From chapter 1 through to 5, Luke deals with the birth of the Christian church. In chapter 1 he covers the period from Jesus' crucifixion leading up to the Day of Pentecost (50 days from the first Sunday after the Passover). After a prologue, v1-5, he narrates the ascension, v6-11, and then the events in the upper room prior to the day of Pentecost.

v6-7. The disciples dream of the day when the nation of Israel will be reestablished as it was in the days of Solomon. They dream of themselves as the chief executives in the new kingdom, cf. Mk.10:35ff. Yet, the future state of the nation Israel is not their worry. It remains in the sovereign will of God, cf. Mk.13:32. In fact, Jesus is non committal over Israel's future, although he knows only too well that things are about to be put right; Israel will soon be judged. As for the timing of that coming day, it is not for the disciples to know. Their focus must be on a spiritual kingdom "not of this world".

v8. The special task given the apostles by Christ is to proclaim the gospel, the message of God's sovereign grace in Christ. Christ's kingdom is realized when this message is proclaimed, heard, and acted on in repentance. They must proclaim this message from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth (for Luke this probably means Rome). To carry on this work, the work Christ himself was engaged in, they will be "anointed" as Christ was anointed. They will receive an empowering of the Holy Spirit to enable them to carry out the work of witness-bearing.

v9. A cloud surrounds Jesus and he disappears from the apostles' sight. The cloud may have moved upward, or just dissolved. This event establishes the celebration of Ascension in the Church Year (40 days after Easter). Although we celebrate Christ's entry into glory and the taking up of his heavenly reign, in reality his resurrection establishes his rule at the right hand of the Father. Christ rises to reign in glory. His appearances to the disciples over the last 40 days are best described as theophanies - manifestations of divine glory. This last appearance in a cloud is a reminder of the transfiguration and represents the Shekhinah-glory - the sign of God's presence.

v10. The disciples naturally look upward for Jesus, seeing he was leaving the earth. When the cloud clears, two angelic messengers stand before them. "Dressed in white", "in dazzling apparel", Lk.24:4, is the usual fashion statement for angelic visitors.

v11. The angels, following their prime directive, convey a message to the disciples. Jesus now leaves in cloud and glory; in like manner he will return. He will come back as he went - in the same resurrection body, in the cloud of the Shekhinah-glory, or even possibly mysteriously in sign only. What of his coming back? Is this his Second Coming or the coming of the Holy Spirit? Either way, the disciples will experience his presence through the Holy Spirit. His present glorious reign will energize his people through the filling of the Holy Spirit. He "ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things", Eph.4:10. The apostles hurry back to Jerusalem to wait for the promised anointing.

Luke's message is simple enough. Christ now reigns in glory and will return one day. Meanwhile, his disciples must communicate the truth of his heavenly reign to all. In this task Christ will stand with us.

Like the disciples, it's very easy to become focused on irrelevant issues, theological or otherwise. The disciples were still interested in the restoration of the kingdom of Israel. Little did they know that the political state of Israel was about to succumb to Roman power. The days and seasons of coming events were not something the disciples needed to worry about. Matters of churchmanship, denominational doctrines, social justice issues, church growth, church/state relations...... and the like, all pale before a far greater purpose. For Jesus, that purpose is witnessing. His disciples are witnesses of his life, death, resurrection, and now, his ascension.

There is a sense where the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, are examples of this witness. They tell the story of the Christ; they proclaim him saviour and Lord. This then is the task of the disciple, to testify to Jesus, to proclaim the gospel - the good news of God's free and complete acceptance available through Christ to all who ask. We have the honour of carrying this message to our broken world. There will be times when we can do it personally, but most often we will do it in the support of our local church and its outreach programs, missionary societies, the Bible Society, and the like. We must be ready, willing and able to speak for Jesus, and work to support others in this task.

It is important to add that the disciples were not left to undertake this task in their own power. "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you", then "you will be my witnesses." Of course, it's very easy to make the mistake that because the apostles received some particular blessing from God, it is therefore, a blessing for all believers. None-the-less, the gift of the Spirit is clearly a blessing for all believers, and there is little doubt that He supports us in our daily walk. We may not be equipped with a gift of ministry like evangelism, that is, we may not be specially endowed with that particular gift, but we are all supported in the business of testimony. Under the sovereign will of God, our words, direct or indirect, will find appropriate soil. Like the sower, we need only sow.

In what way does Christ's ascension impinge on us today?