Why did Jesus ascend? Why not stay on earth?
Question 3041
After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples over a period of forty days, teaching them about the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3). Then, on the Mount of Olives, He was taken up before their eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight (Acts 1:9). He was gone. Why? If Jesus had conquered death and possessed a glorified body, why not remain on earth? Would it not have been better for the church if Jesus had stayed to lead us visibly? The ascension can seem puzzling, but it was essential to God’s plan and carries profound significance for believers.
To Complete His Work as High Priest
The book of Hebrews makes clear that Jesus’ work did not end at the cross. He rose from the dead to demonstrate that His sacrifice had been accepted. But He then ascended to present that sacrifice before the Father in the heavenly sanctuary. “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:11–12).
Under the old covenant, the high priest entered the Most Holy Place once a year with the blood of the sacrifice. Jesus entered the true holy place — heaven itself — with His own blood. There He presented His finished work to the Father. This was the completion of His priestly ministry. Had He remained on earth, He could not have served as our high priest in heaven: “Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law” (Hebrews 8:4). His place is in heaven, at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
To Send the Holy Spirit
Before His death, Jesus told His disciples: “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7). This is a remarkable statement. Jesus said it was better for them that He leave. How could His absence be better than His presence?
The answer lies in the coming of the Holy Spirit. While Jesus was on earth in bodily form, He could only be in one place at a time. He walked with a small group of disciples in one corner of the Roman Empire. But when He ascended and sent the Spirit, He became present to every believer in every place through the indwelling Holy Spirit. “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth… for he dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:16–17).
The Spirit was poured out at Pentecost precisely because Jesus had ascended. Peter explained to the crowd: “Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing” (Acts 2:33). The ascension and Pentecost are connected. Without the former, the latter could not have happened.
To Sit at the Right Hand of God
Throughout the New Testament, Jesus is described as seated at the right hand of God. This is the place of supreme honour and authority. Stephen, at his martyrdom, “gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55). Paul writes that God “raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:20–21).
Jesus ascended to take His rightful throne. He had accomplished redemption; now He received the reward. “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9–11). The ascension was the coronation. The suffering Servant became the reigning King.
To Intercede for Us
Jesus did not ascend to retire. He ascended to continue His work on our behalf. “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). The Greek word for intercession is ἐντυγχάνω (entynchanō), meaning to meet with, to petition, to plead for.
Right now, at this very moment, Jesus is interceding for you before the Father. When you sin, He is your advocate. “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). When Satan accuses you, Jesus defends you. When you are weak, He prays for you. His intercession is the reason you will make it to glory. “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died — more than that, who was raised — who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Romans 8:34).
To Prepare a Place for Us
On the night before His death, Jesus comforted His disciples with these words: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:1–3).
Jesus ascended to prepare a place for His people. What exactly this preparation involves, we are not told. But we are assured that there is a place for us, and that Jesus Himself is making it ready. The ascension was not a farewell but a temporary separation with a view to eternal reunion. He will come again. And when He does, He will take us to be with Him forever.
To Commission and Equip the Church
Ephesians 4:8–11 connects the ascension directly to the gifts given to the church: “Therefore it says, ‘When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.’… And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.”
The ascended Christ gave gifts to His church. He equipped believers for ministry. The apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers are all gifts from the exalted Lord. The church’s ability to function, to grow, to fulfil its mission — all of this flows from the ascended Christ. We are not orphans struggling alone. We are a body equipped by our Head who rules from heaven.
He Will Return
As the disciples stood gazing into the sky, two angels appeared and said: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). The ascension implies a return. He left visibly, bodily, from the Mount of Olives. He will return visibly, bodily, to the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4). The ascension is not the end of the story but the interlude before the climax.
We live in the time between the ascension and the return. This is the age of the church, the age of mission, the age of the Spirit. Jesus is in heaven, but He is not absent. He is present by His Spirit. He is active in intercession. He is preparing for His return. And one day, the sky will open, and the One who went up will come down — in power and great glory.
Conclusion
Why did Jesus ascend? To complete His priestly work in heaven. To send the Holy Spirit. To take His place at the Father’s right hand. To intercede for His people. To prepare a place for us. To equip the church for its mission. And to promise that He will return. The ascension is not loss but gain. It is not absence but a different mode of presence. And it is the guarantee that one day we will see Him face to face and be with Him forever.
“This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” Acts 1:11
Bibliography
- Walvoord, John F. Jesus Christ Our Lord. Chicago: Moody Press, 1969.
- Ryrie, Charles C. Basic Theology. Chicago: Moody Press, 1999.
- Bruce, F.F. The Book of Acts. New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988.
- MacArthur, John. The Glory of Heaven. Wheaton: Crossway, 2013.
- Pentecost, J. Dwight. Things to Come. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1958.
