The Ascension of Jesus strikes me as an undervalued event in the teaching of the Protestant church. We do a great job on the death and resurrection of Jesus, especially around Easter, but rarely do we reflect much on the Ascension. There is an “Ascension Sunday” in liturgical calendars (May 12, 2013), but most Protestant churches do not make too much of the Ascension in our post-Easter worship.
It is a bit of a surprise to find out that the Ascension is not found in Matthew or John, and is only in the longer ending of Mark. The last few verses of Luke mention the Ascension in anticipation of the longer telling of the story in Acts 1. The Ascension functions in the story of Luke-Acts the climax of everything Jesus taught about himself and his role as messiah, but also as an anticipation of the direction of the narrative plot of Acts, but also the theology of Acts.
With respect to the narrative development of the book, the message that Jesus is the Messiah will be preached in the next chapter, starting in Jerusalem, but ultimately the message will go to “the ends of the world.” Acts 28 concludes the book with Paul in a synagogue in Rome, still giving witness to the fact that Jesus was the Messiah.
With respect to theology, the Ascension is critically important for Luke’s Christology. As Keener points out, this event is anticipated as early as Luke 9:51 (an allusion to his being “taken up.” This is a rare word (ἀνάλημψις), only used here in the New Testament or the LXX, but it is used for a similar even in the Assumption of Moses and in Testament of Levi 18.3 to describe the rising of a “new priest” who will judge the Earth. This person is “like a star” and he will shall take away all darkness from under heaven, and there shall be peace in all the earth.”
The Ascension is also important for Luke’s view of the future. The departure of Jesus anticipates the way he will return, as the angelic messages state in Acts 1:11. I think that the pattern Luke has in mind here is drawn from Ezekiel 10 and 11. There the prophet sees the Glory of God depart from the temple to the east, stopping on a mountain to the east of the Temple before ascending to heaven (11:22-23). After the Glory of God has departed, Ezekiel is told that there will be no more delay, the city will fall and the long exile will begin.
By describing the Ascension as he does in Acts 1, Luke is calling attention to the fact that Jesus is the Glory of God and that his departure signals the continuation of the long exile of Israel. But like Ezekiel, there is a promise that the Glory of God will return to Israel again and he will “restore the kingdom.”
What are some other ways the Ascension functions as a part of Luke’s theology of Jesus? Looking ahead in Acts, what else does this important event anticipate?
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January 16, 2013 at 10:36 pm
John Caprari
We often discuss and focus on the future coming back of Christ because of it’s anticipated implications. We interpret that Jesus’ descension means the beginning of end times. Which is controversial, yet is doctrine that many Christians are naturally attracted to talking about. But what about the ascension of Christ? There are some tremendously significant implications that result from this event. Without the ascension there is no descension. This event even impacts some details of what we understand about the descenion; “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Also, the ascension enables the Holy Spirit coming to dwell among believers. John 16:7 states, “But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you”. For the Holy Spirit to come to come down at Pentecost, Jesus first needed to leave. Acknowledging that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is necessary to receive salvation and live a Christian life, the ascension of Jesus Christ is quite the significant event.
January 16, 2013 at 11:26 pm
ZSchutte
John, I really like the points you make about how the Ascension is vital to complete the story of Christ’s redemptive work, as well as His Descension. Acts 1 appears to set the stage for the “passing of the baton.” Jesus Christ’s personal ministry has ended, and His ascension signals to the Apostles that it is now on their shoulders to share Christ’s message with the world. Without the Ascension, it seems the Apostles would be too dependent on Christ that they would not branch out on their own into ministry. This was not the wishes of Christ, as He said, “you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (1:8).” Would this have been possible if Christ would have remained on earth, or would the Apostles have clung to Christ in the manner they had before His death, resurrection, and acension? It seems that The Ascension was a necessary transition for the apostles to realize their role in sharing the Gospel. Christ empowered and trained the disciples in His time on earth, and the Ascension provided an emphatic and essential transition of authority to the disciples to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
January 16, 2013 at 11:16 pm
arenberg93
I absolutely love that Jesus is bigger than us. In our current day and age it is so easy to create an individualistic viewpoint on Jesus Christ. When we hear that Jesus died for you, it is true, and yet he is so much more than just that. The fulfillment he was to Israel and the promise he made to return and restore Israel is just incredible. So when Luke uses Jesus’ ascension as a springboard for Acts, it is a reminder that Jesus is not a one and done deal. He is the foundation, the truth to which all of Acts sits on; the truth that we as Christians should all rest on. That is why in V.6 they ask Jesus if he was going to restore the kingdom at that time. The disciples realized that Jesus was the light, the truth, and the fulfillment of Israel. This ascension marks the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, but marks the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the start to the early church. Luke starts Acts well in marking that Jesus is the foundation,and that all the “acts” in this book are only because of Jesus Christ, what he has done, and what he has promised to do in the future. Through these first 11 verses in Acts, Luke lays the groundwork for the entire ministry of the church.
January 17, 2013 at 12:00 am
leviwood138
While reading through Acts 1 I actually paused when I read verse 9-11. I kind of imagined what it would be like to actually witness Jesus coming back from the sky on a white horse robe dipped in blood with his sword. The image of Jesus ascending is hard to imagine without some sort of cartoon imagery coming into my head thinking of him floating or perhaps flying like Peter Pan or Superman. As you have said in your lectures on this before it does seem as though the Apostles that witnessed this even would have been standing there dumbfounded with their mouths open. To see something that amazing and never done before would have been hard to believe even with witnessing it with my own eyes.
January 17, 2013 at 8:10 am
DJ horsfall
I think the ascension of Christ is a lot less talked about than the second coming. But without the ascension of Christ, we have no second coming. This may be off topic, but something stood out to me while I was reading. When the two men in white came down and saw the people staring up to the heavens and basically said “hey! Why are you staring into the heavens. You have work to do! Go!” I feel like a lot of Christians do that today. We go to church and do the “Christian thing” but that’s all we do. We don’t go and do the work we were taught to do. I don’t know I guess it is just a thought..