Jesus appears in the presence of God - 3 May 2024

The temple with its holy of holies was, to the Jews, the centre of their religion and since their religion, culture and politics were completely interlaced, it was the centre of their whole being. It must have been strange to them to hear that what they have perceived as the holy of holies was, after all, man-made. When Jesus ascended, he entered the real holy of holies, the true abode of God, heaven itself.

This single chapter contains the complete history of our salvation. There is an unbroken line running from the temple and the holy of holies, which was a symbol of God’s residence on earth, to heaven as his eternal abode. This line is indispensable for our understanding of the link between the ascension and the beginning of the church. This line is Christ himself and, specifically, him as Saviour.

We are sometimes very prone to think of the life of Christ in fragments, of which some seem more important than others: birth, epiphany, lent, the cross, resurrection and ascension. In the letter to the Hebrews, the life of Christ is pictured as an unbroken line of salvation, an absolute unit. For our salvation, his birth and ascension are just as important as his death on the cross.

The reason why his ascension is important is set out in our verse for today: “where he now appears on our behalf in the presence of God”. It means that Jesus appears before God to help us. Death and resurrection would have been to no avail if he did not enter heaven, where he could appear before God to help us by pleading our cause. Without this “help”, the church as the body of Christ on earth would not have been able to come into being or survive all these years. Ascension is necessary to give substance to our salvation.

Prayer: Jesus, we thank you that you are still appearing before God, on our behalf, to help us and to plead our cause. Amen