And He departed from our sight that we might return to our heart, and there find Him. For He departed, and behold, He is here.
When Christ returned to heaven, He withdrew His physical presence from our sight. He didn’t stop being with the disciples but by the ascension fulfilled His promise to be with us to the end of the world. As His body was raised to heaven, so His power and reign have spread to the uttermost parts.
In the Old Testament the idea of ascending was linked to two activities. First, it described drawing near to the presence of God. The Tabernacle was set on a hill and people went up to it. Later, the Temple was built on a mountain in Jerusalem and there is a section in the Book of Psalms, called the Psalms of Ascent (120-134), which describe the worshippers’ approach to the Temple at the festival periods of Israel. So Jesus, when He ascended, entered God’s presence.
The Purpose of God, An Exposition of Ephesians, Christian Focus Publications, 1994, p. 102.
Christ has ascended upon high. Think you He would have returned thither with unexpiated sin red upon His garments? Do you suppose He would have ascended to the rest and to the reward of an accomplished work? What! sit at his Father’s right hand to be crowned for doing nothing, and rest until His adversaries are made his footstool, when He has not performed his Father’s will! Absurd! Impossible! His ascension in stately pomp, amidst the acclamations of angels, to the enjoyment of His Father’s continued smile, is the sure proof that the work is complete.
Expiation, Sermon 561, Isa. 53:10.
