We, believers, understand the importance and privilege of celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Yet, as important as the Resurrection is, it is not the end of the story. Consider a rocket launch. When a rocket lifts off, the countdown ends, the engines ignite, and the entire structure trembles with power. But the launch is not the mission; it is the beginning of the mission. Easter was not the conclusion. The Ascension was not the farewell. The Resurrection ignited redemption. The Ascension launched the mission.
After the Resurrection, Jesus moves from risen Savior to reigning King and then sends us, His Church, into the world on mission, sent in power. Matthew places us on a mountain in Galilee. Mountains in Scripture often reveal divine authority, such as Sinai, trembling with law, and the mountain where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. There, in a moment mixed with worship and doubt (Matthew 28:17), Jesus does not rebuke His disciples’ frailty; He reveals His supremacy: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me” (Matthew 28:18). “All authority” signifies rightful rule and sovereign dominion. The crucified One now reigns over heaven and earth.
Acts shows us what that authority looks like: “And when He had said these things, as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9). This cloud is not mere weather; it is glory, the manifest presence of God seen in Exodus and envisioned in Daniel. The Ascension is Jesus’ visible return to divine glory. And the angels declare, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus… will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Jesus ascended as King. Jesus will return as King.
Our mission begins with His authority. We are not merely building a kingdom; we are serving a King. The throne of Christ is the foundation of the church’s mission. Yet the disciples initially misunderstand. “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). They are thinking politically, nationally, immediately. Jesus redirects them: “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority” (Acts 1:7).
Instead of speculation, He gives them an assignment. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). The main verb is clear: “make disciples.” “Go,” “baptizing,” and “teaching” describe how.
“Go” defines the scope to “all nations,” all peoples, fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham that “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). Acts expands the geography: “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Local, regional, cross-cultural, global. The church is not called to isolation but to expansion.
“Baptizing” defines identity as covenant inclusion in God’s forever family. The Resurrection does not merely forgive; it adopts and transforms sinners into saints. “Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20) defines depth. This is not mere information transfer but life transformation guided by the Word of God. Discipleship is obedience shaped by the risen Christ.
A commission without power would crush us. But Jesus promises both presence and power: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses” (Acts 1:8). This “power” is divine enablement. We do not manufacture it; we receive it. The Ascension makes Pentecost possible. Jesus assures us, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). How is He with us if He ascended? Through the indwelling Holy Spirit. The risen Christ reigns in glory. The ascended Christ intercedes in heaven. His Spirit empowers believers to know Him and make Him known.
Imagine standing on a battlefield after a great victory. You see an empty grave where a fallen hero once lay. You also see a throne where that same hero, alive, reigns. The empty tomb signifies victory. The occupied throne shows the mission continues. We live between the Ascension and the Return. The angels still ask, “Why do you stand looking into heaven?” (Acts 1:11). The same Jesus who rose, ascended, and will return is the same Jesus who sends us. From grave to glory, from authority to commission, we are not Easter spectators; we are witnesses. Because He reigns, we go. Because He commands, we obey. Because He empowers, we proclaim. We, believers, are sent with power. Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!