What Christ’s Ascension Means for You
I. Our Redemption is Complete
II. Christ Sits at the Right Hand of God
III. We Will Follow Him
Mark 16:14–20
Afterward [Jesus] appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and He rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw Him after He had risen.
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
So then the Lord Jesus, after He had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs. (ESV)
O grant, dear Lord, this grace to me, recalling Thine ascension, that I may ever walk with Thee, adorning Thy redemption; And then, when all my days shall cease, let me depart in joy and peace in answer to my pleading (ELH 392:3). Amen.
Dear Fellow Redeemed,
This past week, we celebrated Ascension Day. Ascension always falls on a Thursday because it falls forty days after Easter. Forty days after Christ’s resurrection, he ascended to the right hand of God the Father almighty.
While Ascension Day does not receive the same amount of emphasis as Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost, which are the three major festivals in the Church Year, our Lord’s ascension is an important teaching of the faith. Christ’s ascension, which we learn about in our Gospel lesson today, teaches us three very important things. First, our redemption is complete. Second, Christ now sits at the right hand of God the Father. And finally, we will follow Jesus, as the hymnist puts it, “On Christ’s ascension I now build the hope of mine ascension.”
In our Gospel lesson for this morning, Mark speaks of the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday and his ascension into heaven in the same breath. While forty days separate Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, Mark keeps them closely related. How appropriate this is! For these two events give great comfort to believers. As you recall, on that first Easter the disciples were huddled in fear in a locked room. They believed their Lord was dead, not only were they questioning their last few years as his disciples, but their lives were also in danger. But that evening, Jesus appeared to them. He rebuked them for their unbelief. He showed them why they had nothing to fear. He was alive. Death could not hold him. He rose again just as he promised. He gave them peace and confidence—their sins were forgiven. Nothing could separate them from the love of God—not even death!
The resurrection of Jesus gives this same hope, confidence, and peace to you and to me. Our sins are deserving of death and hell, but because of Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, who became man for us, we have hope. Jesus lived a perfect life of obedience in your place and by his holy suffering and death on the cross he has paid for all your sins. One day your body will be laid to rest, but that same body Jesus will raise from the dead. This life is not the end. The best is yet to come. Heaven is yours by the grace of God through faith in Christ Jesus!
God wants this Good News preached! Jesus instructed his disciples and his whole church before his ascension, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”
An expert in the Law once asked Jesus what he must do to be saved. That is the wrong question to be asking. The better question is: “What has Jesus done so that we could be saved?” Everything! Jesus has lived a perfect life of obedience for you. Jesus suffered for all your sins. Jesus “was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification” (Romans 4:25). Christ’s ascension now marks the completion of our redemption. Now Jesus simply says, “Believe it. Believe in me and you will be saved. I have done it all. I offer you eternal life.”
We are saved completely by God’s grace through faith in Christ. But it can be a temptation to think that Christ has done his part of the work and now I must do the work of believing. It’s true that we must believe to be saved, but faith—believing in Christ—is a gift of God. What’s more, the power of faith is not faith itself. The power is found in the object of our faith, which is Jesus.
Last week on our family vacation, we drove over the Mackinac Bridge, which connects the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan. The bridge is nearly five miles long. As we were approaching the colossal bridge, we couldn’t help thinking about the recent Baltimore bridge collapse and what we would do if this bridge failed when we were on it. Yet, as we approached bridge and started to cross it, I was comforted by how large and well-constructed it was. The bridge could easily carry my van and the hundreds of vehicles around me. We made it across—twice! So, what saved us from falling? Was it the strength of my faith in the bridge? No. You would sound crazy to say, “The power of my faith allowed me to cross the bridge.” Instead, it was the strong bridge that allowed for safe passage. This same truth applies to faith. The power of faith is not faith itself, but the object of our faith, which is Christ. I am not saved because of my great faith—that misses the point. We are saved because we have a great Savior—who died for our sins.
You can have all the faith in the world, but it will save you from nothing if you don’t have faith in Jesus. Yet, you can have the tiniest and weakest faith and have everything, heaven itself, if your faith is in Jesus. Even weak faith is saving faith. This is why we don’t talk about how strong or weak of a faith we have. Instead, we talk about Christ and his strength. We are comforted not by looking at ourselves, but at the strong bridge—our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He will never fail us!
We have peace with God because Jesus has paid for our sins. He lives and so shall we. The resurrection of Jesus gives us hope and so does his ascension into heaven. Christians understand that Jesus’ resurrection is a good thing, but it’s easy for us to wonder how Jesus ascending into heaven can a good thing. Our lesson says, “So then the Lord Jesus, after He had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.” Our Lord’s ascension is a good thing because it marks the completion of our redemption. And now, Jesus who is both true God and true man, who can sympathize with our weaknesses because he lived in this world and was tempted just as we are, but without sin, now has all power and authority. When Scripture says Jesus sits at the “right hand of God,” it is not describing a physical location, but denotes a position of power and authority. As Jesus said before his ascension, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). And he uses this his power for our good!
Jesus told his disciples that it was for our benefit that he would go to the Father. Jesus uses his power and authority to control everything for the good of his church. Jesus can powerfully effect and do everything that he says and promises (Formula of Concord, SD VII). Jesus said, “And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Jesus promises to be with us. He comes to us in his Word and Sacraments. He is rules over all creation as our Prophet, Priest, and King.
Christians believe that Christ has forgiven us our sins, but it can be harder for us to see Christ ruling at the Father’s right hand. When we look at the troubles in our life, in our world, and in his church, we can become distraught. We see trouble everywhere and we act like hopeless and depressed people. We often reflect the fearful and weak faith of the disciples that first Easter!
But our theology—our study of God—should make us optimistic! We shouldn’t be Debbie-downers who have no hope. Christ is risen! He reigns! Jesus is at the right hand of God, ruling over all creation (Psalm 110). And he is working everything for our good!
What troubles are you facing in this life that Jesus cannot help? Do you feel weak and cumbered with a load of care? Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30). Are you troubled by this sinful world and the turmoil surrounding it? Are you pessimistic about our society and feel like there is no hope? Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Are you distressed seeing how so many Christians have fallen for the devil’s lies and forsaken the Bible? Do you feel like the church on earth is crumbling? Take heart, Jesus said, “The gates of hell shall not prevail against [his church]!” (Matthew 16:18). Why? Because the Church is built on Christ, the Son of the living God! We have a solid bridge.
Every Christian surely faces doubts. Every Christian gets perplexed and worried about this world and Christ’s church here on earth. Perhaps this is because we sometimes think of Jesus as an old, dilapidated, shaking, swaying, and unsafe bridge. We worry because we forget who Jesus is. We forget that he is at the right hand of God! When you get worried about your sin, this world, or Christ’s church, ask yourself this: Is Jesus a dilapidated bridge or is Jesus a solid bridge which will never fail? You know the answer. Christ is King. He is Lord and you are his. He has bought you with his blood shed on the cross and he will never leave you. When we have Christ, we can’t help but be optimistic!
As we live out our Christian life in this world, we are running a race whose victory is assured. Jesus lives and so shall we. So run with confidence and purpose. We have greater and more important priorities than this fleeting, fallen world. We have eternal life in heaven. But until we reach our heavenly home, we continue to serve in our vocations to which God has called us: husband, wife, parent, child, friend, neighbor. We might not all stand up in a pulpit to preach, but we all can aid sharing the gospel with all creation by supporting our church, praying for those in our community who do not know Christ, or pointing others to the one who gives you hope. Jesus didn’t give up on this world, and neither should we.
Our Lord’s ascension is a great comfort to every one of us. Our redemption is complete, Jesus sits at the right hand of God and rules all things, and his ascension points to our own. That’s God’s Good News to you. No matter what happens to us in this life, we can say with Paul, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). He who believes and is baptized will be saved. Yet, when you become troubled and worried about your sins, this world, or Christ’s church, don’t look to yourself for the answer. Instead, look to Jesus. Trust in his promises. Christ is our bridge, and he will never fail us. Amen!