Whats So Great About the Ascension – RELEVANT Magazine

Jesus rose from the dead. Its the foundation of what Christians believe. But is it really so amazing? Thats an unorthodox question, I know: but why? Why, as Christians, should we believe that Jesus Christ is God because he rose from the dead?

The fact that Christ rose from the dead isnt all that miraculous. Yes, Ive never met a resurrected guy before, but there are plenty of stories in the Bible (and outside the Bible) of people rising from the dead.

If rising from the dead is the foundation of faith, then why arent we worshiping Lazarus, after all?

If it isnt the resurrection that a Christian should base their faith on, then what? Its what came after. The part of the story that almost feels like a mere footnote; the part that some of the gospel writers didnt mention at all; and the part that doesnt even have a holiday attached to it. What is it? The Ascension.

Jesus didnt just raise from the deadhe Ascended into heaven.

But what does the Ascension mean, and why does it feel like just a footnote?

Before getting into why the Ascension is so important, its worth taking a detour to speak to the elephant in the room: Jesus ascended into heaven, so why werent people talking about it? Whats more impressive after all? A guy coming back from the dead or a guy straight up walking into the gates of heaven?

The Ascension may not be the most talked about event of the gospels, but it certainly was spoken of. Luke mentions it. So does John. And depending on where you think the Gospel of Mark ended, he did too. And lets not forget the dozens of places it is mentioned outside of the gospel.

The reason it doesnt take a more upfront role is twofold. One: it probably wasnt all that impressive. It wasnt like Jesus strapped on a pair of hover shoes and road up into the sky shooting lasers out of his eyeballs for all within a 300-mile radius to see.

The Ascension was a deeply personal event that was more for his core team of disciples to witness, and then tell the world about.

In reality, theres nothing to say he Ascended at all; the word Ascension is a reference to going to heavennot the action in which he got there. The Ascension could have been a portal opening to heaven for all we know.

And two: the resurrection was more important to the Gospel audience. In terms of the story, most new believers were most impressed by the resurrection account, and so thats what they were told.

The resurrection is important, but its nothing without the theology behind the Ascension.

So if the resurrection is what attracted new believers, but its nothing without the theology of the Ascension, then why is the Ascension so important?

We all know that Christ died for our sins; anyone whos spent an hour in Sunday school can tell you that much; but Christ went beyond that: he defeated death. He fulfills the promise to return to the Father, and he is no longer bound by Earth. Heaven is boundless. Christ can now travel anywhere and to anybodyfully accessible all the time.

But more significant than all of that is the fact that he ascended into heaven with the promise that something else would descent down on us: the Holy Spirit. With the Ascension, God is something that can manifest inside of us through the Spirit.

We dont know what the Ascension looked like, but we do know what Christ did before he left. And its moving.

He could have given his greatest sermon right before he leftand, depending on how you look at it, he did. He knew he was leaving. It was time to leave his disciples with parting words. But he didnt use words: he used an action. His final act on Earth wasnt a speech: it was a blessing. Luke 24:50 says he, lifted up his hands and blessed them.

There were words spoken. But its the action that is important to the Gospel writer. But its even more moving than that. His hands are risen in this moment. Who cares, right? Not exactly. This is a pretty small bunch. Jesus could have just as easily put his hands over themthat is what would have been expected. But instead the blessing is separated from themand even more: over them. Its as if hes not just blessing the disciples: hes giving a blessing that radiants over them to the entire world.

After the Ascension theres something else thats important. The disciples seem instantly changed. You see a change happening after the resurrection, but there still seems to be reservations and confusions.

When Jesus Ascends, the disciples get it. Luke 24:52 says that they worshipped him. Jesus isnt the teacher anymore; hes not the prophet; he is God. They are worshiping the way you worship God alone.

Jesus could have risen from the dead then Ascended into heaven instantly, giving the Holy salute to anyone there to witness it. But he stayed for 40 days. He gave his final teachings in those 40 days, and those teachings transformed the scarred and confused disciples into men of action who were prepared to go into the world.

Easter is a, no doubt, an important holiday, but when you want to dig in deep and really understand the closeness we can have with God, then look to the Ascension.

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Whats So Great About the Ascension - RELEVANT Magazine