Jesus' Ascension

Due to the lack of stuff actually happening right now, one of the biggest and most talked about events of the last few weeks has been the documentary about Michael Jordan and the Bulls. Watching old highlights of him, it’s amazing what that man could do with a basketball, especially how he could glide through the air. He seemed to be able to fly and just hang there. I mean, the man once took off from the free throw line and dunked the ball.

And yet, every time, Michael Jordan came back down. He may have been able to hang in the air longer than anyone else, but gravity always brought him back to earth. Why? Because he may have been great, but he was just a man.

Jesus, though, in the sight of all his remaining disciples, didn’t just jump into the air on top of that mountain. He didn’t provide them simply with a spectacle of his athletic ability. Rather, Jesus actually flew before them into the heavens where a cloud hid him from their sight. Why was Jesus able to do this? Because he may have been a man, but he was also God. And as God, his power is unlimited.

Why, though, did Jesus leave? Wouldn’t it have been better for him to remain here physically to bring more to his side? You would think so. If he would’ve stayed, he could’ve traveled all over the world, not just in the areas of Galilee and Jerusalem and Samaria and showed these people his power as God. Yet, the same thing that happened in that small area would’ve happened elsewhere. Many people would’ve seen those miracles and still wouldn’t have believed. Flying into the air, healing leprosy, and removing blindness don’t create faith. The Word of God, that simple tool, that is how the Spirit creates faith. And that’s why Jesus knew that he would be able to leave us physically and that his Church would still grow.

It’s not as if, though, that Jesus flew to his Father’s side to relax and enjoy the fruits of his victory. No. Instead, he is still working today, just in a different capacity than with the work of salvation he accomplished when he walked this earth. What exactly is that work, though?

Well, before Jesus even came down to us, God tells us here of the work that he was accomplishing around at the time of Moses and would continue to accomplish throughout time. 26There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to help you. In his majesty he rides through the clouds. 27The everlasting God is a dwelling place, and his eternal arms are under you. He drove out the enemy in front of you, and he said, “Destroy!” 28So Israel settled down in safety. Jacob dwelt in security in a land of grain and fresh wine, and, yes, its heavens dropped down dew. 29How blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you? You are a people saved by the LORD, the shield who gives you help, the sword who gives you majesty. Your enemies will come cringing before you, and you will trample on their high places.

Just like with us, the people at this time had to be reminded of how God was working for them. You see, for 40 years, Moses had led the people of God. He had taken them out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, dealt with their grumblings and complaining, listened to God on Mt. Sinai, and constructed the Bronze Serpent to save them from the venomous snake bites. And now, God was about to call Moses home. As they were finally on the precipice of returning to the land of Israel, they were going to have to do so without their leader.

Now, this was a big deal, for the land that they were about to enter was not barren. Canaanites dwelled there, men who appeared more than capable of handling their own in battle. How could they do this, though, without the man who had went to God on their behalf so many times before? How could they possibly conquer this land without Moses?

Well, even though Moses was leaving them, God was not. And you see, God was the key to their victory the entire time, not Moses. His power would not diminish without Moses as his servant. Rather, God’s power and salvation would continue on. To describe this, Moses told the people that God is the God of Jeshurun, meaning an upright God, who rode through the heavens to help and rides on the clouds. Here we have a symbolic picture of God cruising through the heavens, portraying his omnipotence.

And there, as God looked down upon his people, he promised them that he wouldn’t just watch, but he would help. One of the beauties of the Hebrew language is how it captures the power of God through the verb tense when speaking of his promises. Our English mimics the Hebrew accurately to reflect that beauty. Even though the Israelites hadn’t yet entered into Israel, God spoke of their success as something that had already been accomplished. “He drove out,” it says. Or, “Jacob dwelt in security.”