The Feast of the Ascension of Jesus

For forty days after his passion, death and resurrection, Jesus repeatedly showed himself alive to his disciples. They were able to experience Jesus' appearance several times, even behind closed doors, as the risen one in a transfigured form. They were allowed to touch him and eat with him. He spoke to them about the kingdom of God and what it will be like when God establishes his kingdom and completes his work. These events initiated a fundamental change in the lives of Jesus' disciples. The ascension of Jesus was the decisive experience for them and was raised to the "Feast of the Ascension", which has only been celebrated since the fourth century.

Many Christians believe that the resurrected Jesus stayed on earth 40 days and retired to the safety of heaven at the Ascension because he had finished his work on earth. But that is not the truth.

With his ascension into heaven, Jesus made it clear that he will continue to be man and God. This assures us that He is the High Priest who is acquainted with our weaknesses as written in Hebrews. His visible ascension into heaven reassures us that he has not simply disappeared but continues to function as our High Priest, Mediator and Mediator. The very nature of the Atonement itself is not just about what Jesus did, but who He is and will forever be.

The Bible records the event of the Ascension in Acts: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit is upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. And when he had said this, he was taken up before their eyes, and a cloud took him up from before their eyes" (Acts 1,8-9).

The disciples were looking attentively at the sky when suddenly two men dressed in white stood next to them and spoke to them: Why are you standing here and staring up at the sky? This Jesus, who was taken up from among you into heaven, will come again in the same way you saw him go. These verses make two basic points clear: first, Jesus disappeared into a cloud and ascended into heaven, and second, he will return to this earth.
Paul adds another perspective to these aspects that we want to consider in more detail. Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses and were saved by his grace. As a result, spiritually speaking, we were taken up with Jesus into heaven: “He raised us up with us and installed us with us in heaven in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace through his kindness towards us in Christ Jesus” ( Ephesians 2,6-7).

Here Paul explains the implications of the new life we ​​have in union with Jesus Christ. In his letters, Paul often uses the phrase "in Christ" to help us understand our new identity. Being in Christ means participating not only in Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, but also in His ascension, through which we live with Him spiritually in the heavenly realms. Being in Christ means that God the Father does not see us in our sins, but first sees Jesus when he sees us in him. He sees us with and in Christ, for that is who we are.
All the safety of the gospel does not lie merely in our belief or in following certain precepts. All the safety and power of the gospel lies in God's doing it "in Christ." Paul emphasized this truth further in Colossians: "If ye have been raised with Christ, seek things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Seek what is above, not what is on earth. For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God" (Colossians 3,1-3).

Concentrate on the above things, not on earthly things. Being in Christ means that as Christians we live in two realms - the physical world of everyday reality and the "invisible world" of spiritual existence. We are not yet experiencing the full glory of our resurrection and ascension with Christ, but Paul tells us that is no less real. The day is coming, he says, when Christ will appear, and in that day we will fully experience the reality of who we have become.

God didn't just forgive our sins and then leave us to try to be righteous. God made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions. Then he raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms. We are no longer who we are alone, but who we are in union with Christ. We share in all that he accomplished for us, for us, and on our behalf. We belong to Jesus Christ!

This is the basis of your confidence, your firm belief, trust and steadfast hope. God has formed you into oneness with Christ so that in him you may participate in the relationship of love that Jesus has had with the Father and the Holy Spirit from eternity. In Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God, you are the Father's beloved child and He takes great delight in you. The Christian Ascension Day is a good time to remind you of this life changing good news.

by Joseph Tkach