Why does Jesus ascend to heaven? After rising from the dead, why doesn’t he simply stay? Writer Philip Yancey voices our confusion. He writes: “I have concluded, in fact, that the Ascension represents my greatest struggle of faith – not whether it happened, but why. It challenges me more than the problem of pain, more than the difficulty of harmonizing science and the Bible, more than belief in the Resurrection and other miracles…. Would it not have been better if the Ascension had never happened? If Jesus had stayed on earth, he could answer our questions, solve our doubts, mediate our disputes of doctrine and policy.” “Why did Jesus leave us alone to fight the battles? How can it be good that he went away?”
