Ascended into Heaven

“After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven.” Mark16:19

The resurrected Christ ascended into heaven. We remember it tomorrow just 10 days away from celebrating Pentecost. Separation from the one you love is agony. The disciples took up praise and prayer in the interim and I am sure they spoke to the Lord of their love for him and their desire to see Him again. Psalm 91 contains a wonderful promise to those who express their anxiety in the context of maintaining a love relationship with God. “Because he loves me, “says the Lord, “I will rescue him” (v.14). God will rescue or come to the aid of those who are in anguish and who cry out to Him for help. He promises to not leave them in their situation. The coming of the Spirit at Pentecost marks the answer to this kind of prayer.

The other interesting piece of information about the ascension comes from the gospel record of the location. One might think that Jesus would have ascended from somewhere as significant as the Temple courts. A promotional manager might have pointed out that this would have provided the greatest potential for impact, impression and influence. But as I wrote last week, this is more the predictable outcome of a worldly gospel. Christ chooses the lower and more humble route in His leaving from the region of Bethany and the Mt of Olives.

We have good reason to believe that Bethany, in the time of Christ, was the last stopping point on the way to Jerusalem for Galileans making a pilgrimage. Added to this, it appears to have been a center of ministry to the poor and destitute. I find this insight fascinating as it reminds us that the way of the cross is not for those aspiring to be well-heeled. Jesus ascended to manhood from a humble cattle feed-trough and ascends to His heavenly throne from an area that took in the needy, weak and poor.

           

It might be good to pray for a warming in our spirit as we approach Pentecost. Tell Him where your heart is today on this matter – cold, tepid, or hot – and your desire to know Him more until you are like a red-hot coal that ignites everything it touches. Lord, grant me a new Pentecost.