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{Author}
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one saw the Incarnation, the entry into space and time of the Son
of God to assume his human nature in the womb of the Virgin Mary;
but, the Incarnate Son, named Jesus, was later seen by his mother
and then by thousands.
No one saw the Resurrection of the Incarnate Son of God; but, disciples did see the clothing he left behind in the tomb and later were surprised to be visited by the Resurrected Lord Jesus. No one saw the Ascension of the Lord Jesus into heaven; but, the assembled disciples did witness his departure from space and time and then they did receive the Holy Spirit sent to them by the ascended, exalted Jesus. THE ASCENSION What the Church has come to call the Ascension of Jesus is based primarily on the records provided by St Luke in two places (Luke 24:50-53 and Acts 1:9-11). It is the final appearance of the Resurrected Lord Jesus to his disciples. Already he had made himself known to his disciples in Jerusalem, Judea and Galilee on various occasions over 40 days in order to teach them, prepare them for his final departure from them and for their mission to the world. Thus his final appearance which sets the scene for his ascension into heaven is the end of a series of visitations when he accommodated himself to the situation of his disciples and helped them to see and discern who he really was/is and where he was going. What the disciples witnessed on the 40th day after the Resurrection was not the Ascension of Jesus, properly speaking, but a powerful symbol or sign that their Master belonged to heaven and was ascending into heaven, from where he return in glory. The disciples witnessed Jesus being lifted up by a unique, luminous cloud, what the Jews called the Shekinah. As a dolphin gets underneath its rider so the Cloud of glory, known in the OT as the visible sign of the presence of the Lord among his people, lifted Jesus to enfold him. The presence of angels underlined that this was the gateway to heaven. (We are familiar with this Cloud of Glory from the Old Testament accounts of its descent upon the Tabernacle in the wilderness and the Temple in Jerusalem - see Exodus 13:21; 40:34; 1 Kings 8:10-11) Jesus was in the presence of God and he was leaving behind earthly things visible and seen for eternal things unseen and invisible; he was leaving space and time for God's heaven of heavens, the abode where are the angels and archangels and where the saints will be given grace to enjoy the beatific vision of the Holy Trinity. THE EXALTATION By the Ascension Jesus Christ is exalted above all creation and is placed at the right hand of the Father (this is an OT form of words based on the thrones of ancient empires and points to an unique position of authority, power, honour and glory - see e.g., Psalm 110) It is extremely important that we recognize that the exaltation of Jesus is the exaltation of the Incarnate Son, who possesses not only his eternal divine nature but also his human nature, assumed in the womb of the Virgin Mary and perfected through trial and testing, pain and suffering, obedience and faithfulness, death and resurrection. He who is the Man for others, the Servant Messiah, the new and second Adam, now sits at the right hand of the Father. And this is Gospel, this is good news. Man has been admitted into the closely possible union with the Blessed, Holy and Undivided Trinity. In fact, heaven as the Christian Faith understands it did not and could not exist until the Incarnate Son was exalted to the presence and right hand of the Father Almighty. Heaven for redeemed humanity is where Jesus, the Saviour, is for he makes heaven to be heaven! From the time of the Ascension/Exaltation of the Lord Jesus, our relation to God is on a new basis. A new era and epoch has dawned. All approaches that we make to God, all claims that we make upon Him and all blessings that we ask of Him are now based on the fact of the full Personhood of Christ Jesus. He is the One who is of the same divine nature & eternal being as the Father Almighty and who is also of the same nature as we are. Therefore, Jesus, the God-Man is the one and only Mediator between God and man, man and God. We can approach the Father only through him for he is now our Representative before, with and to God, even as, in his atoning death for our sins, he is our Substitute. MEDIATOR WHO IS KING, PRIEST AND PROPHET In order to speak meaningfully of the role of Jesus in heaven as the Mediator the Church has used the titles given in the Bible, three in particular. At the right hand of the Father, Jesus is our King, our Priest and our Prophet. In heaven he is worshipped and adored by the vast array of the angels and the redeemed as the King of kings and Lord of lords. His universal, cosmic rule maintains the cosmos in being and orders the ways of peoples and nations; but, it will only be seen and demonstrated within the universe at his Second Coming when he shall raise the dead and judge the peoples and nations. Until that moment, his kingship is only fully recognized in the Church where the basic confession is, "Jesus is Lord." He is the Head of the Church, vitally united to all its members as the source of their life and as the Lord of their being. Without his rule and energy the Church has not direction or vitality. On behalf of those whom he has redeemed by his precious blood, King Jesus is also the Priest, the great High Priest. He has presented to the Father the one sacrifice to take away the sins of the world and now, bearing the names of his people on his heart, he prays for them. And not only does he pray for them he also presents their prayers and service, their sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, to the Father. And he presents them not as suppliant on bended knee but from the right hand of the Father, the place of high honour and authority. So it is that Christian prayer and worship is usually addressed to the Father through the Son, for that is the ordained way. And further, as the High Priest in heaven, Jesus blesses his people from the heavenly sanctuary, even as the earthly high priest blessed Israel from the Jerusalem sanctuary. Without his High Priesthood, the people of God would not be a royal priesthood and would not be able to offer sacrifice and praise to the Father. Jesus the Prophet has a message for the Church and the whole world and he addresses them through the spiritual gifts that he gives to his Church. His message goes out through the lips and words of apostles and prophets, evangelists and pastors, deacons and presbyters, bishop and laity, as they are anointed and guided by his Spirit. He shares with his servants his own understanding of the sacred Scriptures and this then becomes living Word as proclaimed and taught. Without the office of Jesus as the Prophet, the Church has no word of grace, no word of gospel to offer to needy mankind. THE VITAL ROLE OF THE SPIRIT In the light of all this, the vocation of Christians, who have been baptized into the death, burial and exaltation of Jesus Christ, and in whom the Spirit of Christ dwells, is obviously to be heavenly-minded in order to be truly useful on earth. "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God [the Father]. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our Life appears, then you will appear with him in glory. Therefore, put to death your members that are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire and covetousness which is idolatry" (Colossians 3:1-3). Of course we cannot lift ourselves up to the exalted Lord. When we are ready and willing, humble and expectant, then we are raised by the Spirit of the Lord Jesus, the same Spirit who is sent by the Father and the Son to the Church. In the Eucharist, we are lifted up as we sing the Sursum Corda. Our hearts and minds, our souls, are lifted to the heavenly banquet by the Spirit who comes to the people of God as the Paraclete of Christ. And this coming we celebrate annually on the Feast of Pentecost, Whit-Sunday. There is an intimate connection between the Ascension & Exaltation of the Incarnate Son and his sending from the Father to the Church the gift of his Holy Spirit (Acts 1-2). Without the former the latter cannot be! The
Rev'd Dr. Peter Toon
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