The Ascension: What Jesus's Reign Changes for You

Introduction

The Ascension is a feast that Protestants don't always make much of, and yet it marks the completion of Jesus's mission and his return to the position that had been his from all time with God. Drawing on Stephen's vision in Acts 7 and Jesus's high priestly prayer in John 17, Mireille Boissonnat shows you how this moment deeply changes your life of faith today, your hope for tomorrow, and your engagement in the world.

Message Outline

1. The Ascension reveals who Jesus truly is

• Few texts speak of it: Mark mentions it in a single verse in the longer ending, Luke speaks of it at the close of his Gospel and again at the opening of Acts, and this repetition underlines its importance.
• Matthew, without describing the scene, proclaims Jesus's restored sovereignty after the resurrection: "all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth."
• John, throughout his Gospel, anticipates the time of Jesus's earthly absence and his glorification in heaven, a presence within absence that we still experience today.
• The Ascension marks the Son's return to the position that had always been his and to which he had willingly given up.

2. Stephen's vision: Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7)

• Stephen, the first Christian martyr, is dragged before the Sanhedrin under a false accusation of blasphemy against Moses and against God.
• In 53 verses, he retraces how God intervened in Israel's history all the way to the coming of Jesus, without hiding the people's wanderings and disobedience.
• Filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazes into heaven, sees the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father, and then shares this vision aloud.
• It is this word that triggers the deadly rush against him: because Stephen affirms, perhaps even without fully realizing it, the equality of nature between Jesus and God, the legitimacy of the living Jesus, and the truthfulness of the young church's testimony.

3. Jesus's high priestly prayer: glory regained (John 17)

• In John 17, before his passion, Jesus lifts his eyes to heaven and prays to his Father for those who believe and who will believe in him.
• He asks to be glorified "with your own self, with the glory which I had with you before the world existed": he claims his original position with God.
• He already announces that he will give the same glory to his disciples so that they may be one, as the Father and the Son are one, and that they may one day see this glory where he is.
• Like Stephen, Jesus lifts his eyes toward heaven: this gesture also directs our gaze and draws us into a vision of heavenly glory in the presence of God.

4. What the Ascension changes for your life as a believer

• It is a source of joy: Jesus said it himself, "If you loved me, you would have rejoiced because I said, 'I am going to the Father'"; he regains the place that rightfully belongs to him.
• It guarantees you active companionship: though removed in his humanity, he is in a sense more present to you than ever, since he lives in you by his Spirit, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ living in me" (Galatians 2:20).
• Your citizenship has changed: your point of reference is no longer down here, you are urged to set your minds on the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God (Colossians 3:1).
• From the spiritual realm where he already reigns, Jesus continues to watch over you and to intercede on your behalf.

5. The Ascension opens the time of mission and the wait for his return

• Jesus told his disciples: "It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I don't go away, the Counselor won't come to you" (John 16:7), his departure opens the way for the sending of the Spirit and the proclamation of salvation to all nations.
• In the first chapter of Acts, two angels address the astonished disciples: "Why do you stand looking into the sky?" The Ascension inaugurates the time of mission, not of passive contemplation.
• As the Father sent Jesus into the world, Jesus in turn sends you into the world (John 17:18), and the unity of his church is the testimony that makes this sending credible.
• The same angels announce his return: "This Jesus, who was received up from you into the sky, will come back in the same way as you saw him going into the sky", this expectation is the driving force that gives meaning to your engagement.

Key Takeaways

• The Ascension is not a liturgical footnote: it marks the completion of Jesus's mission and his return to the position that had been his from all time.
• Seeing Jesus standing at the right hand of God means recognizing his equality of nature with the Father, the truth that unsettles the world but has sustained the church's faith since Stephen.
• Christ's bodily absence is not an abandonment: it is a new mode of presence, more intimate, through his Spirit who lives in you.
• Your citizenship is elsewhere: you already belong to a reign that has begun, which reorients your thoughts, your priorities, and your daily engagement.
• The Ascension opens the time of mission and of waiting: Christ intercedes in heaven while you bear witness on earth, hoping for his return.

Personal Application

1. Which image of Jesus do you most often dwell on in your prayer: the baby in the manger, the gentle teacher, the crucified one, or also the King standing at the right hand of the Father?
2. Do you experience Jesus's bodily absence as a lack, or as a new presence, through his Spirit who lives in you?
3. Where are your thoughts and priorities set, concretely, this week: on the things of this earth, or on this reign of glory already begun?
4. Like the disciples standing before the empty sky, are you tempted to stay and gaze, or do you hear the call to return to the world to bear witness?
5. Is the expectation of Jesus's return a reality that energizes your service and carries you through your trials, or a distant idea that no longer affects how you live?

Scriptures Cited

• Acts 7:54-60
• John 17:1-5
• John 17:22-24
• John 16:7
• Acts 1:9-11
• Matthew 28:18
• Galatians 2:20
• Colossians 3:1

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the Ascension so important when so few texts speak of it?

Because it marks the completion of Jesus's mission and his return to the position that had been his from all time with God. Without it, we miss the full meaning of the plan of salvation: it is the Ascension that makes possible the sending of the Spirit, the proclamation of salvation to all nations, and the expectation of Christ's return.

What does it mean to see Jesus "standing at the right hand of God," as Stephen saw him?

It means recognizing his equality of nature with the Father. Jesus is not merely a wise teacher or an unjustly killed martyr: he is alive, he occupies the place that has belonged to him for all eternity, and he continues to act from this position of authority. It is this truth that got Stephen stoned, and it still unsettles people today.

If Jesus has ascended into heaven, how can he be present with me?

Through his Spirit. Though removed in his humanity, Jesus is in you by his Spirit, in the innermost part of your being. As Paul writes to the Galatians, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ living in me." This inner presence is, in a way, even more intimate than if he were beside you in flesh and blood.