9 When Jesus had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight.10 While they were looking steadfastly into the sky as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white clothing, who also said, “You men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? 11 This Jesus, who was received up from you into the sky, will come back in the same way as you saw him going into the sky.”

12-14 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. When they had come in, they went up into the upper room where they were staying; that is Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer and supplication, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. Acts 1:9-14 (English Standard Version)

Verse 9 today is one of a very few which describe what must have been an amazing event for Jesus' disciples. They saw Him physically rise from the earth and ascend into heavenly realms. Verses 10-11 suggest they also encountered a visit by angels. Luke, the writer of Acts, tells us they then returned to Jerusalem to wait, as Jesus had told them to do, for the promised Holy Spirit. He names the same people whom he had listed in his gospel when Jesus first called them as disciples (Luke 6: 12-16), but adds the women who were now part of the group.

I wrote this post not long after ascension day 2023, and a week after my son had preached a very good sermon on the wonderful blessings Jesus' ascension opened for Christians, despite it being only a few verses in scripture. And the first thing he pointed out was that the ascension shows us that the sacrifice Jesus offered at Calvary was accepted by the Father, and was complete. As a paraphrase of Hebrews 7:26-28 says: “Jesus is the kind of high priest we need because He is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honour in heaven. Unlike other high priests, He doesn't need to offer sacrifices every day. They did this for their own sins first, and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when He offered Himself as the sacrifice for the people’s sins.”

We also see there that Jesus ascended to the place of supreme authority. After He had so humbled Himself, even going to the cross, we read in Philippians 2:9-11 that “God exalted Jesus to the highest place - and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

The other important implications of the ascension that my son pointed out were that:

(1) It brought about the sending of the Holy Spirit to the disciples – which we will read about in the Chapter Two of the book of Acts.

(2) Jesus started preparing the eternal home for believers. In John 14:2-3 He had said to the disciples: “My Father’s house has many rooms; I am going there to prepare a place for you. And 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.”

(3) We now have someone at the Father's right hand interceding for us. Therefore, “who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; He also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.” Romans 8:33-34

(4) We are now just one step away from His glorious return – even as the angels said to the disciples in vs 11 of today's reading. The Jesus they saw ascend, will return.

One can understand why they had stood gazing up to the sky. It seemed to them a sad farewell. But it was not a goodbye forever. His return to the Father was for their eternal good. And for ours too if we have believed the gospel and called on Him as Saviour and Lord.