The ascension and return of Jesus

The New Testament does not stop at the cross and the empty tomb. Forty days after his resurrection, Jesus leaves his disciples in a visible way. Then he promises to return. These two moments frame the time of the Church, our own time.

The ascension

Luke tells the scene at the beginning of the book of Acts (Acts 1:1-11). For forty days, Jesus shows himself alive to his apostles. Then he is lifted up towards heaven, and a cloud takes him out of their sight. Two men dressed in white then announce: “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).

The ascension is closely linked to the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is not simply a departure. It has at least five meanings.

1. It confirms the divinity of Jesus. In John 6, some Jews refuse to believe that Jesus came down from heaven (John 6:41-42). He answers them: “Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?” (John 6:62). In other words: wait, and you will see. When the disciples saw him ascend into heaven, they received one more proof of what he claimed. Born of a woman, he nevertheless came from God.

2. It bears witness to the resurrection. The one who ascends into heaven is alive. If Jesus had not risen, he would not have been stronger than death, and we too would be condemned to die without hope. The ascension seals the victory of Easter.

3. Jesus regains his full glory. In coming to earth, Jesus remained fully God. But he voluntarily laid aside part of his glory and authority to open the way of salvation to humanity. Paul expresses this in Philippians 2:6-7: Jesus “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant”. That is why he allowed himself to be humiliated many times. Through the ascension, he fully takes back the place that was his.

4. It makes the gift of the Holy Spirit possible. Jesus had announced it: “It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you” (John 16:7). John explains that the Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified (John 7:39). On the day of Pentecost, Peter explains that Jesus, exalted at the right hand of God, has poured out the promised Spirit (Acts 2:33).

5. Jesus is preparing a place for us. “I go to prepare a place for you,” he tells his disciples, before adding that he will come back and take them to himself (John 14:1-3).

Jesus, our mediator

Since his ascension, Jesus has exercised a specific ministry with the Father. Paul affirms it: “there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5).

Our sin prevented us from having access to God. Through his death, Christ took this sin upon himself and reconciled us with God. He is the one through whom the relationship is restored. And this ministry continues. John writes that if anyone has sinned, “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). The letter to the Hebrews adds that he “always lives to intercede” for those who draw near to God through him (Hebrews 7:25).

The return of Jesus

The early Church was certain that Jesus would return. James writes: “the coming of the Lord is at hand” (James 5:8). Jesus himself promised it (John 14:3), and Paul describes this return as a visible and glorious event (1 Thessalonians 4:16). The Greek word often used for this return is parousia, which means “presence” or “coming”.

Why will Jesus return? The Bible gives at least three reasons.

1. To destroy death. Paul announces that at the sound of the last trumpet, the dead will be raised imperishable and the word of Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:51-54).

2. To judge the world. The Lord Jesus will appear to bring justice (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). Christians too will appear before him. But it will not be to receive punishment, for their sins were forgiven at the cross. It will be to receive a reward according to the way they have built on the foundation that is Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11-15). The parables of the talents and of the minas point in the same direction: each person will give an account of what was entrusted to them (Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:11-27).

3. To make all things new. The book of Revelation promises that “neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). Peter adds: “according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13).

Living in expectation

If we are on earth, it is in expectation of the return of Jesus. We do not know when he will return. Jesus said it clearly: “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows” (Mark 13:32; see also Acts 1:7). Calculating dates therefore has no place in the Christian life.

We do know, however, that this day will take the world by surprise: it will come “like a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2). Paul draws a practical consequence from this: let us stay awake and sober (1 Thessalonians 5:6).

Jesus warns against the servant who says to himself, “My master is delayed”, and begins to do wrong (Matthew 24:48). The passing of time must not lull our faith to sleep. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come” (Matthew 24:42). Waiting for the return of Jesus does not mean remaining inactive. It means living each day so as to be ready.