Ascension: What does it mean?

Message . What do we understand by the Ascension

Today is Ascension Sunday (at least according to my reading of the lectionary) and so I thought it was worth looking at this particular event in both versions of Luke; essentially volume 1 and 2, alternatively known as the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles.

First of all my question to you is what do you understand by the Ascension?  What picture is generated in your mind when you hear or read about it in the Bible versions.

So when I read both of these versions from Luke (Luke 24:44-53 and Acts 1: 1-11), I was initially struck by two things. Firstly, they are slightly different and secondly both versions also link in the coming of the Kingdom.

Let’s take the first point, does it matter that the two versions vary? After all, it has got to be a bit odd that a story written by the same author about the same events has been changed hasn’t it?  Well, in the time that Luke lived, it was common practice for an author to show off their writing skills by changing details in their story, in essence it was considered to be a literary skill to be valued, so I don’t think that it is therefore that much of a problem; it is just a reflection of the time and context of the writing and in fact possibly adds to the veracity of scripture as being contemporary to the time of Jesus rather than being a 2^nd or 3^rd Century creation.  (You might think of the gnostic gospels here).

Next, the question of the Kingdom.  Of the two I think this is more important as the Kingdom of God or Heaven are both phrases and concepts that run through all the synoptic Gospels, and also John albeit in different language.

So it seems that the imagery of the Ascension might have a lot to do with the message or identity of the Kingdom.  In Acts the followers ask Jesus if this is the time that Israel is going to be restored.  Even after all the events in the past 6 weeks, they are still thinking in terms of nation state change, a new age in their state and being.  Jesus draws the followers’ attention away from an impending end of age apocalypse to the more imminent requirement of union with the Spirit – something that is a mystery in its own right.

I’d like to suggest a thought to you at this point.  Perhaps Jesus did this because the apocalypse had in fact already happened in the events of his death and subsequent resurrection.  The announcement of the incursion of the Kingdom of Heaven on and in Earth had already been achieved, even if the followers didn’t recognise that at the time.  The new age had already begun!

What was important now for the followers; that is them and us today is to seek union with God through the Spirit in order to continue the work that Jesus had started.  A work that will lead in the fullness of time to the complete union of the Kingdom parts of Heaven and Earth and thence the fabled return to Eden.

I’m using picture language here because it is the only way to make sense of this mysterious and incredibly dense theology; and I would encourage you to take time to think this through for yourselves; after all, I might turn out to be wrong!

If the ascension is inextricably linked to the vision of the Kingdom – best viewed perhaps as creation viewed through the eyes of God – then maybe we need to look at it differently.  We often have this picture of directionality.  It is there in the word ascension.  Did Jesus go upwards?  Actually Luke doesn’t say so, which is interesting, and if Jesus didn’t go up to heaven then perhaps Luke is trying to describe something else; something else that although the followers of Jesus were sort of getting used to must still have been very odd indeed to them.  This man it appeared could move unhindered between the two parts of God’s creation; namely the Kingdom parts of heaven and earth.  You’ll remember the resurrection appearances when Jesus appeared amongst them in a locked upper room. Coming alongside the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, even turning up in the garden on that first day of the new age with Mary the Magdalene. 

What is so different about those appearances and the ascension turned out to be the last time Jesus moved back and forth.  It appears that from then on, that role was to be taken by the Spirit.

I think that is why Luke uses the ascension as something important.  Apart from Paul’s blinding light episode; from here on in the followers don’t have Jesus to turn to in physical form anymore and need to learn to figure things out; working with and through the Spirit becomes more important to them because otherwise they are on their own.

So, Jesus disappears (almost literally) from the story and his role is taken by the Spirit.  This isn’t Trinity Sunday so don’t give yourself a headache by trying to figure out identities as such.  But consider this, if Jesus has union with the Father and the Spirit, then Jesus doesn’t really disappear at all but from henceforth acts via the Spirit.  We’ll leave it there for now.

Ascension is therefore about change.  It is about evolution and perhaps as far as the early Church was concerned about growth, maturation and delegation.  We now find ourselves delegated with the responsibility of furthering the union of these 2 parts of God’s Kingdom.  For in truth Heaven isn’t meant to be understood as some far away magical place where everything is sweetness and light.  It is here, just different.  And our mission is to simply carry on the work that Jesus and his followers started, which is nothing less than the healing of the world and we will do this by challenging hate, challenging sexism, challenging abuse of power and patronage, challenging barriers that create “them and us” situations.

This then is our mission.  The powers that will feel threatened by this will fight back, and the work will not therefore be easy.  But be sure that Jesus has already shown that their worst excesses of hate and violence wasn’t enough. With God, in God all things really are possible, but it is only by doing this work with God, in union with God that the project will be successful.  On our own we will fail.

So, just like those early followers in Jerusalem, left alone on the Mount of Olives, we need to hear Jesus’ words and wait for the Spirit first so that we can then work in union with God and succeed in this mission and overcome the inevitable trials, which there will be.

In the name of the Triune God.  Amen