People, Trees, and Poverty by Bliss Lowell;

Author:Bliss, Lowell;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: William Carey Publishing
Published: 2018-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Sub-Sahara Africa Pavilions at Cop23

Our travels through the Bonn Zone at COP23 and our progression through Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection now turn to the next event in the life of Jesus: his ascension.

Acts 1 has the most descriptive account of the ascension. The resurrected Christ tells his disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Personally, I paraphrase this commission as: In the power of the Holy Spirit, you will be the witnesses of my compassion and glory wherever the nations gather.

And after He had said these things, [Jesus] was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:9–11)

If you were there, what would you have seen? Jesus levitating higher and higher? Going, going—one last glimpse of his sandaled feet—and then gone? He certainly promised that he would return, and he is certainly trustworthy with his promises, but meanwhile, now what? Is he an absentee landlord? Do we sit around and wait? I believe the answer lies in the Gospel accounts.

The Gospel of Luke says, “While He was blessing them, [Jesus] parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising God” (Luke 24:51–53). The account in the Gospel of Mark says, “So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received 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 word by the signs that followed” (Mark 16:19–20). Notice that the word ascension is never used in any of these passages. Certainly, one can ascend, as in climbing to a higher elevation even up to the stratosphere, but theologian N. T. Wright recognizes that one can also ascend as a king might do up unto his throne. Heaven is not some distant place located above Palestine in geosynchronous orbit. Instead it could, and should, be interpreted as the command and control center of the universe. Jesus is there, and he is ascended onto a throne, seated “at the right hand of God,” the place of practical authority. The result of Christ’s ascension is that the lives of the disciples are then characterized by blessing, worship, great joy, praise, preaching, preaching everywhere, the Lord working with us, the Lord confirming his word, signs of his compassion and his glory accompanying us.

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