The
account of the resurrected Jesus ascending into heaven, found in the
beginning of the Book of Acts, is no mere myth explaining why Jesus is
no longer present on earth. It is the fulfillment of themes found
throughout the rest of the New Testament. Not only is the Ascension an
event in the life of Christ, but it directly affects our salvation,
just as we pray in the Litany:
By thine Agony and Bloody Sweat; by thy Cross and Passion; by thy precious Death and Burial; by thy glorious Resurrection and Ascension; and by the Coming of the Holy Ghost, Good Lord, deliver us.
There
are three great truths that come from the Ascension of Christ into
heaven that affect our salvation. The first is Christ as firstfruits,
the second is Christ as intercessor, and the third is Christ as coming
again. Because Christ fulfilled these roles in the historical reality
of his ascension, our full and final salvation will occur as historical
events.
Christ as Firstfruits. Stated
simply, Jesus went first. Every step the child of God must take was
taken first by Jesus. He was baptized, so now our baptism is forever
connected with his. We will be hated for our testimony, but he was
hated first (cf. John 15:18). We need not fear death, for Jesus went
first. He was the first to be raised from the dead, and he was the
first to ascend into heaven. The Christ who went before us now fills
all things and rules all things, for he "is the one who also ascended
far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things" (Ephesians
4:10, ESV).
Christ as Intercessor. When
Jesus ascended, he took our humanity and sat down at the right hand of
God the Father. At this very moment, one of our own kind--a fellow
human (though much more so)--is making intercession for us. "But if
anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous" (I John 2:1b, ESV). The writer to the Hebrews tells us that
"he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might
become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God"
(2:17), and "Since then we have a great high priest who has passed
through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our
confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to
sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been
tempted as we are, yet without sin" (4:14, 15). For this reason, "Let
us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may
receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (v. 16).
Christ as Coming Again. What
goes up, must come down. If one examines the icons of the Eastern
Church depicting the Ascension of Christ, one sees that it is not
immediately apparent if Christ is ascending into heaven or returning to
earth. This is intentional, as the two events are intricately
connected. The Book of Acts records how the Disciples continued to
stare up at the sky as Jesus was taken from their sight. Two angels
appeared and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into
heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in
the same way as you saw him go into heaven" (1:11). The bodily,
historical return of Jesus is attested to throughout the New Testament
(cf. Matthew 24:30, 31; 26:64; I Thessalonians 4:13-18). "Behold, he is
coming with the clouds" the Book of Revelation tells us, "and every eye
will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth
will wail on account of him" (1:7).
Jesus is truly ascended.
He sits at the right hand of God the Father, making intercession. He
will one day return. In the meantime, we recall how Jesus told his
followers that it is good that he is going away, "for if I do not go
away, the Helper [the Holy Spirit] will not come to you. But if I go, I
will send him to you" (John 16:7). By sending the Holy Spirit, God has
empowered his Church to take the Gospel into all the world, fulfilling
the last command Jesus gave his followers before ascending (Acts 1:8).
The Ascension of Jesus is a pivotal event not only in the life of
Christ, but in the life of his Church, as stated by that great hymn of
Charles Wesley: