Introduction
Roller coasters are becoming more and more popular in America; they are being built taller, and longer, and faster - and nearly every major theme and play park seems to have one. In a world that keeps us as dizzy as being on a roller coaster, or at best we have a suspicion that we are being used as a yo-yo, trying to meet the demands of all the strident voices about us. So, when a church event that has its anniversary on a certain Thursday every year - not even a Sunday - we find it a bit difficult to get too excited about the Ascension of our Lord. But lest we miss its true importance, let us look at it one more time. Jesus and his little band of followers are standing on a knoll called Mount Olivet, within sight of Jerusalem, and emotions are running high. Jesus is about to leave them - again! Some few days ago he told them he had to die, and he did - on another hill called Calvary, also within sight of Jerusalem. That first time he was taken away from them by force, then lifted up on a cross to die an agonizing death in redeeming a sinful world back to God. But God raised him up, and now he has been with them again for 40 days. They have felt once more his loving, familiar, comforting presence, and so his announcement of another departure - this time a permanent one - is not easy to accept. This time he will not be lifted "up" on a cross, but will go "up" to the Father in heaven. He said that it was "expedient for them, so that the Comforter could come, the Spirit who would abide with them forever." As they watch, a cloud receives him out of their sight as their Lord ascends to his Father in heaven. The reassuring words of the two men in white garments (were they not likely angels?) must have helped a bit when they were told, "This same Jesus will come again, just as you have seen him go into heaven." But when will he come again? and how? and what about the days in-between his leaving them and his return? what does it all mean? For that matter, what does a lesson like this mean to you and me?
Let us remind ourselves not to be so concerned with the literalism of the events of the text that we lose sight of the glorious message. When you start worrying about the accuracies of the account that comes to us from a pre-scientific world, you run into all sorts of problems. Just saying that Jesus went "up" boggles our minds; "up" from where, to where? The three-story universe understanding of the biblical writers (a flat earth with heaven above and hades beneath) causes all sorts of questions and speculations about the Ascension. After all, in our world we send astronauts up, but stoc_esermonsk markets go down; prices go up, and profits go down; unemployment goes up, and ratings go down; cost of living goes up, grades go down. Now those "ups and downs" we readily understand!
But what is this all about: Jesus went "up" and the Spirit will come "down?" Does it have any practical application for those of us who live realistically in a world that constantly teeters on the brink of disaster? Since we all long for certitude and stability, why does the church feel this doctrine of the Ascension of our Lord is so important?
Note that the early church was not overly concerned about the scientific and factual details of this event. Rather, they embraced the Ascension as an eternal truth that served to steady their faith, universalize the gospel and energize their witness. Look at these splendid truths:
The Ascension Announces A Throne
"So then after the Lord had spoken to them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God (Mark 16:19-20)." The Christ who once walked among us, died on a cross for us, rose from the dead, now lives and reigns! What a glorious truth! Jesus now reigns in heaven! Jesus is on the throne. In the chapel of Edward the Confessor, in Westminster Abbey in London, is the Coronation chair. It has been in use since 1301. All the reigning monarchs of England have sat upon it for their coronation. It is marked, marred, scratched, and rather ugly. Initials and names are carved on it like so much graffiti. It may not be beautiful, but it is a national treasure in Great Britain. I wonder what Christ's coronation chair is like in heaven? Imagine! Provided by the Father so that he can rule at his right hand! Perhaps it has "King of kings" and "Lord of lords" inscribed on its back. Maybe it is set with the very diadems of heaven - but no matter what it looks like, its glory is dimmed by the brightness of the One who sits upon it.
Christ is there as our Savior and Redeemer. The marks of our redemption are upon him, and we shall know him by his nail-pierced hands. And he also reigns as our high priest, intercessor, and advocate. We lift our prayers to God the Father, but close them "in Jesus' name," or "for Jesus' sake." But he is there, too, as Lord and King. Right now, he rules over human affairs and destinies from his throne in heaven. The new hymnal of the United Methodist Church has a chorus which says, "Majesty, worship His majesty. Unto Jesus be all glory, honor, and praise. Majesty, kingdom authority flow from His throne unto His own: His anthem raise. So exalt, lift up on high the name of Jesus. Magnify, come glorify Christ Jesus the King. Majesty, worship His majesty; Jesus who died, now glorified, King of all kings."
Perhaps that song writer had been reading Paul's words: "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11)."
Did you really think that his absence from earth meant that our affairs and problems are out of his mind? out of his hands? The Sovereign Son is still absolutely in charge! The church is not limited to our puny, earthbound resources because Jesus of Nazareth, son of a peasant woman and a carpenter, Jesus the teacher, Christ the crucified Savior, has now gone "up" to share in God's rule over heaven and earth. He sits at the Father's own right hand.
When Christ was on earth he was local and limited to time and space. His followers saw his visible form, but he could not belong to the whole world. Only by departing from the sight of the privileged few could he reign, by his Spirit, in the hearts of all. Christ is no longer localized in that tiny spot of earth we call the Holy Land. He has gone above to rule, to put all things under his feet.
The doctrine of the ascension gives us faith for these last days, and for our darkest days. It is important to remember "who" rules in the affairs of the human condition. Those first disciples feared he was leaving, but he told them he was not going "away," but "up." And there is a big difference!
Dr. Robert Stackel quotes someone as saying that with the passing away from the rule of so many kings in our world, the prophecy has been made that by the year 2000, there will be only five kings left: The King/Queen of England, and the king of spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs. No matter: the Christian has a mighty King that will never be de-throned, and he shall reign forever and ever! All that mankind has done, or can do, is under the sovereignty of Jesus Christ. Nothing can override or overrule him. He is in charge!
The Ascension Announces A Testimony
The disciples were promised that when Jesus went "up" the Spirit would come "down," and "ye shall be my witnesses (Acts 1:8)."
When Luke gives his other description of the ascension, in the gospel bearing his name, he says that after Christ was taken "up," "they went forth and preached everywhere." Christ sat down on the throne and the Christians went forth to witness, to preach, and to bear testimony. Christ was at the Father's right hand in heaven and the disciples were busy evangelizing. Christ took his departure from them and they were convinced that now they were his agents on earth to carry out the work he had begun. Jesus had said to Peter, James, and John, "As the Father hath sent me, even so send I you."
Christ is now enthroned in the place of power and authority, and the disciples are now energized by the coming of the Holy Spirit, and they set out to bear their witness to Christ, and that testimony will evangelize a hostile world. They are accused of "turning the world upside down," but in truth they were turning it "right side up."
Disciples are still bearing the testimony to Christ, and it is making a difference in the world. Christianity Today reported that the world's Christian population grew by about 326 million during the 1980s, and Christians now number an estimated 1.75 billion. The total amounts to about 33 percent of the world's 5.3 billion people. But we cannot lie back on our laurels, for America remains one of the greatest of all mission fields for the gospel. We total some 242 million persons, and, according to Pulpit Helps (July 1990) 167 million Americans do not know Christ as Savior and Lord. The number of the unconverted in America increases by about 2 million each year.
We are sorely in need of impassioned hearts and dedicated tongues to bear witness to the Christ. Psychologists estimate that the average person is each day given 700 chances to say something. Talkative people utter about 12,000 sentences each day, which averages out to a little over 100,000 words. Would it not seem that at least some of those words should be spoken for the Savior? Perhaps we all live somewhere between the stammer of our speaking and the grace of God. It ought not to be difficult to speak of him, if he has claimed our hearts and won our love. Strange, isn't it; we can talk about sex, or sports (sometimes it's almost pathological, our rabid interest in sports), or children, or grandchildren - why then, can we not talk about our Lord? God wants us to name his name in conversations (and not as a swear-word). We may stammer, we may stutter, we may blush, but for Jesus' sake, let us dare speak!
Of course, often our attitude and our spirit is just as important as words. I claim a dear, young couple as friends. Awhile back they told me of an incident in their lives. Jon is the editor and owner of one of the county newspapers. He'd been working hard all week, and wanted to go golfing. Lynn, his wife, wanted him to work in the yard. Jon said, "But I've only played golf once all year. I'll work in the yard later." Lynn replied, "Go on then and play golf, I don't care what you do!" Jon came home some hours later, relaxed and happy with his golf game; but Lynn was far from feeling the same way. She was quiet, mad, and the atmosphere fairly pulsated with her displeasure. This went on for two or three days, and the air was still heavy with unspoken feelings. Finally, when Jon saw things were not getting any better, he said, "Lynn, let's talk about this. I don't understand. What's wrong? You told me you didn't care what I did." Lynn blurted out, "Jon, I can't believe that you believed what I told you!" No, our Christian witness is not all words about Jesus, it is sometimes a spirit and an attitude that convinces others of his reality in our lives.
A missionary doctor in an overseas hospital removed cataracts from a man's eyes and restored his sight. A few weeks later, the doctor was surprised to see 48 men blind men coming towards the hospital. Each one held onto a rope which was guided by the man who had recently gotten his sight back. He had led them on the rope a distance of 250 miles from one of the interior provinces to the doctor who was able to help nearly all of them receive his sight.
We have a story to tell, a testimony to give, a witness to make about the one who has opened our sin-blinded eyes to the light of the gospel. Since Christ's coronation we all have a great commission: "All authority has been given me in heaven and on earth, now go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." We are commissioned as Christ's ambassadors, we are his heralds. By our life and lips we are witnesses of the reigning Lord. Our cause must not, will not, cannot fail!
The Ascension Announces A Triumph
"This same Jesus ... will come back (Acts 1:11)." So the ascension of Christ did not mean his permanent absence after all! As surely as Christ now sits enthroned, as surely as we are called to testify to our faith by the empowering Spirit, just that sure is the fact of Christ's returning. When? Who knows? It could happen at any time, at any moment. It could be just around the corner, or it might be a lot longer. But let us not be side-tracked with idle speculations as to dates, but consider instead what its actuality will mean to us.
On December 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright were able to keep their hand-built airplane in the air for 59 seconds. This was a moment that changed history. In their excitement, they immediately sent a telegram to their sister back in Dayton, Ohio. It read: "Sustained flight today for 59 seconds. Hope to be home by Christmas." Their sister was so excited by the staggering good news that she took the telegram with its big, history-making words, to the editor of the local newspaper. The next morning, to her surprise, the sister read the bold headlines splashed across the newspaper: "Popular local bicycle merchants to be home for the holidays!" We, too, dare not miss the point of our Lord's return. The "when" is trivia, the "fact" is vital!
In Fiddler on the Roof, a young man asks his rabbi, "Wouldn't this be a good time for the Messiah to come?" It would - it would indeed. The time is ripe for the second coming of Christ.
The return of Christ is not a threat, but a fulfillment of a glorious and wonderful promise to the Christian: "This same Jesus ... will come back!"
At Christ's coming there will finally be peace on earth. Imagine it! On this poor, war-ravaged earth peace has never been known. It seems that somewhere on this beleagured planet that there is always a nation or people at war, but when Christ returns, war will be no more. Swords will be made into plowshares, and spears into pruning hooks.
Christ's return will mean that justice will finally be done. The creeds say, "Christ shall come to judge the living and the dead." Justice demands that there be a reckoning day when wrongs are made right. On earth, justice is not always done. How many times have we looked at a situation and cried, "It's simply not fair!" Super criminals die without paying in this life for their evil deeds. Murderers are released after three or seven years in prison. Think of Hitler, Stalin, Khomeni, and others who were responsible for the deaths of millions. When Christ returns, justice will be meted out.
Simple reason asks for a meaning to history. The world does not go on and on without purpose. Is this world simply to be kept running until it runs out of steam, or until the sun cools, or until nuclear war destroys it, or until the ice age appears, or some other threatening calamity causes a global annhilation? In whose hands is the fate of the earth: human hands or God's hands? Does he really have "the whole world in his hands?" Yes, he does! We believe that history is linear, not circular. We Christians believe that history is "his story." God is in charge; always has been, always will be. This is "our Father's world," not the devil's world, not the world of evil men and women. When Christ appears, history will come to a meaningful end with full victory for truth and righteousness.
So we labor at the task of testifying to God's grace, believing that a "This same Jesus ... will come back." There is a story of tourist that some years ago visited a castle along Lake Como in Italy. A friendly old gardener opened the gates and showed him the gardens. He asked the old man, "When was your master last here?" He replied, "Twelve years ago." "Does he never come by to see how things are going?" the tourist asked. "Never," replied the gardener. The tourist exclaimed, "But you keep the garden in such fine condition. It is as though you expected your master to come tomorrow." Promptly the old man replied, "No, today, sir, today." The Savior we call Lord could come tomorrow, or next year, or today - it doesn't really matter as long as we are ready for his appearing. He walked among us as the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world, but his next return will reveal him as the conquering Lion of Judah as he comes in majesty and glory.
Charles Wesley had this glorious triumph in mind when he wrote:
Lo, he comes with clouds descending,Once for favored sinners slain,Thousand, thousand saints attendingSwell the triumph of his train:Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!God appears on earth to reign,God appears on earth to reign!
Christians Have More "Ups Than Downs"
Christ came "down" at Christmas, he was lifted "up" upon a cross, he was buried, a real "downer" - but God raised him "up" from the dead, he ascended "up" to the Father, The Holy Spirit came "down" to empower the church, Christ will come "down" again, and take us "up" to heaven to ever dwell with him. Yes, the Christian life has its "ups and downs," but always it looks "up," knowing that redemption draweth nigh! "Up" is the language of the ascension, and of God, and the hope of us all!