Great Commission and Ascension of Jesus

Scripture Reference:
Acts 1:1-11

Suggested Emphasis: Follow the Great Commission and tell others about Jesus.

Memory Verse: “So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything that I have told you. You can be sure that I will be with you always. I will continue with you until the end of the world.” Matthew 28:19-20, ICB

Story Overview:

After his resurrection from the dead, Jesus spent forty days with his disciples. Before ascending to heaven, he gave the apostles important instructions on announcing the gospel to all people and making them followers of Jesus. This is referred to as “the Great Commission”. An angel comforted the apostles by reminding them that just as Jesus rose into the clouds, he would someday come back to earth again.

Background Study:

Click here for an overview of the Book of Acts

After Jesus rose from the dead, he was present with the apostles and a number of others. Paul refers to an occasion when he appeared to 500 people simultaneously (I Corinthians 15:3-8). During the forty days following his resurrection, Jesus gave many proofs to the apostles that he was alive. He also told them to stay in Jerusalem and wait. The Holy Spirit would be poured out in all his power. This pouring out is called the “baptism of the Spirit”. When the Holy Spirit came, the apostles would receive special powers to teach and prove Jesus’ power in ways they had never been able to before.

Today’s story takes place at the Mount of Olives, at the conclusion of the forty days when the apostles met with Jesus. Jesus gives the apostles his last instructions before being taken into heaven to return to His Father.

Jesus had been with these apostles for three years so watching Jesus rise and disappear into the clouds must have been awesome and confusing at the same time. It seems the apostles stood motionless, looking up at the clouds even after Jesus had disappeared from sight. Two angels appear and bring them back to the realisation that this was not a final goodbye. They would see Jesus again someday.

Throughout his ministry Jesus had prepared the Apostles for this very day. He had always known he would leave them and that they would carry on with sharing the Good News with others. This was always his plan.

They were to witness Jesus’s resurrection in Jerusalem, in Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. This “job description” or “commission” can be found, in one form or another, at the end of each of the gospels (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:47; John 20:21).

Memorising the great commission is a great way to begin the book of Acts. You might find the version in Matthew 28:19-20 an easier one for children to understand.

As we study the book of Acts, we will see how the apostles did just as Jesus asked. Over and over, they will will share the Good News (the Gospel) to make disciples. They baptised people and taught them how to be followers.

Today’s lesson is another turning point in the overarching story of the Bible.

The Old Testament emphasised the power of God, the Father.
The Gospels emphasise the power of God, the Son.
Now, the Book of Acts emphasises the power of God, the Spirit.

Way to Introduce the Story:

Ask the children to imagine that they are just about to go away to live on another planet. Tell them that they have only thirty seconds to tell the class something very important. What would they tell the class? “ In today’s lesson, we will learn about when Jesus left this earth. He said some very special and important things to his friends. He told them about a very important job that he wanted them to do.
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The Story:

After Jesus died on the cross, he was buried in a tomb. His disciples thought that all was lost, but something amazing happened on the third day in the tomb. Jesus came to life again! This was called the resurrection.

After his resurrection, Jesus spent forty days visiting with his followers. He wanted to make sure they saw that he was not dead any more.

He spent lots of time with his special friends, the apostles. He told them to wait in Jerusalem because some great things would happen, and they needed to be there. He told them that the Holy Spirit would come and they would be given special powers to show everyone how good Jesus was and that he was the world’s true King.

Jesus told them that they would have a very important job to do. When someone tells someone to do a job and then gives instructions, that is called a “commission”. Jesus told the apostles to do this important job, sometimes called “The Great Commission”. Here are the words of Matthew’s account of the Great Commission:

“So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything that I have told you. You can be sure that I will be with you always. I will continue with you until the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:19-20 ICB)

After Jesus told them these things, something very amazing happened. Jesus began to float up. He floated up into the clouds while the apostles were watching. Soon, the clouds hid Jesus, and they could no longer see him.

Another word that is used for something that is going up is the word “ASCEND.” People often call this event the “Ascension of Jesus”.

Watching Jesus leave must have been very sad for his apostles. While they were all looking up into the sky, trying to catch another glimpse of Jesus, two men dressed in white (probably angels) stood beside them. These angels told the apostles that Jesus went up into the clouds and that someday (many years later), he would return to the earth on clouds again.

Now, the apostles understood. Someday, they would see Jesus return to earth again to take his followers to heaven. Someday, everyone who follows Jesus will see him again.

The apostles would miss Jesus, but Jesus had given them an important job. They could go and tell everyone about how he rose from the dead. They could teach people how to be followers of Jesus, too.

Where do you think the apostles went after this? Who wants to guess? Remember where Jesus had told them to go? He told them to go to Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit to come.

So the apostles went to Jerusalem and waited just as Jesus said. They knew that everything Jesus said would come true.

Ways to Tell the Story:

This story can be told using a variety of methods. Always remain true to the facts found in the Bible but help children connect to its meaning by using drama, visual aids, voice inflection, student interaction and/or emotion.
Click here for visual aids and story-telling methods.

Click here to download the slideshow or the printable illustrations.
Be selective. Each teacher is unique, so only use the illustrations that best relate to how YOU tell the story in THIS lesson. Too many illustrations can be confusing, so eliminate any that cover other stories or details you do not wish to emphasise in this lesson.

Another really good slideshow and illustrations from the Lumo Project can be downloaded from Free Bible Images.
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Review Questions:

What is the Great Commission? The instructions that Jesus gave to the apostles. He said: “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
What is the Gospel? The good news about Jesus. He died, was buried, and rose from the dead and, therefore, is the world’s true King and Lord.
How did Jesus leave the earth? Rose up into the clouds
Who spoke to them while the apostles were trying to get a last glimpse of Jesus in the clouds? Two angels.
What did the angels say after Jesus went up into the clouds? They said not to be sad because Jesus would come back again someday in the clouds

Song Suggestions:

I Can Be a Missionary Song
Hello Hello Song
L-O-V-E Song
This Little Light of Mine Song
Roll the Gospel Chariot Song
Refer to the Song Page on this website for more options.

Learning Activities and Crafts:

(How to choose the best learning activities for my teaching situation)

Activities:

Draw and Tell Visual Aid: The teacher and the students draw pictures as they read the scripture together. Make your own, or use this Great Commission and Ascension Draw and Tell template.
Obtain a helium-filled balloon and release it outside as you tell the story of Jesus going into the clouds.
Please find out the names of some of the missionaries your congregation supports and share facts about their work with the students. You might write notes or send the missionaries a picture of your class.
Write “GOSPEL” on the chalkboard or a large sheet of paper. Underneath, write “Good News”. Discuss the fact that the gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (I Corinthians 15:1-8). Let the children list things they might say when they share the gospel with people.
Memory Verse: Use the “Memory Lane” method to help children learn the memory verse.
Use a globe or world map and discuss some of the different cultures and languages of the world. Talk about how you might teach the gospel in a few different countries.

Crafts:

Ascension Craft (Photo at right) Instructions: Poke a hole in the bottom of a blue or clear plastic cup and string a string through it. Decorate the upturned cup with clouds. Tape a picture of Jesus on the lower end of the string. Pull the string so that Jesus “rises” up into the clouds.
Make a scroll. Click here for instructions. Write this verse on it: “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20), NIV. If children are too young to write the entire verse, consider helping them write something like “Tell people about God”.
Colour My World (Photo at right) Lead the class in a great conversation about sharing the good news of Christ by using the fun activity “The Great Commission- Into the World“.
Print bookmarks, trading cards or timelines (printable pages).
Visit the Teaching Ideas page for additional activities and crafts.

Other Online Resources:

https://www.pinterest.nz/marynnz/acts-good-news-in-jerusalem/

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