Jesus’ ascension is the crown of His life.
Scripture reading: Acts of Apostles 1:1-11. Text: “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 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 of Apostles 1:10-11.
Again we are facing a mystery concerning the last part of Jesus’ life for which we cannot offer any logical and scientific explanation. For us the question is not HOW our Lord ascended into heaven but what it means for us. May we pray that three issues will shine through Christ’s departure from earth.
As we read the Bible we learn that Jesus’ birth was not only exceptional but His arriving on earth had heavenly origin, therefore it was divine, mysterious, and spiritual. Please read Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 1:26-35, and Luke 2:8-14. As we follow Christ’s life, teaching, healing, ministry, and the end of his life, we find:
– Jesus’ birth was validated by his teaching and ministry,
– His life, teaching, healing, and ministry was validated by His death on the cross,
– His sacrificial death on the cross was validated by His glorious resurrection
Easter morning, and
– His entire life – from His birth to His resurrection – was validated by His
ascension into heaven, His returning to His Father. Our Lord predicted this about
himself: “‘I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am
leaving the world and going to the Father.'” John 16:28. Also 1 Peter 3:21-22.
Enthusiastic evangelists like to preach and emphasize the importance of repentance and being born anew. Please read John 3:1-15. Repentance is preceded by the admission of sins and asking for forgiveness. It is assumed that being born anew means that one has to surrender his/her previous worldly life. For many this sounds too “religiously demanding”. We consider ourselves modern and liberated people who dislike any pressure or forceful means.
To avoid this, we should offer another way – and basically it is the same as being born anew – namely: “SPIRITUALIZATION OF THE WORLD.” Obviously in this case spiritualization means being inspired by the Holy Spirit that Jesus had promised His disciples before ascending into heaven. Please read Acts of Apostles 1:8 and Luke 24:49. We can translate the word SPIRITUALIZAION into this expression: doing our best to become more and more like Christ and His apostles. When people are “SPIRIT DOMINATED” their lives demonstrate “. . . the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:22-24. When Jesus ascended into heaven His physical body turned into a spiritual one; this was the opposite of what occurred at His birth. John 1:14/a.
“And while they (who witnessed Jesus’ ascension) were gazing into heaven as he (the Savior) went . . .” Acts of Apostles 1:10/a. After we look into heaven, obviously with respect to Jesus, we will be blessed with a different view:
– We will look around and see the world and people with a different view and mindset. No doubt there is much evil, suffering, injustice, and cruelty in this world that could make one become embittered and disgusted. However, in the midst of a storm the smallest ray of sunshine is a sign of hope and a better future. The more the world is submerged in human wrongdoing the more we need the spiritualization of it. Mat. 6:10.
– We also should have an improved introspection, being more objective, impartial, and unbiased about ourselves. How do I evaluate myself and how do I compare myself to others? Most of us think, “I happen to be right in the middle, neither too bad and nor too good. I am where I do not hurt anybody and wish to help others.”
This is the way Apostle Paul interpreted Jesus’ ascension: “(In saying, ‘He ascended,’ what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is he who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.”) Ephesians 4:9-10.
The Rev. Alexander Jalso is a retired United Presbyterian minister living in Ligonier.