DEVOTION: The Ascension

This week in the church calendar honors the Ascension of Jesus.

In Wikipedia we read:

The first account of the Ascension found in the Christian Bible is in the Gospel of Mark (16:14-19)—but see article on Mark 16. The description is brief: Jesus and the remaining eleven apostles are seated at a table, presumably in a room in or near Jerusalem. Jesus commands his followers to spread the Gospel (see also Great Commission) and that those who believe will be known by their invulnerability to poison, ability to heal the sick, exorcise demons, and the like. After delivering these final words, Jesus is received into Heaven to sit at the right hand of God. No description of the Ascension itself is given; Mark simply states that it happened.

The Gospel of Luke is even more brief in its description (24:50-51). Jesus led the eleven to Bethany, not far from Jerusalem. While in the act of blessing them, Jesus was carried up to Heaven.

In both Mark and Luke, the Ascension appears to take place immediately after the Resurrection of Jesus. (But see the discussion paragraphs below.)

Our Church Secretary, Stacey provided me with these quotes and thoughts for reflection and devotions this week:

Philip Yancey writes in Chapter 12 of his book, The Jesus I Never Knew: “I have concluded that the Ascension represents my greatest struggle of faith–not whether it happened, but why. It challenges me more than the problem of pain, more than the difficulty of harmonizing science and the Bible, more than belief in the Resurrection and other miracles. It seems odd to admit such a notion… yet for me what has happened since Jesus’ departure strikes at the core of my faith. Would it not have been better if the Ascension had never happened? If Jesus had stayed on earth, he could answer our questions, solve our doubts, and mediate our disputes of doctrine and policy. I find it much easier to accept the fact of God incarnating in Jesus of Nazareth than in the people who attend my local church–and in me. Yet that is what we are asked to believe; that is how we are asked to live. The New Testament declares that the future of the cosmos is being determined by the church. Jesus played his part and then left. Now it is up to us.”

So is God really gone from the world? When Jesus ascended, did he really just hand it over to his disciples? Was that really the plan? Well, the short answer to that is yes, he really did. He really did hand it over to his disciples, and to all who were to follow, including you and I. He handed it over to us, and said, “Here, it’s your ministry now. It’s your time to take over. Go and do and teach what I have taught you.