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The Cross Series | Part 8
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When we think of Jesus's ministry, we often focus on the major events: his birth at Christmas and his death and resurrection at Easter. But the ascension—when Jesus physically left earth and entered heaven—is frequently overlooked. There are no ascension chocolates, no ascension cards. We can treat it as merely a postscript to the gospels, something that had to happen but wasn't particularly important for us.
Yet the disciples experienced it very differently. In Luke 24:51-53, we read that after Jesus blessed them and was carried up into heaven, "they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy and were continually in the temple blessing God." The ascension was a source of their joy, not their sadness.
The ascension means that Jesus physically left earth as a man and human being. This is crucial: he didn't shed his humanity like a snake sheds its skin. He entered into heaven as a complete human, with hands, feet, and all his humanity intact. No man had ever done this before.
But here's the vital truth: he has gone there for you. His ascension is not a task completed and done. He hasn't clocked off from caring for us. Rather, his ascension is an ongoing work for the church. He continues to work for us right now. There is a man in heaven—Jesus Christ the righteous—working for you at this very moment.
To understand what Jesus does in his ascension, we can look at three biblical roles: prophet, priest, and king.
First, let's consider his kingship. In Ephesians 1:20-22, Paul writes:
He worked in Christ when he raised him up from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body.
Jesus is seated at the right hand of God—not in terms of physical space, but in terms of authority and rule. He is the king. Because of the ascension, there is now a human being ruling in heaven with dominion over all things.
In Genesis, Adam was given dominion over the earth, but he forfeited it through sin. Jesus, the true Man, has regained that dominion and now rules over all things. Every other form of authority—human or spiritual—must submit to him. He does not negotiate or compromise. He is the King of Kings.
But notice something remarkable in verse 22: God "put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church." Jesus rules over all things for a purpose—for the sake of his church. His kingship is a gift to you. He governs the nations, makes empires rise and fall, and holds all things, but at the center of his attention and affection is his bride, the church.
This means you can trust him with your life. When things are hard and taste bitter, when you're full of anxiety for loved ones, when life doesn't work out as you hoped—even then, you can walk in faith. He is not asleep at the wheel. Nothing is outside his control. Nothing can take you out of his hands. You can bet your life on this: he is king, and he has given his rule over all things for the sake of his church.
Prophets reveal who God is by speaking God's word. Jesus is the true Prophet. During his ministry on earth, he would see crowds like sheep without a shepherd and preach to them, bringing words of life.
He continues this work in his ascension. Consider the story of the disciples on the Emmaus road, shortly before his ascension (Luke 24). Two disciples were walking with the risen Jesus, but they didn't recognize him. He unpacked the Old Testament scriptures, showing how they pointed to him. Then, when he broke bread with them, their eyes were opened and they recognized him.
They had been with Jesus for years. They adored him. Yet they didn't recognize him when he was physically present. But when he opened the scriptures, their hearts burned within them. This teaches us something profound: we don't know Jesus because he is physically in front of us, but we know him through his words and in communion with him.
Because of the ascension, you don't have to be within earshot of Jesus to hear him. And because he has ascended, he doesn't just speak to our ears—he speaks to our very hearts through his word. In no other biography can you actually meet the person. But in Scripture, you get to meet with Jesus himself. He promised to give the Holy Spirit, who reminds us and brings us into all truth, showing us the scriptures and their meaning.
Do you ever feel stuck or lost, thinking, "If only Jesus would speak to me directly"? He is speaking. You haven't been abandoned to silence. The ascension hasn't limited his ability to speak. If Jesus stood before you in person, his words wouldn't sound any different from what you read in Scripture. His message and tone would be the same.
No one ever hates his own body, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. (Ephesians 5:29-30)
What is Christ doing now? He is nourishing and cherishing his body, the church, through his word.
Some of us get caught up trying to seek new revelations or new leadings, not realizing we have a sufficient word available. We may go starving, looking for spiritual scraps in prayer time, while ignoring the feast before us. We don't need to look for signs in every corner—he has spoken clearly in Scripture. If we hunger more for prophetic words or spiritual inclinations than for the reading and trusting of his word, we're heading in an unhealthy direction.
In John 17, Jesus prays: "I have made known to them your name. I've made known to them who you are." He continues: "The love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them." He speaks primarily not to instruct us with information, but so that we would know him. You can know him today. He is the good Prophet who speaks to you.
Hebrews 9:24 tells us:
He has entered into heaven itself, not to appear before God on behalf of the sanctuary, but to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.
Jesus is in heaven representing you. If you ever wonder whether Jesus's affection for you might run out, whether his patience or sacrifice for you might become "too much," you can know this: he lives there as a priest for you. He isn't reluctant in this role—he chose it and designed it. His very presence in heaven is proof that you have peace with God.
The hymn Before the Throne of God Above captures this beautifully:
I have a great High Priest whose name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
When Satan tempts you to despair and reminds you of the guilt and sin within, you can look up and see Jesus there—the one who made an end to all your sin. Your assurance doesn't rest on your steadfastness, but on his. If he isn't kicked out of heaven, you cannot be kicked out either. He is there for you.
This is good news for those whose faith feels weak, those burdened by the weight of sin, those who feel God seems distant. He has taken us up with him to the Father—us enemies, who rejected him, who turned away from him. At the cross, he descended into the depth of our sin so that he might take us with him to the Father.
Consider this: if a man were lifted out of poverty and given all the riches, glory, and fame of the world, he might remember his old friends for a time. But as years passed, his memory would fade, and his care for them would dim as he became caught up in his new glories and new friends.
But not Christ. He is caught up in the highest heavens, surrounded by the glory of God with all the angels worshiping him. Yet his eyes are still on the church. His affection is still for you. It's still you on his mind. His memory doesn't fade. He still remembers the dust of Galilee. He has not turned his face from his church.
You can trust him. He lives there for you.
It wasn't just in his birth, ministry, death, and resurrection that Jesus lived for us. Though we don't behold him by sight, by faith we can trust his word and know that he is the head of the body, given for our sake.
He is so for us—even in our most fickle, sinful, and weak moments—that he doesn't waver. We can throw it all on him. We can trust him with our futures. We can know him in his words by his Spirit. This is the grace and goodness of the one we follow.
