Rotation.org Writing Team
JESUS’ ASCENSION
BIBLE BACKGROUND
PASSAGE
Story: Luke 24:36-53; Acts 1:2-11
[The event is also recounted in the longer ending of Mark 16:19-20.]
Key/Memory Verse: Acts 1:9b “As they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.” New Revised Standard Version
[Possible secondary Key/Memory Verses: Psalm 25:5 "Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long." or Psalm 130:5 "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope."]
Goals/ObjectivesStudents will be able to:
- locate the story of Jesus' Ascension in the New Testament books of Luke and Acts;
(Older students will learn that Luke and Acts were written by the same author.)
- realize that Jesus' Ascension into heaven took place after forty days of appearances by the risen Christ to his disciples and followers;
- learn that Jesus gave a promise to His followers that the Holy Spirit would come to empower them;
- understand that Jesus' Ascension is a departure of the physically resurrected Jesus, but it prepares us for Christ's presence in a new way, in and through us;
- know that God's mission to tell everyone about Jesus' life, death, and resurrection was entrusted to Christ's followers -- the disciples then and to us now;
- realize that we are still waiting for Jesus' return, known as the Second Coming.
SUMMARY “The Ascension of Christ” refers to the risen Jesus’ departure into heaven after his post-resurrection appearances to his disciples. This departure fulfills the prophecy discussed by Jesus with Moses and Elijah at the Transfiguration. It also makes possible God’s pouring out of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, empowering the disciples to continue Jesus’ ministry. Finally, it prefigures Jesus’ return at the end of the age.
THE WHAT (what happens) The Gospel account in Luke begins with Jesus’ final resurrection appearance immediately after the two disciples who met Jesus on the Emmaus Road have rushed back to Jerusalem with the news that they have known the risen Christ. They find “the eleven and their companions” who report that Jesus has appeared to Simon. They’re all saying, “The Lord has risen indeed.”
Jesus suddenly is present among them and invites the disciples to touch him. They respond with joy, disbelief, and wonder. Jesus asks for and eats a piece of broiled fish. Then he "opens their minds to understand the Scriptures." Finally, asking them to wait in the City, he promises to send "power from on high" and then is “carried up into heaven." The disciples respond again in joy and worship, and are “continually in the temple blessing God.”
Acts 1 recaps very briefly Jesus’ ministry, commissioning of apostles, suffering, and resurrection. In a bit more detail it tells how he appeared to his disciples through a period of forty days and ordered them to remain in Jerusalem to receive “the promise of the Father.” Jesus tells them, “You will be baptized with the Holy Spirit; … and you will be my witnesses … to the ends of the earth.”
As they watch, he is lifted up and “a cloud” takes him out of their sight. Two men in white robes come to rebuke them for standing there looking up to heaven, and promise that Jesus will return again “in the same way.”
“Jesus’ physical removal is for Luke the condition of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Moses has to leave in order for Joshua to work with his prophetic spirit; Elijah had to depart in order for Elisha to gain a double portion of his prophetic spirit. So long as Jesus was physically present, he was available only to those he directly encountered; by the Spirit he became powerfully present to many through his prophetic successors.” (1)
THE SO-WHAT (why does this matter in my life?) At the Ascension Luke brings together the disciples who had scattered in despair at the crushing act of crucifixion, convinced that the vision of the coming of God’s Kingdom had died. Now they are drawn together again to recognize the powerful resurrected presence of God’s Son. They receive instructions to wait for the pouring out of the Holy Spirit in power at Pentecost. Jesus prophesies that the Spirit will work in the disciples as it did in him. They demonstrate that we, too, can experience this resurrected presence. The disciples also begin our wait for the Second Coming. While we wait, we all are called to be witnesses who proclaim "repentance and forgiveness of sins in his name to all nations." Incorporating a ritual, such as the candle lighting suggested in "Ritual" below, could be a powerful worship statement for this rotation.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS that may help answer questions for adults or as they arise from children, but would detract from an initial presentation designed for children:
Apostles' Creed: This creed contains the phrase “he ascended into heaven.” The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s children’s catechism (2) explains, “After his work on earth was done, he returned to heaven to prepare a place for us and to rule with God in love. He will come again in glory, and remains with us now through the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Appearances: Jesus’ eating of the broiled fish is one of what Luke calls the “convincing proofs” that Jesus is not a ghost, but a resurrected physical presence. This resurrection body, while convincingly physical, is not altogether the same as his original body because Jesus appears and disappears inexplicably. The Apostles’ Creed affirms, “I believe in the resurrection of the body.” (See “Resurrection of the body” below.) McKim states, “Now a new relationship between Jesus and the company of believers is established. From now on Jesus will not be physically perceived but will be known through … the promised Holy Spirit.” (3)
Ascension: Jesus’ Ascension is foreshadowed in the Transfiguration (Luke 9:28-36) where it was described as “his departure” (the exodus he had to fulfill) and at the moment Jesus turns his face to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51). Johnson calls the Ascension “the hinge between Jesus’ ministry and the ministry carried out by his witnesses.” (4)
Ascension to Right Hand of God: Donald McKim explains, “In Scripture, to be "seated at the right hand of God" is to be given a supreme place of honor and authority, a role God granted symbolically to Old Testament kings (Psalm 110:1).” (5)
Believers: After his resurrection, Jesus does not appear to the crowds, rather he only appears to those who are already his followers. “In their joy, they were disbelieving and still wondering….” While Jesus calls them to task for their fear and doubts, he comforts them with proofs by showing them his wounds and by eating with them. These proofs demonstrate that he is the same Jesus they knew before and he is indeed alive and not a ghost.
Cloud -- “a cloud took him out of their sight”: "The "cloud" refers to the glory and presence of God -- just as the cloud over the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34; 1 Kings 8:10-11) and the cloud that led the Jews through the wilderness (Exodus 13:21) represented the glory and presence of God with the people of Israel. Now Jesus is entering that same immediate presence of the Lord. He will be where God is ("heaven")." (6) Likewise, in Daniel, the one like the Son of Man comes “with the clouds of heaven” (Daniel 7:13).
Community: From that day to this -- and onward to the Second Coming, the gathered community, the church, is called to do Jesus’ ministry and be his “witnesses … to the ends of the earth.”
Directions: Jesus gives instructions to the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The “men in white robes” also say there will be additional waiting for Jesus to come again. Clearly, waiting on the Lord is an important part of our ministry, too.
Forty days: The Ascension takes place 40 days after Jesus’ Resurrection. “Forty” is associated with the 40 years Moses led the Israelites in the wilderness, the 40 days God cared for Elijah, and the 40 days of Jesus’ temptation.
Heaven: The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s children’s catechism gives the following brief description: In the Lord’s Prayer, when we pray “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we ask God to fulfill God's purpose for the whole world. We also ask God to make us able and willing to accept God's will in all things, and to do our part in bringing about God's purpose.” (7)
Holy Spirit: When Jesus was baptized by John, John prophesied that Jesus would baptize, not with water, but with the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:16). Baptism with the Holy Spirit is the transmission of prophetic power from Jesus to his disciples. This transmission of power resembles that of Moses to Joshua (Deuteronomy 34:9) and Elijah to Elisha. (2 Kings 2:9-22) (8)
Luke: Luke is the author of both Luke and Acts, which contain the two Biblical accounts of the Ascension.
Mission: to be Jesus’ witnesses -- entrusted to Jesus' followers -- then and now.
“Promise of my father” (Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:4): Refers to the coming of the Holy Spirit, which Luke understands as the fulfillment of the promise God made to Abraham (Acts 3:25-26). “The withdrawal of Jesus is not so much an absence as it is a presence in a new and more powerful mode: when Jesus is not among them as another specific body, he is accessible to all as a life-giving Spirit.” (9)
Restore the kingdom to Israel: This phrase is connected to a tradition concerning “the restoration of all things” expected of Elijah. “Luke sees the fate of Israel as a “mystery” that escapes easy human analysis.” (10) (Amen!)
Resurrection of the body: The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Study Catechism (intended for youth and adults) explains, “Because Christ lives, we will live also. The resurrection of the body celebrates our eternal value to God as living persons, each one with a unique and distinctive identity. Indeed, the living Savior who goes before us was once heard, seen, and touched in person, after the discovery of his empty tomb. The resurrection of the body means hope for the whole person, because it is in the unity of body and soul, not in soul alone, that I belong in life and in death to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.” (11)
Ritual: The Godly Play curriculum of Jerome Berryman and Sonja Stewart uses the lighting, extinguishing, and relighting of the Christ candle to illustrate the ritual text: “This is the mystery of the Ascension: Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.” (12)
Second coming: Jesus “will come in the same way,” that is in the cloud (possibly a reference to Daniel’s vision (Daniel 7:13).
Two men in white clothing: These messengers remind us of the two men in shining garments seen by the women at the empty tomb and echo the figures of Moses and Elijah at the Transfiguration.
Witnesses -- both in Luke 24:28 and Acts 1:8: “The category of ‘witness’ is one of Luke’s most inclusive for the followers of Jesus.” (13) The witnesses both tell about Jesus and represent him in prophetic power. (Wow!)
Worship: The final two verses of Luke 24 depict the disciples worshiping both Jesus and God “with great joy” as they return to Jerusalem to await the arrival of the Holy Spirit.
Endnotes
(1) Luke Timothy Johnson,
The Acts of the Apostles, Collegeville, MN: 1992, 31.
(2) “Belonging to God, a first catechism,”
http://www.pcusa.org/theologya...ssion/catechism.pdf, Question 29.
(3) Donald K. McKim, “The Grand Farewell,”
Christianity Today, May (Web-Only) 2001, Vol. 45, 2.
(4) Johnson, Acts, 24
(5) McKim, 1.
(6) McKim, 2.
(7) “Belonging to God,” Question 54.
(8) Luke Timothy Johnson,
The Gospel of Luke, Collegeville, MN: 1991, 406.
(9) Johnson, Luke, 406.
(10) Johnson, Acts, 26
(11) “Study catechism,”
http://www.pcusa.org/theologya...n/catechismfull.pdf, Question 84.
(12) Sonja M. Stewart and Jerome W. Berryman,
Young Children and Worship, Louisville, 1990, 280
(13) Johnson, Acts, 26
Bibliography“Belonging to God, a first catechism,”
http://www.pcusa.org/theologya...ession/catechism.pdf.
Johnson, Luke Timothy.
The Acts of the Apostles. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1992.
Johnson, Luke Timothy.
The Gospel of Luke. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1991
McKim, Donald K. “The Grand Farewell.”
Christianity Today, May (Web-Only) 2001, Vol. 45.
Stewart, Sonja M. and Jerome W. Berryman.
Young Children and Worship. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1990
CONTRIBUTOR: Anne M. Camp
