Where is Jesus?
Acts 1:1-11
In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
Tomorrow marks 40 days since the resurrection of our Lord. On the first Easter, when the women came to the tomb, they found the guards lying on the ground like dead men. The stone was rolled away. The tomb was empty! But where was Jesus? An angel said to them, “He is not here!” In the split-second between the angel’s first and second sentence, what terrifying thoughts may have passed through the women’s minds. “Not here? Then, where is he? What have they done with his body? Wasn’t it enough for them to crucify him?” But the angel doesn’t even give them a chance to ask these questions. Why isn’t he here? Because “he has risen!” They haven’t done anything to him. No one can do anything more to him. He has taken his life back from the jaws of death.
The 40 days pass quickly. A whirlwind of appearances through locked doors and on various mountains. Before Jesus’ followers know it, they’re standing outside Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives. Jesus’ time on earth is rapidly approaching its end. One more question from the disciples. One more promise and mission from Jesus: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” And they stand there looking at the sky. Where is Jesus?
We might often think the same thing. “Where is Jesus?” Where is Jesus when I’ve lost my job temporarily or permanently? Where is Jesus when I’m too afraid to leave my house? Where is Jesus when I feel so lonely? Sometimes he seems as far away as heaven is from earth. Why didn’t he just stay?
The Bible tells us why Jesus went back into heaven. In Ephesians 1:22,23, the Holy Spirit writes through Paul, “God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” Jesus ascended to heaven to take the throne. The ascension is a coronation ceremony. Sitting at the right hand of God, Jesus rules over all things for the good of the church. In Matthew 28:18, Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” He uses that authority to spread his kingdom on earth—a kingdom found in the hearts of believers—and to ultimately bring his people to heaven.
In Ephesians 4:10, the Holy Spirit tells us, “He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.” When Jesus came down to earth, he set aside the full use of his divine powers for a time. He limited himself in time and space. The ascension gives us the assurance that Jesus is not limited to one place on earth. He is not 7,000 miles away in Jerusalem. He doesn’t have to take an airplane to get to you. He is with you, always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:20).
God doesn’t leave any work undone. Paul writes, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). Jesus died for your sins. He paid for them all. The Holy Spirit created faith in your heart so that you would believe in your Savior. He won’t abandon you now. He won’t stop short. The ascension guarantees this. Jesus says, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:2).
Until the day comes for Jesus to return, “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles” (Hebrews 12:1). The worries. The temptations. The fears. We can throw them off because our Savior reigns for us. That’s right; for us. He is not a selfish king. He is a servant King who rules all things for the good of his Church. Because of this, “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1,2). Our ascended King reigns at the right hand of the throne of God to ultimately bring us to stand in his presence forever.