Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:9-11)
The Ascension of Christ is important for several reasons. His ascension tells us something about His nature. A lot
about His nature, in fact. That Christ was born of flesh, died in the
flesh, rose again, and then ascended to Heaven reiterates His dual
nature as both God and Man (Philippians 2:5-8). So God -- who created the universe (John 1:1-5
reminds us the Word was God, was with God, and created everything),
allowed Himself to become low, to become like us, in order to bring us
back in relationship with the Father. By His ascension, we see that,
really, He could always come and go as He wished. But He chose to be
born of woman. Why is this important?
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For
we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our
weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as
we are—yet he did not sin. Let
us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may
receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)
That says it all, really.
He came as one of us, so that His call to be Holy, to be Perfect, was
not hollow or hypocritical. He defeated sin as a Man so that Man would
be empowered through Him to claim that victory. Then He, as a Man, bore
our sin -- became our representative -- and was crucified in our place.
The Ascension, then,
reminds of what Christ left behind when he descended to our level. It
also reminds us that He is the King over all creation, and that He will
be coming back.
(The main body of today's post was copied from an earlier post, Why The Ascension Matters, published May 9, 2013)
When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God. (Luke 24:50-53)
Today is, traditionally, Ascension Day. Well, in certain states, anyway. In most diocese, the celebration actually takes place on Sunday. Not that important, actually: what matters is that recognize -- and celebrate -- the ascension of Christ into Heaven.
The Ascension itself is important for several reasons. Christ's ascension tells us something about His nature. A lot about His nature, in fact. That Christ was born of flesh, died in the flesh, rose again, and then ascended to Heaven reiterates His dual nature as both God and Man (Philippians 2:5-8). So God -- who created the universe (John 1:1-5 reminds us the Word was God, was with God, and created everything), allowed Himself to become low, to become like us, in order to bring us back in relationship with the Father. By His ascension, we see that, really, He could always come and go as He wished. But He chose to be born of woman. Why is this important?
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)
That says it all, really. He came as one of us, so that His call to be Holy, to be Perfect, was not hollow or hypocritical. He defeated sin as a Man so that Man would be empowered through Him to claim that victory. Then He, as a Man, bore our sin -- became our representative -- and was crucified in our place.
The Ascension, then, reminds of what Christ left behind when he descended to our level. It also reminds us that He is the King over all creation, and that He will be coming back.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:1-5)
In the years before Jesus came to Earth, God and man were separate. A veil was hung in the temple, behind which only the Priests were allowed. It was behind this veil that the rites of atonement were performed. It was behind this veil that the priests of Israel, once a year, could come into the presence of God. The veil was a reminder to Israel that the sin of man kept him separate from the Most High. That God could not bear to be in the presence of Sin. It had been this way for generations.
But then, Jesus.
God came out from behind the curtain and dwelt among fallen men. He walked our paths, ate our food, became one of us in order to bring us Home. God sent Jesus as a man, because, for a mortal man to cross over a chasm, a bridge must have its feet on both sides. Jesus, The Word, was with God and He was God, and he lived as a man to do what men were unable to do: to provide a Way back.
When the Priests of Israel went, once a year, behind the veil in the temple, the best they could do was make a temporary covering of sins. A mask without a cure.When we go to God, our offerings are paltry, and insufficient. God wasn't interested in a covering.
God wasn't interested in this religion of sacrifice and atonement, repeated once a year. He wasn't interested in visiting His children by proxy; He wanted a relationship with each one of His children. With you and with me, and with every single member of this sinful human race.
That is why, on the day Jesus -- God right here on Earth -- died, the Temple veil was torn. God was letting us know these days of religion were over. That He had once and for all offered Forgiveness and a true relationship with Him. It could once again be like the old days, when He would walk in the Garden with His Adam. When each one of us could finally be called, once again, His sons and daughters.
But it didn't start with Jesus' death; it began with His birth. Our renewed relationship with God truly began on the Day our Savior, Jesus Christ, came to Earth and dwelt as one of us. We weren't able to go to Him, so God, instead, came to Us.
That's how it was, and that's how it is. God knows you can't come to Him, so instead, He comes to you. He reaches across the chasm we've built in our own Spirits, and asks only that you take His hand.
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” (Matthew 1:23)
