The Celebration of the Departure of Jesus

49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” 50 And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple blessing God.

This is the brief account of the ascension of Christ into heaven, having completed His earthly journey and His earthly work.

It is a significant event, maybe, in some ways, far more significant than most people give it credit for.

it makes sense to celebrate His ascension which ended His earthly journey

… not in death the way everybody else’s earthly journey ends,

but in simply transporting Himself in full view of His followers into heaven.

I suggest that the ascension of Christ doesn’t get anywhere near the attention that it should. [1]

Lord Jesus, sometimes we wonder what you’re currently doing in heaven—speculating this, that, or the other. Sometimes—to our own loss, we don’t even ponder such a weighty notion. But after your resurrection, you ascended to the right hand of our Father, and you didn’t fall into a hammock, sit back in a recliner, or “go on sabbatical.”

You joyfully climbed onto your throne, and no one has ever been more active, loving, and engaged than you are at this very moment. Hallelujah, and thank you.

Scotty Smith

The story of Jesus began in heaven when He left and came to earth. And it ends when He leaves earth to return to heaven.

The story began with condescension and ends with ascension.

It began with incarnation and ends with exaltation.

Begins with expectation and ends with consummation.

It began with the Son of God being born of a virgin, descending to earth and it ends with the Son of God being born from the dead, ascending to heaven.

The story began with hope unrealized and ends with hope fully realized.

It began with a promise and ends with a fulfillment and a new promise. [2]

The pre-existent and eternal Son of God came to our world and became a man like us so that he might secure for us here in this world forgiveness, wholeness, peace with God and the certainty that God’s will shall eventually be done on earth even as it is done in heaven.

But there is more. By his “Going” he has taken humanity to the pinnacle of the universe.… All who trust him will one day be brought to share his glory in that exalted realm, and to reign with him at his return. David Gooding

According to Luke: A New Exposition of the Third Gospel (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987)

The Ascension

The “Going” of Christ

Just like an epic movie doesn't end with the heroes standing around, but with them ascending to their rightful place of honor, the Gospel story wouldn't be complete without Jesus' ascension as the perfect ending to His victory.

Luke describes this miraculous event more fully in his other best-seller, the book of Acts.

s· Jesus was with his disciples for forty days, preaching the kingdom of God and giving many proofs of his resurrection (Acts 1:3)

Acts 1:3 “He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.”

He did not simply vanish (see Luke 24:31), but ascended into heaven, rising from their sight on a glorious and mysterious cloud.

Acts 1:9 ESV

And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

Here are two images depicting the Ascension of Christ at the Mount of Olives. You can view them above.

This marvelous cloud represented the presence of God and gave the ascension an air of finality. Here then is “the consummation of Christ’s earthly work, the indication to His followers that His mission is accomplished, His work among them come to a decisive end.” 4

When he “ascended far above all the heavens” (Eph. 4:10), the Son of God returned to the place he left behind when he became a man (see John 17:5).

He was restored to the glories of heaven and the worship of the heavenly angels.

In leaving the world, he was going to the Father (see John 16:10, 28; 20:17), imagine the homecoming that was

and when he returned to the presence of God, he took his exalted place at the Father’s right hand (see Acts 2:33; 7:56; Col. 3:1; Heb. 1:3; 10:12).

Colossians 3:1 (ESV)

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

“At the Right Hand of God” symbolically indicates his supreme dominion and authority over heaven and earth.

The right hand of any ancient monarch was a place of exalted honor and royal government.

Thus for Jesus to sit down at the right hand of the Father was to exercise equal and absolute rule over the entire universe.

The risen Christ is the eternal King. He has “gone into heaven,” wrote the apostle Peter,

“and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him” (1 Peter 3:22) [4]

He has never discarded the human nature that he assumed in his incarnation, but has ascended into heaven in bodily form.

We have faith in the ascension of the body as much as we have faith in the resurrection of the body. The same Christ who was born and suffered in the body also ascended in the body. We believe in the bodily ascension of the crucified, risen, and glorified Christ.

Comprehend this staggering thought: because of the bodily ascension of Jesus Christ, the dust of earth now sits on the throne of heaven.[5]

Thomas Boston said that when the people of God reach heaven, they will

see Jesus Christ, God and man, with their bodily eyes, as He will never lay aside the human nature. They will behold that glorious blessed body, which is personally united to the divine nature, and exalted above principalities and powers and every name that is named.

“There we shall see, with our eyes, that very body which was born of Mary at Bethlehem, and crucified at Jerusalem between two thieves: the blessed head that was crowned with thorns; the face that was spit upon; the hands and feet that were nailed to the cross; all shining with inconceivable glory.”

Thomas Boston 7[6]

A Farewell Benediction

“Lifting up His hands He blessed Them”

the Gospel to end the same way a worship service ends: with a benediction. In other words, Luke ends with a verbal expression of the blessing of God, imparted with the gesture of a raised hand or outstretched arms.[7]

When Aaron was ordained to serve as the first high priest of Israel, he “lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them … and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people” (Lev. 9:22–23). This became the tradition for all of Israel’s priests.

The famous words of their traditional benediction are still used in the church today: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace” (Num. 6:24–26).[8]

As a priest he had offered himself as the sacrifice for their sins on the cross. Now as their priest he also pronounced their benediction.

Indeed, Jesus had become their benediction, for when he blessed his disciples, he blessed them with lifted hands that still bore the prints of the nails that crucified him and which therefore proclaimed his undying love for sinners.[9]

The blessing Jesus gave his disciples was the best of all blessings, for our Lord does not pronounce a benediction without also giving a blessing. As he ascended into heaven, Jesus kept blessing and blessing the apostles, giving them love and grace and mercy.

He was blessing them on their way, for soon they would go out into the world as witnesses to the gospel. As they went, they would have both the gift of the Spirit and the blessing of Christ—the promise of his presence.[10]

The same Son who sent us the Spirit of the Father is blessing us today.

We receive his benediction at the end of our worship.

Whenever a minister pronounces the benediction, God’s blessing is repeated. It is as if Jesus himself is lifting his hands over us—nail-prints and all—to bless us with his grace. He is giving us strength for ministry, comfort in suffering, and hope for the future.

Jesus is calling us to serve as a blessing to the nations.

Jesus blesses us and blesses us again, placing all our lives and all our service under his holy benediction. [11]

What does it mean to believe that Jesus ascended into heaven?

Zacharias Ursinus,

“....that he did truly, and not merely in show, ascend into heaven, and is now there, and will be called upon at the right hand of God, until he shall come from thence to judge the world. And that he has ascended for my sake and thy sake, and now appears in the presence of God, makes intercession for us, sends us the Holy Spirit, and will at length take us to himself, that we may be with him where he is, and reign with him in glory.” 13 [12]

· The forgiveness of our sins.

Now that he has ascended into heaven, Jesus is our advocate at the throne of God’s justice, pleading that the eternal Judge will have mercy on our sins.

As our defense attorney, so to speak, he raises his wounded hands in the courts of heaven as the proof that the price of our guilt is fully paid (see Heb. 9:24).[13]

Hebrews 9:24 “For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.”

When Jesus sat down at God’s right hand, it signified that the final payment for sin had been made.

Therefore, the ascension of Jesus is the seal that everything has been done to cover all the sins of those who trust Christ and are sanctified by him.

Imagine a courtroom scene where the judge is about to pass a harsh sentence on a guilty person. Suddenly, Jesus bursts in, declaring, “Your Honor, I’ve paid the penalty for this person’s crime. They are pardoned!” This is exactly what Jesus does for us in the heavenly court.

So don’t be downcast, my dear disciples, I am not leaving because the work of atonement was too hard. I am leaving it because it is finished.

· The ascension means the answer to our prayers.

The Bible says that Jesus “is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25; cf. Rom. 8:34).

The saving intercession of Jesus depends on the fact of the ascension. It is because Jesus ascended into heaven that he is able to present our requests before the throne of God’s grace.[14]

Hebrews 7:25 “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

ongoing never ending

· The ascension of Jesus Christ also guarantees the effectiveness of our evangelism and the ultimate triumph of the gospel around the world.

Just as a team celebrating their championship win knows they have the best story to share, we as believers have the greatest triumph to proclaim—the victory of Jesus over sin and death. And knowing that the final outcome is secure, we can confidently and joyfully engage in sharing this good news with others!

for in ascending to heaven, Jesus sent us the Spirit—the descent of the dove.

Now, by the Spirit, people all over the world are turning away from their sins to worship the ascended Son of God. [15]

· The ascension of Jesus Christ also guarantees the effectiveness of our evangelism and the ultimate triumph of the gospel around the world.

· The ascension means that Jesus is closer to us than ever.

This is one of the great mysteries of the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told his disciples that actually it would be advantageous for them if he left and returned to heaven, because then the Holy Spirit would come (John 16:7) and enable them to do even greater works than he had done (John 14:12)! rather than keeping us farther away from Jesus, the ascension actually brings him closer to us.

John 16:7 ESV

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

His bodily absence means his spiritual omnipresence. [16]

· The ascension is the promise of our own exaltation to the presence of God.

Without the ascension, there could be no second coming, and without the second coming, no return to heaven for the people of God.

When Jesus ascended into heaven, the angels told the apostles that he would come back to earth the same way that he departed (Acts 1:11): with heavenly clouds of glory. When he returns at his second coming,

Jesus will take us up to heaven with him, in our own resurrection bodies. His ascension is our ascension, just as his resurrection is our resurrection. [17]

Acts 1:11 “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.””

They Worshiped

“And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.”

Maybe this is why the disciples worshiped with such great joy in the days and weeks following the ascension.

The first time Jesus told them how soon he would be leaving them, they were filled with sorrow (see John 16:6).

Everything we know about these weak men and their needy dependence on Jesus leads us to expect them to be distraught by his departure.

Yet when he ascended into heaven, “they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God” (Luke 24:52–53).[18]

The disciples worshiped Jesus early and they worshiped him often. For a while they lingered on the Mount of Olives, but soon they did what Jesus told them to do and went back to Jerusalem. There, as they waited for the gift of the Spirit, they joyfully kept worshiping day after day, not only in private homes, but also at the temple (see Acts 1:10–14).

They were worshiping Jesus all the time, with an irresistible longing to glorify God with deep gratitude. 17

Anyone who knows the same Jesus they knew will have the same joy, the same longing, and the same gratitude. Do you know this Jesus—the one Luke wrote about in his Gospel?

Anyone who does not know him needs to know him for sure.

Anyone who does know Jesus ought to worship him.

Worship Jesus for his miraculous virgin birth—a birth celebrated by angels and welcomed by shepherds.

Worship Jesus for his perfect obedience to the Father, even when he was tempted in the wilderness by the devil.

Worship Jesus for the powerful miracles that cured the sick, healed the disabled, fed the hungry, and raised the dead.

Worship him for the wisdom of his teaching—for all of his amazing parables and dramatic demands for discipleship.

Worship him for the love he showed in seeking all the lost and lonely people we meet in Luke’s Gospel—sinners just like us, in all of their spiritual need.

Worship Jesus most of all for his saving work: his courageous sufferings, his atoning death, his triumphant resurrection, and last of all, his glorious ascension.

After we have seen Jesus rising to heaven and returning to the Father, there is nothing more for us to say, except “Glory to God in the highest, and praise to Jesus the exalted Son!”

The ascension of Jesus is an “ascent of joy” not only because the disciples love Jesus and rejoice in his joy, but also because there are supremely valuable benefits that come to them, to us, because Jesus has returned to the Father.

The ascension of Jesus is an “ascent of joy” for us because it means that Jesus reigns supreme over all our enemies.

1 Peter 3:22 says, Jesus Christ has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.

You remember that Paul said our struggle in this life is not really against visible, physical opposition, but against principalities and powers and spiritual hosts of wickedness (Ephesians 6:12). It is precisely these that Jesus has conquered by his death and over which he now reigns by his ascension. And all this is for our sake, for the church as Paul says in Ephesians 1:20–23:

Ephesians 1:20–23 “that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”

God raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come; and he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church.

Jesus Christ is the king of the universe, And there is nothing Satan can do about it.

Satan can try to put a veil over your mind so that a hundred things, which will all pass away, seem to shine more brightly than the kingship of Jesus.

Resist him firm in your faith! Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

“He will take the veil away that you might see the ascension of Jesus for what it really is: the homecoming and coronation of the Son of God, the validation of the sufficiency of his sacrifice for sin, the inauguration of his eternal intercessory work, and his installation as the sovereign God-man over all the enemies of the church.” John Piper

O, that we might always be a people who worship Jesus and make our way obediently to Jerusalem rejoicing and saying continually:

Bless the Lord, O my soul;

And all that is within me bless his holy name!

Bless the Lord, O my soul;

And forget not all the benefits of his ascension!

Piper, J. (2007). Sermons from John Piper (1980–1989). Desiring God.

[1]MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2014). John MacArthur Sermon Archive. Grace to You. [2]MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2014). John MacArthur Sermon Archive. Grace to You. 1 David Gooding, According to Luke: A New Exposition of the Third Gospel (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987), 9. [3]Ryken, P. G. (2009). Luke (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.; Vol. 2, p. 691). P&R Publishing. 2 Gooding, Luke, 356. 4 Leon Morris, The Gospel According to St. Luke: An Introduction and Commentary, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974), 344. [4]Ryken, P. G. (2009). Luke (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.; Vol. 2, p. 693). P&R Publishing. 5 Francis Turretin, Institutes of Elenctic Theology, 3 vols., trans. George Musgrave Giger, ed. James T. Dennison, Jr. (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 1994), 2:368. [5]Ryken, P. G. (2009). Luke (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.; Vol. 2, p. 693). P&R Publishing. 7 Thomas Boston, Human Nature in Its Fourfold State (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1989), 452–53. [6]Ryken, P. G. (2009). Luke (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.; Vol. 2, p. 694). P&R Publishing. [7]Ryken, P. G. (2009). Luke (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.; Vol. 2, pp. 697–698). P&R Publishing. [8]Ryken, P. G. (2009). Luke (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.; Vol. 2, p. 698). P&R Publishing. [9]Ryken, P. G. (2009). Luke (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.; Vol. 2, p. 698). P&R Publishing. [10]Ryken, P. G. (2009). Luke (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.; Vol. 2, pp. 698–699). P&R Publishing. [11]Ryken, P. G. (2009). Luke (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.; Vol. 2, p. 699). P&R Publishing. 13 Zacharias Ursinus, The Commentary of Dr. Zacharias Ursinus on the Heidelberg Catechism, trans. G. W. Willard (1852; reprint Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, n.d.), 253. [12]Ryken, P. G. (2009). Luke (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.; Vol. 2, p. 700). P&R Publishing. [13]Ryken, P. G. (2009). Luke (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.; Vol. 2, p. 700). P&R Publishing. [14]Ryken, P. G. (2009). Luke (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.; Vol. 2, p. 700). P&R Publishing. [15]Ryken, P. G. (2009). Luke (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.; Vol. 2, pp. 700–701). P&R Publishing. [16]Ryken, P. G. (2009). Luke (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.; Vol. 2, p. 701). P&R Publishing. [17]Ryken, P. G. (2009). Luke (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.; Vol. 2, p. 701). P&R Publishing. [18]Ryken, P. G. (2009). Luke (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.; Vol. 2, p. 702). P&R Publishing. 17 Norval Geldenhuys, The Gospel of Luke, New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1951), 646.

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