Bible Stories

‘He ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty.’ What exactly do these words in the Apostles’ Creed mean?

In Eastern or Roman culture, to sit on the right-hand side of the emperor was the same as sharing his political and military power. This role of co-regent was reserved for the eldest son, and his accession to the throne was celebrated as a national festival. By using this picture language the New Testament is saying that, just as God the Father is almighty and present throughout the universe, so is Jesus Christ — the Son shares his Father’s throne. The early church could not have stated more clearly and unequivocally that Jesus is God. He is no longer restricted by the limits of time and space as he was while on earth. He can now be everywhere at once. He can be with his people all day every day. So, when we say ‘He ascended into heaven‘, we are not confessing a Jesus who is far distant. Instead, we are proclaiming that he is with us, in all his love and power, in our own individual lives here and now.

Jesus can share God’s throne. Through his death he defeated all God’s spiritual enemies and became Lord over all heavenly and earthly powers and authorities. Jesus Christ’s victory is cosmic in scope.

Jesus has also — by the power of his victory—been made head of the Christian church, its Lord and leader. From now on, Christians will worship him as their Lord. The first thing the disciples did after Jesus had ascended was to worship him. In fact the chief characteristic of Christians is that they call on the name of the Lord Jesus. Paul writes that ‘at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow . . . and . . . confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father‘.

As the church’s leader and head, Jesus equips his people with power to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. Peter’s sermon on the first Day of Pentecost brings out the connection between Jesus‘ exaltation and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. After the ascension, Jesus is installed in the position of power, so that he can provide the church with gifts of grace, charismatic gifts, given to every believer to build up the Christian community.

The New Testament uses other pictures, besides those of the king’s son and co-regent, to clarify what the ascension means:

• High Priest ‘We have a great high priest who has gone into the very presence of God — Jesus.’ Jesus has entered the heavens to do, in a heavenly temple, what the high priest used to do for sinners in Old Testament times.
• Defence counsel - one called to speak on the accused’s behalf. Every time our sins accuse us before the heavenly bar (picture language again), Jesus is a reminder before God of his effective sacrifice. Our guilt has been dealt with once and for all. It cannot block our access to God’s throne.
• Jesus is also our brother and intercessor in God’s presence. He who perfectly shows what it means to be human is not ashamed to call us his brothers. He has shared our circumstances and knows the difficulties we face. He brings together in his own person both power and love, compassion for our problems and the power and right to forgive. And so he can give strength and help every time we need it. When he left the disciples, he lifted his hands to bless them, and his blessing still flows out to us today.

The King, come and coming

This Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way that you saw him go into heaven.’ These words give a clear link between Jesus‘ ascension and what we call his ’second coming’ at the end of time. Our use of language is actually at fault here. Jesus has not gone away from us, to come back at a later stage. He is ruling now, the King of love, but in a way our physical eyes cannot see. Paul says that Jesus must rule ‘until God defeats all enemies and puts them under his feet’. The resurrection set in motion a chain reaction of hope and life.

The great victory was won by Jesus Christ in his death and resurrection. He is still actively winning the smaller victories. In this struggle the church, ordinary believing Christians, is calledto take part. No one is automatically a citizen of God’s kingdom. The risen Jesus — through his church — walks through the world, offering everyone the chance to enter this kingdom. And we all have todecide whether that is what we want. This is the spearhead of the church’s mission.

Today Christ’s rule is largely hidden from sight. But one day the Jesus who is hidden from our physical eyes, though nevertheless present with us, will appear obviously and visibly to everyone. It will be an unexpected coming, but it will signal history’s climax, the beginning of a whole new universe. It will be the time of the final judgement. All evil will be done away with once and for all — everything will be made new. Then redeemed humanity will appear in all its glory. The world will be created anew and will share in the new kind of existence of which Jesus‘ resurrection was the prototype. The new creation will finally have replaced the old.

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