Sunday, May 24 is Ascension Sunday, the one day each year we set aside to specifically remember Jesus’ return to heaven. On May 31, we will observe Pentecost, when the church remembers and celebrates God’s gift of the Spirit following Christ’s ascension. I think the ascension of Jesus is an often overlooked event that deserves a little extra attention.

Welcome to the May 19, 2020 post from Peachtree Baptist Church, my name is Paul Capps, pastor. What I find especially meaningful in thinking about the ascension of Jesus is the level of love he has for us. He promised the Spirit would ‘take it from here’ and he loved us and trusted that we would reach back and accept the call He places on us to move His story of redemption forward. As we continue to move through this difficult season I'm reminded of the gift Jesus gives us to freely accept his mission of restoration. Jesus rose above the Earth even though the Earth was and is still broken. He trusted us enough to know we would do great things in His Name by the power of the Spirit in us. And so we ascend as well, to a place where our love for others remains despite the brokenness we find ourselves in. Some put the economy first; some put themselves first. Jesus calls us above it to put God and others first; in heave,  also upon the Earth. Jesus calls us to ascend above it as he did on the cross, putting the lives of others before his own, and revealing in His resurrection a future where all people for all the time can have access to a heavenly life.

So let’s start with the word ascension. What does it mean and how is it used? The English word comes from Latin, and the usage it Latin is as a verb: to go up, climb up, rise, mount, the action of moving upward. She ascended the mountain, or the throne. Jesus ascended into heaven, an act of glorification that he had spoken to his disciples about earlier in his ministry. But only the gospel of Luke provides the story of the event itself, in Luke 24. Here’s the description from those few verses at the end of Luke:

Luke 24:50-53

When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.

In the Greek, the language of the New Testament, taken up into heaven is one word, and it has the idea of being taken, carried or lifted in it. Luke also uses this word in Luke 9:51 which reads, ‘As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.’ This was the turning point in Jesus’ ministry and I think it’s interesting that Luke focuses on the ascension as the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry rather than the cross and resurrection, which is the case in the other gospels. I think this is due in part to the way Luke wants to portray the role of the early church in following in Jesus’ footsteps. And following Jesus means not only our relationship with God and one another now, but also our relationships when Jesus returns.

The connection between the Spirit being given and the ascension of Jesus has a parallel in the Old Testament as well. When Elijah ascended in 2 Kings 2 Elisha asked for a double portion of his spirit and that Spirit was acknowledged by the other prophets. But it was only Elisha receiving this gift. The gospels also connect Jesus and John the Baptist and their prophetic rolls to Elijah and Elisha. The difference in Luke and Acts is the fleshed-out idea of the Spirit made available to all people precisely because Jesus died, was resurrected, ascended, remains at the right hand of God, gave His Spirit and will one day return. Christ's work of restoration exampled in his resurrection continues from Heaven through us in the power of the Spirit by faith in Jesus. It’s a kind of tether or constant outpouring. Jesus was fully human but also fully God. In is heavenly throne now He and God and the Spirit, One but the distinct, provide us with the ability to continue Jesus's work of restoration until it is completed on his return.

The Ascension, James Tissot, Brooklyn Museum.