When we talk about Jesus, most of the conversation tends to revolve around His death and resurrection. Those events certainly matter, but their value and meaning is connected to this next event: His ascension. When Jesus rose from the dead, He said “All authority in heaven and earth has been given unto me.” (Mt. 28:18). Jesus’ ascent into heaven was His ascent into the offices His death and resurrection had won. It’s one thing to win an election to a public office, and yet it’s another thing to be sworn into that office. The first even makes the second valid, but the second event is what the first event looked forward to. Jesus’ ascension was into His offices as Prophet, Priest and King. While theologians debate in what sense He is already in His kingly office and in what sense there still remains a kingship to come, the church already confesses Jesus as “Lord” affirming a meaningful degree of present reign already established from His seat at the right hand of the Father.
Passages: King: Matthew 28, Hebrews 1:3-13, Phil. 2:9-11, Priest: Hebrews 3, 4:14-16, 5:1-10, 6:13-10:25, Prophet: Acts 7:35-38 & 52-53, Hebrews 1:1-2. On Earth as in Heaven: Matthew 6:7-15, Colossians 1:15-20, 3:1-4,
A good comparison can be made between Genesis 1:1-2 account of creation and Matthew 3:13-17 or John 1:29-34 accounts of Jesus’ baptism. In both cases we see the Spirit of God hovering over the waters. In Genesis, this is creation. In the Gospels, this is the beginning of the recreation where the world begins to be made new. This work doesn’t finish until Christ returns, but the work has begun as we are already putting off our old selves and being made new in Jesus. The beginning and end of the Bible depict a world where God dwells with man – where heaven and earth overlap. Creation put them together. Sin tore them apart. When Jesus ascended into heaven, a bit of earth (His material body) entered heaven and as He pours our His Spirit on His Church, a bit of heaven is already on earth. This is the first fruit of what is to come.