50 And he led them out until _they were_ over against Bethany: and
he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. 51 And it came to pass,
while he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up
into heaven. 52 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem
with great joy: 53 and were continually in the temple, blessing
God.
The ascension of our Lord was an event quite distinct from the
resurrection; it occurred nearly six weeks later, and indicates a number
of supremely important truths.
1. Jesus then withdrew from the sphere of the seen and physical to the
sphere of the unseen and spiritual. He did not pass up or down through
vast spaces of the skies. We are not to think of him as far away. He is an
unseen, divine Presence, superior to the limitations of time and space,
and capable of being manifest in any period or place. The ascension should
make us feel that Jesus is near rather than far away.
2. Jesus then assumed universal power; not at the time of his
resurrection, but at the time of his ascension, he was seated “on the
right hand of the Majesty on high.” This indicates divine omnipotence. It
is the continual representation of the New Testament that Jesus Christ has
all authority in heaven and on earth. The ascension should therefore
remind us of the limitless power of Christ.
3. It was therefore at the time of the ascension that Jesus entered “into
his glory.” Then it was that his body was transformed, made deathless,
“spiritual,” celestial, immortal; and then he again began to share the
divine glory which he had with the Father “before the world was.” The
ascension, therefore, is a pledge and type of the glory which yet awaits
his followers. It is an assurance that he yet will fulfill his promises
and will again appear; emerging from the sphere of the unseen he will be
manifested to all mankind as both the ideal Man and as the Saviour of the
world.