After Jesus was crucified and arose from the dead, he appeared to Mary and his disciples. Jesus told them that He would be leaving them, but Mary held on tightly, not wanting to be separated from Him. At the end of Mark's gospel, Mark reports that Jesus ascended into heaven and was seated at the right hand of God. The ascension was more than just Jesus going up into the sky. It was a visual picture of Jesus being anointed as King and Ruler of the Universe. It is similar to a worldy king ascending to his throne, taking on all of the power that role dictates - but so much more.
In Acts 7, Stephen is about to be stoned to death for telling people about Jesus. But even under the threat of death, Stephen had the "face of an angel". He said, "Look, I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God". I love that Stephen sees Jesus standing, unlike earlier when the disciples saw him seated at the right hand of God. Jesus is not a passive king watching his minions stumble about below. Jesus is our advocate, standing for us before the throne of God.
When Mary was holding tightly to Jesus before his ascension, she did not want to be separated from him - physically. But while Jesus was on earth, there were times when she would be with him and times when they were separated. Jesus assured us before his ascension, that we will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on us, and that if we believe in Him, He will be with us always - standing for us, advocating for us at the right hand of God.
These words were inspired by chapter 9 of Tim Keller's book, Encounters with Jesus.
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