Ascension and Pentecost

On the night before he died, Jesus told his friends something that must have sounded crazy:

"But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you." (John 16:7)

How could it possibly be better for the disciples if Jesus left? Think of a coach letting the captain lead, or a parent letting you go to camp. Sometimes someone stepping back makes room for something good. That's the story of this lesson. Forty days after rising from the dead, Jesus ascended into heaven. Ten days later, the Holy Spirit came, and Peter, the man who had denied Jesus seven weeks earlier, stood up in Jerusalem and explained it all to thousands of people.

What you'll learn

• What the ascension actually means: Jesus enthroned as King, not just "gone"
• How Peter builds his case for Jesus at Pentecost, step by step
• What Peter told the crowd to do, and what he promised them

The ascension: not space travel, but a coronation

Luke wrote two books. His Gospel was about all that Jesus began to do and teach (Acts 1:1). Acts is about what Jesus keeps doing, by his Spirit, through his people.

Acts 1 tells us that for forty days the risen Jesus gave his followers many convincing proofs that he was alive. The disciples were still hoping he would make Israel a political power again, but Jesus gave them a bigger mission: to be his witnesses "to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Then he was taken up, and a cloud hid him from their sight. Two men in white told them he would come back the same way.

When you picture the ascension, you might imagine Jesus floating up like a rocket. But Luke isn't describing space travel. In the Bible, a cloud often signals God's presence (Exodus 40:34; Luke 9:34–35). Jesus is going into the presence of God. Centuries earlier, Daniel had a vision of exactly that:

"In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." (Daniel 7:13–14)

Jesus often called himself "the Son of Man". The ascension is his coronation: the Son of Man arriving before God to receive an everlasting kingdom.

So what does the ascension mean for Christians?

The Spirit poured out

You may remember the events of Pentecost from Year 7: a sound like a rushing wind, what looked like tongues of fire, and believers speaking in other languages so that a crowd from many nations heard about God's mighty works in their own language. Some people mocked and said the believers were drunk.

Here's a deeper layer. Pentecost (the Feast of Weeks) came fifty days after Passover, and it was a harvest festival, when the first part of the wheat harvest was offered to God (Leviticus 23:15–17). Jesus died at Passover. Fifty days later the Spirit came, and about 3,000 people were gathered in: the first harvest.

Peter said this was what the prophet Joel had promised:

"‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams." (Acts 2:17)

In the Old Testament, the Spirit came mostly on particular people, like prophets, kings and judges. Now God pours out his Spirit on all his people: young and old, men and women, servants. Every believer.

Peter's case

Seven weeks earlier, Peter had denied knowing Jesus three times. Now he stood up in the same city and spoke to thousands. Jesus' prayer for him (Luke 22:32) had been answered. His sermon is a carefully built argument:

"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)

Notice where Peter is preaching: in Jerusalem, a short walk from Jesus' tomb, only weeks after the crucifixion. If the body had still been there, it would have been easy to produce it.

The response

The crowd were deeply shaken (Acts 2:37). They realised they had helped crucify God's Messiah, and they asked what they should do. Peter told them to repent (change their mind and direction, and turn to God) and to be baptised in Jesus' name (a public sign of belonging to him) for the forgiveness of their sins. He promised they would receive the Holy Spirit as a gift, and that the promise was for them, their children and all who are far off (2:39). That includes people today.

About 3,000 people responded. Yesterday they were part of the crowd that rejected Jesus. Today they were forgiven.

Key words

• Ascension: Jesus being taken up into heaven, forty days after his resurrection, to reign at God's right hand.
• Pentecost: a Jewish harvest festival fifty days after Passover; the day the Holy Spirit was poured out on the first believers.
• Exalted: lifted up to the highest place of honour.
• Repent: to change your mind and direction, turning away from sin and towards God.
• Baptism: washing with water as a public sign of belonging to Jesus.

How this points to Jesus

Peter's sermon pulls together everything in this term so far: the cross, the empty tomb, the ascension and the Spirit. The disciples lost Jesus' physical presence, but they gained a King on the throne and his Spirit living in every one of them. That's why it was better.

Think about it

Take it further

If Jesus really is reigning now and his Spirit lives in every believer, what difference could that make to an ordinary Year 9 student's week? Think of one specific situation (a test, a friendship, a temptation) and ask how it might look different. If you're not sure what you believe, think about what difference it would make if it were true.

Your worksheet helps you work through Acts 1, map Peter's argument in your own words, and think about the crowd's response.