Almighty God, whose only begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven: May our hearts and minds also there ascend, and with him continually dwell; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.[1]
J. I. Packer
So, the message of the ascension story is: ‘Jesus the Savior reigns!’ In a weary world in which grave philosophers were counseling suicide as man’s best option, the unshakable, rollicking optimism of the first Christians, who went on feeling and proclaiming that life was wonderful and the world a marvelous place because Jesus was on the throne of the universe, was beyond comprehension.[2]
Jesus our Intercessor
Ephesians 1:17-23 NRSV
I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him 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 age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Peter Johnston
The key to appreciating Ascension Day is to see how, when Jesus ascends, he accomplishes both his glory and our good. This becomes clear in the related doctrines of Jesus’ session and intercession, namely his royal seating at the right hand of God and his prayers for the saints before the Father. In other words, Jesus is now invested with the highest possible authority, and he uses his authority to pray for you and me.
Jesus ascended to heaven because heaven was his home. It was from heaven that the eternal Son had descended, in order to become incarnate and take the form of a man. It was in heaven that he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, that he might walk in obedience to the cross for our salvation. In his Ascension, Jesus returned to the heavenly home of his Father, but this time with the body of a man. Having taken upon himself the sin of all prodigal sons, Jesus returned to his Father with great joy.
When Jesus ascended, he was seated at the right hand of God. We call this the Session of Christ—a term that you might recognize from courts, legislatures, and schools, which are “in session” when their members are seated to do their work. And just as the enthronement of Jesus should strike terror in the heart of his enemies, so it should be a great comfort to his people. We who call Jesus our Lord can live in the confidence that he has the ultimate authority, that the changes and chances of this world will not frustrate his ultimate design.
Most wonderfully, the scriptures testify that Jesus uses his proximity to God to intercede for the saints. Before God, Jesus functions as a priest, like the priests of the Old Covenant who sacrificed animals to make atonement for the people. But Jesus is a new and better priest because he lives forever, and his sacrifice is his own blood. How fitting it is that Jesus would use his authority in heaven to intercede on behalf of his saints. In Jesus, the offices of King and Priest are combined. He uses his session for the purpose of intercession.[3]
TO BE A CHRISTIAN Anglican Catechism[4]
Question # 71
How should you understand Jesus’ ascension into heaven?
Jesus was taken up out of human sight and returned in his humanity to the glory he had shared with the Father before his incarnation. There he intercedes for, and receives into heavenly life, all who come to him in faith. Though absent in body, Jesus is always with me by his Spirit and hears me when I pray.
Question #72.
What resulted from the ascension?
Jesus ascended into heaven so that, through him, his Father might send us the gift of the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit, Christians together are united to Christ, the living Head of his Body, the Church.
Question #73
What does it mean for Jesus to sit at God the Father’s right hand?
The throne on the king’s right hand was traditionally the seat of one appointed to exercise the king’s own authority. Ruling with his Father in heaven, Jesus is Lord over the Church and all creation, with authority to equip his Church, advance his kingdom, bring sinners into saving fellowship with God the Father, and finally establish justice and peace upon the earth.
Question #74
What does Jesus do for you as he sits at the Father’s right hand?
Because Jesus intercedes for us as our great high priest, I may now boldly approach the Father and offer my confessions, praises, thanksgivings, and requests to him.
Question #75
What does Jesus’ heavenly ministry mean for your life today?
I can rely on Jesus always to be present with me by the Holy Spirit as he promised, and I should always look to him for help as I seek to serve him.
Psalm 47 NRSV
Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with loud songs of joy. For the Lord, the Most High, is awesome, a great king over all the earth. He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah
God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the king of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm. God is king over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted.
Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise
Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. [5]
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Corinthians 4.15).
[1] Collect for Ascension Day, Anglican Book of Common Prayer, 2019.
[2] J. I. Packer, Growing in Christ, pp.70-71.
[3] https://anglicancompass.com/ascension-day-a-rookie-anglican-guide/
[4] TO BE A CHRISTIAN: An Anglican Catechism. Copyright 2020 by The Anglican Church in North America.
[5] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Heb 4:14–16.
