Jacob and Eimear are standing beside each other in a field.
NARRATOR: Hello you two!
EIMEAR/JACOB: Hi there!
NARRATOR: Today we’re off to learn about the Ascension!
JACOB: What’s an ascension?
NARRATOR: Let’s go and find out, shall we?
*We see a crowd of people under a tree. *
EIMEAR: Oh, who are all these people?
NARRATOR: These folks here are Jesus’ apostles - his most loyal followers. Many haven’t seen Jesus in a while, not since Easter, forty days ago to be exact!
*We see a cross on a hillside, then the exterior of a tomb. Some people are looking into the tomb, amazed to find it empty. *
NARRATOR: On Good Friday Jesus was put to death on the cross. On the third day after his death, Jesus’ disciples went to his tomb and were surprised to find that it was empty - his body wasn’t there anymore!
The apostles are talking earnestly amongst themselves.
NARRATOR: Nobody knew where Jesus’ body was, or what had happened to him. Until… he appeared to them!
*Jesus walks amongst the apostles. They react in shock and amazement. *
JACOB: Wow is that Jesus? Is he a ghost?
NARRATOR: Oh no! Christians believe that Jesus’ body and soul both came back to life when he was resurrected.
*Jesus is now in the centre of the group, with the apostles gathered on either side. *
NARRATOR: In the Bible, it says that when Jesus appeared to the apostles, he told them to continue preaching his message. Then Jesus rose - or ascended - to Heaven in front of their eyes. This is called the Ascension.
*Jesus starts to rise off the ground and into the air, eventually he is covered by a cloud. The apostles are startled. *
NARRATOR: This is the last time the apostles saw Jesus. His ascension showed that he had finished his mission on Earth. It was now up to his apostles to tell others about everything they’d seen and learnt from Jesus.
*Two men in white appear beside the apostles, who are still looking up to the sky. *
EIMEAR: And who are these guys - more apostles?
NARRATOR: In the Bible it says that two men in white appeared to the apostles after Jesus ascended. Some people think that they were angels. They said, “Jesus has been taken from you into Heaven, but some day he will return from Heaven in the same way you saw him go”. So Christians believe that one day Jesus will come back to Earth.
The crucifixion
We can only imagine the suffering Jesus would have gone through when he was crucified.
There was the shock of being arrested, the embarrassment of being mocked as he dragged his own cross through the streets, and the torture of hanging on the cross.
That said, Christians believe that Jesus knew exactly what would happen to him, so none of this was a surprise.
Let's take a moment to think about those same events, only this time from the viewpoint of Jesus’ disciples.
The disciples
The disciples spent three years following Jesus.
They heard him teach large crowds about God’s Kingdom and witnessed him perform many miracles.
When they saw their teacher nailed to a cross and die, perhaps the disciples felt abandoned and frightened.
They had believed Jesus was God’s promised Messiah, but now he was dead and his body had been put into a closed tomb.
There were also quite a number of enemies of Jesus who would have been all too happy to get their hands on the disciples! They probably felt they needed to lay low for a while.
Lifted into the clouds
The Bible says that after he rose from the dead, Jesus remained on Earth for a further 40 days before he was lifted into the clouds to return to his Father in Heaven.
This event is known as the Ascension.
On this day, Jesus and his loyal followers were gathered at a place called the Mount of Olives.
A short time before, Jesus was already giving his disciples instructions to prepare them for when he went away. He told them not to leave Jerusalem right away, but to wait for a special gift from God.
Even though the disciples didn’t fully understand what was going to happen, they would have known that they needed to follow Jesus’ words.
Handing on the baton
You know how in a relay race, one person hands the baton to another person so that they can continue the race for their team?
Well, some people look at the Day of Ascension as Jesus passing the baton on to his followers. It was now up to them to tell others about everything they’d seen and learnt from Jesus.
Christians believe that this was always the plan. Jesus had chosen his disciples to be messengers for him after he left.
According to Acts Chapter 1, they were to spread his teachings *“to the ends of the Earth” *.
Jesus did not abandon his followers
Even though Jesus was returning to Heaven, it was clear that he was not abandoning his disciples.
According to promises made in the Bible, Christians to this day believe God never leaves or abandons His followers.
Jesus’ words on the Day of Ascension are a reminder of that.
Christians also believe that the Ascension shows that Jesus really had beaten death and will live forever in Heaven.
Now that you know about the Ascension of Jesus, find out how well known Christians can offer inspiration to others.
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