The ascension of Jesus Christ is one of the great turning points in the story of redemption. The cross was not the end of His work, nor was the empty tomb the conclusion of His ministry. After rising from the dead, Jesus appeared to His disciples, taught them concerning the kingdom of God, and finally returned to the glory of heaven. His departure was not a retreat from the world. It was the beginning of a new phase of His work, one that continues even now.
On the night of His betrayal, Jesus gave His disciples a promise that would sustain them through the sorrow of His departure: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:1-2). He continued by promising to return and receive His followers to Himself. The words of Jesus were not an expression of uncertainty. His departure would be as certain as His promised return.
Acts 1:9-11 records the ascension itself. As the disciples watched, Jesus was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. Two heavenly messengers then assured them that this same Jesus would return in the manner in which they had seen Him depart. The disciples were not left to wonder whether their Lord had disappeared forever. The One who ascended into heaven will come again.
But why did Jesus ascend? What is He accomplishing now that His earthly ministry has ended? The answers reveal the continuing significance of His victory.
CHRIST ASCENDED TO PREPARE A PLACE
Jesus declared, “I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2). We cannot fully comprehend all that is involved in this heavenly preparation, but we can rest in the promise of Christ. He has assured His people that their earthly pilgrimage is not the end of their story. Beyond the struggles and sorrows of this present life lies the hope of dwelling with the Lord.
The Christian’s hope is not merely a better world or a more comfortable existence. It is the promise of being with Jesus. He said, “that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:3). Heaven is precious because Christ is there.
Hebrews 3:6 describes Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house believers are if they hold firmly to their confidence and hope. The New Testament also identifies the church as God’s household (1 Timothy 3:15). The church belongs to Christ, and He is its Savior (Ephesians 5:23).
Paul further explains that Christ will deliver the kingdom to God the Father at the culmination of His reign (1 Corinthians 15:24). The Lord’s purpose is not simply to gather individuals into a distant paradise. He is bringing His redemptive work to its appointed completion, when those who belong to Him will share in the glory He has promised.
CHRIST ASCENDED TO REIGN AS KING
One of the most important truths about the ascension is that Jesus ascended to reign. His kingdom was not a failed earthly ambition, nor was the church an emergency arrangement devised after His rejection. The cross was central to God’s eternal purpose, and the resurrection and ascension demonstrated the triumph of the Son.
John the Baptist announced, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3:2). Jesus likewise declared that the kingdom would come with power during the lifetime of some of His hearers (Mark 9:1). Following the resurrection and ascension, the apostles proclaimed the fulfillment of that promise.
In Acts 2:29-36, Peter explained that Jesus had been raised from the dead and exalted to God’s right hand. He concluded that God had made Jesus both Lord and Christ. The resurrection was not merely the return of a beloved teacher to life. It was the vindication of the Messiah and the announcement of His royal authority.
Paul told the Colossian Christians that God had delivered them from the power of darkness and conveyed them into the kingdom of His Son (Colossians 1:13). He also declared that Christ is the Head of the body, the church (Colossians 1:18).
The church and the kingdom are closely connected realities in the New Testament. Christ rules over His people now. Christians do not await the beginning of His kingship as though His present reign were incomplete. He is already exalted, already reigning, and already exercising His authority as Lord.
Paul does teach that Christ will deliver the kingdom to the Father when the end comes (1 Corinthians 15:24–28). The ascension therefore marks the enthronement of the victorious King, whose reign will accomplish every purpose God has appointed.
CHRIST ASCENDED TO INTERCEDE FOR US
Jesus also ascended to take His place at the Father’s right hand. Paul describes God’s mighty power as that which He worked in Christ “when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:20).
This position of honor is also the position from which Christ serves as our High Priest. Hebrews 8:1 declares that we have such a High Priest, seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens. Our Lord is not an absent King who has forgotten His people. He is our living Mediator.
Paul writes, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). Hebrews 7:25 adds that Jesus is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to make intercession for them.
What a difference this truth makes when our faith grows weak! We know our failures. We recognize the distance between our conduct and the holiness God desires. Yet our hope does not rest upon the perfection of our performance. It rests upon the sufficiency of our Savior, who died for our sins, rose from the dead, and now intercedes for His people.
This assurance must never become an excuse for carelessness. Hebrews connects Christ’s saving work with those who come to God through Him. We are called to walk in the light (1 John 1:7) and remain in the teaching of Christ (2 John 9). Grace gives us confidence to continue faithfully, not permission to abandon faithfulness.
The account of Stephen’s death offers a striking picture of Christ’s concern for His people. As Stephen was being stoned, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, with Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55–56).
The text does not explicitly tell us why Jesus was standing rather than sitting, so we should be cautious about assigning a definite explanation. Nevertheless, the scene reminds us that Stephen’s suffering did not escape heaven’s attention. The faithful servant who was rejected on earth was seen in the presence of his exalted Lord. Our Savior knows His people, and their suffering is never hidden from Him.
CHRIST ASCENDED TO LIVE THROUGH US
The ascension did not bring Christ’s work in the world to an end. Rather, His work continues through the people who belong to Him.
During His earthly ministry, Jesus served in His physical body. After His ascension, He continues to accomplish His purposes through His spiritual body, the church. This truth became evident when Saul of Tarsus encountered the risen Lord on the road to Damascus.
Jesus asked him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4). Saul had been attacking Christians, yet Jesus identified their persecution as persecution against Himself. The Lord’s identification with His people was unmistakable.
Paul later expressed this relationship in Galatians 2:20: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” The Christian life is more than an attempt to imitate Jesus from a distance. It is a life of faith in which we submit ourselves to His authority and allow His teaching to shape our conduct.
Our hands can become instruments of His service. Our feet can carry us toward people who need compassion. Our words can communicate truth with grace, and our lives can demonstrate the character of the One we confess as Lord. Paul urged believers to glorify God in their bodies (1 Corinthians 6:20).
Christ does not need our hands because His power is insufficient. He calls us to serve because we belong to Him. The church is meant to make His love visible through its ministry, its holiness, and its proclamation of the gospel.
LIVING IN THE LIGHT OF HIS ASCENSION
The ascension of Christ gives the Christian a reason to live with confidence and purpose. Our Lord has prepared a place for His people, reigns as King, intercedes as High Priest, and continues His work through those who trust and obey Him. Above all, He has promised to return.
We must never think of Jesus as merely a figure from ancient history whose earthly influence has gradually faded. He is the living Lord, exalted above every earthly authority. His victory gives meaning to our service, strength to our perseverance, and hope to our future.
The disciples once watched Jesus disappear into the heavens. They could not yet see all that His ascension would mean for the world, but they were given a promise: He would come again.
Until that day, we have work to do. We must live faithfully under His reign, depend upon His intercession, and allow His life to be reflected through our own. The One who ascended has not abandoned His people. He is preparing, reigning, interceding, and working until the day He returns in glory.
BDD
