Confusion About the Ascension

If we’re not careful, we might mistake the meaning of Jesus’s ascension. It sounds kind of like a retirement send-off—like Jesus finishes his work and sits down to enjoy the fruits of his labor, but that isn’t what happens at all. Jesus ascends to heaven to complete his work in transforming worship, standing in the presence of God as our perfect Priest.

The author of Hebrews tells us that the former generations of priests did their work imperfectly. They themselves were imperfect (Heb. 7:27), and they were destined to die, unable to escape the grip of the curse (Heb. 7:23). But Jesus…