ASCENSION AND MISSION: WHERE IS JESUS?

“As they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him from their sight” (Acts 1:9).

Each time I read this passage, my mind wonders what those expressions might be as the disciples watch Jesus ascend. Surprise, confusion, disappointment, curiosity, amazement? Imagine a child's feelings at the uncertainty of a parent's travel plans. Several conversations would be taking place around this strange phenomenon as the disciples turn to each other. Is he gone for a time, or is he coming back a little afterwards? Those human responses and reactions characterize such an unfamiliar event. But the disciples must have become accustomed to Jesus’ mysterious approach. The deeper message becomes about the Lord’s expectations for them moving forward. Two men in white garments appear and speak: “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.” (Acts 1:11). God does not leave us in a vacuum.

The Ascension of Christ takes place forty days after His Resurrection. During this period, Jesus had been preparing His disciples for mission. Their question in the Acts of the Apostles confirms this: “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” Obviously, there is some uncertainty in their hearts. Jesus responds not with a timeline, but with a promise: “You will receive power from on high when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.”

This marks a turning point. The Ascension of Christ inaugurates the coming of the Spirit. It introduces what theologians call the “already but not yet.” The Kingdom of God is already at work in the world—but its full glory is not yet revealed. Jesus commissions His disciples to proclaim and live out this Kingdom until He returns.

The disciples have already seen so much: miracles, healings, exorcisms, teachings of truth and mercy. They have shared in the Last Supper, witnessed His suffering, and rejoiced in His Resurrection. Now, even as Jesus departs, He entrusts them with the mission to make disciples of all nations. (Matt. 28:19) Jesus commissions them as collaborators in his ministry. What has been established in Christ must continue through the apostolic mandate as Paul says, “For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit” (Eph. 2:18).

In the book The Context of Holiness, Marc Foley speaks about the circle of the familiar: “We all seek security by staying within the circle of the familiar and become anxious when we perceive that the boundaries of the predictable have been breached” (p.12). The disciples had grown comfortable within the “circle of the familiar.” But Jesus is now calling them—and us—into new and unfamiliar territory, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (John 20:17). His Ascension ushers in a new empowerment. Jesus draws us into the very heart of the Trinity, sending us the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who will teach us all things and remind us of everything he has said (Jn. 14:26)

If you are asked, where is Jesus after his ascension, what will be your answer? Moreso, taking into consideration the crises in our time. Where is Jesus in a world filled with hatred, violence, division, and despair? Where is Jesus with Christians being persecuted?

The answer is found in the words of Jesus himself: “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Again, he says, “And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you…”

Christ is still present. He is near. He sends the Holy Spirit—the Comforter—to be with us. He is present in our hearts, in the community of faith, and most profoundly, in the Blessed Eucharist — body, soul, and divinity.

The Ascension is a call to missionary discipleship. Jesus invites us to be his witnesses. He invites us to trust the Spirit. He invites us to step out of our circle of comfort and the familiar. He commissions us to bring good news to the world. Think about his response to the disciples in their confusion about restoration of brokenness and the kingdom of Israel: “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Let us apply these words in understanding the demands of missionary discipleship. Today’s Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth remind us that we have been sent to minister in our environments, homes, offices, colleagues, and connections. Mission starts from your space.

As we prepare for Pentecost, let us not be afraid. Christ has ascended—but He has not left us. He reigns from heaven and walks with us on earth. Amen.

Readings: Acts 1:1-11 | Ephesians 1:17-23 | Matt. 28:19, 20