Jesus' Ascension, our hope
Do you remember the song "Up, Up and Away" by The 5th Dimension from 1967? It went: "Want to ride in my awesome hot air balloon? We could float among the stars together, you and I! Because we can fly." Up, up and away in my magnificent hot air balloon. From such a height, the world would seem less ugly. It would look more beautiful than when viewed up close. That sounds like a tempting way to escape everything. Jesus' ascension wasn't an escape to heaven. It wasn't an attempt to evade his troubles. Jesus wanted to draw us closer to God through the sending of the Holy Spirit. He said, "But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." (Joh 16,7).
In the week before his crucifixion, Jesus Christ constantly thought of us. He knew he was going to be killed. At the same time, he was certain that his Father would raise his body from the grave. His concern was less for his own fate than for the disciples who would remain behind. He wasn't thinking only of them: "I do not pray for them alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they all may be one." (Joh 17,20-21)This refers to us, we who would accept his grace in the future.
Jesus continued: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (Joh 14,16-18)Although this was a time of fear for him, he wanted to comfort his followers. After his resurrection, the disciples thought Jesus would remain on earth. Therefore, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" (Apg 1,6)They still could not grasp Jesus' promise to send another lawyer or counselor.
Ascension of Jesus
Then came the day when Jesus left the world: “And when he had said this, he was lifted up before their very eyes, and a cloud took him away from their sight.” (Apg 1,9)Luke reports that Jesus spoke words of blessing and comfort as he ascended into heaven: “He led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. And it came to pass, as he blessed them, that he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.” (Lk 24,50-51).
The Apostle Paul's letter to the Ephesians answers the question of what happened and what significance the Ascension holds for us. The Father raised Jesus from the dead and seated him at his right hand in heaven. Paul emphasizes that we, too, share in his resurrection and ascension: "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus." (Eph 2,4-7).
With Jesus Christ we can overcome the hardships of our earthly life: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade, and is kept in heaven for you.” (1. Petr 1,3-4).
Jesus had spoken his thoughts before the Father for our sake. He didn't need to say this aloud, for he and the Father are one. He wanted us to know his prayer: “And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one as we are one.” (Joh 17,11)Through faith we are protected by God's power until the Second Coming: "For by God’s power you are being preserved through faith for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time." (1. Petr 1,5).
This power was given through the promise of the Holy Spirit. After his resurrection, Jesus said to his disciples: “And behold, I am sending upon you what my Father has promised. But you shall remain in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” (Lk 24,49).
Dear reader, the same Spirit that was given to the disciples of Jesus also dwells in you. The Spirit of Jesus lives in us, and he has neither forsaken nor abandoned us. Through this Spirit, Jesus is present, and we are eternally united with him. This is precisely what the events of the Ascension and Pentecost make visible to us.
by James Henderson
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