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The ascension is one of the key issues in historical discussions about the Lord’s Supper. The question posed by many has been: How can Jesus, who has ascended into heaven, still be with us at this table, and feed us His flesh and blood? Many answers have been given, some of which I believe are highly misleading.
Calvin’s answer, and I believe the answer of the NT, is that the Spirit provides the connection between Jesus exalted into heaven and us who remain on earth. Jesus ascended, but He sent His Spirit to be with us, and through His Spirit, Jesus Himself is with us. Through the Spirit, we become partakers on earth of the Christ who is in heaven. Alternatively, Calvin, and the NT, talked about the Spirit whisking us up into heaven, drawing us into heavenly places, so that we can feast on Christ.
At the same time, we have to recognize the flip side of the ascension in its relation to the Supper. The fact that Jesus is in heaven means that Jesus is truly absent from us; He is present by the Spirit, but He is absent too. And that is an essential part of what we experience at this table. At this table, we come to know Jesus more and more, but we do not yet know Him as we are known. At this table, we commune with Jesus, but we do not yet see Him face to face. This table gives us a taste of the banquet of the kingdom of heaven, but it is only a taste.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Sunday, May 23, 2004 at 08:00 AM
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