Why is the Ascension of Jesus Important?

“He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.” 
(Apostle’s Creed) 


The Ascension is so central to our faith that it is mentioned in the Apostle’s Creed. The event itself is both a transcendent moment in time and a clear vocation for every disciple of Christ: “…you will be my witnesses…to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

Reading these words 2000 years after Jesus spoke them, they contain more comfort than confusion. We are familiar with witnessing. Maybe there was a parent, teacher, priest, or neighbor who witnessed to us. We likely received the story of Jesus’ life in an encompassing way, learning within the same sentence that He was born of a Virgin, died for our sins, was resurrected 3 days later, and now lives forever in heaven. But what if we didn’t have 2000 years of church fathers, Biblical historians, and the entirety of Scripture mass-printed at our disposal?

What if, instead, we were generations deep into the near impossible hope that a Messiah would come and restore Israel, when all of a sudden He was walking among us? What if we gave up every earthly comfort and put our faith in that Messiah only to see him killed unceremoniously and without total fulfillment of the prophecies? And what if He rose from the dead, walked again among us, only to ask us to meet him atop a mountain 40 days after His Resurrection? 

Then we would be one of the 11 remaining Apostles that gathered to meet Him on the mountain the day He ascended. And we might have the same question they did: “‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’” (Acts 1:6)

His answer may not have comforted us: “‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth’” (Acts 1:6-8).

“When He had said this, as they were watching, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight.” (Acts 1:9) Can you sense the stillness of that moment?

Like the lingering wave of a loved one long after you’ve driven out of sight, how do you remove yourself from that moment, your last physical encounter with Christ?

“While he was going and they were gazing up towards heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up towards heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven’” (Acts 1:10-11).

Some speculate that the two robed men were angels; others identify them as Moses and Elijah, who were also present at the Transfiguration. These men were messengers of mission, and perhaps the earliest ambassadors of Christian detachment (besides Christ Himself). The Apostles no longer belonged on the mountaintop, eyes searching the sky for what would happen next. They were what happened next.

What kind of courage did it take to leave that mountain and claim their authority as disciples, giving witness to the world? What kind of faith did it take to receive the Holy Spirit and carry on the ministry that only 40 days prior had resulted in the crucifixion of their Messiah?

It was the kind of courage and faith that Jesus offered his followers; the same courage and faith that He offers us today through the Holy Spirit.

It is the Holy Spirit, now present within us, that will carry out the mission. We must be ready to leave behind the things of the world. We must seek out the least of the people in the eyes of society and serve them with the heart of Jesus. We must accept betrayal and ridicule with joy in our hearts. We must abandon the idea that our lives on earth are to be indulged and enjoyed in service of our egos; rather our lives a witness to Christ, a movement of the Holy Spirit, and a constant sacrifice of self for the Kingdom of God.

We are not promised a victorious reign on earth. Not even the Son of God strove for that fruitless end. He was clear: “Come, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). We are to follow Him as He serves the most vulnerable. We are to follow Him into the desert. We are to follow Him in Truth even if it means the entire world turns against us. We are to follow Him into death, our seeming defeat in this physical world. But His invitation remains after the world passes away. “Come, and follow Me”. Where does He lead? “…you saw Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)

The Ascension of Jesus into heaven marked the beginning of humanity’s ascent into our mission of witness and divine cooperation. It is the promise of our path to eternal life.