Ascension

Yesterday was the day of Ascension. As much as it is important in Christian tradition, it really doesn’t get a lot of attention in the Bible. Mark didn’t originally include an ascension story at all, only acquiring one later on when Mark got an extended ending. John doesn’t end on anything that might even look like an ascension story. Matthew ends with the Great Commission, but if you pay close attention to Matthew 28:16-20, you’ll find that it never narrates the ascension. The only Gospel account that actually tells the story of the ascension is Luke, and even there it is hardly more than a footnote. It gets four verses and no dialogue.

Our best source for the ascension is Acts 1:6-11. Upon reading this passage again, one specific word stood out to me.

“This.”

Greek uses the definite article (the) much more frequently than English does. Often when you read the name “Jesus” in an English Bible, know that a more direct translation is “The Jesus.” However, when you read Acts 1:11, the translation doesn’t read just “Jesus” or even “The Jesus” but rather it says, “This Jesus.” 

That strikes me as odd. When “this” is used next to a name, it is usually answering a question. If two people are talking about someone, but there is some confusion because they both know more than one person of the same name, they might use “this” to clarify. When I was in elementary school, there were four boys with the name Jacob in my grade. When context didn’t work to distinguish, we used last names. “This” becomes an easy shorthand when everyone is gathered together. You could point at one of the Jacobs, say “This one,” and everyone paying attention would know who you were talking about.

Does this mean that there is more than one Jesus to keep distinct? And if so, how do we tell them apart? 

Unfortunately, I think the answer to the first question is yes, and I’m not talking about other people who happen to share that name. I’m not even talking about some future anti-Christ who will appear pretending to be the second coming of Christ while leading the world astray. I’m talking about us and our habit of reinventing Jesus. We like to project ourselves onto Jesus and in so doing muddle the Word.

Given the fact that our political parties didn’t exist in first century Judea and Galilee, it’s funny to see just how often people debate about whether Jesus would have been a Republican or a Democrat. Depending on who you ask, Jesus can become a totally different person. Is Jesus a white, blue-eyed, hard-working, middle class man who supports traditional family values and loves America? Is Jesus a socialist, hippie, feminist in favor of legalizing drugs who completely wants to do away with the military? Those may be extreme examples, but seriously, which Jesus are we talking about? Is Jesus for or against gun control? How did Jesus feel about gay marriage? What economic system did Jesus prefer?

Unfortunately, in the absence of clear answers from the Bible for these questions, we often decide to make up our own. Jesus becomes exactly who we want him to be. Jesus becomes a voice to challenge our opponents, not us. The Word becomes a servant to our political affiliations. The Gospel becomes a cudgel.

“Agree with my ethics and you’re in. If we don’t see it my way, maybe the Gospel isn’t for you.”

I think all of us would agree that these attitudes are the result of our sin. We know this is wrong, but we can’t stop doing it. And part of the problem is that the world has so many images of Jesus. Everyone has their own take on the Lord, and if they are powerful and well-funded enough, they can make their opinions about Jesus very public. They can try to answer our questions for us. In our lives, we have to sort through thousands of different versions of Jesus. That is exhausting work, and we will be certain to fail in our efforts. Cutting through all the illusions is hard. The True Jesus becomes elusive, like Waldo lost in the crowd.

But Jesus does something that Waldo can’t do. Jesus ascends. You can imagine Waldo would be a lot easier to find if he rose up off the page. If it weren’t for this, Jesus would be tough to find, impossible even. Fortunately, that isn’t the case. Jesus does rise off the page to meet us. Jesus ascended into Heaven. Jesus is no longer tied down, restrained to a particular place and time. By the power of the Holy Spirit, making the Word come alive to us, we can learn to see Jesus, the real Jesus. Jesus is neither Republican nor Democrat. Jesus is neither liberal nor conservative. Jesus is complicated, real, dynamic. Jesus is not a blank canvas for us to project upon. Rather, Jesus projects righteousness onto us.

Ascension sets Jesus apart. We might try to make Jesus fit into our categories, but when we do, we’re missing out on “this Jesus.” Only when we let go of our desire to fit Jesus into the boxes we want him in, can we recognize Jesus for the life changing Lord he is. In ascending, this Jesus breaks free of our boxes and draws our attention to himself. In ascending, Jesus liberates himself from the restraints the world would put upon him, not to leave the world alone but care for it with power.

We may get a lot wrong about Jesus, but when we are referring to “this Jesus” there are a few things we can say for certain. This Jesus is God incarnate. This Jesus preached, taught, and healed to rescue a broken, hurting world. This Jesus died. This Jesus rose. This Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father. And this Jesus will come again. Our vain fantasies of the Jesus we want don’t do him justice. This Jesus is real, and we listen to him.