A few weeks ago after Anthony Joshua won the World Heavyweight Boxing Championship at Wembley Stadium in London, he said: “No complications about boxing. Anyone can do this. Give it a go. You leave your ego at the door.” I think it’s the same for understanding the meaning of the Ascension of Jesus Christ: “Anyone can do this. Give it a go. You leave your ego at the door.” However, as a sports writer for a British newspaper, The Independent, wrote: “There remains an electricity around a big world heavyweight title fight that is unmatched in sport. The heart quickens. The adrenaline does flip flops. Something … concentrates the mind. It is not just the fighters who have to live each moment. We do too…” The same is true when we seek to understand the meaning of the Ascension of Jesus Christ. I had to work hard to understand the theology of the Ascension; and you too may have to work hard to understand that theology. We can all leave our comfort zones behind and grow stronger in our understanding of Christ and His purposes in our lives.

Reflecting on the Ascension as set out in the book of Acts, St John Chrysostom preached: “In the Resurrection [the Apostles] saw the end but not the beginning; and in the Ascension they saw the beginning but not the end.” In other words, in the Resurrection the Apostles saw the end of Christ’s life on earth; and in the Ascension they saw Him in heaven. But it is also important to remember that when Christ was born on earth—when the Incarnation happened—the Word did not leave heaven. The Word is always at the Father’s side. So what exactly happened at the Ascension?

The Oxford Companion to the Bible suggests that three things happened at the Ascension: first, it was a final proof of the divinity of Christ; second, the Messianic Kingdom began; and third, the Ascension made possible the sending of the Holy Spirit and “the empowerment of Christ’s followers by virtue of their identification with Him through … baptism.” Let’s consider each of these three dimensions of the Ascension.

First, the Ascension was a theophany—a physical manifestation of God as seen by humans. As explained in the book of Acts, chapter 1, verses 9 to 11, that we have just heard, the apostles gathered secretly in Jerusalem; and Jesus Christ spoke to them about what would happen to them and to Him. As Acts states, and I quote:

As [the Apostles] were looking on, [Jesus Christ] was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as He went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go to heaven.

As the outstanding Orthodox historian and theologian Jaroslav Pelikan points out in his Commentary on Acts, “these were not ‘men’ at all, but angels.” So there were both human and angelic witnesses to the Ascension of Christ.

Second, the Messianic Kingdom has begun—not on earth as the first-century Jews expected, but in heaven. What is to happen on earth will soon be made clear to the Apostles; and that is the third dimension of the Ascension—making possible the sending of the Holy Spirit. St John Chrysostom asks an important question, and I quote: “Why did the Holy Spirit not come to [the Apostles] while Christ was present, rather than immediately after His departure?” St John’s answer is profound, and I quote:

It was necessary for [the Apostles] to have a longing for the event, and so receive the grace…. For if [Christ] had been present, [the Apostles] would not have expected the Spirit so earnestly as they did.

St John continues with a reflection about us. He preached: “Our desire toward God is most awakened when we stand in need…. Besides, it was necessary that our nature should be seen in heaven [in the Ascended Christ] and that the reconciliation [that is, the reconciliation between God and humanity] should be perfected, and the Spirit should come and the joy be unalloyed [that is, pure and complete joy]. For just as [those who dye cloth] first prepare the cloth that is to receive the dye with other ingredients to prevent the colour from fading, likewise in this instance,” concludes St John Chrysostom, “God first prepared the soul so that it was anxiously awaiting and then poured forth His grace…”

We simply do not know when the Second Coming will happen. St Ephrem the Syrian reflected, and I quote: “[Christ] has indeed said that He will come, but He did not define when, and thus all generations and ages thirst for Him.” That is very important: “all generations and ages thirst [for Christ].” What the Ascension does is increase our wishing to be one with Christ and at the same time show that we are already reconciled to God the Father through the Holy Spirit with Christ.

The Oxford Bible Commentary offers a balanced perspective in suggesting that: “The eschatological future of apocalyptic expectations [that is, the end of the world and the Second Coming of Christ] is not ruled out [and will happen], but the Apostles’ attention is redirected to a close and more immediate future. The imminent coming of the [Holy] Spirit (Acts 1:5) will mean their own empowerment for the task of acting as witnesses to Jesus [Christ]… and the empowerment of [all of] Christ’s followers by virtue of their identification with Him through … baptism.”

So, precisely because we have each been baptised, we have become followers of Christ, as proclaimed by the hundreds of helpful lesson plans in the course for children and teenagers, Followers, available on-line. As followers of Christ, we are empowered through learning about Him. Through Christian education we draw closer and closer to Christ Himself. St Paul set out the pattern of his life and of our lives when he wrote in Colossians, chapter 3, verses 1 to 3: “If then you have been raised with Christ,” wrote St Paul, “seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hid[den] with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears,” concludes St Paul, “then you also will appear with Him in glory.” It is appropriate to remember St Paul’s insight that if we wish to share in the glory of Christ, then we need to accept that our lives will be “hidden with Christ in God” until we join Him in His glory.

The final word of this sermon belongs to St John Chrysostom: “See the wisdom of our teacher [Jesus Christ] and to what height He immediately raises those who listen to Him…. By His teaching he has persuaded those who walk the earth to sever the bonds of the body, to take flight and to stand in spirit by the side of Him who is the Lord of all.” In other words, if we listen to Christ, He will raise us up to join Him in His Ascension, which then becomes our ascension.