimed Jesus Christ as King of the Nation in a public, solemn act with state participation. The modern world demands that so-called advanced nations treat religion as a quiet, private hobby that has no bearing on how a country operates. But Poland, historically known as the Antemurale Christianitatis (the Bulwark of Christendom), absolutely refuses to follow along with the world. In 2016, in a massive ceremony attended by the President of Poland, top government officials, and the highest ranks of the clergy, the nation officially recognized Jesus Christ as their King and Lord. They performed a national act of spiritual consecration, formally submitting the state, their leaders, and their families to divine authority. This is a nation that survived 2 brutal occupations. You don't survive that level of historical trauma with weak, watered-down secular values. You survive it with an unbreakable, Christian militant faith. While we sleep on our legacy Poland built a towering, 100-foot monument of Christ wearing a golden crown in Świebodzin and formally declared Jesus as their Sovereign.

The Ascension of Jesus is crucial in Christian theology because it marks the completion of his earthly mission, his exaltation to the right hand of God, and the inauguration of his role as heavenly High Priest. It directly enabled the sending of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost) to empower believers and serves as a promise of his future return. The Ascension links Christ's resurrection to his ongoing, present work in the world. All glory and honour to Jesus our Lord. Amen.