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The death of the Lord Jesus was foretold by the ancient Hebrew prophets long before His birth in Bethlehem. In fact, He was born expressly for the purpose of dying because His death could accomplish all that was necessary for men and women to be reconciled to God. He was uniquely qualified to be the mediator between God and men because He was uniquely God and man. John speaks of Him as the Word who was with God in the beginning and was God in the beginning (John 1:1) but who became flesh (the incarnation) and dwelt among men (John 1:14) not only to reveal the Father (John 1:18), but that He might be the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29).

In John’s account of the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus, there is a dramatic shift that takes place at the end of chapter 11 through the beginning of chapter 13. The first twelve chapters are a presentation of the unique identity of the Lord Jesus with a call for people to believe in Him. And while some have responded in faith, the religious leaders have rejected Jesus and concluded that He is a threat to their national security and must be eliminated. The high priest, Caiaphas, makes this chilling pronouncement:

“You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.”

John 11:49-50

And so they plot to put Him to death.

At the start of chapter 13, John tells us that Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to depart from this world to the Father (John 13:1). He knew that the means of His departure would be through the cross, resurrection, and ascension and could confidently say:

“Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately.”

John 13:31-32

And as He prepared to go the cross, He spent time talking with His Father in what is uniquely the Lord’s prayer, a prayer no one but the Lord Jesus could pray:

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”

John 17:1-5

Jesus was glorified through giving His life on the cross as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). He was glorified through His resurrection, as He was demonstrated to be the Son of God with power (Rom. 1:4). But forty days later, Jesus was glorified through His ascension into heaven in full view of His gathered disciples (Acts 1:4-9).

Why is the ascension of the Lord Jesus glorious?

His ascension is glorious because it restores the glory He had before the world began. Jesus said to His Father:

I have glorified You on earth by accomplishing the work You gave Me to do. And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world existed.

John 17:4-5

His ascension is glorious because it demonstrates His restoration to His rightful place. Paul describes the Lord Jesus this way:

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
God was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Preached among the Gentiles,
Believed on in the world,
Received up in glory.

1 Timothy 3:16 (NKJV)

His ascension is glorious because it demonstrates that His work of redemption is complete:

​On many past occasions and in many different ways, God spoke to our fathers through the prophets. But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe.
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature, upholding all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Hebrews 1:1-3 (BSB)

Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

Hebrews 9:12

His ascension is glorious because it demonstrated His exaltation by the dramatic outpouring of the Holy Spirit:

God has raised this Jesus to life, to which we are all witnesses.
Exalted, then, to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.

Acts 2:32-33

His ascension is glorious because it fulfils the Father’s promise of Christ’s ultimate victory:

​The LORD said to my Lord:
“Sit at My right hand
until I make Your enemies
a footstool for Your feet.”
The LORD extends Your mighty scepter from Zion:
“Rule in the midst of Your enemies.”

Psalms 110:1-2

His ascension is glorious because it demonstrates His rightful authority over His Church:

And God put everything under His feet and made Him head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Ephesians 1:22-23

His ascension is glorious because it demonstrates His authority over the demonic and angelic realm:

Jesus Christ who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.

1 Peter 3:21-22

These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

Ephesians 1:19-21

His ascension is glorious because it is the base for His ministry as High Priest for the Church:

Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.

Hebrews 8:1-2

His ascension is glorious because it guarantees His promise that believers will be with Him in His Father’s house:

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that you also may be where I am.

John 14:3

Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, that they may see the glory You gave Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

John 17:24

Christ’s exaltation to the Father’s right hand restores and magnifies His glory, demonstrates His authority, and guarantees His victory. At His ascension, the angels announced that just as Jesus ascended physically and visibly, so one day He would return to this earth physically and visibly to establish His glorious kingdom. Make sure you are on the right side of history when the King returns.

They were looking intently into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “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.”

Acts 1:10-11