Reflection – Dr Nathan Leber

The Paradox of the Ascension

The paradox of the Ascension lies in the fact that only by departing could Jesus embed his presence deeper within us – so that we may receive the deepest blessing of the Father, so that we may receive the Holy Spirit. With the resurrection, Jesus once again was amongst his followers. He had returned to fulfil his promise and to show what awaited us all. In the resurrection of Christ was the fulfilment of eternal life and in the presence of the risen Lord the apostles gained a higher insight into the divine covenantal love which streamed from the Father. Yet his time with them was short. In preparation for his Ascension, Jesus prayed to the Father endorsing his followers as worthy of carrying on his message – an obligation which remains with us. Were you a champion of the faith today? Did you live up to the endorsement of Christ?

In Mark’s Gospel (16:15-18), Jesus gives signs that accompany these champions: ability to cast out demons, to speak new languages, to handle snakes, to drink poison, to heal the sick. Casting aside these drastic steps, Jesus’ point is that the anxieties and perils of this world are not for His people. Our faith is a solace unachievable through any other means. It allows us to put into perspective the worldly concerns and realise God has us in his hands. Yet, the Ascension would change everything again. Whilst no longer in physical form, he remained called. The Gospel of Matthew ends before the Ascension, leaving Christ’s presence still very much around the disciples. He will be with them always as they make disciples of the nations, as they baptise in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…until the end of time. He is with us in the same way.

Through Christ, we are brought into full knowledge of the nature of God and enlightened to the hope that His call holds for us. Think for a moment of the apostles as they gazed at Jesus fading into the heavens. Feel their longing and expectation, a second sense of loss. Yet, we all know that this would soon be filled by a warm embrace. As Jesus said to his Father, “I have made your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and so that I may be in them.” (John 17:26) You will notice a focus on love. This call, this promise, starts with baptism with the Holy Spirit. This alone is amazing, but the truly remarkable and blessed part of this needs to be discerned.

Through Jesus, we experienced firsthand the love of the Father, which remains with us, as Christ remains with us. With the addition of this baptism with the Holy Spirit, we are honoured to personally experience the Trinitarian reality. We become one with the entire Trinity! How blessed we truly are. In the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, and by their divine presence with us through the love of the Father, the life and resurrection of the ascended Jesus and the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we become whole and in one with the divine. Thus the paradox: Jesus needed to leave us so that he could be with us forever!

Dr Nathan Leber