What does the Ascension of Jesus really mean to us? The Acts of the Apostles puts it thus: “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” It seems clear enough in English, but it is a nightmare for new students of Greek to translate. In fact, the complexity of the Ascension is belied by its apparent simplicity, so that the language problem reflects the reality. Even the explanation given by Jesus, “I go to prepare a place for you…and I shall return for you,” or “I will come back to you, and your hearts will be filled with joy” only seem to go so far in explaining the mystery of the Ascension.
Perhaps the best place to begin is “…and a cloud took him from their sight.” This is at least an image to which modern people can relate. We could be seeing someone off on a flight to Germany. There, on the apron, stands a colossal Lufthansa A-380. As we watch, it taxis to the runway. It lifts off and in seemingly no time at all it is a speck against the sky; then it enters a cloud layer and we see it no more. The plane and our loved one inside seem just to have vanished. But we know that this is not the case; plane and loved one still exist as surely as if they were with us. And we know that, on the appointed return date, we will be there at the airport to welcome back our loved one as the great plane lands.
There is a lot of this in the Ascension. The Apostles are saddened because Jesus is leaving them, and because in their lifetime on earth, they will not see him again. When he returns, it will be at the end of time, at the end of all things. Until then, they will be on their own. Or will they?
First, there is his promise: “Know that I am with you until the end of the world.” Then there are his words in John: “Unless I go, the Advocate, that is, the Holy Spirit, cannot come” What a difference these two factors make! That Jesus’ message must spread throughout the world; that it is our task, our privilege, to participate in this; that the Holy Spirit will lead us, guide us, bring us to that goal; that in all this, through the presence of the Holy Spirit among us, Jesus is made present in our hearts, in our lives.
“I will come back to you, and your hearts will be full of joy.” That is the motivation for the Christian life in its fullest sense. We are not alone in the world; he is with us. And the world is not our final home; that will be in the place he has gone to prepare for us, a place beyond our wildest imaginings. In the meantime, filled with his Spirit, we are the privileged bearers of the Good News of Jesus Christ risen from the dead, to the whole world. Let us rejoice in that task, and carry it out to the very best of our abilities, knowing that wherever we go, whatever we do in his name, he will be with us.
