The Ascension of Christ
The Ascension of Christ
When it comes to the Ascension of Christ and how it has been taught in evangelicalism, I would say that there are things we often miss and there are things we often get wrong. I have found that most pastors and churches in similar streams as ours either ignore the ascension, or they misunderstand it entirely, minimizing the story, and thereby making it less formative for the average church-goers.
Ignoring the Ascension
I don’t think it is any surprise that the Ascension is the Christian holiday that is most ignored and least celebrated in the American Christian calendar. Most American Evangelicals think that the gospel story can be told with Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter alone. But understanding the weight of the Ascension relies upon understanding the question that the disciples ask right before the event:
Verse 6:
“Then they gathered around him and asked him, ‘Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
The disciples were raised with a nationalist fantasy. Israel had, for most of their history, been an oppressed minority in the world. But they had always imagined that one day Israel was going to be a top nation in the world, a nation so great that, though it started out as small as a mustard seed, it would grow so big that the nations would “take refuge” in her branches (Matthew 13:31-32). When Jesus died, it was over. But now that Jesus was back, they believed that he would lead the rebellion against Rome. They were ready, all they needed were some swords and some zealous brothers and sisters, and Jesus would lead them to victory in some massive battle against the Roman Empire. That’s what this question means!
Luke captures Jesus answer in verse 7 and 8 with a “Yes, BUT”:
“It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority (that’s the yes). 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (that’s the but)” (Ac 1:7–8).
“Yes, this is the time for restoring the kingdom to Israel, BUT it doesn’t look like a nationalist or military take over.”
Rather:
“It looks like a new kingdom rising up within this one. A new king, Jesus. A new citizenry, the church. A new law, The Spirit. It is a hidden kingdom, and it will overtake this one, and His kingdom will have no end!”
That is what the ascension of Jesus is about. Jesus ascending to the throne of all humanity. Whatever picture you had of God, whatever that God was like, Jesus has ascended and is now seated on that throne.
The Ascension marks the moment that Christians began to recognize no king but Jesus. Caesar is not king. The Ascension is not about the absence of Christ, but about the ascendancy of Christ. The promotion of Christ to the position of all authority in heaven and on earth. Pastor, author, and theologian, Brian Zahnd, puts it like this: “Ascension day is not about Jesus becoming the first astronaut and blasting off to a galaxy far, far away. It is about Jesus ascending to the Oval Office of the Universe.”
The disciple named Mark says:
After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.
Mark 16:19
The right hand of God is not a cosmological location, but a poetic way of saying that God has now given all authority to Christ. Rather than his absence, Holy Thursday is about Jesus’ cosmic presence everywhere.
Misunderstandings he Ascension
Matthew has Jesus saying: “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt 28:20) at the ascension. Paul argues that Jesus now “fills all things everywhere with himself” (Eph 1:23). There is now no place where Christ is not, and there is no domain over which Jesus is not our Lord.
But if we end the gospel story of Jesus by saying “then Jesus flew off to heaven (which is why he’s not here), but someday he will come back and bring the kingdom of God. But until then we are free to run the world the way we want in what we assume is the absence of Christ.” If we promote a theology that says that Jesus is gone, far away, somewhere out there waiting to come back and begin his reign, then we default to the idea that Caesar needs to rule the world with his Caesar-like ways, violence, coercion, etc. We also might start taking part in the violence, the covetous land and wealth grabbing, and the empire building that comes along with it.
The early church proclaim a gospel that declares that “Jesus is reigning now,” and this allowed them to build this new kingdom, the church, a fellowship of differents, in this divided and sectioned off world. And so our earthly rulers will think they stand in some sort of authority over the follower of Jesus, not realizing that we look over their shoulder, past them, to one who is even above them, to the king sitting on the throne, Jesus.
Discussion Questions:
Why do you think the Ascension of Christ is often overlooked or misunderstood in evangelical circles? What impact does this have on our understanding of the gospel story?
In Acts 1:6, the disciples ask Jesus about restoring the kingdom to Israel. How does Jesus' response in verses 7-8 challenge their expectations? How does the Ascension redefine the concept of kingship and the nature of Christ's kingdom?
What does it mean for Jesus to ascend to the throne of all humanity? How does this challenge our understanding of power, authority, and the reign of Christ in our lives and in the world?
How can the ascension shape our understanding of Jesus' continuous presence with us?
How does a proper understanding of the Ascension shape our relationship with earthly rulers and our participation in the world? In what ways does recognizing Jesus as the reigning king impact our perspective on power, violence, and building the kingdom of God?