Some people fall out of the public spotlight and we wonder what ever happened to them, like celebrities featured on Where Are They Now? segments. For example, some of you might remember the 1971 film version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The role of Charlie Bucket was played by an actor named Peter Ostrum. Whatever happened to him? Well, rather than pursue a career in film, he decided to attend Cornell University and earned a veterinarian degree. He ran his own practice in Lowville, New York until recently retiring in 2023.
It may not be important to you to know what happened to Peter Ostrum. However, when it comes to Jesus, it's very important for us to know: where is he now and what is he doing?
These questions are actually addressed in one of the fundamental articles of the Christian faith – confessed by Protestants, Roman Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox believers in both the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds. We confess five things about Jesus in these creeds: that he was born, which we celebrate on Christmas; he suffered and died, which we remember on Good Friday; he rose again, which we observe on Easter; and that he is coming again, which also gets its fair share of attention. The one that is usually overlooked – at least in Protestant circles – is this: he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. As proof of our neglect, most of us have no idea what significance this Thursday, May 9, has on the church calendar. The significance is that it’s Ascension Day. Luke tells us in the book of Acts that Jesus appeared to his disciples for 40 days after his resurrection and then ascended into heaven. So Ascension Day is always 40 days after Easter (thus always on a Thursday), which this year falls on May 9.
We often emphasize Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection in the past and his second coming in the future with little thought about his present ministry. Where is he now and what is he doing? The ascension addresses these questions. But why is it important? Why is the ascension an essential article of our faith to be confessed and celebrated?
The ascension is mentioned or alluded to at least 33 times in the New Testament. The disciples bear witness not only to the resurrection but also to his ascension in their earliest sermons. As Patrick Schreiner explains, “[In] the first Christian sermons in Acts … when the apostles went out and preached the message of Jesus, they highlighted the resurrection and ascension. All five of Peter’s sermons reference, either explicitly or implicitly, the ascension, and so do most of the speeches in Acts.” [1] The apostle Paul also makes numerous references to the exaltation of the ascended Christ. For example, in Ephesians 1:16-23, in the context of a prayer for the saints, he writes:
… that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Consider three things that are confessed and celebrated about the ascension of Jesus in these verses.
His Place
First, consider his place. Paul tells us in verse 20 that God “raised [Christ] from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places.” That's where Jesus is now – in the heavenly places. The ascension introduces a change of location for Jesus physically. He is spiritually present everywhere in the cosmos but physically he's in heaven. The tomb was empty on Resurrection morning. His body was raised. Where is that body now? It’s in heaven.
The Bible uses the term “heaven” to refer to different things. Sometimes it simply refers to the realm of the sky and clouds (see Matthew 5:26). Sometimes it refers to the more distant expanses of outer space – “the heavens” (see Psalm 19:1). And sometimes it refers to the unique place of God's dwelling and glory beyond our present dimensions and perception (see 1 Kings 8:30; Matthew 6:9). Paul refers to this place of glory later in Ephesians 4:10 when he states that Jesus “ascended far above all the heavens.” That Jesus is in heaven means heaven is an actual place. Just because we can't see it doesn't mean it isn't there. And Jesus entered there into the presence of the Father's radiant glory as a man – in the fullness of his humanity, body and soul.
“Jesus, the one who humbled himself and descended to the lowest depths of death and hell for us to pay the penalty we owed for our sin, is now ascended into glory. We celebrate the ascension of Jesus because the days of his humiliation are over. He is now exalted in his place – in heaven.”
But here is the astonishing thing: he entered heaven in his own power and on his own merits. He needed no angels to bear him up. He stood before the Father and made no plea for mercy. He required no mediator to plead his case as we do. He entered into the brilliant light of heavenly glory on the basis of his own perfect righteousness. Jesus, the one who humbled himself and descended to the lowest depths of death and hell for us to pay the penalty we owed for our sin, is now ascended into glory. We celebrate the ascension of Jesus because the days of his humiliation are over. He is now exalted in his place – in heaven.
But the ascension isn't just about Jesus’ physical location in a place. It's about him occupying a position.
His Position
According to Paul in Ephesians 1:20, the Father “seated him at his right hand.” The position of Jesus is at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. This language of God’s “right hand” is not to be taken literally. God the Father doesn't have a body or a physical right hand. God’s right hand is figurative and symbolic of his strength. For example, we see the connection between God’s right hand and his power in the song of Moses in Exodus 15:6: “Your right hand, O Lord, glorious and power, your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.” Not only is the language of the right hand figurative, we shouldn’t press the language of Jesus “sitting” too much either. The image of Jesus sitting highlights that his sacrificial offering for our redemption is complete and final (see Hebrews 1:3; 10:12). But we also read Stephen’s description at the time of his martyrdom in Acts 7:56 of Jesus “standing at the right hand of God,” while other passages simply refer to him as “at the right hand” (see Romans 8:34; 1 Peter 3:22).
We should primarily understand the phrase “at the right hand of God” as signifying power and the highest honor, dignity, and status. This is precisely what Paul asserts in Ephesians 1:21: “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but in the age to come.” We see a similar emphasis in 1 Peter 3:22, identifying Jesus as the one “who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.” That it is specifically Jesus who has ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father means that he is exalted to the highest position. The one once rejected by men is now appointed the highest honor by God – indeed, above every name that is named (see Philippians 2:5-11). The head once crowned with thorns is now crowned with glory. The man once condemned by the world is now the supreme Judge. As Jesus says in the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18: “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” As God promised, the son of David is seated on his everlasting throne.
Even if you don't follow baseball, you probably remember hearing about the Chicago Cubs, when after 108 years of losing, humiliation, heartbreak, and frustration, they finally won the World Series in 2016. What a parade the city of Chicago had in celebration. By some estimates, it was the 7th largest gathering in human history at the time! But it was nothing compared to the reception Jesus was due from the angels in heaven or to the status conferred upon him by his Father in his ascension. The Cubs were temporarily on top of Major League Baseball (they haven’t won the World Series since) while Jesus is forever exalted to the highest position as King of all creation!
“His position as the ascended Lord is worth celebrating – not in place of but every bit as much as his birth, life, death, resurrection, and return. His ascension means that Jesus is the ruler of all and that whatever is happening in our world is under the direction of King Jesus.”
His position as the ascended Lord is worth celebrating – not in place of but every bit as much as his birth, life, death, resurrection, and return. His ascension means that Jesus is the ruler of all and that whatever is happening in our world is under the direction of King Jesus. Are you living like Jesus has ascended and is ruling the world, knowing that even in a hostile world, Jesus reigns? Or are you cowering in fear and plagued with worry about the future? The message of the ascension is: Fear not! Your King reigns and his kingdom is unshakeable. All the most powerful people in the world, all the nuclear weapons on earth, all the gathered forces of evil – add them up and they only amount to dust on the scale compared to the power of Jesus. In your spiritual warfare with sin and against principalities and powers aligned against you, your victory is secure in the ascended Christ.
But the ascension of Christ not only means he rules the world. It means he also rules you. You can’t truly celebrate the ascension of Jesus while flagrantly rejecting his authority over your life, your thoughts, your language, your use of money, your sexuality, your family relationships. The ascension calls for complete submission and obedience to him as your King.
But this submission is sweetened by realizing the ascension is also about his provision.
His Provision
We sometimes hear stories of people becoming famous actors, pro athletes, or lottery winners, who, after success, forget all their former friends. The ascended Jesus isn't like that. He occupies his place and position in glory for his people and their blessing. Christian, Jesus was born for you, lived for you, died for you, was raised for you, and ascended for you. Paul says in Ephesians 1:22 that is Jesus is “head over all things to the church” [perhaps better translated “for the church” as in the NIV]. Where is Jesus now and what is he doing? He is on the throne of heaven for us – loving and blessing us with provision. At the end of the Gospel of Luke, we're told that when Jesus ascended, his hands were lifted up in blessing – and he maintains that posture of blessing still.
One thing Jesus does after his ascension is give the Holy Spirit to apply his redemptive work and unite us to him. The connection between Jesus’ ascension and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit is explicit in Peter’s Pentecost sermon in Acts 2:33: “Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are hearing and seeing.” Jesus dwells with and in believers by the Holy Spirit. Contrary to what we might think, his ascension doesn't mean the loss of his presence, intimacy, protection, and provision, but rather the intensification of it. In fact, according to Paul, we are so united to Jesus now that we share not only in his death and resurrection (see Romans 6:5), but we share in his ascension. In a stunning statement in Ephesians 2:6, Paul writes that those who were once dead in trespasses and sins are, by God's mercy, made alive in Christ, raised with him, and seated with him in the heavenly places. What this means, at least in part, is that as believers we experience the beginning of reigning with Christ by battling temptation, enjoying victory over sin, and pushing back the forces of darkness with the light of the gospel.
Indeed, the ascended Jesus equips the church for this ministry of the gospel through the Spirit’s gifts. Later in Ephesians 4:8, Paul writes: “when [Jesus] ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men ... to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ.” As the church, the ascended Christ supplies every provision needed for further growth in godliness, fellowship with God and others, and faithful mission through the Spirit. In fact, as Bruce Milne writes, “The ascension puts at the church's disposal nothing less than the power which resurrected Jesus and set him at the right hand of God in glory.” [2] This is the power Paul wants us to know according to Ephesians 1:19-20: “what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places.” The reality of this power, celebrated by faith, serves to motivate and empower Christian faithfulness.
“Are you overrun with guilt? Your Advocate has ascended to heaven and appears there on your behalf (see Hebrews 9:24). He pleads your case before the Father with his own blood. This one is mine and I have paid the debt for her sin. Let all accusations cease.”
But we enjoy still more of his provision. Jesus is interceding for us. According to the author of Hebrews, he “always lives to make intercession” for us (see Hebrews 7:25). Jesus is at the Father's right hand ever defending you not only as your high priest but as the one who offered himself as the perfect and sufficient sacrifice that atones for your sins. Are you overrun with guilt? Your Advocate has ascended to heaven and appears there on your behalf (see Hebrews 9:24). He pleads your case before the Father with his own blood: “This one is mine and I have paid the debt for her sin. Let all accusations cease.” You may feel hated, despised, or left out by the world, but the one with the name above all names defends you, fights for you, blesses you, and loves you. We lift up our voices in the celebration of his present work of intercession when we sing: Before the throne of God above / I have a strong and perfect plea / a great High Priest whose name is love, / Who ever lives and pleads for me / my name is graven on his hands / my name is written on his heart / I know that while in heaven he stands, / no tongue can bid me thence depart. [3]
Do you know what else Jesus is doing now? He is preparing a place for you to be with him where he is. Jesus tells his disciples in John 14:2-3: “In my father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” Jesus is in heaven getting a room ready for you. If you are a child of God through faith in the ascended Jesus, his ascension guarantees your place there with him. In one sense, as we've seen, we're already there by virtue of our union with him. In another sense, we wait in hope to join him in glory.
Conclusion
Because Jesus is ascended, our hearts and lives are oriented toward heaven. Where Jesus, our treasure, is, there our hearts will be also. As Paul writes in Colossians 3:1: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” Edward Payson suggests, “If we really believe that Jesus Christ has ascended into heaven, there to appear in the presence of God for all who call on his name, to obtain blessings for them, and to prepare a place for the reception when they leave this world, we shall be led to call on his name with frequency and fervency.” [4] If we believe that Jesus ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, we will not only confess it as an article of our faith but also celebrate his place in heavenly glory, his position as our Lord and King, and his provision of glorious blessings for his people.
[1] Patrick Schreiner, The Ascension of Christ: Recovering a Neglected Doctrine, ed. Michael F. Bird, Snapshots (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020), 11.
[2] Bruce Milne, Know the Truth: A Handbook of Christian Belief, 2nd ed. (Downers Grove IL, InterVarsity Press, 1998), 220.
[3] Charitie Bancroft, Before the Throne of God Above (1866).
[4] Edward Payson, “Christ’s Ascension” in The Complete Works of Edward Payson, (Philadelphia PA: J. & J. L. Gihon, 1851), 121.