Why is the Ascension Important?

Jesus had been on earth for over a month after his resurrection, and many people had seen and talked to him. One day, he led his disciples out to the village of Bethany, which is on the Mount of Olives. Jesus answered one of their questions about whether he was about to overthrow the Roman occupiers and restore the kingdom of Israel. Jesus told them that it wasn’t for them to know God’s timing about such things.

He reminded them that they would soon receive the Holy Spirit. Their job wasn’t to know God’s timing of future events, it was to be his witnesses to the world through the power of the Holy Spirit. Then he blessed them.

Suddenly, Jesus rose into the sky until a cloud hid him from view. And just like that, the ministry of Jesus on earth was over. He left this existence and entered another dimension. He returned to heaven and the glory he had previously left behind. 

The disciples were stunned. They had just received Jesus back from a tomb a short while ago, and now he was gone again. I think most of them expected him to float back down as if this was some demonstration of majesty and power. But Jesus didn’t come back down, so they stood there, staring into the sky. 

That’s when two angels showed up. The disciples had completely forgotten about what Jesus had said, that the Holy Spirit would come and lead them as they told the world about the Messiah. The angels 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 1:11). 

These angels had arrived at the exact moment the disciples needed them. They were sad, and the angels brought joy. They were confused, and the angels brought peace. The angels announced that Jesus wasn’t gone forever. One day, they said, he’ll return just the way he left. Jesus will come back, not just as a spirit from heaven, but physically, in the same glorified body he left in. 

The words of the angels worked. According to Luke 24:52, the disciples “worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.” All their sadness, confusion, and questions were gone. Jesus would return. Meanwhile, they had a job to do.

Mark and Luke are the ones who tell us about the Ascension, and Luke tells us twice. The passages are Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-51, and Acts 1:9-11. But how often have you heard a message in church from these verses? Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like the Ascension isn’t talked about nearly as often as the Crucifixion or Resurrection. The Ascension is as much a historical event as those and equally important.

What’s so important about the Ascension of Christ? I’ll mention two key reasons here at the start: First, when Jesus returned to heaven, he became the king of all creation. Second, because Jesus ascended, he’s now in heaven with God the Father as our intercessor and advocate (1 John 2:1).

Both of those reasons start overlapping with the present and future work of Christ, and that topic will be coming up next. So, let’s spend more time on a couple of other reasons why the Ascension of Jesus is so vital.

First, because of the Ascension, Jesus is preparing a place in heaven for us.

In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. (John 14:2-3)

One day, we’ll have a glorified body like Jesus had, built for eternity. We’ll be in these new bodies in a place Jesus is preparing for us now. For the Christian, this earth isn’t our home, and death isn’t the end. We’re just passing through on the way to our true home in the presence of God. Heaven isn’t a land of make-believe. It’s real, and it’s where we’ll be one day. Jesus left to get our home ready.

The Ascension is also important because when Jesus left, he sent us the Holy Spirit. Jesus had told the disciples that it was better for him to leave so the Holy Spirit would come.

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. (John 16:7)

As amazing as it would be to have Jesus here with us, walking through life with us each day, it’s much better for the Holy Spirit to be with us and within us. If Jesus were here, he could only be with a few people at a time. But the Holy Spirit can be with every believer all the time. 

Because Jesus ascended, we now have the Holy Spirit who indwells us. He convicts us of our sins and empowers us to be all that God calls us to be, to do all that God calls us to do. We have the Spirit within us who counsels us and guides us, giving us discernment and wisdom as we go through life. 

The Holy Spirit comforts us when we need it. In the dark times you’ve had, as bad as they were, you probably felt the presence of the Spirit giving you comfort and peace. 

As we go through life, the Holy Spirit empowers us. Several years ago, Kim and I decided to put up a fence for our dog, Tiger. A friend came over to help, and we each had a pair of work gloves and post-hole diggers. So we got started trying to dig the holes for the fence posts. That’s when we realized just how rocky the ground was. It was like digging holes into solid rock. We were both about to pass out from exhaustion with nothing much to show for our work. 

Then we thought of going to the local equipment rental place and getting a gasoline-powered auger. Boom! Hole after hole getting dug. Until about the seventh hole when we got the auger stuck, but that’s a different story that involves words I can’t write, and it doesn’t fit my illustration here. The point is, we got nowhere trying to do things on our own, and when we got the right tool, the right power, we got the job done.

So many Christians go through life putting on their gloves and using post-hole diggers in rock-hard dirt. They try and try to live the Christian life on their own strength, doing their best to follow all the rules, and they get really tired without much to show for it. Which is crazy, because there’s an auger sitting there available.

The Holy Spirit is one of the greatest gifts God has given us. We don’t have to go through life in our strength. We have the limitless strength of the Holy Spirit with us and in us. He gives us the power to do whatever God calls us to do. He also fills us, intercedes for us, seals us for eternity, and so much more. We can trust Jesus when he says that it’s better that he left and sent the Spirit. We should thank God regularly for the gift of the Holy Spirit.

So there you have it – the Ascension. Jesus rose and entered heaven and sat at the right hand of God. And everything changed. 

We’ve looked now at what Jesus did in the past. But what is he doing now? That’s up next.

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