Acts 1:1-11 - Experience Questions
How can we connect the Ascension to Lord of the Rings? - Easily.
So far we have covered the text questions and the context questions, so let’s bring this Ascension text - Acts 1:1-11 - a bit closer to home with some experience questions.
8. What have I experienced that connects to this?
There are a variety of ways we can take this question with this text. Have you ever experienced saying goodbye to someone in a way that was both joyful and sorrowful? Have you ever had someone make you a promise you had to wait for? Have you ever seen something miraculous or so wonderful that you just kept staring at it? Have you ever seen an angel?
I think for me the part that rings most is the disciples told that some things are not for them to know. There are so many questions I am asking that I wish Jesus would answer or answer more clearly. But often His answer is the same as it is here – it’s not for you to know that.
Of course, I often forget the second part of what Jesus says. That the promised Holy Spirit comes, not just into the lives of those 120 people on Pentecost, but into my life as well.
9. What am I feeling?
Jesus’ ascension always makes me feel a paradoxical sense of joy, grief, confusion, and wonder. Jesus has done what He came to earth to do. He is enthroned in all power and authority as the King of Kings. But His presence on earth isn’t the same anymore. The eyewitnesses to the resurrection are all dead and gone. And the angels promised that the disciples would see Jesus’ return as He left, but apparently that’s a post-resurrection thing not a pre-death thing. I don’t really know what to do with Jesus’ ascension to be honest, so I’ll pray:
Ascended Jesus, You are the great King of Kings, as I wait for Your promises to be fulfilled, continue to empower me with the Holy Spirit so that I might continue to witness to Your resurrection. Amen.
10. Where have I heard this before?
This is a more challenging question than one might think. This Acts reading is by far the most robust Ascension reading we have. The Gospel of Luke’s version is much briefer. Matthew and John don’t record the Ascension, and depending on what you think about the various endings of Mark, it’s possible Mark doesn’t either.
John records Jesus saying that He will ascend in John 6:62 and John 20:17. Ephesians 4 has some rather confusing lines about the ascension. And there are a handful of Old Testament allusions to the ascension. But in the end, there are not many other biblical writings that clearly reference the ascension.
We confess the ascension of Jesus Sunday after Sunday in the Nicene and Apostles’ Creeds.
The ascension of Jesus might remind us of Elijah’s being taken up into heaven in a whirlwind surrounded by chariots of fire. It might remind us of Enoch who like Elijah was taken by God and did not die.
As far as cultural connections go, I’m reminded of the scene in The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King in the Grey Havens. The ringbearers all board the ship to Valinor. As this occurs, the goodbye that ensues between Frodo and his three Hobbit companions is one of peculiar grief. It is a strange goodbye where Frodo is moving on to something much better, but he is leaving these three behind. Likewise, Jesus’ ascension is good and necessary and better by far for Him (and for us), but it leaves us behind. Jesus promises the gift of the Holy Spirit. Frodo gives the gift of the book and some empty remaining pages for the rest of the story to be written. In this way one might think of the LOTR Trilogy as the Gospels and Sam’s remaining journeys as the book of Acts. Merry, Sam, and Pippen stand then as the Apostles do, staring off into the West, before finally walking home.
What Questions Remain?
Who is the Theophilus that this book is addressed to? People have had several theories on it, but we really aren’t sure.
How long was the interim between Luke writing his Gospel and the book of Acts? Why didn’t Luke write the robust Ascension account for the Gospel of Luke?
Why did ancient Christians choose to order the New Testament books as they did? Why in the world didn’t they have Acts right after Luke?
When will Jesus restore the Kingdom to Israel? What exactly does that mean?
Why don’t the other Gospel writers record the ascension? Why don’t they record more of what Jesus says as He opens their minds to understand the Scriptures? I know a few of them write letters to various churches and Matthew and John write accounts of His life, but I am so fascinated by what Jesus taught them post-resurrection and we just don’t get a lot of teaching from those 40 days.
What questions do you have about the Ascension? Share them in a comment!
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Andy