The Ascent of Christ: Glory Clothed in Humility (Part 2)

This post continues our two-part series on Philippians 2 and John 13. In the first post, we traced the descent of Christ, watching Him move step by step from the glory of heaven to the shame of the cross. His humility revealed the very heart of God.

Now we turn to the ascent of Christ. The One who stooped low is the same One who was raised high. From the resurrection to His enthronement at the right hand of God, the Scriptures show us that His exaltation is the vindication of His humility. Together, these two movements, the descent and the ascent, reveal the fullness of His redeeming love.

Foreshadowed in the Upper Room

John tells us that Jesus “rose from supper, laid aside His outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around His waist. Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet” (John 13:4–5). Later, when the act was complete, He put His garments back on and returned to His place.

This simple detail holds profound significance. Laying aside His garment was a picture of His descent: setting aside glory, taking the form of a servant, clothing Himself in humility. Taking up His garment again was a picture of His ascent: rising from the grave, clothed once more in glory, returning to the Father. The basin and the towel were not only acts of service; they were an enacted parable of His mission from heaven to earth and back again.

The upper room anticipates the empty tomb. The stooping Lord who knelt to wash feet is the risen Lord who would soon take His seat at the right hand of God.

Raised in Resurrection

On the third day, the Father raised Him from the dead. To Mary Magdalene He said, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God’” (John 20:17). His resurrection was the beginning of His ascent, the victory over death and the sign that His sacrifice was accepted.

For forty days He appeared to His disciples, speaking of the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3). He ate with them, taught them, and prepared them for mission. These appearances were not only proofs of life but foretastes of the coming age, reminders that the risen Christ would remain with His people by His Spirit.

Exalted in Ascension and Enthronement

At the Mount of Olives, “lifting up His hands He blessed them. While He blessed them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven” (Luke 24:50–51). Acts describes it: “He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9). The disciples stood watching until two angels declared, “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go” (Acts 1:11). His ascension was not departure but enthronement, a transition from earthly ministry to heavenly reign.

The ascent reached its climax when He sat down at the right hand of God. “But this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until His enemies should be made a footstool for His feet” (Hebrews 10:12–13). Paul adds, “He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things” (Ephesians 4:10).

Philippians 2 brings this upward journey to its crescendo: “Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow… and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (vv. 9–11). The descent and ascent belong together. The One who stooped to serve is now exalted as Lord over all.

Vindication of Humility

Christ’s ascent is not a reversal of His humility. It is the vindication of it. Paul says in Philippians 2:9, “Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name.” The “therefore” matters. His exaltation is the direct result of His humility.

The world exalts the proud. God exalts the humble. Christ’s path shows us the eternal truth: the way down is the way up. And yet, in His exaltation, His humility remains. Revelation shows us the Lamb on the throne. The One who reigns is forever the One who was slain. His scars are not erased in glory. They are exalted in glory. His humility is His crown.

The exaltation of Christ means that the One who stooped lowest is now lifted highest. But His posture does not change. He reigns as the servant Lord. His kingdom is not like the kingdoms of this world. His glory is marked by humility, and His authority is defined by love.

Sharing in His Exaltation

What does this mean for us? Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:6 that God “raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” His ascent is not His alone. By grace we share in it.

Because Christ has ascended, His Spirit fills us. Because He reigns, His power strengthens us. Because He intercedes at the right hand of the Father, our prayers are heard. And because He will return, our hope is secure.

Yet even as we share in His exaltation, we are called to walk in His humility. The basin and the towel remain our pattern. His Spirit empowers us to bend low in love, even as we live with confidence that we are raised with Him. The world says to climb higher. Christ calls us to stoop lower. And yet, in stooping, we rise. In losing our lives, we find them. In following the path of His humility, we share in the joy of His glory.

The Descent and Ascent Held Together

The story is not complete until we see both the descent and the ascent together. In His descent, Christ reveals the humility of God. In His ascent, Christ reveals the glory of God. Both are one.

The basin and the towel show us His descent: laying aside, stooping low, serving in love. The cross shows us the lowest point of His humiliation. But the empty tomb, the ascension, and the enthronement show us His exaltation: taking up again, rising high, reigning in glory.

The descent without the ascent would leave us with a crucified servant but no risen Lord. The ascent without the descent would leave us with a glorious Lord but no suffering servant. The gospel holds them together. The One who descended is the same One who ascended.

And here is the call to us: “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). We are to live in His humility, for it is the very life of God within us. We are to walk in His love, for it is the mark of His disciples. And we are to rest in His glory, for it is the promise of our hope.

A Concluding Word

This two-part journey has taken us down and up. We have seen the Son who did not grasp at equality with God but emptied Himself, took the form of a servant, and became obedient to death. And we have seen the same Son exalted, raised, and enthroned at the right hand of God.

The descent of Christ shows us the humility of God. The ascent of Christ shows us the glory of God. Together they reveal the fullness of His redeeming love. The God we worship is not proud, not self-serving, not detached. He is humble. He is glorious. He is the Lord who stooped to wash feet and the King who reigns on high.

And now, His Spirit calls us to live in both realities: to take up the basin and towel in service, and to walk in the confidence of His victory. For the One who descended is the same One who ascended, and He will come again.