05/17/2026
The Ascension of our Lord Sunday. Praise be to God!
We often read the story of Ascension Day and focus almost entirely on what was happening on earth. We picture the disciples standing there on the Mount of Olives, watching Jesus bless them one final time. We imagine their faces lifted upward as the risen Christ physically ascended before their eyes, higher and higher until a cloud took Him from their sight. It is an extraordinary moment, and understandably so. After all they had witnessed, from miracles to crucifixion to resurrection, now they were watching their Savior return to Heaven itself. Of course they stood there in awe. Of course they stared. Any of us would have done the same.
But what really gets me is the realization that while earth was watching Jesus leave, Heaven was watching Him return. While human eyes strained upward in wonder, the courts of Heaven were preparing for the arrival of the victorious King. And suddenly, the words of Psalm 24 become something far greater than beautiful poetry. “Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in!” This was not simply a farewell. This was not merely a departure. This was triumph.
Jesus had left Heaven’s perfection and willingly entered humanity’s brokenness. He had taken on flesh, endured temptation, experienced grief, faced betrayal, suffered torture, and borne the crushing weight of sin itself. He had gone to the cross. He had died. He had entered the grave. But He did not remain there. He rose in victory, defeating death itself. So when He ascended, He was not returning as one defeated. He was returning as the conquering King.
Psalm 24 almost reads like Heaven itself is announcing His arrival. “Who is this King of glory?” Who is this approaching the ancient gates? Who is this returning from battle? And the answer echoes with unmistakable authority. “The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle!” Because Jesus did not merely ascend. He ascended having fully accomplished the mission. Sin had been paid for. Death had been defeated. The grave had been conquered. Satan’s power had been broken. The scars He bore were no longer merely reminders of suffering, but eternal declarations of victory.
Can you even begin to imagine that moment? The ancient doors of Heaven opening wide. The King of Glory returning. The Lamb who was slain now exalted in triumph. Heaven receiving back its rightful King, not in sorrow, but in celebration. Every promise fulfilled. Every prophecy completed. Every part of redemption secured.
Ascension Day is not simply about Jesus leaving His disciples standing on a hillside. It is about His enthronement. It is about the victorious return of Christ to His heavenly throne. It is the moment when the One who humbled Himself unto death was exalted in glory. And perhaps what is most humbling of all is this. He did not do it only for Himself. He did it to make a way for us.
The King who entered those gates in victory is also the One who opened the way for all who belong to Him. Because of Jesus, Heaven’s gates are not forever closed. Because of Jesus, death does not have the final word. Because of Jesus, redemption is not a distant hope, but a secured promise.
So while the disciples stood staring upward, likely overwhelmed, bewildered, and wondering what came next, Heaven was proclaiming something far greater than a goodbye.
“Lift up your heads, O gates!”
The King had returned.
And the doors could do nothing but open.
